AN INTERVIEW WITH DARSHANA KHIANI AUTHOR OF HOW TO WEAR A SARI ILLUSTRATED BY JOANNE LEW-VRIETHOFF (VERSIFY; $17.99, Ages 4 to 7)       SUMMARY Being a little kid isn’t always fun and games. Sometimes, it’s downright annoying. When the fashionable main character of How to Wear a Sari tires of being treated like she’s TOO little, she sets out to prove to her family that she can do ANYTHING she puts her mind to . . . including putting on a colorful, twinkly, silky sari. Sure, they’re long and unwieldy—but that only means her family will…

MY DOG BANANA Written by Roxane Brouillard Illustrated by Giulia Sagramola Translated by Simon de Jocas and Paula Ayer (Greystone Kids; $17.95; Ages 4-8)     When neighbors question a boy walking with a banana attached to a red leash, the child confidently explains that he is walking his dog Banana in Roxanne Brouillard’s debut picture book,  My Dog Banana, with charming artwork by Giulia Sagramola, in her first picture book as well. The cover instantly grabbed my attention because, well, how often have you seen a boy walking a banana on a leash? The boy’s mouth is drawn as…

  SAVING SORYA: Chang and the Sun Bear by Trang Nguyen and Jeet Zdung Illustrated by Jeet Zdung (Dial BYR; $23.99, Ages 8-12)       ★ Starred reviews – Kirkus, School Library Journal   Striking artwork and a timely topic support the compelling story of one girl’s dogged determination to reintroduce a rescued sun bear to its native habitat.     The author of Saving Sorya, a renowned Vietnamese conservationist, uses the wonderfully creative graphic novel format to present a fictionalized account of events that inspired her career choice. After witnessing a horrific instance of animal abuse, young Chang decides to become…

    BEST NEW HALLOWEEN BOOKS ∼A ROUNDUP∼           SPOOKYTALE (An Abrams Trail Tale) Written by Christopher Franceschelli Illustrated by Allison Black (Abrams Appleseed; $14.99, Ages 0-3) Christopher Franceschelli’s latest book in his Abrams Block Book series is Spookytale, an interactive board book. We travel along with a boy, girl, and dog to their far-off destination: a haunted house. This journey takes them through the woods, across the bridge, and so forth. Each scene has die-cut pieces that lift to reveal fun Halloween-themed surprises. Fun hole-punched areas add textural interest. The simple text is offset with…

      AN INTERVIEW WITH ANGELA BURKE KUNKEL AUTHOR OF PENGUIN JOURNEY ILLUSTRATED BY CATHERINE ODELL (Abrams Appleseed; $16.99, Ages 3 to 6)         SUMMARY   Packed Snow / Moon glow Wind-blown / All alone Penguin Journey is a picture book about the incredible lengths to which emperor penguins go for their young ones. Angela Burke Kunkel's lyrical text and Catherine Odell's gorgeous illustrations detail the penguins' amazing journey, and an author's note and bibliography provide added context.   INTERVIEW   Colleen Paeff: Congratulations on the upcoming release of your second book. Penguin Journey will be…

GITTY AND KVETCH Written by Caroline Kusin Pritchard Illustrated by Ariel Landy (Atheneum BYR; $17.99, Ages 4-8)         Take one glass-half-full girl named Gitty and add one glass-half-empty bird named Kvetch and you've got the makings of one unusual and entertaining pair of pals in the new picture book, Gitty and Kvetch. Although he kvetches (complains) a lot, Kvetch is more realist than pessimist which is a quality I love and appreciate. The story opens with Gitty painting a picture and seeking out her "unflappable friend" so he can accompany her on the "perfect day to hang…

  SATURDAY AT THE FOOD PANTRY Written by Diane O’Neill Illustrated by Brizida Magro (Albert Whitman & Company; $16.99, Ages 4-8)         Part of Albert Whitman & Company’s Social and Emotional Learning collection, Saturday at the Food Pantry by author Diane O’Neill and illustrator Brizida Magro encourages discussions about food insecurity and highlights the truth that all of us need help sometimes. As their food supply dwindles and Mom pours the last cup of milk to make her special “fancy milk” drink, Molly learns they’ll be visiting a food pantry the next day. “What’s a food pantry?”…

THE LEGEND OF AUNTIE PO Written and illustrated by Shing Yin Khor (Kokila; $22.99, Ages 10-14)         Finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.  ★ Starred reviews - Horn Book, Kirkus, School Library Journal     A re-imagined Paul Bunyan legend gives one Chinese American girl the courage to face adversity.    Thirteen-year-old Mei lives and works in an 1885 Sierra Nevada lumber logging camp in the graphic novel, The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor. Her father, Hao, cooks for the workers, and Mei is famed for her pies. Mei,…