Current Issue: Children's Books

Serlin Abramson, Andra INSIDE DINOSAURS September 1, 2010 - Aimed directly at confirmed young dino-fans, this pleasantly specific overview covers not only the dinosaurs' distinctive physical characteristics (the authors include modern birds in the group) but the work of paleontologists in both field and lab, the types and typical ... Full Review

Alborough, Jez THE GOBBLE GOBBLE MOOOOOOO TRACTOR BOOK September 1, 2010 - In this lackluster new picture book, young readers are introduced to the noises of popular farm animals, though they may find themselves confused. A group of farm animals comes together to have some fun while Farmer Dougal is still sound ... Full Review

Allum, Margaret HAPPY CHRISTMAS, LITTLE BEAR September 1, 2010 - Little Bear wants it all for Christmas: His list is two pages long, and he stubbornly refuses to choose just one big item for his present. On Christmas morning he gets so caught up playing with his cousins and their ... Full Review

Anderson, AnnMarie THE NUTCRACKER September 1, 2010 - Adults preparing children for a performance of this popular holiday ballet often find themselves seeking a simplified adaptation of the story. This retelling, which is based on the Balanchine version of the ballet, is intended to be short enough to ... Full Review

Anderson, Laurie Halse FORGE September 1, 2010 - At the end of Chains (2008), Isabel rescues her friend Curzon from Bridewell Prison and rows away from Manhattan in their escape from slavery. Now, in the second of the planned trilogy, Isabel goes her own way, and 15-year-old Curzon ... Full Review

Arato, Rona ON A MEDIEVAL DAY September 1, 2010 - Prefaced by a full-page close-up portrait, each of Arato’s nine short tales describes a watershed day in the life of a young person in a different part of the world and a time between the eighth and 14th centuries. In ... Full Review

Argueta, Jorge ARROZ CON LECHE / RICE PUDDING September 1, 2010 - A lyrical recipe presented in the form of a free-verse poem, this bilingual (Spanish/English) selection combines the fun of cooking with the tenderness of a mother-son relationship. Subtle, stylized illustrations convey a sense of joy and excitement in this paean ... Full Review

Aronson, Marc SUGAR CHANGED THE WORLD September 1, 2010 - From 1600 to the 1800s, sugar drove the economies of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa and did more “to reshape the world than any ruler, empire, or war had ever done.” Millions of people were taken from Africa and ... Full Review

Balsley, Tilda MACCABEE! September 1, 2010 - The Hanukkah story of how Judah and the Maccabees fought the dictator King Antiochus for the religious freedom of the Jews and the restoration of Jerusalem is retold in this animated rhyme punctuated by a repeated refrain: “Sometimes it only ... Full Review

Barker, Claire MAGICAL MAIL September 1, 2010 - Faith Smyth is perfectly ordinary, out of place in her competitive family, with only tiny blue Bus Bear to keep loneliness at bay. When a substitute teacher named Mr. Lancelot sends Faith on a mission to the custodian’s office, she ... Full Review

Barnett, Mac THE GHOSTWRITER SECRET September 1, 2010 - Partially thanks to his solving The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (2009), 12-year-old Steve Brixton has been able to start his own detective agency. Now he’s a real sleuth like his heroes, the fictional Bailey Brothers, no matter ... Full Review

Bastianich, Lidia NONNA TELL ME A STORY September 1, 2010 - A Christmas reminiscence from the Italian-American cooking-show host. Her warmhearted autobiographical story begins in a contemporary Christmas setting with the author, her five grandchildren and her own mother. The author then gathers her grandchildren around to recount her memories of ... Full Review

Beccia, Carlyn I FEEL BETTER WITH A FROG IN MY THROAT September 1, 2010 - Disgusting and futile medical practices are always a pleasure to contemplate. Beccia, following closely in the spirit of The Raucous Royals (2008)—dry-witted artwork, conversational text, engaging historical detective work—asks readers to guess which “cures” may actually have helped a handful ... Full Review

Benoit, Charles YOU September 1, 2010 - Quiet, hoodie-wearing slacker Kyle Chase has anger-control issues and wants to be left alone by his teachers, his parents and the rest of the world. He’s constantly in trouble at school, and he spends most of his time hanging out ... Full Review

Berlin, Irving WHITE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - Irving Berlin’s famous holiday song from the 1940s forms the text for this dreamlike interpretation. The cover illustration shows a huge snow globe filled with fantasy characters: Santa, elves, reindeer, a polar bear and a mysterious snow monster. As the ... Full Review

Berlin, Bill THE KVETCH WHO STOLE HANUKKAH September 1, 2010 - With a nod to the Christmas Grinch, the Kvetch (or "complainer") of Oyville sees nothing joyous about Hanukkah and proceeds to steal all the menorahs. Like a group of determined Maccabees, the children gather to explain to the Kvetch that ... Full Review

Berne, Jennifer CALVIN CAN'T FLY September 1, 2010 - The irresistible story of a proud bookworm will put smiles on the faces of readers of all ages. Calvin is a young starling with a huge family. While his brothers, sisters and 67,432 cousins are off discovering nature and learning ... Full Review

Bernier-Grand, Carmen T. SONIA SOTOMAYOR September 1, 2010 - Sonia Sotomayor’s powerful and inspiring story deserves a better treatment than this sentimental and often clunky narrative. Bernier-Grand includes poems about the justice’s education, her activism, her diabetes, her divorce and her love of the New York Yankees and of ... Full Review

Birdseye, Tom STORM MOUNTAIN September 1, 2010 - When Cat’s cousin Ty steals her father’s ashes and heads up Storm Mountain, Cat takes off after him, setting up a fast-paced adventure in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. Their fathers were twin brothers—both world-famous mountain climbers—who died on that mountain two ... Full Review

Black, Bekka iDRAKULA September 1, 2010 - Dracula is coming, but he’s arriving on the shores of 2010 New York instead of 1897 England, with cell phones and laptops replacing the letters and newspaper clippings of Stoker’s era. Forget the modern vampire, who sparkles in the sunlight ... Full Review

Bladek, John ROLL UP THE STREETS September 1, 2010 - Six months ago, sixth grader Jake Machet’s parents decided the city was too dangerous and moved the family to a stinky small town…one that REALLY stinks. Everyone there works in J.P. Rumblegut’s corndog factory and everyone loves the boss--but no ... Full Review

