As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
(3)
PS
Frank Asch Bear Book series.
One Saturday, the pajama-wearing members of the Bear family enjoy their pancake breakfast so much, they decide to wear pajamas and eat pancakes all day. Their contagious enthusiasm inspires a town-wide celebration of Pancakes in Pajamas Day, with a bicycle parade and a party on the town square. The animals sport an amusing variety of patterned pajamas in Asch's signature flat, clean-lined illustrations for this cheery tale.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Yasmeen Ismail.
Because of giraffe Noodle's loud snoring, Sophia's new pet (her birthday gift in One Word from Sophia) may be exiled from her quirky family. Approaching the problem scientifically, inquisitive Sophia consults an acoustical engineer, then experiments, fails, and finally builds a wacky "snore transformer" that turns Noodles's snoring into "a sweet giraffian lullaby." Loose, Raschka-esque watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations complement the story's playful language. Glos.
32 pp.
| Charlesbridge
| April, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-58089-804-1$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-63289-645-2
(3)
K-3
In Biedrzycki's third tongue-in-cheek Breaking News picture book, local animals are beamed up to a UFO. TV reporter Chad Newsworthy provides live coverage of the event, complete with eyewitness interviews and a news ticker across the bottom of the dramatic digital illustrations. When the animals return to Earth--"with goody bags?!"--readers learn "we are not the only party animals in the universe!"
(3)
K-3
On their special spring picnic by a mountain lake, (human boy) Max goes looking for flowers and his owl friend, Marla, falls asleep, leaving their food at the mercy of hungry squirrels. Picnic ruined, the disgruntled pair returns home without speaking. But Max's affection for Marla brings them together for a nighttime living-room picnic. Inviting ink and watercolor illustrations subtly lend each friend personality throughout their relatable tiff.
32 pp.
| Candlewick
| April, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-9688-7$15.99
(3)
K-3
When bear Albert's favorite tree starts crying loudly, other woodland animals try without success to help him cheer it up. Finally, Albert hugs the tree and discovers who's really crying: an owl who's afraid of a "big hairy monster," i.e., Albert. Having cleared up their comical misunderstanding, the two new friends enjoy the tree together. Childlike mixed-media illustrations complement the story's gentle humor.
32 pp.
| Owlkids
| March, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-77147-285-2$16.95
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Cathon.
Young Chuck finds a toy fire truck at a yard sale and gleefully takes it home. When the truck goes missing, "Chuck is dumbstruck," but he gets it back in time for it to sleep beside him that night. Simple cartoon illustrations enhance the everyday drama of the brief text, which playfully uses words rhyming with truck. Toy-truck fans (and others) will enjoy this one.
40 pp.
| Charlesbridge
| May, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-58089-770-9$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-63289-629-2
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Rosalinde Bonnet.
Rabbit Poppy (Poppy's Best Paper) is delighted when her motorcycle-riding grandmother comes to help with the family's new babies--until she realizes they leave GeeGee little time to play. Poppy's frustration erupts in spectacular bad behavior, but she finds a creative way to make amends. Fellow big siblings should empathize with Poppy's struggle. Pattern-rich mixed-media illustrations invite readers to pore over the details of Poppy's home and classroom.
40 pp.
| Viking
| January, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-425-28824-5$17.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Christopher Weyant.
A homeless dog sneaks into various shops and masquerades as a pillow, a stool, and a jacket. Each time, the same man buys the item, becomes dissatisfied, and complains to the store. Finally, he realizes the dog is "more of a Jackie than a jacket" and adopts her. Straight-faced and deadpan, the dialogue and cartoony illustrations together make the odd situation quite funny.
32 pp.
| Sterling
| March, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4549-2774-7$9.95
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
David Walker.
In this bouncy, fast-moving rhyme, a rabbit parent and child take a car trip to visit Gram and Grampa. "All aboard. / Get ready, set. / Buckle up. / Are we there yet?" Once arrived, they enjoy cooking, reading, and playing together until--much too soon for the rabbit child--it's time for the trip home. The cheerful, candy-colored illustrations match the energy of the text.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| May, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-3760-3$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-8234-4112-9
(3)
PS
In their latest adventure, Bear and Mole go camping, but Mole worries they'll get lost in the dark. Bear reassures Mole with a story about the First Bears making the moon and stars, including--in a dramatic vertical spread--the stationary First Star that guides creatures at night. Spacious art transitioning into a nighttime blue palette complements the simple text full of soothing repetition.
