When duck gets lost in the tall weeds a little monkey calls, "I can help."  But, that kind little monkey lands on a broken branch and starts falling. Enter giraffe who says calls, "I can help!" And so it goes. One helper after another ends up needing help until this circular tale returns to the little duck. Children are going to love chiming in with the "I can help," refrain and the author has not left out the thank you’s after each rescue. An old-fashioned book with the kind of repetition that children love. The art is upbeat and exactly right for this delightful little book. They say 3-6, we think some older twos will like it and older preschoolers and first graders will like "reading" it after they have heard it a few times.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

What a neat idea! Grandparents can fill out a form and send photos to this publisher and they will produce a book about your life to share with your grandkids. You use their template that covers your likes and dislikes, your school years and family, too. Send it back to the company with photos and your cherished memories become family history that kids can treasure. It's a 20 page book that covers your life from childhood to the present and can include your grandchild and his parents. For more info visit their website, ISeeMe.com.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2009.

What with the media blitz of a Disney feature with the first African American Princess, there is bound to be a lot of merchandise to go around. If a keepsake of that movie is on your little one's wish list, this storybook is not a bad choice. Princess Tiana has been invited to a ball and her friend Charlotte insists she must follow the Princess handbook in getting ready for the big night. Princess Tiana ends up doing it her way...and she is a natural. It's not great literature, but it's not bad. Indeed it says something about being yourself....even if you are a princess.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Each of the dinosaur eras is represented with an amazing pop-up scene that features the dinosaurs of that time along with birds and other mammals all accompanied with sound effects that add to the excitement. The information in between the pop-ups is set in such small type that young readers will have a problem and older readers will need a magnifier. That said, this is still an amazingly handsome book. The text on the pop-up page is simple enough for young readers to comprehend and the details will interest the most devoted dinohaulics. 

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Oversized pop-ups of their favorite Sesame Street characters lift off the pages of this novelty book. There is not much story here, but there are tabs to pull and simple questions to ponder. Marked not for children under 36 months. It's way easy to tear the pop-ups, so use this for teaching little lessons about "be gentle" or "easy does it". In between readings, you may want to put this away for safe keeping.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A circus ship is caught in a storm because the circus owner is greedy. When the animals manage to make it to shore they find a good life and welcome on a small island. Later the circus owner comes searching for them but thanks to the inhabitants of the island they are nowhere to be found—except by readers who look very closely! A nice read aloud told in verse with zippy illustrations children will like looking at more than once. 4-8.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Fu's father is annoyed with his careless way of planting rice. When he tells the boy to redo the task, Fu tosses the plants and accidentally hits the warrior Chang, who challenges Fu to a duel. All night the Master teacher insists that Fu learn to pour tea. When morning comes Fu discovers that learning purpose, flow and patience are essential, whatever the task involves. The story may be a stretch for some young listeners, but it is one that may provoke some thought and conversation. Rocco’s art sets the mood and tone of a story well worth sharing.  They say 3-7, we’d say this will be lost on kids under 7.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A 20th Anniversary edition of a classic Ukranian folktale. Nickie wants his grandmother to make him mittens that are white as snow. She fears they will get lost, but makes them anyway. Sure enough, Nickie loses a mitten and it becomes a cozy place for one creature after another...until a small mouse arrives and upsets the balance. Another version of this tale was released this season with charming illustrations by Barbara McClintock and a slightly different telling by Jim Aylesworth. It might be fun to share both tellings with young listeners, asking them to tell what is different and what is the same. Comparing the same story helps children understand how folktales have a way of evolving...and even gives them the idea that they too can retell famiiar stories in their own words and way.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009.

One would think after all the books in this series they would wear thin. Not yet! You will laugh out loud as these three dumb bunnies visit the zoo and seem to be dumber than ever.  Dav Pilkey keeps dishing it out all the way to the end with one silly mistake after another. Great literature it is not…good fun it is!

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Learning the months of the year takes time. This charming book about a puppy’s first year is a good way to introduce or reinforce the names and order of the months. It is also a book that reflects the seasons as they are lived in the northern part of the country where snow is familiar. Ashley Wolff’s playful illustrations have a quiet charm. 

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.