Bleiman, Andrew ZOOBORNS September 1, 2010 - If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then these stunning photographs starring precious animal tykes may be priceless. The range of real-life infants featured is extraordinary in its breadth, covering such unusual zoo or aquarium residents as the crowned sifaka ... Full Review

Bonwill, Ann POCKET'S CHRISTMAS WISH September 1, 2010 - When his curiosity is piqued by the sight of a snow angel, a little rabbit traipses through the snowy countryside in search of the meaning of Christmas. Pocket sees "the love of family" in his fellow rabbits' smiles, hears "the ... Full Review

Bow , Erin PLAIN KATE September 1, 2010 - Bow’s debut novel takes the stuff of Disney (spunky orphaned heroine and talking animal sidekick) and uses it to tell a surprisingly dark fantasy. When Plain Kate, an orphaned woodcarver, trades her shadow to Linay, a wandering stranger, for her ... Full Review

Bristow, David L. SKY SAILORS September 1, 2010 - This lively look at escapades of daring men--and a surprising number of women--who risked their lives flying in balloons will appeal to adventure, history and science buffs--and perhaps steampunk fans as well. Each of the nine chapters, which are chronologically ... Full Review

Bruhn, MD, Aron INSIDE HUMAN BODY September 1, 2010 - This survey of body systems tries too hard for a broad audience, mixing paragraphs of lines like, “Without bones we would just be bags of goop,” printed in slightly larger type, with brief but specific discussions of osteoblasts, myofibrils, peristalsis ... Full Review

Buzbee, Lewis THE HAUNTING OF CHARLES DICKENS September 1, 2010 - Twelve-year-old Meg Pickel hasn’t slept a single night in the six months since her 15-year-old brother Orion mysteriously disappeared. One night, a green glow emanating from the vacant Satis House--and the hope of finding her brother--lures her across London’s rooftops ... Full Review

Carson, Mary Kay INSIDE TORNADOES September 1, 2010 - Extreme storms never cease to appeal. This visually tempting title defines and explains the storms people call twisters, gives examples of four particularly devastating ones in this country, describes tornado watchers at work, offers a hands-on activity and suggests precautions ... Full Review

Castillo, Lauren CHRISTMAS IS HERE September 1, 2010 - This touching interpretation of the Christmas story wordlessly follows a modern-day family as they journey through a snowy town in the evening to view a live Nativity scene. The family includes a baby in a white snowsuit, who provides a ... Full Review

Chiang, Mona OIL SPILL: DISASTER September 1, 2010 - In an obvious case of “rush-to-publish,” a general account of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s first month or so is filled out with information about how oil is refined and used in manufacturing, alternative sources of energy, a profile of ... Full Review

Clark, Julie Aigner YOU ARE THE BEST MEDICINE September 1, 2010 - Cancer is a tough topic for a picture book, but Clark strikes the right tone for young children. A mother answers questions that children often have before they are even asked. Can I catch cancer? Will you go to the ... Full Review

Clark, Catherine MEANICURES September 1, 2010 - Seventh grader Madison is amazed by the meanness of the mean-girl clique, especially since their leader is her ex-BFF. Madison and her two closest friends, Taylor and Olivia, who also used to be close to the mean girls, decide that ... Full Review

Corzine, Amy JANE EYRE September 1, 2010 - Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre may seem a fairly innocuous choice for a graphic-novel adaption, but Corzine proves otherwise. Eschewing much of the mystery of Thornfield Hall and trauma of Jane's early life, she opts to focus on the brooding romance ... Full Review

Costa Bates, Janet SEASIDE DREAM September 1, 2010 - Extended family and friends are arriving for Clara’s Grandma’s birthday, and the air is full of Crioulo (African-influenced Portuguese) words, while the kitchen is full of Cape Verdean food reminiscent of what Grandma ate in her African homeland. Clara, who ... Full Review

Cremer, Andrea NIGHTSHADE September 1, 2010 - Teenage werewolves dominate an exclusive high school in Vail, Colo., in this supernatural thriller. Something else dominates the werewolves. Calla, the alpha female of the Nightshade pack, is scheduled to mate with Ren, the alpha male of the Bane pack. ... Full Review

de las Casas, Dianne GIGANTIC SWEET POTATO September 1, 2010 - As soon as she feels a hankering for sweet-potato pie, Ma Farmer knows what to add to her excellent vegetable garden. Colorful watercolors accompany the rhythmic text and add a touch of foreshadowing; the indomitable mouse that eventually solves the ... Full Review

Delessert, Etienne SPARTACUS THE SPIDER September 1, 2010 - Confronted with failure followed by success, a jaunty spider puts honor before fame. With his gladiator name, Spartacus should be destined for greatness, but his weak threads and droopy webs make him the laughing stock of escaping flies and moths. ... Full Review

Delsol, Wendy STORK September 1, 2010 - In this intriguing debut, a fashion-conscious California teen moves to northern Minnesota and has trouble fitting into her new surroundings, especially when she learns that she has supernatural powers. Katla is 16 and can’t imagine how she’ll survive in the ... Full Review

Demi ALEXANDER THE GREAT September 1, 2010 - Flashy visuals and laudable depth of research aren’t enough to rescue this poorly written account of Alexander’s youth and reign. Culminating in a dazzling, full-spread map in gold and vivid blue, the art features Demi’s signature tiny figures and intricately ... Full Review

Dewdney, Anna LLAMA LLAMA HOLIDAY DRAMA September 1, 2010 - In this fourth session of “llama drama,” the little llama boy finds that seemingly endless days of waiting for Christmas to arrive in addition to all the related hustle and bustle can be just a little much. Along with his ... Full Review

Donovan, Jane Monroe SMALL, MEDIUM & LARGE September 1, 2010 - Sometimes a girl would just like to be left alone with her pets to do what she likes, without all those grown-ups around running the show. That’s the case with the main character in this almost-wordless story, which is told ... Full Review

Dormer, Frank W. SOCKSQUATCH September 1, 2010 - Socksquatch is a creature of few words—“Got sock?” nearly exhausts his vocabulary—but of commanding presence: hairy barrel of a body, with striped antlers coming out of his block head, and primitive, very primitive. One of his socks has gone missing, ... Full Review

Duffy, Carol Ann THE GIFT September 1, 2010 - The United Kingdom’s poet laureate offers a quiet but powerful musing on the circle of life and the arc of art, married to the precise loveliness of Ryan’s papercuts. On a picnic in the woods with her parents, a girl ... Full Review

