Before I Was Your Mother
(by Kathryn Lasky/ illus. By LeUyen Pham, Harcourt $16 Score:) Although you may tell your children about your own childhood, this book puts it in more concrete terms. Each big idea begins with the phrase "Before I was your mother…" and captures the similarities between the child listeners life and the mother's past. The idea here is more poetic than the execution and this just may be another one of those picture books that says more to adults than to children. 3-7.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: .

Chip Wants a Dog
(by William Wegman, Hyperion $16.99 Score:) Anyone who has ever wanted a dog will feel for poor Chip who gets all the usual no's from his parents. Using a life-size toy dog that looks like Chip, with his usual dog/humanoid figures, Wegman turns this whole exercise into a surreal funny tale of self realization. This is pretty sophisticated humor for preschoolers, but school aged kids and their parents will enjoy the parody. 5-8.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: .

The Animal Hedge
(Paul Fleischman/illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline, Candlewick $16.99 Score:) In the midst of a terrible drought, a farmer has to part with the animals he loves. But all is not lost—a magical hedge grows and he shapes it into that which he longs to see again. A haunting tale about holding on to one’s hope and finding happiness by shaping one’s dream of the future. 6 & up.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2004.

Almost Forever
(Maria Testa, Candlewick $14.99 Score:) War is hell, not just for those who fight, but for those they leave behind. In 1968 the narrator’s father, a doctor, goes off to Vietnam. Protestors are marching against the war while the family waits for letters that no longer come. A lyrical and tender story that will be all too familiar to many children who saw parents go off to war. This speaks to the universal and timeless heartache and fears of such separations. 8 & up.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2004.

Big Brown Bear's Up and Down Day
( by David McPhail, Harcourt $16 Score:) Brown Bear has an intruder, a small rat who’s about to steal Bear’s slipper. There are three stories here with just the right pace, with bear and rat ending up as friends. 3–5.

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

Finklehopper Frog
(by Irene Livingston/illus. by Brian Lies, Tricycle Press $14.95 Score:) A hopping good tale of a frog who learns about being himself and liking it. Told in bouncing rhyme, the message is wise without losing its humor. Finklehopper thinks that getting a jogging suit will help him become a jogger. But it’s not till he meets a bunny that he rediscovers that hopping is a fine way to go. 4–8.

Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 2004.

Humphrey's Birthday
(by Sally Hunter, Holt $14.95 Score:) Humphrey, a little elephant, is all excited about his birthday—the party, presents, and cake. But when people start to arrive he’s not so sure this is fun. A slice-of-life book that ends with a happy birthday cake with candles—of course!

Age: Toddlers,Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 2004.

A Song for Ba
(by Paul Yee/ illus. by Jan Peng Wang, Groundwood $17.95 Score:) Set in the early half of the 20th Century, this is a tender story about a Chinese-American boy being raised by his father and grandfather on the West Coast. Both men are Chinese Opera singers. Although the boy wants to follow their footsteps, his father fears that the audience for Chinese opera is shrinking and there is no future in singing for his son. Secretly, before the grandfather leaves for China, he teaches the boy to sing and in time these lessons are used to help his father regain his voice. Handsome paintings and a well-paced story make this a memorable book for 6’s & up.

Age: Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2004.

April Foolishness
(Teresa Bateman/illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott, Whitman $15.95 Score:) All the grandkids have come to visit at the farm and try their best to tell Grandpa that the animals are running wild. Clever Grandpa isn't falling for their April Fool's tricks. Grandma steps in to have the last laugh! Good fun. 5 & up.

Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 2005.

Half and Half
(by Lensey Namioka, Random House $3.99 Score:) With a mother who is Scottish and a father who is Chinese, Fiona is half and half. Yet, she often struggles with the expectations of others – especially her grandparents’ when they come to watch the folk dancing contest. Not as compelling as Yang the Eldest and His Odd Jobs or others in the author’s amusing and touching series about the Yang family and growing up Chinese-American. 9-12. Student Review: “This book pulls you in entirely. I could not stop reading it. It has suspense and lots of problems. There is still a happy ending. I liked this book because it has good characters, the plot is exciting and it is very descriptive. I think that children that are eight, nine and ten will like this book. I recommend Half and Half.” review by Rachel Martel, 10

Age: Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2005.