One of a new series of bilingual knowing and naming books. If you are raising a bilingual child, your toddler can learn Spanish with Maisy. Familiar objects are illustrated in bold primary colors and ready for talking about in Spanish or English or both. There is no story here, just plenty of action as Maisy and her friends play ball, ride a trike, paint, and push their toy trucks about.  Also in the series of sturdy cardboard dual-language books, look for Maisy's Animals, Clothes, and Food. 

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

Homage to young African American ballerinas in the making, this is a beautiful poem illustrated with endearing photographs. Four young dancers: a preschooler, a schoolgirl, and two older girls are captured in expressive movements that resonate with the lyrical poetry. The photographs reflect their love of the dance and their aspirations in a kind of quiet beauty young dancers are sure to relate to. 

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

Told with tongue in cheek good humor, here are ten important rules to know should a bear come to visit! This amusing list of rules has the same kind of feel as the original If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The illustrations add much to the mayhem and silly good fun.  Kids might like making up a few more rules of their own. 3-6.

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

Coming of age stories are usually the passion of teens, yet this moving story of a baby Puffin growing toward independence speaks to a universal tug of the heart...the eager and yet sometimes scary process of holding on and letting go. Every day the little Puffin asks if he is ready to leave the burrow and go out into the world. His loving parents assure him that he will be ready soon. Meanwhile, they give him all that he needs, including love and assurance that he is getting there. It is about independence and dependence and how we carry those bonds with us even when we leap from the protective past into the unknown future. Told in lyrical prose with delicate pastels and watercolors, a memorable picture book for all ages. Bring tissues.

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

An old Ukrainian folktale is retold in lively fashion that just begs to be read outloud! The charming wintery scenes and the ever expanding lost mitten with all the creatures who inhabit it make for an 'Oh, no!' moment. A classic tale refreshed for another generation. This version is somewhat different from the familiar Jan Brett telling. The creatures in this telling are more familiar. Also the lost mitten in the new telling is red, not white and when the little mouse arrives on the scene the mitten does more than expand. But not to worry. As in the Brett telling, grandmother is a kindly soul. It might really be fun to read both versions to children and talk about how they are the same and how they differ.

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

An original look at the alphabet. Each animal pictured from A to Z is composed with a variety of a particular letter in lowercase and upper and in bold and light for shading. The featured creature fills the page and other small examples of items that start with the same letter are found in blocks at the bottom or side of the page. While some of the hard to fill letters, such as U, Y and X are a bit of a stretch, this is a book for older preschoolers and early school years kids who will enjoy the esoteric choices on these few pages. They might even like making other alphabet collections inspired by this beastie collection. A great way to get kids to practice writing the same letters in a playful way.

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

Piglet is waiting for Granny to come visit. She meets all the animals in the neighborhood as she does all the happy things Granny has taught her to do. A charming little story with a repetitive refrain that children will like chiming in on as the old-fashioned story unfolds. 2 1/2 - 6.

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

What child would not see the humor of a little pea who hates having to eat five pieces of candy for dinner and pouts until dessert arrives…a dish of spinach! Little Hoot hates having to stay up late and as for Little Oink – he suffers from his parents’ need for messiness.  These three little award winners are now produced in sturdy board books and packaged together to make a sweet gift. These will be read again and again-but you will not mind since they are short and funny. 3 & up.

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

An amusing concept book that contrasts things that dogs do and don't do. Using photographs and the digital magic of Photoshop, they created some truly LOL images.  The only text here is "Dogs do" or "Dogs don't" so for beginning readers the text is all in the photos. An entertaining choice for kids who like to think they can read long before they really can. It’s also a fun way to conceptualize how the same word can mean very different things in context…a very big concept. 4-7

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

A quiet little story transports young listeners to Santa’s home where step by step he prepares for the special magic of the big night when he will take flight. Beautifully told with an economy of words that set the mood of Santa’s journey and illustrations that match the elegant prose.
When Santa’s sleigh is revealed behind the tall shed doors on realizes, yes, of course it has to be in such a place all the year round. Mrs. Claus is not in this story. Neither are the elves. But they are not missed. This is a very old fashioned Santa who trims his own beard, oils his own black boots, and checks that very large book with the names of all the boys and girls he will bring gifts to in his very large sack! A charmer! 
 

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