Eagland, Jane WILDTHORN September 1, 2010 - Nineteenth-century tomboy Louisa Cosgrove wants to study medicine, but after her indulgent father's death, that dream seems impossibly distant. Her mother dispatches her to family friends, but Louisa never arrives. Instead, she is taken to Wildthorn Hall, an insane asylum. ... Full Review

Edwards, Michelle THE HANUKKAH TRIKE September 1, 2010 - At Hanukkah time, Gabi celebrates with her parents, making and eating latkes, lighting candles and listening to the story of the brave Maccabees. She is thrilled to receive a new tricycle at the end of the first night. Naming it ... Full Review

Egielski, Richard CAPTAIN SKY BLUE September 1, 2010 - In a robust tale for Traction Man fans, the diminutive pilot that Jack finds beneath the Christmas tree roars off in his newly assembled airplane for a series of wild adventures. His commentary laced with “pilot talk” that will have ... Full Review

Farmer, Jacqueline O CHRISTMAS TREE September 1, 2010 - This carefully researched and attractively illustrated historical view of a familiar Christmas tradition conveys a large amount of information within the oversized picture-book format. The historical background explains the evolution of the custom from evergreen branches in Egypt and Rome ... Full Review

Fixmer, Elizabeth SAINT TRAINING September 1, 2010 - Fixmer's debut stuffs so many issues into one novel that it never reaches a conclusion, which is unfortunate, because her headstrong, resourceful heroine, Mary Clare O'Brian, deserves better. It's 1967. Mary Clare's mother is despondent over her tenth pregnancy, her ... Full Review

Flett, Julie OWLS SEE CLEARLY AT NIGHT / LII YIIBOO MIYO-WAAPAMIK LII SWER September 1, 2010 - To illustrations composed of dark silhouettes and color highlights in mostly pale tones placed within large empty spaces, Flett matches 24 (there’s no “q” or “x”) alphabetically arranged single words in an endangered Métis tongue paired to English equivalents. Spoken ... Full Review

Fox, Mem LET'S COUNT GOATS! September 1, 2010 - The traditional counting format receives a charming update as playfully expressive goats mimic human behavior. While these floppy-eared, flat-nosed animals may play the trumpet or throw a snowball, the lure of hot sandcastles or crunchy umbrella stands prove delicious distractions ... Full Review

Freedman, Claire TEN CHRISTMAS WISHES September 1, 2010 - The cover of this sweet, rhyming story shows three forest animals gazing up at ten shiny stars and the title phrase, which stand out against a deep blue sky with a metallic foil effect. The stars reappear in the illustrations ... Full Review

French, Jackie DIARY OF A BABY WOMBAT September 1, 2010 - If this duo's minimalist Diary of a Wombat (2003) was a textbook example of words and art together creating narrative, then this sequel is equally an exemplar of what can go wrong when you try to apply a formula to ... Full Review

Gonyea, Mark A WISH FOR ELVES September 1, 2010 - The picture book takes graphic-novel form with a minimalist story about a boy who wishes he had his own set of elves to do his bidding. Santa’s elves hear his wish and, with the help of a bright star, somehow ... Full Review

Grant, Michael THE CALL September 1, 2010 - The first book in Grant’s new series, The Magnificent 12, introduces unlikely hero Mack, who has “a serious case of mediumness” and a vast array of phobias. Enter Grimluk, a 3,000-year-old man who informs Mack that he is to be ... Full Review

Graves, Keith CHICKEN BIG September 1, 2010 - "On a teeny little farm, in an itty-bitty coop, a very small hen laid a big, humongous egg"—and, of course, out of that egg hatches a big, humongous chick. He is so big (he looks like a giant yellow pear ... Full Review

Green, Alison THE FOX IN THE DARK September 1, 2010 - Fear of the fox makes strange bedfellows. Under the light of a full moon, Rabbit runs for his life, pursued by a fox. He reaches home just in time. A rat-a-tat-tat at the door sends Rabbit's ears straight up. It's ... Full Review

Groom, Juliet SILENT NIGHT September 1, 2010 - This new interpretation of the beloved Christmas carol focuses on an enchanting pair of bears, a parent and cub. The text retains the familiar beginning and then moves on to new words celebrating the beauty of the mountain setting at ... Full Review

Hale, Nathan THE TWELVE BOTS OF CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - Kids who like electronics, robots, tools and gears might prefer this version of the old song to the original with the partridge in a pear tree. This flashy rendition has a cartridge in a gear tree presented by a robot ... Full Review

Harris, Trudy TALLY CAT KEEPS TRACK September 1, 2010 - Tally McNally the alley cat keeps track of everything with tally marks: trees climbed, mice caught, races won. But his ultra-competitive nature leads him to sometimes cheat a bit so as to always be the winner. One rainy day when ... Full Review

Harris, Jim DINOSAUR'S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - This frenetic parody of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” uses a mad-dinosaur theme, with a wild T-Rex and his team of dinosaurs arriving at a snow-covered house to steal the presents and dine on the residents. The narrating father is ... Full Review

Harrison, Michael COP'S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - In yet another thematic parody of “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” this version focuses on a police officer who has to work on Christmas Eve, leaving his wife and son at home. The text, written by a working cop, offers ... Full Review

Harrison, Cora I WAS JANE AUSTEN'S BEST FRIEND September 1, 2010 - From a promising beginning—Jane Austen’s best friend Jenny sneaks out of their austere boarding school at midnight to post a letter to the budding author’s mother warning of Jane’s terrible fever--this effort winds down to pages of syrupy-sweet, diary-format narrative. ... Full Review

Harrison, David L. MAMMOTH BONES AND BROKEN STONES September 1, 2010 - How and when the Western Hemisphere, particularly North and South America, came to be populated continues to be both mysterious and controversial for scientists. Archaeologists plug away with the tools at their disposal but have “more questions than answers.” Harrison ... Full Review

Holt, Kimberly Willis THE ADVENTURES OF GRANNY CLEARWATER AND LITTLE CRITTER September 1, 2010 - Granny and her pajama-clad grandson’s adventures begin in true tall-tale fashion when the two bounce out of a covered wagon and into a prickly pear cactus on the family’s journey west. The wagon goes on without them, and Granny, with ... Full Review

