Imagine if you woke up one day and found you could talk to animals! A lighthearted tale with lots of appeal for early chapter-book readers.Even though Daisy Dawson is late for school — again — she can’t help but stop to free a butterfly trapped in a web. And when she does, something amazing happens! Now Daisy can understand everything animals say, from her favorite farm dog, Boom, to the classroom gerbils, to a singing-and-dancing ant. And it’s a lucky thing, too: when Boom goes missing, the girl conspires with a horse and squirrel to come to the rescue. Sweetly illustrated in black and white, this charming story is sure to enchant young animal lovers everywhere.
Humor
Paddington Here and Now
With trouble apparently following him everywhere he roams, lovable Paddington Bear must use his charm and wit to straighten out dilemmas involving a grouchy neighbor and a strange mishap that lands him center stage at a concert.
Mo’s Mischief: Four Troublemakers
Meet the mischievous star of China’s bestselling series! Mo Shen Ma and his friends, Hippo, Penguin, Monkey, and Bat Ears enjoy playing superheroes. But Mo and his friends only have one superpower: getting into trouble. Part of an ongoing series.
Black Stars In A White Night Sky
Black Stars in a White Night Sky, Lawson’s second book of poetry for children, includes fractonyms, concretes, as well as short lyrics and poems that don’t rhyme. Lawson stretches the boundaries of what is normally thought of as children’s poetry, but not at the expense of the books entertainment value or clarity. The poems are written within hearing of both children and adults; philosophy and tomfoolery are equally at home in this exemplary new tome.
Tales from the Waterhole
Morris the crocodile and his best friend, Billy, a tortoise, like nothing better than messing around at the waterhole with their animal friends. In five amusing stories, Morris and company do just what kids do during a hot summer —- perform ill-timed stunts on the diving board, get beaten in soccer by a team of moms, and see their wildebeest friends off on vacation (aka their annual migration). By turns wry and laugh-out-loud funny, Bob Graham’s whimsical waterhole gang pays tribute to the merriment and mishaps of young friendships everywhere.
Forever Rose
Rose knows that nothing stays the same forever.Still, it’s hard to watch her sisters and brother growing up and moving so far ahead of her. Caddy is back, but she’s not living at home. And worse — she’s broken up with Darling Michael. Saffy and Indigo are so busy, they are seldom home. With her father in London and her mother painting in the shed, Rose is often alone in the house.Maybe that’s why she agrees to her new friend Molly’s crazy scheme. At least it seems crazy when Rose finds herself locked in the zoo at night with a roaring tiger. Maybe she should have been paying more attention to what Molly was saying. But on that spooky night, Rose finds out a secret that just might change everything — and help bring her family and friends together and new life to their old house.Hilary McKay infuses her charming characters with much love and laughter in this final visit with the delightfully daffy Casson family.
Legend Of Spud Murphy
Every kid in town knows about Spud Murphy. Grown-ups think she’s the kindly old librarian, but kids know the truth. They’ve heard all about the gas-powered spud gun she keeps hidden under her desk-make so much as a sound in her library and you could get spudded with soggy potatoes. Laugh out loud and you may never be seen again . . . And now, in a major coup of parental injustice, Will and his older brother, Marty, have been ordered to spend their summer vacation in Spud’s library! Will brothers Will and Marty survive a summer marooned on the carpet of Spud’s children’s section, under the watchful eye of this terrifying librarian? Or will they discover a new interest that surprises even them?
My Life with the Wave
A classic Diana Wynne Jones gem is available again. “All three [fantasies] overflow with the kind of slapstick humor children love, involving ordinary household objects brought to life by magic.”–“School Library Journal.”
Mokie and Bik
Twins, Mokie and Bik, live on a boat docked somewhere in Australia. They are looked after by a nanny because their father is away at sea and their mother is an artist. Mokie and Bik are always underfoot or overboard. The twins play on the beach with their dog, help a fisherman unload his catch for the day, and enjoy energetic games of hopscotch on the deck of the boat.
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
With unmitigated honesty, a touch of humor, and sensitive illustrations by Quentin Blake, Michael Rosen explores the experience of sadness in a way that resonates with everyone. “Sometimes I’m sad and I don’t know why. It’s just a cloud that comes along and covers me up. Sad things happen to everyone, and sometimes people feel sad for no reason at all.” What makes Michael Rosen sad is thinking about his son, Eddie, who died suddenly at the age of eighteen. In this book the author writes about his sadness, how it affects him, and some of the things he does to cope with it—like telling himself that everyone has sad stuff (not just him) and trying every day to do something he can be proud of. Expressively illustrated by the extraordinary Quentin Blake, this is a very personal story that speaks to everyone, from children to parents to grandparents, teachers to grief counselors. Whether or not you have known what it’s like to feel deeply sad, the truth of this book will surely touch you.
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors