The First Night by B. G. Hennessy is a simple retelling of Jesus’ birth, illustrated with lovely paintings that were originally painted on wood.

Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert has a haiku for each night of Hanukkah. The illustrations are very bright and cheery, showing another candle added for each night of Hanukkah.

When Santa Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho! by Laura Rader tells how Santa lost is jolly laugh, but regained it with the help of the world’s children. The busy cartoon-like illustrations have lots of funny details for kids to find.

I See Santa Everywhere by Glenn McCoy is a funny story about a little boy who imagines he sees Santa everywhere he looks, from a worker at the county fair to a customer in the tattoo parlor. After pouring out his worries while lying on a therapist’s couch, he is assured that his mind is just playing tricks. However, a surpise ending implies otherwise!

Hurry! Hurry! Have You Heard? shows a myriad of animals scurrying to visit the stable and welcome the newborn baby.

Reindeer Christmas by Mark Kimball Moulton tells of a family who cares for an exhausted deer, not realizing that this particular deer is very dear to Santa Claus. They receive a special gift on Christmas morning as a reward for all the care they’ve given animals over the years.

The Bunnies’ Picnic

Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell counts from 1 to 10 as a family shops for groceries, and then from 10 back to 1 as they arrive home, unload, and cook dinner. The text is very simple, and the story is illustrated with intricate cut paper and pieced cloth pictures.

How Many Blue Birds Flew Away? by Paul Giganti is, as the subtitle states, a counting book with a difference. Readers are asked not only to count items in the pictures, but also to do basic subtraction.  For example, in a picture of a parking lot, kids count the number of cars, the number of trucks, and how many more cars there are than trucks. It is probably a better counting book for a kindergartener or first grader than for a preschooler, but younger kids could still count the objects and enjoy looking at the paintings by Donald Crews that illustrate the book.

One Lighthouse One Moon by Anita Lobel is more than a counting book. It has three “stories” in it that teach, in very simple text, the days of the week, the months of the year, and numbers from one to ten, using the activities of the people (and a cat) who live in and around a lighthouse. The book is illustrated with beautiful watercolor and gouache paintings by the author.

City 123 by Zoran Milach shows numbers in four different ways. The numbers 1-10 are on the page, with the highlighted number in red. The number’s name is spelled out in text on the page, and a photo (taken somewhere in the city) that has the number in it is shown on the opposite page. If children look closely, they can also count objects on the page that add up to the highlighted number. For example, on 3′s page, there are three tires on the cement truck.

After each set of four numbers, a two-page photo spread appears that shows all of the numbers counted up to that point. The first one is of a warehouse, with doors numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. This is a very clever counting book that observant kids will love.

All Sorts of Numbers by Hannah Reidy shows objects used by children as they play, and asks readers to count from one to five. A rhyme appears on each page that ends with a request for kids to count. The final page is filled with various objects and asks kids to count only the balls. Emma Dodd has added colorful illustrations to the simple text.

Monkeys and Dog Days

Twenty-Odd Ducks by Lynne Truss is a picture bookfor upper elementary school kids about punctuation. The way punctuation changes meaning is made very clear through both the wording and the cartoon pictures on each page. Readers can very clearly see the difference between “Jack’s parents; who could be happier?” (as they sit with Jack’s A+ paper and blue ribbons) and “Jack’s parents, who could be happier” (as they sit while Jack spills a guest’s drink and bounces off the walls). I don’t think kids younger than third grade would really get the joke, but my 11-year-old found it to be a very funny book.

Animals in Winter by Martha E.H. Rustad is a very simple nonfiction book for preschoolers and younger school aged kids that briefly touches on what various animals do in the winter (migrate, hibernate, etc). It doesn’t have enough information for any kind of report, but has large full color photos and very simple text, written at a first grade level. There are instructions in the back to find the publisher’s approved Internet sites, but I didn’t visit any of them to see how extensive the information there is.

President Pennybaker by Kate Feiffer is a fun book to read this year. It’s aimed at kids older than preschool — lower to mid-elementary aged kids. When Luke Pennybaker’s dad won’t let him watch TV even after doing chores, he decides that life is so unfair that he will run for president, with is dog Lily serving as a running mate. He promises all sorts of rash things like unlimited dessert eating, and pets for every child in America. After a victory, however, he discovers that making everyone happy is not as easy as it would seem. After serving for only a week, he steps down and leaves the country in the capable hands …er, paws…of his Vice President, Lily.

Old Bear

I love the chunky watercolor illustrations and the text is short enough to keep the interest of even very young children.

 We got a new copy of an older story, James Marshall’s Red Riding Hood. Whenever I re-read one of his books, I again mourn the fact that he isn’t still writing. This version of Little Red Riding Hood is definitely one of my favorites. The illustrations are simple but sly, with Marshall’s trademark cats hanging out at Red’s and Granny’s houses.

No victim, Granny is a sassy lady who is obviously a voracious reader. Upon being rescued, she is mostly relieved that she can read again (it was too dark inside the wolf!). Amusing and non-gory, this is a recurrent storytime selection.