Hopping, Lorraine Jean CHIEF JOSEPH September 1, 2010 - Hopping wraps her cogent account of how the Nee-mee-pu (Nez Perce) were rooted out of their homeland and only subdued after a long and heroic pursuit around twin character portraits of the group and of its most renowned member. While ... Full Review

Hughes, Shirley THE CHRISTMAS EVE GHOST September 1, 2010 - Hughes draws on her childhood memories in this longer-than-usual story about a fatherless Welsh family’s struggles in Depression-era Liverpool. Two children, Bronwen and Dylan, live in a row house with their widowed mother, who takes in laundry to make her ... Full Review

Isaacs, Anne DUST DEVIL September 1, 2010 - Isaacs and Zelinsky tell an even taller tale about Angelica Longrider, the outsized heroine of their hilarious, Caldecott Honor–winning Swamp Angel. Having outgrown Tennessee, Angel moves to roomy Montana, where she faces a wild dust-devil horse and a bandit named ... Full Review

Isadora, Rachel 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - Isadora continues her series of traditional tales (and now, a song) reset in Africa and illustrated with her visually arresting collages that incorporate African fabrics. The words of the song are familiar, but in this interpretation, the maids milk goats ... Full Review

Iwai, Melissa SOUP DAY September 1, 2010 - Iwai’s writing debut beautifully depicts the loving relationship between a mother and daughter as they go about a winter ritual--making soup. The two brave the snow to buy vegetables at the market, then it’s back home to chop them all ... Full Review

Jennings, Sharon A CHANUKAH NOEL September 1, 2010 - Charlotte and her family have just moved to France, and she's not happy. She's especially irked to learn her classmates will soon take part in the Christmas holiday—Charlotte's family is Jewish. She enjoys Christmas activities at school, but she longs ... Full Review

Juster, Norton THE ODIOUS OGRE September 1, 2010 - Move over, Shrek, there’s a new ogre in the picture-book section. This one is indeed odious—also violent, carnivorous and just generally unpleasant. He rampages through the countryside, terrorizing (and eating) the residents with impunity. Until, that is, he is utterly ... Full Review

Justice, Joseph LAWYER'S WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - A practicing attorney holds forth with this hilarious parody of the ubiquitous holiday poem, fitting in all sorts of legal terms and conditions that will be over the heads of most children but right on target for attorneys and law ... Full Review

Kate, Lauren TORMENT September 1, 2010 - After the disaster that was her short-lived career at Sword and Cross School, Lucinda’s physically flawless, fallen-angel boyfriend Daniel has transported her to Shoreline, on the California coast, while he hunts for the Outcasts, who want to kill Luce. Shoreline ... Full Review

Katz, Alan STALLING September 1, 2010 - It’s time for bed, so what does Dan do? Well, stall, of course! “Dominoes! Climb Mount Clothes! Cross the room on tippy-toes,” then “Writing! Knighting!” and some “Kung fu fighting!” So continues the spirited youth, nimbly jumping from antic to ... Full Review

Keplinger, Kody THE DUFF September 1, 2010 - Downing Cherry Cokes and watching her two best friends hoof it out on the dance floor of the local teen club doesn’t make 17-year-old Bianca Piper feel good about herself. Especially when high-school man-slut Wesley Rush tells her she's the ... Full Review

Kessler, Jackie Morse HUNGER September 1, 2010 - After a half-hearted suicide attempt, anorexic teen Lisabeth Lewis inherits the responsibilities of Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in this book of revelations and Revelations. Lisa is a typical self-harming protagonist, complete with a cruel internal ... Full Review

Kibuishi, Kazu THE CLOUD SEARCHERS September 1, 2010 - In this third installment of the Amulet series, Kibuishi maintains the lightning pace that propelled the previous two volumes. Now aligned with Leon Redbeard, Nevin and Emily find themselves confronted with a new nemesis: an assassin hired by the Elf ... Full Review

Kimmel, Eric A. MEDIO POLLITO September 1, 2010 - Kimmel and Docampo (The Three Little Tamales, 2009) join creative forces again and share a new version of this Spanish folktale. Medio Pollito, or half-chick, is hatched with only “one eye, one leg, one wing, with half a comb and ... Full Review

Kimmel, Eric A. THE SPIDER'S GIFT September 1, 2010 - A preeminent interpreter of folktales and a talented Ukrainian-American artist join forces for this dramatic retelling of a traditional Ukrainian Christmas story. In this version, teenaged Katrusya and her poverty-stricken family prepare for the holiday with traditional foods and a ... Full Review

Kladstrup, Kristin A NIGHT IN SANTA'S GREAT BIG BAG September 1, 2010 - A stuffed lamb is the favorite toy of a little boy named Louis, who falls asleep quickly on Christmas Eve. Lamb waits up for Santa, falls into his bag and is whisked off in the sleigh with all the other ... Full Review

Knapp, Ruthie WHO STOLE <i>MONA LISA</i>? September 1, 2010 - This inventive book’s $20,000 Pyramid category would be “What Mona Lisa Might Say.” Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa closely observes the people who come to see her in the Louvre: “People with up hair. People with down hair.” She hears ... Full Review

Kurzweil, Allen POTATO CHIP SCIENCE September 1, 2010 - Potatoes, potato chips and their packaging provide the materials for this entertaining, pun-filled collection of 29 science demonstrations and experiments plus one crunchy cookie recipe. The potato experiments will be familiar to science teachers but intriguing for young readers; the ... Full Review

LaRochelle, David 1 + 1 = 5 September 1, 2010 - An inventive look at addition encourages children to figure out how problems such as 1+1=3 could possibly be true. In this case, a turn of the page reveals that one unicorn plus one goat equals three horns. Fifteen addition problems, ... Full Review

Lester, Helen TACKY'S CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - In the latest amusing addition to the long-running Tacky the Penguin series, the irrepressibly individualistic penguin saves the day once again. The penguins are celebrating Christmas in Nice Icy Land, and during their celebration, the proper penguins dress Tacky as ... Full Review

Lewis, J. Patrick SKYWRITING September 1, 2010 - Thirteen buoyant poems highlight famous and infamous attempts to fly, starting with Icarus's misguided efforts to rise "on wings of wax" in 800 BCE and ending in 2002 with that "behemoth of adventure" and "front-row ticket to celestial theater in ... Full Review

Lewis, J. Patrick THE FANTASTIC 5 & 10¢ STORE September 1, 2010 - When sun, rain and snowflakes collide, a strange store suddenly rises up at the end of Pumpkin Street. Benny Penny is the only one brave enough to walk through the door. Inside, he finds a fantastical adventure. Written in verse ... Full Review

