Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley

The theme for this picture book could very well be, don't let anyone discourage you. When Mouse tells Bear that four leaf clovers are lucky, he is determined to find one. Along the ways his friends give him plenty of reasons to give up. Bear and Mouse do triumph in the end, with a special twist. The simple drawings accompany perfectly the text. Most kids will delight in the ending again and again.

Little Chick by Amy Hest; illustrations by Anita Jeram

Little Chick is lucky to have such a wise, patient and loving aunt. Little Chick, like all young children, wants something, and wants it right now. Told in three stories, Little Chick is frustrated by his carrot not growing, impatient with his kite not flying and disappointed that he cannot put a star in his pocket. His Old Auntie comes each time with words of advice and time to spend. Jeram shows the chickens feelings and expressions by posing them just so. The chickens remain chickens, an extremely nice touch.

Bertie: Just Like Daddy by Marcus Pfister

Bertie the young hippo wants to do all the things his daddy does: drink coffee, shave, shop and cook. Daddy always tells him he can when he gets older. Daddy also finds clever ways to give Bertie a way to take part in all their activities (i.e. he can't cook yet but he can taste). A great father and son story. Children will see themselves as Bertie as the try to fit into the grown up world. Not sure why each spread has the same flowered background but it is not distracting.

No More Blanket for Lambkin by Bernette Ford and Sam Williams

Lambkin loves her blanket. It is small, soft, and rather dirty. When Ducky comes to play and suggests playing laundry day, Lambkin doesn't really want to let go of blanket. All goes relatively well. Blanket is clean, but not quite the same after the washing. Ducky makes blanket into a doll and all is well. A nice concept book. Not the first on the subject but a good addition. The illustrations are soft colors well suited for young listeners.

Bee and Me by Elle McGuinness

"Gallop" and "Swing" by Seder were clever uses of the new Animotion techniques. This book is using the same technology to tell an environmental story, just not very well. The storyline is dull, the rhyme is blah, and the Animotion does nothing to add to the story. Kids will enjoy the new technology, but the story will be lost to the wow factor.

Celestine, Drama Queen by Penny Ives

Celestine was hard to ignore, from the moment she was born she was destined to be a star. She only ate pink food and thought tiaras a necessary accoutrement for school. When her teacher announces there will be a school play, Celestine cannot wait to shine in front of everyone. But even the greatest divas of all get stage fright. So even though she forgets her only line, she thrills the audience with a jazzy dance. I hope to see more of Celestine. She is just like so many of the children we already know. She's a princess, she's a diva, she is a superstar.

No! by David McPhail

No is the only word in this nearly wordless book. Said three times, it follows a young boy as he sets off in the city to mail a letter. Along the way he sees multiple acts of war: bombs, tanks, soldiers. He eventually meets a bully leaning on the mailbox and the young boy tells him, no and no! On the way home he sees acts of peace and people rebuilding together. It might be a book about war, it might be a book about bullies but I think it is really a book about children standing up for what they think is right and wrong in the world.

Tsunami! by Dimiko Kajikawa; illustrated by Ed Young

Ojiisan is the oldest and wealthiest man in his village. He lives on the mountainside with views of the village below and the vast ocean beyond. On the day of the yearly rice festival, Ojiisan thinks something doesn't feel right so he stays at home with his grandson. An small earthquake hits but it is not enough to stop the festivities. Ojiisan knows something is about to happen. Soon the ocean receded and Ojiisan knows a tsunami will be coming. The only way to warn the villagers is to light his entire rice crop on fire. The villagers coming running to help put out the fire and all are saved. Ojiisan lost his entire wealth to save all 400 villagers. The story is well told and creates suspense. Ed Young's cut paper illustrations are, as always, exquisite. A great addition to folk and fairytale collections.

Always in Trouble by Corinne Demas; illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

Toby is a very naughty dog. He digs in the garbage, he runs into the road, and he eats baked goods. Toby's family has had enough and Toby is sent to dog training school. Toby becomes the star of the class and responds to every command. But he is still naughty. He pees on the rug, he messes up the laundry and he digs in the garden. The family decides to send him back to school. A week later Toby is nearly perfect. He takes out the garbage, folds the laundry and bakes his own treats. I think the question I have and all the children reading the story will have is, what happened during the week Toby was away? The author doesn't tell us, and I think that's the real story here. Too bad it's missing.