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex is an amusing parody of the classic picture book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. The cartoon illustrations are mildly scary, but also amusing.

Halloween Night by Marjorie Dennis Murray has elaborate digital illustrations showing a group of assorted witches, monsters, and ghouls preparing for a halloween party. Their party ends up being so scary that their little guests run away in terror. The rhyming story bears a resemblance to “The Night Before Christmas”, and shows the group enjoying their party after scaring away the human trick-or-treaters.

Here’s a cute new halloween book that caught my eye:

Where’s My Mummy? by Carolyn Crimi has Little Baby Mummy getting lost while playing one last game of Hide and Shriek before bed. He hears all kinds of scary sound that turn out to be acquaintances like Bones, Glob, and Drac, among others. Of course his Mummy finds him just as he’s getting too frightened and lovingly tucks him into bed. This story is slightly scary, but not too creepy for preschoolers.

It’s that time again. Here are some books to help build excitement and sooth concerns about the start of the school year:

My Preschool by Anne Rockwell

This story follows a little boy during his day at preschool, from cheerful hellos in circle time, to painting colorful pictures and playing at the water table to passing out paper cups for snack.

Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! by Ann Redisch Stampler

 Emily Beekman is so nervous about starting school that she makes her mother promise to stay with her forever, but after Emily makes friends and settles in, she and her teacher must convince Mrs. Beekman to break her promise and stay home.

Jake Starts School by Michael Wright

No one can pry a frightened Jake away from his parents on the first day of school and so the three must watch as his classmates have fun until at the end of the day his teacher finally gets him to let go.

Off to First Grade by Louise Borden shows each member of a first grade class, as well as their teacher, principal, and a bus driver, expressing excitement, worry, or hope as the first day of school begins.

In Happy School Year! by Susan Milord, children gather for a first day of school celebration that calms their worries about the day.

Eliza’s Kindergarten Surprise by Alice B. McGinty tells how Eliza, on her first day of school, fills her pocket with objects–buttons, a pebble, a napkin, and a piece of yarn–that remind her of her mother, whom she misses very much.

In Off to Kindergarten by Tony Johnston, a young boy lists all the things he will have to take with him on his first day in kindergarten.

Ready, Set, School! by Jacqueline Mitchard

Rory the raccoon conquers his fear of spending an entire night away from home, he is prepared to tackle the challenge of starting school just one week later, whether his parents are ready or not.

There are many, many more fun books about school. Just ask your favorite librarian to show you where they are!

“Reading” a wordless book with your child helps serve as an initial step toward reading. It builds vocabulary and comprehension, and can result in astonishing interactive conversation. Wordless books help kids understand how the details in a picture help build the story. Page through the book and have your child tell you the story. Ask her questions and relate the pictures to his real world. After you take home a few wordless books, you’ll be as big a fan as I am. Here are a few to get you started:

In Un-Brella by Scott E. Franson, a little girl uses her magic umbrella to give her the weather she wants, regardless of what the conditions are outside.

A girl watches as the activities across the street from her bus stop become a Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleishman

In The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller, Polo the dog sets out from his home and enjoys many adventures, including sailing his boat on top of a whale, roasting hot dogs over a volcano, and taking a ride in a spaceship built from a mushroom.

 Hogwash by Arthur Geisert will have your kids poring over the enormous and complicated contraption that Mama Pig uses to get her little piglets clean.

 The Wave by Suzy Lee shows a little girl’s first experiences at the beach, from being afraid of the roaring waves to playing on the shore with the gulls screaming overheard.

Barbara Lehman has three fantastic wordless books: Rainstorm, Museum Trip, and my favorite, The Red Book. This last story is about a magical, red, wordless book and the friendship than develops around it.

David Wiesner is probably the most famous author of wordless books. His story Tuesday was a Caldecott Honor Book. He also wrote June 29, 1999, and won the Caldecott Medal with his brilliant story, Flotsam. In Flotsam, a boy finds a remarkable camera when it washes in from the ocean.

There are many other wonderful wordless books. Just ask the youth librarian to help you find them!

Here are a couple of fun new picture books:

Mermaid Sister by Mary Ann Fraser is an appealing story about a young girl named Shelly who advertises via a note in a bottle for a sister. A mermaid named Coral arrives for the position and the girl’s family agrees to take Coral home. Shelly is thrilled with some aspects of having a sister (painting toe nails and fins, dancing together) but not so happy with others (Coral’s tuna can collection and shed scales). She’s especially peeved that Coral plays with her brother. That definitely wasn’t in her plan. After a bit of homesickness on Coral’s part, everything works out when Coral visits her family and reappears with a surprise — a mermaid brother.

Rosemary Wells has a new book out starring everyone’s favorite bunny, Max. His long-suffering sister Ruby and her friend Louise decide to open a lemonade stand to earn enough money to buy matching flashing rings. When the two send Max away, he comes up with his own moneymaking scheme. When Grandma takes him to the store to spend his earnings, guess who buys the last flashing ring?