Lewis, J. Patrick FIRST DOG'S WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - The team that created First Dog (2009) offers this Christmas-themed sequel narrated by the same bright-eyed, black dog that now lives in the White House. The canine main character is clearly intended to be the Obama family’s Portuguese water dog, ... Full Review

Light, Steve THE CHRISTMAS GIANT September 1, 2010 - An extra-tall format suits this whimsical story about a giant and a tiny elf who are special helpers for Santa at his North Pole workshop. The giant is named Humphrey, his elf pal is called Leetree and together they create ... Full Review

Lin, Grace THANKING THE MOON September 1, 2010 - Opposing the exuberant energy found by this same Chinese-American family in Bringing in the New Year (2008), the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is a much more contemplative and quiet observance. The story begins on the title page, the family in their ... Full Review

Look, Lenore ALVIN HO September 1, 2010 - Back for a third adventure, anxious Alvin Ho faces such terrifying scenarios as a class visit to the houses of famous deceased authors in his Concord, Mass., hometown and negotiating the particulars of being invited to a girl’s birthday party, ... Full Review

Luciani, Brigitte A HUBBUB September 1, 2010 - It’s exactly a year after the mixed woodland cohabitation celebrated in The Meeting (2010), and temperamental Ginger Fox has settled in nicely with her three new badger half-sibs—explaining after an exchange of insults (“Fly doody!” “Skunk fart!”) that arguing with ... Full Review

Lyga, Barry ARCHVILLAIN September 1, 2010 - Twelve-year-old Kyle Camden was an intelligent prankster before getting caught in a plasma storm (NOT a meteor shower) late one night while setting up a practical joke. Now he’s super-intelligent and super-strong, and he can fly. Unfortunately, the plasma storm ... Full Review

Lynch, Chris HOTHOUSE September 1, 2010 - A concise exploration of manhood, heroism and the psychology of a small northern town in the aftermath of a fire that kills two firefighters. Russ, the son of one of the duo now dubbed Outrageous Courageous, is filled with both ... Full Review

Lynn , Sarah TIP-TAP POP September 1, 2010 - The process of watching a loved one grow older with significant memory loss is full of unanswered questions--for adults as well as children. Although the author doesn’t share any solutions, there is a tender sweetness in this title, as a ... Full Review

L’Engle, Madeleine THE TWENTY-FOUR DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - This short novella about a family’s old-fashioned preparations for Christmas is actually a chapter from one of the novels in L’Engle’s Austin Family Chronicles series. Vicky and her family get ready for the holiday by doing one special thing each ... Full Review

Mackall, Dandi Daley 17 CHRISTMASES September 1, 2010 - An eight-year-old boy narrates this first-person story in lockstep rhyme about his family’s cross-country travels to celebrate Christmas with far-flung relatives and friends. They start in California and zigzag back and forth across the United States for 17 Christmas celebrations ... Full Review

MacLachlan, Patricia I DIDN'T DO IT September 1, 2010 - The mother-and-daughter team MacLachlan & Charest and able artist Schneider present another charming volume of verses showing the thoughts of puppies of many breeds (Once I Ate a Pie, 2006). From the true-to-life portrait of an animated, very dachshund-ish dachshund ... Full Review

Mair, J. Samia THE PERFECT GIFT September 1, 2010 - Sarah is sad: She has no Eid gift for her mother. Disconsolate, she walks through the snowy woods around her house, and along her special path is a bright-orange flower—the first of the spring. Recalling Mohammed's saying that "Allah is ... Full Review

Malaspina, Ann PHILLIS SINGS OUT FREEDOM September 1, 2010 - How does an enslaved African woman learn to read and write, become a prolific poet and earn recognition from a renowned general and future first president of the United States? Malaspina's brief account is evocative and uncomplicated. Her portrayal of ... Full Review

Maltbie, P.I. CLAUDE MONET September 1, 2010 - A handsome and child-friendly introduction to the Impressionist master. Maltbie wisely avoids the default, late-career Monet’s water-lilies-at-Giverny story and focuses instead on a more robust and aesthetically transformational incident: Monet’s desire to produce his very first series of paintings. These ... Full Review

Mann, Roland THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN September 1, 2010 - This slender graphic adaptation of the Great American Novel preserves some of Twain’s language, most of his plot and a good sense of his sardonic take on human society. Mixing dialogue balloons with enough boxed narrative to evoke Huck’s distinctive ... Full Review

Mariz, Rae THE UNIDENTIFIED September 1, 2010 - In a near future in which corporations run schools and popularity is determined by whether or not you are “branded” by an advertiser, discontented musician Katey “Kid” Dade longs for “authentic” moments not based on market research. She gets one ... Full Review

Mass, Wendy THE CANDYMAKERS September 1, 2010 - Set in a candy factory as tantalizingly fragrant as Willy Wonka’s, this half-mystery, half–jigsaw-puzzle novel is a mild-mannered cousin to The Westing Game and When You Reach Me. Four 12-year-olds enter a candy-making contest. Logan lives in the confection plant ... Full Review

Masson, Sophie THE ROAD TO CAMELOT September 1, 2010 - Fourteen writers from Down Under envision watershed incidents in the youths of as many Arthurian figures in this themed import, published overseas in 2002. In eras that range from post-Roman to medieval to contemporary, Garth Nix lays a heavy personal ... Full Review

McBride, Lish HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER September 1, 2010 - After a lighthearted opening packed with Buffy-esque wackiness, Samhain Corvus Lacroix is dragged from his dead-end food-service job into a terrifying magical power struggle. When a visitor to the Plumpy's fast-food restaurant identifies unexceptional college-dropout Sam as a necromancer, narrator ... Full Review

McGinley, Phyllis THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS September 1, 2010 - McGinley’s 1956 text returns with a huge trim and new, robust illustrations. When an exhausted Santa can’t face yet another Christmas Eve, he announces that he’ll take that year off. Appalled but sympathetic, children from around the world deliver presents ... Full Review

McTighe, Carolyn HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE September 1, 2010 - Fourth grader P.J. brings to her first-person narration all the sophistication that a girl of her age can muster. It seems perfectly appropriate to her, for instance, that she should have a big fight with her BFF, Katie, after she ... Full Review

