∼ BUG ON THE RUG BLOG TOUR ∼   AUTHOR SOPHIA GHOLZ & ILLUSTRATOR SUSAN BATORI DISCUSS THEIR NEW PICTURE  BOOK BUG ON THE RUG (Sleeping Bear Press; $17.99, Ages 4-8)         SUMMARY FROM PUBLISHER: BUG ON THE RUG - Pug is snug on his rug. But what happens when along comes BUG?! With a claim to the rug?! The two engage in a hysterical, rhyming battle of wits and strength until Slug asks the necessary questions and helps them find common ground. Rhyming is an important developmental reading skill. It teaches phonics (decodable text) and helps…

  THE STRUGGLE BUS  Written & illustrated by Julie Koon (Kind World Publishing; $18.99; Ages 4-8)       From the publisher: Sometimes things are really tough. It’s just too hard. You’ve had enough. Grumble, rumble, bump and roar, the struggle bus is at your door. [The Struggle Bus] is a must-have picture book for any reader struggling with new experiences and managing emotions … Incorporating her experience as an elementary school counselor, Koon uses the accessible theme of vehicles to make this social-emotional concept perfect for the preschool and early elementary crowd. It's also a great tool for caregivers…

      COOKBOOKS FOR ALL! A Roundup of Recommended Reads         BAKE, MAKE & LEARN TO COOK: Fun & Healthy Recipes for Young Cooks Written by David Atherton Illustrated by Rachel Stubbs (Candlewick Press; $17.99, Ages 5-9) Bake, Make & Learn to Cook: Fun & Healthy Recipes for Young Cooks by David Atherton is an enjoyable but thorough first cookbook for elementary-schoolers. The wide range of appealing recipes is explained in easy-to-follow boxes of information. Recipes include kid-friendly foods such as pancakes, pizzas, and cake. I like how some weave in animal elements. For example, Banana…

    AN INTERVIEW WITH NATASCHA BIEBOW AUTHOR OF THE CRAYON MAN: THE TRUE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF CRAYOLA CRAYONS (Clarion Books; $17.99, Ages 6 to 9)       SHORT SUMMARY: In 1903, a man’s innovative invention appeared in homes in a bright green box for only a nickel – Crayola crayons. In a world where children are given crayons almost as soon as they are born, where the smell of crayons is more recognizable than coffee and peanut butter, what must it have been like to live at a time when crayons were a novelty? The Crayon…

    LOUJAIN DREAMS OF SUNFLOWERS: A Story Inspired by Loujain AlHathloul Written by Lina AlHathloul & Uma Mishra-Newbery Illustrated by Rebecca Green (mineditionUS; $18.99, Ages 4-8) .   Available now in time for Women's History Month is Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers. This new picture book introduces children to the young main character in the morning when she's squeezing her eyes shut to recall her favorite dream. In this scene, she dreams of being able to fly, soaring above "a place her baba described as the carpet of a million sunflowers." While having flying dreams is not uncommon, readers soon…

DUCKS OVERBOARD!: A TRUE STORY OF PLASTIC IN OUR OCEANS  by Markus Motum (Candlewick Press; $17.99, Ages 7-10)     We Don't Need to Wait Until Earth Day to Pay Attention to Our Environment   If you’re looking for a nonfiction book that reads like a story, you’ve found it! Narrated by a rubber ducky, this picture book by author-illustrator Markus Motum, Ducks Overboard!: A True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans, explains how 28,000 ducks ended up in the middle of the ocean. The reader adventures along with the ducks in unknown territory as they encounter sea creatures and…

    BORN HUNGRY: Julia Child Becomes "the French Chef" Written by  Alex Prud'homme Illustrated by Sarah Green  (Calkins Creek; $18.99 Ages 5-9)         ★Starred Review - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books   Julia Child’s grandnephew and the coauthor of her best-selling autobiography, My Life in France, has written an irresistibly delicious read if a picture book can be described that way. And, when coupled with Sarah Green's gorgeous, mouth-watering illustrations, you might just have to run out and grab yourself a pain au chocolat to satisfy your craving after finishing Born Hungry. This…