RAJANI LAROCCA INTERVIEWS VICKY FANG, AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR OF ALPHABOT (MIT Kids Press/Candlewick Press; 14.99, Ages 3-7) PUBLISHER SUMMARY: Found your circuit-board head? Your voice-control torso? Your hydrojet feet? Hooray! You’ve made one of the 729 mix-and-match robots that are possible with this innovative flip-flap book. Alongside the bright and cheery illustrations of robot parts is a basic alphabetical listing of terms—from android to gears, neural network to program, wheels to Z-drive—and a basic definition of each. With a concealed spiral binding and sturdy card stock pages to hold up to enthusiastic flap-turning, AlphaBot is full of appeal for young robot lovers, preschoolers who love machines, and anyone looking for…

  ADAM AND HIS TUBA Written by Ziga X Gombac Illustrated by Maja Kastelic Translated by Olivia Hellewell (NorthSouth Books; $18.95, Ages 4-8)           ★ Starred review - Foreword Reviews   The Von Trapeze circus family travels the world in their painted wagons performing to audiences who reward them with flowers and applause. But, not everyone in the family enjoys acrobatics, or applause, in Slovenian author Ziga X Gombac’s picture book Adam and His Tuba illustrated by Maja Kastelic.       I love how each family member's first name begins with the letter ‘A." There's Grandma…

  TWO NEW YEARS Written by Richard Ho Illustrated by Lynn Scurfield (Chronicle Books; $18.99, Ages 3-5)       Reading Two New Years written by Richard Ho and illustrated by Lynn Scurfield, reminds me of how wonderful it is to find similarities in cultures while also celebrating the differences. Ho draws from his personal life to imbue this heartwarming Rosh Hashanah and Lunar New Year story with meaning while also making it accessible to anyone, whether or not they are Jewish or Chinese like the family we meet here.     The book begins simply and yet pulls readers…

  TZIMMES FOR TZIPPORAH Written by Megan Hoyt Illustrated by Christine Battuz (Apples & Honey Press; $18.95, Ages 4-7)         When autumn arrives, it's time to get ready for Rosh Hashanah, one of the Jewish high holy days. In Tzimmes for Tzipporah, written by Megan Hoyt and illustrated by Christine Battuz, readers meet Tzipporah who lives on a farm and is thrilled to be finally old enough to pitch in with the preparations. Rosh Hashanah has always been one of my favorite holidays so I couldn't wait to read this new story. "The earth is almost ready…

  AND THEN COMES SCHOOL Written by Tom Brenner Illustrated by Jen Hill (Candlewick; $17.99; Ages 4-8)         From the Publisher: “Cooler mornings, cicadas buzzing, apples ripening . . . Can shopping for school supplies be far behind? . . . Whether the reader is a child who is eager to return to school or a younger one trying to imagine what school is like, this upbeat and lyrical ode holds sure appeal for returning students and first-timers alike.”   Review: With this fourth installment of the “And Then Comes” series from Candlewick (this one illustrated by…

    NORA NICKUM INTERVIEWS KATRINA TANGEN,  Author of COPY THAT, COPY CAT! Illustrated by Giulia Orecchia (Barefoot Books; $19.99, Ages 4-8)       PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: This rhyming, lift-the-flap picture book of riddles introduces children to biomimicry in a thoroughly fun format. From sonar to snowshoes, discover concrete examples of human inventions that copy things found in nature. The story invites readers to guess the answers to riddles based on rhymes and visual cues that peek through die-cuts. Page turns reveal surprise answers that show how inventions mimic biology, with additional information under flaps. Endnotes include lift-the-flap guessing games…

  MAMA SHAMSI AT THE BAZAAR Written by Mojdeh Hassani and Samira Iravani  Illustrated by Maya Fidawi (Dial BYR; $18.99, Ages 4-8)       Written by mother-daughter duo Mojdeh Hassani and Samira Iravani and illustrated by Maya Fidawi, Mama Shamsi At The Bazaar shares the loving bond between grandmother and granddaughter as they venture out to share a new experience together.     Getting ready to go to the bazaar with her grandmother for the very first time, Samira is afraid she’ll get lost in the crowd. Again and again, she tries to coax Mama Shams into letting her…