Melmed, Laura Krauss EIGHT WINTER NIGHTS September 1, 2010 - In a sequence of short verses, a family first prepares for then celebrates the festival of Hanukkah. Grandmother, grandfather, mother, father and kids—elementary-age daughter, preschool-age son and baby—get the menorah ready, light the candles night by night, sing and dance, ... Full Review

Milgrim, David SANTA DUCK AND HIS MERRY HELPERS September 1, 2010 - In this comical sequel to Santa Duck (2008), Nicholas Duck is back with his Santa suit so he can be Santa Duck again this year, taking Christmas gift requests from the other animals to pass along to the real Santa. ... Full Review

Minarik, Else Holmelund LITTLE BEAR AND THE <i>MARCO POLO</i> September 1, 2010 - Minarik revives her classic beginning-reader series with this new title about Little Bear, in which the cub spends a day with his grandparents, whom readers may recall from Little Bear’s Visit (1961). Alongside Grandfather Bear, he explores the attic of ... Full Review

Moffitt, Debra ONLY GIRLS ALLOWED September 1, 2010 - On her first day of eighth grade at Margaret Simon Middle School, Jemma opens her locker to find a pink door to yet another locker. She and her best friends Kate and Piper, along with a new girl named Bet, ... Full Review

Moore, Clement C. ’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - The famous poem is presented here with a cast of charming mice, including Santa Mouse in the starring role. He is shown on the glitter-accented cover flying in his mouse-sized sleigh with his team of eight tiny reindeer that truly ... Full Review

Moore, Clement C. THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - It can be hard to make a new picture-book version of this old Christmas chestnut stand out. This edition manages the feat through the combination of Puybaret’s deeply saturated, jewel-toned acrylics and the accompanying CD, which features the spoken-word narration ... Full Review

Morozumi, Atsuko THE ELVES' FIRST CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - How did the elves first meet Santa? When they were driven away from their forest homes by men seeking lumber, the elves wandered the world until they stumbled on Santa’s home at the North Pole. Mr. and Mrs. Claus took ... Full Review

Nelson, Marilyn SNOOK ALONE September 1, 2010 - “Abba Jacob was a monk who lived in a hermitage on the island in a faraway sea,” reads the opening line of Nelson and Ering’s remarkable collaboration, but readers soon discover that the monk does not lead an entirely solitary ... Full Review

Nitz, Kristin Wolden SUSPECT September 1, 2010 - Jen doesn’t want to spend her 17th summer working at her grandmother’s bed-and-breakfast inn, but her dad says she has to. She’s just broken up with her boyfriend, though, and she finds herself becoming far too attracted to her “uncousin” ... Full Review

Oppel, Kenneth HALF BROTHER September 1, 2010 - Ben Tomlin and his parents move to Vancouver for his father’s new job with the university. Ben’s father is a researcher, and his project seeks to prove that chimpanzees can learn sign language, and this means having the object of ... Full Review

Pearce, Emily Smith SLOWPOKE September 1, 2010 - This entertaining early reader features Fiona, a girl who really, really likes to stop and smell the roses. Fiona goes through her day in slow motion, taking her time as she gets ready for school, eats dinner, feeds the dog ... Full Review

Pignat, Caroline WILD GEESE September 1, 2010 - In Greener Grass (2009), Pignat introduced readers to the plight of 15-year-old Kit as she suffered the horrifying consequences of the 1847 Irish famine. This sequel takes up days after the previous work ended and, like its predecessor, is narrated ... Full Review

Pinkwater, Daniel I AM THE DOG September 1, 2010 - This amiable and impressive walk for Pinkwater breezily showcases his skill as a comic storyteller and how that skill is a smooth handoff to an illustrator. The premise here is simple: Jacob, a boy, and Max, his dog, swap places ... Full Review

Potter, Ellen THE KNEEBONE BOY September 1, 2010 - The Hardscrabbles of the English town of Little Tunks--silent Otto, the adventure-seeking Lucia and whip-smart Max--have become accustomed to their shy, rumpled father’s absences since their mother’s suspicious disappearance. (“ ‘She’s dead,’ Lucia said. ‘She’s gone missing,’ said Max.”) On ... Full Review

Pratchett, Terry I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT September 1, 2010 - Ask Tiffany Aching, and she’ll tell you: It’s not easy being a witch, especially when you’re only almost 16 years old. It can’t be easy being Terry Pratchett, either, an author known foremost, perhaps, for his screamingly funny Discworld novels, ... Full Review

Pulver, Robin CHRISTMAS KITTEN September 1, 2010 - Pulver and Johnson team up for a sequel to their Christmas for a Kitten (2003). In that story, Santa rescues a homeless orange kitten and takes him back to the North Pole. The sequel finds Santa at home with his ... Full Review

Pulver, Robin THANK YOU, MISS DOOVER September 1, 2010 - Poor Miss Doover—it's no easy feat to get her class to write tactful thank-you notes in proper friendly-letter format. Miss Doover is full of advice about the revision process, encouraging her students to specifically mention the gift, how it made ... Full Review

Quadri, Habeeb THE WAR WITHIN OUR HEARTS September 1, 2010 - Written for today’s urban Muslim boys, this guide to faithful living is wise and understanding. Twenty-eight short chapters are divided into two sections: “Problems” and “Solutions,” in which the authors, both school administrators who understand teen language, acknowledge that modern ... Full Review

Quimby, Laura THE CARNIVAL OF LOST SOULS September 1, 2010 - Failing to live up to its melodramatic title, this debut sends a multiply-fostered teen into a Land of the Dead that (except for some minotaur enforcers) isn’t much different from the land of the living. Forced by some never-explained ploy ... Full Review

Rawlinson, Julia FLETCHER AND THE SNOWFLAKE CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - Fletcher the fretful fox returns for the third entry in this seasonally themed series with beautifully distinctive illustrations skillfully integrated with the text. This time Fletcher worries that Santa won’t find his rabbit neighbors, who have recently moved to a ... Full Review

Rees, Douglas JEANNETTE CLAUS SAVES CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - Jeannette’s the name, saving Christmas is the game. She's Santa’s strong-willed daughter, a girl with a spunky attitude and snappy comebacks like “jumping jingle bells” and “suffering sugarplums,” who jumps into action on Christmas Eve when Santa can’t go out ... Full Review

Renier, Aaron THE UNSINKABLE WALKER BEAN September 1, 2010 - Anyone who has said that pirates are an overused motif in youth literature has not yet met Walker Bean. Legends of Atlantis, merwitches and pirates abound in this stunningly swashbuckling graphic novel. Young Walker Bean, overlooked by his father, adores ... Full Review

