KITTY AND CAT: OPPOSITES ATTRACT Written and illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen (Candlewick Press; $18.99, Ages 2-5)         This adorable picture book, Kitty and Cat: Opposites Attract, by Mirka Hokkanen, is guaranteed to make you laugh. Using just two words at a time, the story follows a grumpy cat after a kitten is introduced to the household: “old” and “new.” From there, the story unfolds with hilarious antics as they try to become accustomed to one another.     I like how the story begins and ends in the endpapers—a clever way to get in two…

    YUNA'S CARDBOARD CASTLES Written by Marie Tang Illustrated by Jieting Chen (Beaming Books; $18.99, Ages 3-8)       In Yuna's Cardboard Castles, the heartwarming picture book debut from author Marie Tang, illustrated by Jieting Chen, readers meet Yuna, who has just moved with her family to America from Japan. Like most children in that situation, Yuna is filled with concerns about what life will be like in her new home and how she'll make new friends. The extra challenge Yuna faces is that she doesn't speak English yet. While she misses her old friends and all that is familiar,…

  SUSI SCHAEFER INTERVIEWS AIXA PÉREZ-PRADO, AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR OF  CITY FEET (Reycraft Books; $17.95, Ages 3-5) e e PUBLISHER SUMMARY: This shoe lover’s paradise reveals that a city’s feet are as varied as the people and animals who live there. INTERVIEW: Susi Schaefer: Congrats on your picture book, CITY FEET. How did you get into creating books for young readers? Aixa Pérez-Prado: Thank you very much! I feel like I have been a writer and illustrator since I was a little girl. I was born in Argentina and raised between there and the USA. I later lived in several…

DARSHANA KHIANI INTERVIEWS RAJANI LAROCCA, AUTHOR OF YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART ILLUSTRATED BY LAUREN PAIGE CONRAD (Dial BYR; $18.99, Ages 5-8)       PUBLISHER SUMMARY: A lyrical introduction to the many wonders of the human heart, from award-winning author and practicing doctor, Dr. Rajani LaRocca In this stunning non-fiction picture book, poetry and science come together with playful cut-paper illustrations to create a moving ode to the human heart and all that it does. Complete with illustrative diagrams and copious backmatter, this is a one-of-a-kind non-fiction picture book that gently guides readers through the various systems make up our most…

  MAKE MORE S'MORES Written by Cathy Ballou Mealey Illustrated by Ariel Landy (Sleeping Bear Press; $18.99, Ages 4-8) Not only does this picture book have a yummy title, but it's recommended reading for National S'Mores Day (well, any day really if you love a rhyming read-aloud).     Roscoe adores an irresistible, roasty, toasty s'more, and is just about to raccoon-down the one he's cooked over "glowing coals," when an uninvited grizzly bear shows up asking, "Is that for me?" What's a hungry raccoon to do? Well, much to readers' delight, Roscoe doesn't hesitate to share in Make More…

SORA'S SEASHELLS A Name Is a Gift to Be Treasured Written by Helena Ku Rhee Illustrated by Stella Lim With Ji-Hyuk Kim (Candlewick Press $17.99, Ages 4-6)       Sora's Seashells, written by Helena Ku Rhee and illustrated by Stella Lim with Ji-Hyuk Kim, is so much more than a beach or summer story. It's a multi-layered, moving, and intergenerational picture book about a grandmother and granddaughter relationship. Gentle in tone with art that beautifully captures the book's mood, the story is also about loss, and passing kindness forward to other's lives, including strangers. Additionally, Sora's Seashells addresses the…

A BEAR, A BEE, AND A HONEY TREE Written by Daniel Bernstrom Illustrated by Brandon James Scott (Hippo Park; $18.99; Ages 3-7)       Daniel Bernstrom’s A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree, a rhythmic read-aloud that invites multiple reads, takes children on a journey with a hungry, fuzzy brown bear and a hive of angry bees. The brown bear is first introduced yawning and stretching at the entrance to his cave, awakening from hibernation. Illustrator Brandon James Scott’s humorous and expressive digital art portrays the bear and his surroundings with glowing and warm woodsy colors. The illustrations,…

    AN INTERVIEW BY ABI CUSHMAN WITH VICKY FANG, AUTHOR OF THE BOO CREW NEEDS YOU! (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; $12.99,  Ages 3-8)       PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Trouble's come to Monster Town, and emergencies abound! There's no time to wait around... get the Boo Crew! Get ready for a spooky interactive story experience with Lula, Bones, and Fang—a ghost, skeleton, and vampire team who need YOUR help fixing all the messes and frights of a Halloween night gone wrong! Whether it's tapping the page to mend a broken pumpkin or turning the book to set a toppling haunted house back…