40 pp.
| Houghton
| January, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-544-71358-1$16.99
(3)
PS
Bobo the dog likes having Mr. and Mrs. Lee's undivided attention, but after the couple's new baby arrives, they start shooing him away. When Bobo chases a bee ("He will not let it hurt the baby!"), the parents recognize his good intentions and introduce him to Baby Lee. Huang's clean linocut and digital-mixed-media illustrations cleverly reflect Bobo's feelings in this satisfying twist on the new-sibling story.
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Samantha Cotterill.
In this tongue-in-cheek story perfect for reading aloud, Jinx and her little brother, "the Doom," spend their days pretending to be superheroes who fight crime. Humorous cut-paper illustrations photographed to appear three-dimensional juxtapose their fantasy adventures with real-life events--for example, the art reveals that a difficult assignment from "headquarters" is actually a request from Mom to wash the dog.
48 pp.
| Little
| February, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-38750-7$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-316-38749-1
(3)
PS
In a series of short, cozy episodes, Baby Bear (first introduced in I Promise) finds four different things: Papa Bear's missing boot, a rare wildflower he almost picks, a baby bird fallen from its nest, and a new human friend. The accessible adventures and expressive pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations should endear Baby Bear to audiences not quite ready for Minarik/Sendak's Little Bear stories.
(3)
K-3
While raiding a house for breakfast, a little mouse gathers a teetering stack of snacks--a bright blueberry, crunchy cookies, etc.--only to drop them when reaching for "his favorite." As it happens, the sunflower seed is all he can carry as he makes a quick escape from the resident cat. The alliterative, read-aloud-ready story is well served by visual humor in the watercolor, gouache, and pencil-crayon illustrations, including an amusing last-page joke.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Christine Grove.
Kindergartner Amanda (Amanda Panda Quits Kindergarten) has big birthday plans, so she's very annoyed when best friend Bitsy steals the spotlight with her birthday the day before. The two pandas stop speaking to each other until--to everyone's satisfaction--they decide to combine their parties. Expressive illustrations of Amanda and her classmates and plenty of entertaining visual details add humor to this realistic friendship dilemma.
32 pp.
| Abrams
| June, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4197-2823-5$16.99
(3)
K-3
After the boy narrator finally bathes his unbearably smelly dog Alfred, the pooch won't play for fear of getting dirty. The child, missing his best friend, realizes Alfred was perfect before in his "own smelly way," and coaxes his playmate into becoming stinky again. Readers of this French import, with its energetic, scribbly illustrations, may chuckle at the vivid portrayal of Alfred's stench.
(3)
PS
"Take your places, everyone. / Ready or not, here we come!" While playing hide-and-seek with their friend Fox, the multi-colored rabbits (from Everybunny Dance!) find plenty of objects to count, from one badger up to the ten cubs in Fox's den. With frequent glimpses of elusive Fox, Sandall's large, playful illustrations encourage readers to turn the pages of this snappy rhyming romp.
32 pp.
| Sterling
| April, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4549-2098-4$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Dan Taylor.
A bear with a suitcase repeatedly shows up at a boy's house until the youngster sternly sends him away because "bears do not belong in houses." Sure enough, the solitary boy soon misses his would-be friend and launches a neighborhood search for him. Appealing vignettes move the entertaining story along, and the illustrations show the bear introducing some agreeable disorder into the boy's orderly home.
40 pp.
| Houghton
| February, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-544-79250-0$14.99
(3)
K-3
The odd duck camping out uninvited in Alligator's yard says, "I'm nobody's duck," but Alligator insists on finding someone to claim his wacky visitor. As they search, Duck drags Alligator into increasingly hair-raising adventures before finally declaring, "I am YOUR duck!" Surprised, Alligator finds himself agreeing. The cartoon-style illustrations help give the characters their distinctive personalities in this funny tale told entirely in speech-balloon dialogue.
40 pp.
| Holt
| June, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-250-12748-8$17.99
(3)
K-3
Hoot & Olive series.
Olive's stuffed owl Hoot has to coax her into going on adventures: "I will be brave enough for both of us." But when Hoot gets hurt, it's Olive's turn to be brave and get them both home. Voss illustrates this satisfying tale of friendship using an appealing combination of small sepia sketches and larger color paintings from a variety of dramatic perspectives.