Robinson, Sharon JACKIE'S GIFT September 1, 2010 - Young Steve Satlow is a big baseball fan living in Brooklyn in the late 1940s, and he can scarcely believe his good fortune when Jackie Robinson and his family move in nearby. Steve is delighted to help the Robinson family ... Full Review

Sacre, Antonio LA NOCHE BUENA September 1, 2010 - Nina is a young Cuban-American girl who arrives in Miami just before Christmas to spend the holiday with her father’s family. Nina lives in a northern state with her mother and has never experienced Christmas in Little Havana. Her father ... Full Review

Saxton, Jo SNAIL TRAIL September 1, 2010 - An affable snail tours fine-art masterpieces, inviting readers to discern which painting‘s based on him. He’s dark blue (googly eyes atop antennae), with a shell of multihued, multisized cut-felt blocks. Those colored blocks subtly change shape and position as pages ... Full Review

Schulman, Janet 10 TRIM-THE-TREE'ERS September 1, 2010 - Schulman and Davick team up again for a sequel to their 10 Trick-or-Treaters (2008), starring the same crowd of cheerful children with a theme of decorating the Christmas tree. Using a counting-book structure, the children add ornaments to the tree, ... Full Review

Seigel, Andrea THE KID TABLE September 1, 2010 - Ingrid Bell, one of six mostly teenage cousins in a charmingly dysfunctional family, is a psychopath, according to oldest cousin Brianne. Or perhaps it's just part of the jockeying for position that happens around the Kid Table. Ingrid's psychopathy (or ... Full Review

Shannon, David IT'S CHRISTMAS, DAVID! September 1, 2010 - Wild-child David returns for his fourth full-length romp as he tears through the Christmas season at his usual breakneck pace. The title page shows a full-length view of Santa from beard to boots, establishing him as another authoritative adult, along ... Full Review

Showalter, Gena UNRAVELED September 1, 2010 - At the end of Intertwined (2009), Aden Stone, who plays host to three dead-raising, future-predicting and body-snatching souls, was named king of the vampires and negotiated an uneasy truce among the many supernatural creatures—fairies, vampires, witches, werewolves and goblins—he and ... Full Review

Sís, Peter MADLENKA SOCCER STAR September 1, 2010 - For fans fresh off the excitement of the World Cup, joyful Madlenka is back, but she’s not walking around the block—this time she’s dribbling, turning and twisting with her brand-new soccer ball. Is there anyone who can challenge her? On ... Full Review

Slade, Arthur THE DARK DEEPS September 1, 2010 - Volume two of Slade’s steampunk series starts with a shipwreck, the lone survivor of which is raised by the evil Clockwork Guild and transformed into Modo’s perfect nemesis: The one doesn’t dare show his true face, and the other has ... Full Review

Slegers, Liesbet THE CHILD IN THE MANGER September 1, 2010 - The simple but striking cover of this Nativity story effectively employs an overhead view of a smiling baby against a plain red background with the title standing out in white type. Slegers uses a palette of joyful, rich hues in ... Full Review

Slodovnick, Avi THE TOOTH September 1, 2010 - In this strange, somber little story, readers meet Marissa, who has a toothache from eating too much candy. She and her mother are going downtown to the dentist’s office when Marissa spots a homeless man sitting on the street with ... Full Review

Smith, Maggie CHRISTMAS WITH THE MOUSEKINS September 1, 2010 - This Christmas compendium of craft ideas, recipes and poems is woven into a related story about a mouse family preparing for their celebration of the holiday. The family, including a visiting grandmother, engages in lots of traditional activities, both inside ... Full Review

Sobol, Donald J. ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN AND THE CASE OF THE SECRET UFOS September 1, 2010 - Cranking out the cases for his brainy, perpetually ten-year-old sleuth since 1963, Sobol dishes up ten more—from stolen cookies and rare stamps to faked photos (see title) and a bogus 18th-century diary. Though the plots are as formulaic as they ... Full Review

Soderberg, Erin MONKEY SEE, MONKEY ZOO September 1, 2010 - Roll out the barrel of monkeys--no, wait, make that one spunky monkey named Willa, short for Princess Willoughby Wallaby Fluff (she wears a tiara), who has a one-day adventure, à la Bill and Ted’s Excellent one, monkey style. Telling her ... Full Review

Stalder, Päivi ADVENT ELF September 1, 2010 - This import from Switzerland is intended as a Christmas story, but the timeframe is referred to only as Advent, without any explanation of how Advent relates to the Christmas season. As six-year-old Paul and his family light the first candle ... Full Review

Stampler, Ann Redisch THE ROOSTER PRINCE OF BRESLOV September 1, 2010 - This exuberantly rendered Yiddish folktale is bright in hue and spirit. In Breslov lives a prince who has “more than he wanted. When he was hungry for a scrap of bread, he got a slice of cake dripping with honey.” ... Full Review

Strasser, Myrna A. SAINT FRANCIS AND THE NATIVITY September 1, 2010 - Vibrant illustrations in luminous, jewel-bright hues are the captivating attraction of this Christmas story about St. Francis of Assisi, who is credited with initiating the first living Nativity scene. In this fictional story, a shepherd boy befriended by St. Francis ... Full Review

Tanner, Lian MUSEUM OF THIEVES September 1, 2010 - In Jewel, all threats, from wild animals to slave traders, are kept at bay—many literally imprisoned in the strangely organic Museum of Dunt. Children are fiercely protected by the Blessed Guardians and wear silver “guardchains” until formal Separation ceremonies release ... Full Review

The Brothers Grimm THE STAR CHILD September 1, 2010 - Another Grimm tale illustrated by Watts in her familiar soft-edged and soft-toned artwork (Little Red Riding Hood, 2009, etc.). An orphaned girl gives away everything she has: a piece of bread to a hungry old man, her hat to a ... Full Review

Titcomb, Gordon THE LAST TRAIN September 1, 2010 - “Now the tracks that shone like silver, have turned to rusty brown. / Thirty years ago the last train rolled through town.” Steam trains no longer whistle plaintively across America, but this rhythmic paean, based on the author's song of ... Full Review

