The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

“I’m a pout-pout fish
With a pout-pout face,
So I spread the dreary-wearies
All over the place.”

Written by a first time Michigan author Deborah Diesen, The Pout-Pout Fish tells the story of the pout-pout fish, who just can’t be happy. All the other fish he runs across encourage him to be happy, but he always answers with the same response, quoted above, and a disheartened “Blub, blub, blub” always follows. Finally, a silver fish plants a kiss on the pout-pout fish, and his frown is turned upside down. The illustrations by Dan Hanna are precious, and the expressions are so detailed that even non-readers will delight.

AMY

Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Ask a room full of four-year-olds, “Who likes cookies?” and you will invariably find yourself greeted unanimously by cookie-lovers. Rosenthal uses this universal language of food to demonstrate some big concepts in Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons.

“TRUSTWORTHY means, if you ask me to hold your cookie until you come back, when you come back, I will still be holding your cookie.”

“GREEDY means taking all the cookies for myself. Hee Hee Hee. Yum Yum Yum.”

“LOYAL means that even though the new person has a much bigger cookie, I’m sticking by you and your little cookies because you’re my very best friend.”

Jane Dyer’s precious pastel watercolors of children and animals enjoying baked goods impart a timeless feel to Rosenthal’s book of virtues. Share Cookies over a plate of real cookies for an especially tasty treat.

JD

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

Many frightening things keep Scaredy Squirrel at home in his nut tree- tarantulas, poison ivy, green Martians, killer bees, germs, and sharks, to name a few. Sometimes the same old view and the same old nuts get boring, but life in the nut tree is safe and under control. Scaredy Squirrel is prepared with an emergency kit and an exit plan if he should ever have to embark beyond the tree. But Scaredy Squirrel is not prepared when a killer bee appears IN the tree. Mouth opened wide with terror at the smiling bee floating before him, he panics and knocks his emergency kit right out of the tree. It isn’t long before this timid squirrel finds himself outside of the tree as well. Melanie Watt’s simple watercolor illustrations poke gentle fun at a life lived too cautiously. Youngsters who live life on the edge may learn some lessons in safety and careful planning, while the more fastidious may be inspired by Scaredy Squirrel’s realization that it’s sometimes okay to “jump into the unknown.”

JD

17 Things i'm not allowed to do anymore by Jenny Offill

Savvy listeners of all ages will fall in love with Offill’s gloriously naughty narrator. Ever creative, she is undeterred by each new taboo she encounters.

“I had an idea to show Joey Whipple my underpants. I am not allowed to show Joey Whipple my underpants anymore. I had an idea to set Joey Whipple’s shoe on fire using the sun and a magnifying glass. I am not allowed to set Joey Whipple on fire anymore.”

At the end of a busy day of trouble-making, she finally receives approval:

“I had an idea to say the opposite of what I mean to trick everyone. ‘I’m sorry.’ I am allowed to say the opposite of what I mean forevermore.”

While parents may wince at the narrator’s triumph, Carpenter’s sophisticated collage illustrations will appease adult sensibilities. Tots and even teens will appreciate the amusing images of stapled hair, spilled glue, and Delaware-crossing beavers. Mom’s expression as the young narrator attempts to place an order for a different, less vomit-inducing, dinner is a stand-out. Check out 17 Things I’m not allowed to do anymore for that conversation about behavior or just to share a good laugh.

JD

Big Sister, Little Sister by Leuyen Pham

With spare illustrations that evoke the warm, comforting feeling of revisiting children’s picture books from bygone years, Big Sister, Little Sister enumerates both the jealousies and joys in having an older sister. Loveable in her pigtails and deliciously sassy expressions, Little Sister grumbles over the many differences between herself and her older sister. “The Big Sister gets all the new clothes. I’m the Little Sister. I get all her old clothes.” Despite Big Sister’s opportunities to try things first, wear lipstick, and stay up later, Little Sister finds that there are advantages to being the younger one as well. “The Big Sister tells all the good stories! I’m the Little Sister. I get to listen!” When Little Sister is sick, Big Sister performs bedside puppet shows. Originally planned as a gift from the author to her own older sister, this tale is sure to resonate with sisters everywhere.

JD

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

In How to Catch a Star Jeffers depicts that universal desire to reach up and catch a star with this picture book. A boy with a circle head and stick legs inhabits pages of deep, saturated color that reflect many times of the day. In one brief sentence per page, the boy shares his wishes, dreams, and reality, making this book accessible for two year olds, and satisfying for readers much older.

ls

The Princess and the Pea in Miniature by Lauren Child, illustrated by Polly Borland

In The Princess and the Pea in Miniature, Lauren Child retells this classic tale with the lively, contemporary phrasing that her fans love. She has created small stages out of cereal boxes, and decorated them to depict rooms or gardens, upon which she places her paper character cut outs. Polly Borland has photographed each scene to provide beautiful illustrations. Readers as young as four will enjoy hearing this tale and gazing at the pictures, while older readers will enjoy this version of a familiar story.

LS