AN INTERVIEW WITH ABI CUSHMAN AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR OF ANIMALS GO VROOM! (Viking Children’s Books; $17.99, Ages 2 to 5)         SHORT SUMMARY: Animals Go Vroom! Written and illustrated by Abi Cushman With a nod to Richard Scarry, this inventive picture book surprises readers with every turn of the page! Hiss! Screech! Roar! It’s a noisy day in Bumperville! But are the sounds what you think they are? That Honk! must surely be a goose. But turn the page and it’s the taxi that a goose is driving! Using cleverly placed die-cuts, this inventive book hints…

PLANT, COOK, EAT!: A Children's Cookbook by Joe Archer and Caroline Craig (Charlesbridge; $18.99, Ages 7-10)         ★Starred Review - Kirkus    Joe Archer and Caroline Craig’s middle-grade Plant, Cook, Eat!: A Children’s Cookbook covers food from seed to table with easy-to-understand text and full-color photos or images throughout. The helpful introduction includes information about plants: what parts we eat, how they reproduce, and how we can help them grow with the right amount of warmth, light, nutrients, and water. Learn what healthy soil and compost consist of, then how to choose and prepare an ideal location…

THE BOY AND THE SEA Written by Camille Andros Illustrated by Amy Bates (Abrams BYR; $17.99, Ages 6-8)         Written by Camille Andros and illustrated by Amy Bates, The Boy and the Sea is a contemplative, thought-provoking story that depicts growing up as the ebb and flow of questions not easily answerable.  The story begins with the main character, a little boy, who lives by the sea. Like the sea, the boy is sometimes “dark and dangerous” and at other times “tranquil and tender.” These descriptors become refrains as we watch the boy grow from his elementary…

  OUT OF THE BLUE: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas Written by Elizabeth Shreeve Illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Candlewick; $17.99, Ages 6-9)         ★Starred Reviews - Kirkus and School Library Journal   Before the text begins, Elizabeth Shreeve’s nonfiction picture book cleverly has readers guess, among hippos, dolphins, and sharks, which two animals are the closest relatives? For the answer, you’ll have to read Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas. e     e Shreeve impressively chronicles life on Earth from its beginning until present. Yet, for such an intricate topic, her…

  TURTLE IN PARADISE: The Graphic Novel Written by Jennifer L. Holm Illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau Colors by Lark Penn (RH Graphic; HC $20.99, Paperback $12.99, Ages 8-12) e e e ★Starred Review - School Library Journal An excellent way to introduce middle-grade readers to Holm’s Newbery Honor book of family, friendship, and home.   In 1935, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to Key West, Florida to live with relatives she’s never known in the graphic novel adaptation of Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm and Savanna Ganucheau. Turtle's single mother, Sadiemae works as a maid for a New Jersey…

  A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS Written by Christine Van Zandt Illustrated by Harry Briggs (becker&meyer!kids; Paperback $9.99, Ages 4-8)         Let's talk tushes, well what goes on them to be precise. Before I do though, and for the record, debut picture book author Christine Van Zandt is a long-time reviewer for this blog. But even if she weren't, I'd still have to gush about A Brief History of Underpants because I think what she's uncovered about underwear is fascinating. More important than what I think is what kids will, and I don't know how they'll be…

FIND OUT IN THIS GUEST POST WHY DEBUT AUTHOR MONI RITCHIE HADLEY CHOSE TO WRITE ABOUT THE STAR FESTIVAL  e e ★Starred Review - School Library Journal THE STAR FESTIVAL, also known as the Tanabata Matsuri, takes place in Japan on the seventh day of the seventh month. It is celebrated on July 7th in regions following the gregorian calendar and August 7th of the lunar calendar. I researched many beautiful landscapes and images, knowing that one would eventually become the backdrop of my story. Which were my top choices, and how did I choose? Hanami Matsuri, the Cherry Blossom…

  TOO MANY BUBBLES: A STORY ABOUT MINDFULNESS By Christine Peck and Mags DeRoma Illustrated by Mags DeRoma (Sourcebook Kids; $12.99; Ages 3-7)         When Izzy the mouse’s brain fills up with more and more bubbles of unwanted thoughts he escapes to a special spot to quiet his mind in Christine Peck and Mags DeRoma’s interactive picture book Too Many Bubbles: A Story About Mindfulness, the first in the Books of Great Character series, with illustrations by Mags DeRoma. My focus was omnipresent when I began writing this review, and even though I have taught mindfulness, reading…