Tompert, Ann LITTLE FOX GOES TO THE END OF THE WORLD September 1, 2010 - Originally published in 1976 with illustrations by John C. Wallner, this story has been buffed up with Bryant's watercolors. Tired of playing at the mouth of her den, Little Fox dreams up big plans to travel to the end of ... Full Review

Ungerer, Tomi OTTO September 1, 2010 - The first broad release of a title originally published regionally and overseas in 1999, this simply told, deeply affecting tale follows a teddy’s passage from hand to hand through war and other troubles. First given to David, a German child ... Full Review

van Lieshout, Maria TUMBLE! September 1, 2010 - This small-format, morality-tale picture book from van Lieshout, her fourth in this distinct style, starts innocently enough. Three young polar-bear friends are enjoying the day when they discover tracks in the snow (the book is a sea of snow white, ... Full Review

Vande Velde, Vivian CLOAKED IN RED September 1, 2010 - The opening salvo is an author’s note in which veteran writer Vande Velde neatly deconstructs and skewers the original Little Red Riding Hood story--and then proceeds to write eight variations on it. Each begins with tongue stuffed in cheek: “Once ... Full Review

Velasquez, Eric GRANDMA'S GIFT September 1, 2010 - In this touching autobiographical prequel to Grandma’s Records (2004), Velasquez recalls a special Christmas vacation during his childhood when he stayed with his grandmother in El Barrio (Spanish Harlem). Eric accompanies his grandmother to the neighborhood shops as she purchases ... Full Review

Venuti, Kristin Clark THE BUTLER GETS A BREAK September 1, 2010 - Introduced in Leaving the Bellweathers (2009), the comically dysfunctional family is back for another outing. Benway the butler, after breaking his leg in an unfortunate accident precipitated by over-the-top ten-year-old triplets Sassy, Brick and Spike, is confined to the hospital, ... Full Review

Viney, Brigit FRANKENSTEIN September 1, 2010 - Much of the power of Viney's adaptation of Mary Shelley's horror classic lies within the artwork. Action sequences jump off the page, while portraits of each character provide nuance and depth to the text. Running at 130 pages, the script ... Full Review

Vivian, Siobhan NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL September 1, 2010 - Another powerful, involving exploration of teen girls' identities and relationships from the ever-improving Vivian (A Little Friendly Advice, 2008, Same Difference, 2009). Type-A super-achieving high-school senior Natalie Sterling has a foolproof plan: Win the Student Council presidency, ace the SATs, ... Full Review

Wagner, Hilary NIGHTSHADE CITY September 1, 2010 - Fans of Suzanne Collins's Underland Chronicles and Brian Jacques’s Redwall series will enjoy this fast-paced adventure set deep in the Catacombs, where a community of intelligent rats lives in peace and harmony. Or at least they did, until two vicious ... Full Review

Walsh, Pat THE CROWFIELD CURSE September 1, 2010 - In 1347 at a country monastery, a wondrous mystery unfolds. Collecting firewood in a frozen forest, William finds an unfamiliar cat-sized creature wounded in an animal trap. It moans but also talks, so despite his neck hairs hackling at this ... Full Review

Washington, Donna L. LI'L RABBIT'S KWANZAA September 1, 2010 - Li’l Rabbit is not having a good Kwanzaa. Granna Rabbit is sick this year and unable to prepare the big feast called Karamu—Li’l Rabbit’s favorite. A disappointed Li’l Rabbit hopes to make Granna Rabbit feel better by giving her a ... Full Review

Watson, Geoff EDISON'S GOLD September 1, 2010 - Threatened with a move from Yonkers to Wichita, inveterate inventor Tom Edison IV, along with his seventh-grade friends Noodle and Colby, gets embroiled in a hunt for the secret of making gold that Edison's double-great-grandfather was guarding from Nikola Tesla. ... Full Review

Watts, Nicole TOGETHER FOREVER September 1, 2010 - A warm, reassuring celebration of the love between a mother and her child. Set in the cold Arctic winter, these textured, multimedia paintings show the fur pattern of polar bears, individual snowflakes, broad winter landscapes and the wonderful wash of ... Full Review

Wells, Dan MR. MONSTER September 1, 2010 - Three months ago, 16-year-old John Wayne Cleaver killed a demon masquerading as his neighbor, Mr. Crowley (I Am Not a Serial Killer, 2010). It had been harvesting body parts from the local citizenry to keep itself alive. John, who carefully ... Full Review

Werlin, Nancy EXTRAORDINARY September 1, 2010 - Phoebe Rothschild—yes, of those Rothschilds—dumps her toxic friends for new girl Mallory in seventh grade. After four years of best friendship, Mallory is gorgeous and stylish—and, unbeknownst to Phoebe, she's also not human. In brief snippets between chapters, readers learn ... Full Review

Wesselhoeft, Conrad ADIOS, NIRVANA September 1, 2010 - Seattle high-school junior Jonathan’s life has turned upside down since he won a major poetry contest shortly after his twin brother’s death. His hedonistic mother, who works at the Bikini Bean Espresso Drive-Thru, and his Thicks (friends) all try to ... Full Review

Willems, Mo WE ARE IN A BOOK! September 1, 2010 - Stalwart friends Piggie and Gerald the elephant push the metafictive envelope in a big way when they realize that "someone is looking at us." Is it a monster? worries Gerald. "No," replies the squinting Piggie. "It is... / a reader! ... Full Review

Williams, Sophy THE FIRST CHRISTMAS September 1, 2010 - Opening the cover of this large-format book printed on heavy cardstock leads to a surprise: The circular illustration under a die-cut window in the cover changes from a view of the Christ Child in the manger to a close-up of ... Full Review

Wishinsky, Frieda WHERE ARE YOU BEAR? September 1, 2010 - Canadian tot Sophie’s ready to go on vacation with her father. When he calls, she can't find her stuffed bear. " 'Where are you, Bear? I have to go. I'll miss you! We would have had so much fun!' / ... Full Review

Yolen, Jane HUSH, LITTLE HORSIE September 1, 2010 - The opening stanza—“Hush little horsie, / Asleep on the farm. / Your mama is near / And will keep you from harm”—sets the tone for a soothing bedtime hymn featuring horses. A variety of different mother horses and ponies in ... Full Review

Zimmerman, Dwight Jon TECUMSEH September 1, 2010 - More a historical narrative than a character portrait, this account of Tecumseh’s efforts to create a tribal confederacy in the Old Northwest focuses on the great Shawnee leader’s many battles and negotiations with then–Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison and then ... Full Review