I catalog hundreds of new picture books each year, and I read as many of them as I can. Unfortunately, I can’t review them all, but I can share them. Below are a few recent titles. (Summaries have been taken directly from the books whenever possible.) Check your local library or bookstore for availability.

Big Bob likes trucks and throwing balls, Little Bob prefers dolls and bracelets. Can they be friends?

Inspired by the true story of how the first international flight was in a balloon across the English Channel.

Sophia knits a special hat for her elderly neighbor Mrs. Goldman.

This book wants to be the happiest book ever, but what’s up with the frowny frog?

A reluctant mother to four young geese, grumpy Bruce the bear loses his temper when he migrates home in the spring to find three mice have turned his home into a hotel.

Fox really wants to win the jumping contest and take home the trophy, but he’s not a very good jumper. So he comes up with a clever scheme.

Real cowboys are gentle, patient, and creative as they move hundreds of cattle, make camp, and dream under the stars.

Grumpy Pug Man is having a terrible day. But when he’s offered three wishes by an overly eager fairy, what he wishes for is a bit unexpected.

Every story needs a character and that character needs a problem to solve, so why not an octopus who wants to build a spaceship.

A determined mouse makes his way up, up, up to the palace tower to find out if the cat is a friend or a foe.

An increasingly frustrated narrator tries to put a stop to all the silliness in what is supposed to be a serious book.

As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies peer at it in wonder.

Nino’s little sisters get in on the wrestling action.

The little bears are ready to go sledding, but their sled is too small to carry them all.

A little girl named Lizzie meets an old man and his dog at the park, but she is afraid of dogs.

If you give a mouse a brownie, he’s going to ask for some ice cream, and then a spoon, and then…

With winter on the way and no money for new clothes, Mama stitches a coat for her little girl from a donated box of rags.

If snowflakes tasted like oatmeal, honey, cocoa, gingerbread, or fruitcake, would you do what this child does?

Mother and father trucks show their youngsters how to build in this variation on the classic “Over in the Meadow”.

An ode to snow–how it forms, how it changes, and how it transforms everything it covers. Simply lovely!

Emma is trying to go to sleep, but the animals in her wallpaper are making too much noise.

Gideon wants to be a hero and get his picture in the paper, but first he must figure out just what a hero is.

Ollie the pig dreams of flight, and enlists his human friend Jack to help him build wings.

Little Frog’s first autumn is filled with scary reds, golds, oranges, and purples.

This book is an ode to that magical time in autumn when the leaves turn yellow.

When Emma is asked to be the flower girl in her cousin’s wedding, nothing is quite how she expected.

Imagine you were leaving for a new country, and could bring along only what would fit in a small suitcase. What would you choose to take with you?

A boy brings along a teacup filled with earth as he leaves his home and sets off to a new home across the sea.

A young boy is fascinated by the dot on his mother’s forehead and wants one of his own.

Young Stella loves books so much they take over the farm house, so her pa builds her-her own library.

Henry’s best friend Leo is accidentally lost and no one in Henry’s family believes Leo is real enough to find his way home.

When Ruben picks up a hundred-dollar bill dropped by a neighbor, he’s excited to think he can finally buy a bike like his friend Sergio’s.

Follow the dino-racers as they speed down the track or across the desert.

The remote for Ben’s new fire truck isn’t working properly and causes complete chaos.

A small child wishes for a snow day that brings silence and peace to a too-busy world.

Little Frog does not want to grow up, and he gives his father all sorts of reasons why being small is best.

A little girl visits her grandfather in a nursing home where he is suffering from memory loss.

A counting book that leads readers through a day in the life of a construction worker building with bricks.

Tiny speedcar racer, Max, goes on the imagined adventure of a lifetime after cleaning his room.

A young pet owner knows lots about his dog, except what he dreams about. Super cute!

In this retelling of the classic “Gingerbread Man” story, a ninjabread man with a cookie sword and cookie throwing stars escapes from the oven and runs loose.

A crew of dinosaur pirates searches for treasure but finds another band of pirasaurs instead.

Several animals tell a small child how much they care for him.

Farmer Falgu is tired of his noisy farm so he takes a trip to find some peace and quiet.

The ripple effect of one child’s small action–placing a can into a recycling bin–shows how we can all make a big environmental difference.

The apple is up high, but Toto is down low. Toto wants the apple. Toto has a plan.

A child is awoken in the night by the sound of snow tapping upon her window.

A magical blue bird grants the wish of a spoiled young girl in order to teach her compassion and generosity.

Kai is a small, green and white pumper truck who does not fit in with the other fire trucks at Firehouse #10.

This book is a rhyming ode to unconditional love and the ups and downs of family life.

All the forest animals hide in a tree after hearing a loud AAA-OOO sound and thinking it’s a monster.

Bat thinks he’s found a perfect new home, except that squirrel already lives there.

An ailing grandfather and his helpful granddaughter play a unique game of seek and find.

When a boy doesn’t get what he wants because he didn’t say please, he makes up his own magic word.

With a little bravery, a dash of creativity–and some paints–Little Mouse figures out how to tame even the scariest beasts.

Cat has made a big mess, but she’d rather move it, jump on it, or hide it rather than clean it up.

When Bob turns out the light, he sees two eyes in the dark. Who’s that peering in the window?

When Bear can’t sleep, he goes on an adventure and discovers the wonders of New York City.

A girl at the beach searches everywhere for her trumpet amid all the animal beachgoers.

The boy’s alien friend returns and this time the boy goes back with him to his planet where he begins to feel a bit alienated.

Squirrel meets a bird and at first it seems they have nothing in common, but each encourages the other to try some new things.

Count down to bedtime as sleepy animals tiptoe to bed, curl up tight, and whisper “nighty-night.”

Madeline Finn does not like to read, until she meets Bonnie, a library dog.

A penguin complains about his life–he’s cold, the ocean is too salty, he looks the same as everyone else.

Wearing his perfectly clean suit and living in his perfectly tidy room, Edward the pig avoids getting messy, until a tub of paint falls on his head.

A baby owl leaves the nest one night, explores the world around him, sees his own reflection, and then returns to the safety of home.

Life isn’t perfect and things don’t always go as planned. But that’s what makes life interesting.

Shy loves birds, but when one comes along singing her beautiful song, he’s too shy to come out and say hello.

The children want to go to the park with Grandad, but they can’t leave until they find his lost socks, shoes, teeth, and more.

Pug is happy at home until Pig arrives, when he must share his bowl, yard, and bed.

Stripes is a tabby cat with big dreams to be a tiger.

Mervin the sloth is about to do the best thing in the world, but none of his friends have the patience to wait and find out what, except for one.

A girl in a wheelchair looks down from her balcony and calls to passersby below: “Look up!”

Lucy is devastated when her favorite doll Smelly Baby goes flying out of the car window on her way home from her grandmother’s house.

Running through town to get a pizza for himself and his mother, Pinky unwittingly becomes covered in snow and everyone thinks he’s a walking snowman.

Bird is hiking with his friends when his tummy rumbles. But none of his friends have packed him a snack.

When the snow comes, Samson worries about the little red bird, so he sets off to find her.

When Little Bot is thrown out with the garbage, he lands in a strange new world. But Sparrow is there to take him under her wing.

Roxy’s trying to help Mom with the shopping, but when she sees her favorite cake, she wants it…and she wants it now!

Two turtles have found a hat and it looks good on both of them. So who gets the hat?

An old dog and a baby spend time together on the kitchen floor.