SYLVIA FINDS A WAY Written by Stephanie Shaw Illustrated by Fiona Lee (West Margin Press; $17.99; Ages 5-8)       When a tiny slug and her animal friends discover a beautiful garden full of delicious food, they attempt to fill their bellies using one of their strengths in the sweet picture book, Sylvia Finds a Way. Unfortunately, a vigilant gardener stands ready, and each animal BOUNDS, DARTS, or FLIES away with an empty tummy … until Sylvia comes along.     Confident in her own brand of quiet strength, Sylvia’s way teaches kids that there are different…

MEET THE HAMANTASCHEN: A Purim Mystery Written and illustrated by Alan Silberberg (Viking BYR; $17.99, Ages 3-5)       This year Purim begins on the evening of March 16. Just in time for the Jewish holiday, author and illustrator Alan Silberberg is back with Meet the Hamantaschen another funny companion picture book to his previous two holiday-themed hits, Meet the Matzah and Meet the Latkes. It's great to have a fresh take on Purim, the holiday that celebrates the cleverness and bravery of Queen Esther who, as the bride of powerful King Ahasuerus in a place called Shushan, hid…

  HORROR HOTEL Written by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren (Underlined; Trade Paperback $9.99, Ages  12+)     e e Get ready to be scared from the moment you peek between the pages of Horror Hotel by the award-winning cowriting duo Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren. What would the teen foursome who calls themselves the Ghost Gang do to reach one million YouTube subscribers? Maybe push some boundaries, maybe break some laws, and hopefully not get killed in the process! Chase knows they need more than their usual documentary-style paranormal huntings, so he seeks something spooky but seemingly harmless. The plan…

    SEEKING FREEDOM: The Untold Story of Fortress Monroe and the Ending of Slavery in America Written by Selene Castrovilla Illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Calkins Creek; $24.99; Ages 7 – 10)         ★Starred Review - Booklist   Three freedom seekers took a chance and entered Fortress Monroe without realizing another freedom seeker was watching them from behind a tree, leading to the eventual freedom of thousands of African Americans in Seeking Freedom: The Untold Story of Fortress Monroe and the Ending of Slavery in America, written by award-winning author Selene Castrovilla with illustrations by Caldecott Honoree…

    PIPER AND PURPA FOREVER! Written by Susan Lendroth Illustrated by Olivia Feng (Yeehoo Press; $14.99, Ages 4-8)     Author Susan Lendroth says her daughter's childhood love of the color purple inspired her latest picture book, Piper and Purpa Forever!, with illustrations by Olivia Feng. I'm glad to know of another person as passionate about purple as I am. In fact, the cover's design and colors alone would convince me to pick up this book. The bonus is that this is a well-crafted story on a topic that will resonate with young readers The story revolves around Piper…

AMAH FARAWAY Written by Margaret Chiu Greanias  Illustrated by Tracy Subisak  (Bloomsbury Children’s Books; $18.99, Ages 4-8)     ★Starred Reviews - School Library Journal, Shelf Awareness   Cultural connections, intergenerational love, and adventure-seeking await readers in author Margaret Chiu Greanias and illustrator Tracy Subisak’s touching Amah Faraway.  Since “[v]ideo chats [aren’t] the same as real life,” Kylie is nervous about visiting her Amah who lives so far away in Taipei, despite their weekly time together online. Once they arrive, Amah encourages Kylie to explore the city together,  “Lái kàn kàn! Come see!” But Kylie finds everything strange:  Amah’s apartment,…

  DULCINEA IN THE FORBIDDEN FOREST Written and illustrated by Ole Könnecke Translated from German by Shelley Tanaka (Gecko Press; $14.24, Ages 5-9)       In Ole Könnecke’s modern fairy tale, Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest, Dulcinea’s father goes missing on her birthday. Though she’s promised to never enter the forest (because of the witch), Dulcinea follows her father’s footprints into this forbidden place and soon discovers he’s been turned into a tree. “Dulcinea wasn’t going to let an old witch spoil her birthday,” so she sets off to find the witch and reverse the spell even though “nobody…

Five New Children's Valentine’s Day Books ❤ A Roundup ❤   Check out what's new and noteworthy this year for Valentine's Day   LOVE FROM MADELINE Based on the character created by Ludwig Bemelmans Written by John Bemelmans Marciano  Illustrated by Steven Salerno (Viking BYR; $8.99; Ages 0-3 yrs) It would be difficult to find a person unfamiliar with the Madeline Media Franchise, so when I learned that a new picture book was available based on the daily adventures of Madeline the character created by Ludwig Bemelmans, it was a welcome stroll down memory lane. This new mini-book (the first…