CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 3, 2012
"This primer on friendship wrapped in hijinks is paced for maximum pleasure. (Picture book. 3-7)"
In this variant of "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse," two dragons learn to appreciate each other's talents and milieus.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 17, 2012
"Share with readers of all ages as a beautiful message about peaceful protest and purposeful action. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)"
An African-American family awakens before dawn to prepare for the historic March on Washington in August, 1963.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 7, 2012
"Grown-ups beware. Youngsters might have their own questions and answers after this romp. (Picture book. 4-8)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"One romping celebration of boyhood to read again and again. (Picture book. 3-8)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Beautifully benign illustrations conjure powerful familial feelings. (Picture book. 3-6)"
Who wouldn't want to put on a monster show in a big, cardboard box or pop bubble wrap at rapid-fire speed?
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012
"Ready or not! Here comes a book worth finding. (Picture book. 2-5) "
Expert hide-and-seekers will hear the hushed scuttles and feel the quickened pulses as a group of animals plays a rain forest game of hide-and-seek.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"Eye-opening inspiration in this unassuming import from Colombia. (Picture book. 6-8)"
In a thought-provoking twist on the usual immigrant story, a village lad elects to stay put.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 5, 2012
Vernon is both a toad and a forager for found objects. Ambling along with his latest haul, he chances upon a creature he seeks to know and then to help.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 3, 2012
"Yum has perfectly captured the emotional ups and downs of both parent and child in a visually expressive work that will shore up adults as they send their children off on that momentous day. (Picture book. 4-7, adult)"
Yum, known for using text and artwork to explore emotions (
There Are No Scary Wolves, 2010, etc.), looks at the first day of school from two points of view--that of a little boy who is more than ready and a nervous mother not quite prepared to let him go.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 10, 2012
"A luminous celebration of family, food and home. (Picture book. 4-9)"
Day by day, brick by brick, a community is built in this winning tribute to fellowship and family.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2012
"Reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are in its visual transformations and emotional intensity, but with a more present and openly loving parent. (Picture book. 4-6)"
"My daddy has warm hands. His fingers taste like applesauce. I wish he had a thousand hands."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2012
"A joy to read. Play calypso music and celebrate! (author's note, glossary and pronunciation guide, author's sources) (Picture book/biography. 3-8)"
Winston, a boy in Trinidad, wishes that he could play in a band and win free rotis, the delicious island specialty prepared by the Roti King and presented to the best performers at Carnival.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2012
"A doll of a beginning reader. (Early reader. 5-7)"
Following
Penny and Her Song (2012), Henkes delivers an even stronger slice of anthropomorphic mouse life for beginning readers.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 4, 2012
"The Steads' work adopts a folkloric approach to cooperative relationships; the affectionately rendered animals that stand in for humans convey a nurturing respect for child readers. (Picture book. 3-7)"
Within a gentle tale of hibernation and renewal, the Steads' second collaboration (after Caldecott-winning
A Sick Day for Amos McGee) explores a second, internal theme: the nature of the storytelling narrative itself.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"A visual stunner. (Picture book. 4-7)"
In this splendid retelling of Aesop's familiar fable, a country mouse leaves his bucolic existence to sample the glitz and glam of the city, only to discover there's absolutely no place like home.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"Oh, yes! This is a terrific new picture book. (Picture book. 2-6)"
With text that begs to be read aloud and sumptuous illustrations made by a master printmaker, this picture book reads like an instant classic.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
"A warm, gentle portrait of an immigrant's isolation and the ways that creativity and a loving family can offer both a safe haven and a bridge. (Picture book. 4-8)"
As in Stewart and Small's previous
The Gardener (1997) and
The Journey (2001), letters to a loved one become the vehicle for a girl to explore what she sees, feels and comes to understand upon leaving home for the first time.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 2, 2012
"Brilliant. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Bryan's Christmas offering combines a poignant poem about a shepherd boy who builds his own stable with exuberant paintings in a masterful melding of rhythmic text and dazzling art.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 2, 2012
"There is much to enjoy here, and the illustrations and allusions beg for repeat readings. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Readers check in on Mr. Wolf every hour of his birthday, but it seems like the poor guy just can't catch a break on his special day.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 9, 2012
"Read unhurried, in a lap, again and again. (Picture book. 4-7) "
This gem about canine siblings goes from peaceful routine to funny mayhem to erroneous bereavement--and relief.
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