Super Duck by Jez Alborough

It is hard to be Duck's friend. Nothing ever goes right and his friends always end up in the mud or in the mess. In this installment, Goat wants to fly his new kite with Sheep and Frog. And who comes along to save the day. Superduck. It all goes wrong as each time Duck tries to help the situation gets worse and worse. Frog ends up flying through the air and does end up saving his friend Frog. If you've followed Duck's other adventures, the exasperation from his friends will make sense.

Funny Farm by Mark Teague

Edward is a city dog who likes to visit his relatives on the farm. Edward is shown how to do the daily chores, and occasionally he likes to help. The story is scant, but as usual, Teague's illustrations are superb. A quick read that children will enjoy because of the detail given to the animals and antics on each page.

Princess Bess Gets Dressed by Margery Cuyler; illustrated by Heather Maione

Princess Bess must change her clothes for every new activity throughout her day. She couldn't possibly wear the same gown for breakfast as she does for painting. And the pantaloons she wears while climbing a tree will just not do for the ball. But what Bess likes to wear best is her underwear and nothing else. So underneath all the laces and pearls, she is a regular kid after all.

Eleanor, Quiet No More: the Life of Eleanor Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport; illustrated by Gary Kelly

A nearly impossible task to sum up the life of a true heroine in a picture book for children, but Rappaport has done a superb job. By using Roosevelt's own words alongside brief descriptions of her life, Rappaport guides the reader through her early childhood, education, marriage to FDR, teaching and political careers. There is certainly enough information for a student to use the book for a project, but more importantly, the books reads like a story. It is engaging and stands up to several readings. There is end matter that leads those interested to other sources for additional information. Another excellent picture book biography by Rappaport.

Seymour and Henry by Kim Lewis

Seymour and Henry are duck brothers who never want to stop playing. Mommy duck tells them it is time to go home, but Seymour and Henry are not done playing. Instead the run off to chase each other and play hide and seek. But when it starts raining they want their Mommy again and have to run home to find her. The difference with this book than so many others like it, is that the ducks are not scared when it starts to rain and mommy isn't around. Instead they simply retrace their steps back home. While hard to give cloth stuffed ducks facial expressions, the ducks' actions speak for their feelings.

Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by David Slonim

Tilly really is a very silly goose. She bathes in apple juice, kisses fish, and tickles frogs. It seems that her silly ways have finally annoyed the barnyard creatures too much and together they all ask her to stop. Until the day they realize how boring the barnyard has become and reminisce on Tilly's silly ways. Together they apologize and Tilly is thankfully back to her old ways. Truly a delightful rhyming picture book. Kids will giggle at Tilly's goofiness and delight at the illustrations full of expression and fun. Bravo Eileen, another great accomplishment.

Good Night, Baby Ruby by Rohan Henry

Ruby's parents want her to go to bed but she keeps coming up with new ways to delay bedtime. The line drawings are simple but the faces lack expression. Kids will likely enjoy the varied ways Ruby stalls. While not destined to be the next Goodnight Moon, this will certainly finds its intended audience.

Two at the Zoo: a Counting Book by Danna Smith; illustrated by Valeria Petrone

A boy and his grandfather visit the zoo and count the animals from 1 to 10. Most of the animals have serene smiles, but a few variations give them personality and keep the it interesting. The grandson/grandfather relationship is nicely portrayed. A good addition to any counting collection.

Tillie Lays an Egg by Terry Golson with photography by Ben Fink

Tillie and her six henhouse mates share three nesting boxes. The other chickens are content to lay their daily eggs in the nesting boxes and scratch in the yard for corn. Not Tillie. A true free range chicken, Tillie searches for better places to lay her eggs and along the way finds better meals than the same old corn. The other chickens peek in on each spread from the side. The detail in each photo make this a great I Spy book also. Children can figure out which chicken is spying on Tillie and find the chicken memorabilia on each page.

Monkey Monkey Monkey by Cathy MacLennan

Following up on "Chicky Chicky Chook Chook" is the story of a monkey swinging through the jungle searching for monkey-monkey-monkey nuts. Monkey has a similar rhythm to Chicky but doesn't quite read as well aloud. MacLennan plays with alliteration, assonance and rhyme. There is a lot of sound play going on in the story. A few readings would be necessary for the reader to figure out the rhythm and accents. Still, the monkey illustrations are delightful. Good for use in storytime to highlight Phonological Awareness.

The One and Only Marigold by Florence Parry Heide; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

A little bit Ramona Quimby, a little bit Olivia. Marigold is a spunky little monkey with her own way of doing things. Follow her in four short chapters as she shops with her mother for a new coat, develops a new hobby of bugging her best friend Maxine, creates a rival "lemonade" stand and creatively dresses for school. This is a fun new look at the always popular quirky girl protagonist genre.