Hamsters to the Rescue
(by Ellen Stoll Walsh, 3M $16 Score:) Once again Walsh introduces young children to some science concepts through a small story. Two Hamsters find a feather and try to return it to Seagull. Along the way they meet a hermit crab who is trying to avoid Seagull and some cranky crabs. From the creator of Mouse Paint. 3 & up.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2006.

One Smart Goose
(by Caroline J. Church, 3M $16.95 Score:) One little goose manages to outfox the big bad fox that chases all the other geese. Knowing how to disappear is the Smart Goose’s secret that leads to a merry chase. Undergoose wins! A happy solution in a world where the small are not usually mighty. An introduction to the concept of camouflage in nature. 3–6.

Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 2006.

Watch Me Grow Farm Animals
(by Lisa Magloff et al., , DK $7.99 Score:) Clear photos and simple text introduce young readers to animals on the farm. Also in the series, Puppy, from closed-eye puppy to wide-eyed pooch.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2006.

Elusive Moose
(by Joan Gannij/illus. by Clare Beaton, Barefoot Books $15.99 Score:) A charming moose hunt that your child will enjoy. Lilting verse follows the animals in our far north. Careful lookers will find a moose on every page and enjoy Beaton’s appliqué art. A glossary of the animals at the end gives this an information edge. Same idea arrived late with lots of playful language and a moose to find in Looking for a Moose (by Phyllis Root/illus. by Randy Cecil, Candlewick $15.99 ). Both are winning choices! 3 & up.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2007.

Move!
(by Steve Jenkins & Rbin Page, Houghton Mifflin $16 Score:) A handsome book about the way animals move. Using life like illustrations made of paper cut designs the language of the book connects a single concept of motion to mean two quite different meanings. For example, a spider “floats on a thread of silk’ while a “polar bear floats in dark, icy water.” The juxtaposition of animals large and small give new meaning to seemingly simple words. There is no story here, but a lot to talk about. 4-8.

Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 2006.

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
(y Bill Martin Jr./ illus. by Eric Carle, Holt $16.95 Score:) Using the same format as the classic picturebook, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, this new book features a baby bear and a cast of slightly less familiar creatures. As always, Carle’s collage images are beautiful to look at and expand the young child’s view of the animal world. Save this for the child who knows the familiar animals and is ready to move on to flying squirrels, blue herons, mule deer, prairie dogs and the like. 4 & up.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2008.