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.
SCOUT THE MIGHTY TUGBOAT: When an oil tanker in distress is too heavy for Scout to pull alone, she calls on her tugboat friends to help.
MY DAY WITH GONG GONG: When May spends the whole day with her grandpa in Chinatown, she’s bored, hungry, and unhappy, until grandpa surprises her with some special treats.
GOODNIGHT MERMAID: In this aquatic take on Goodnight Moon, meet mermaids, whales, and other ocean creatures. Rhyme
OUR LITTLE KITCHEN: A crew of resourceful neighbors comes together to prepare a meal for their community in a joyfully chaotic kitchen.
MARGARET’S UNICORN: When Margaret discovers a baby unicorn while out exploring the wilderness around her new home, she must care for it until the other unicorns return in the spring.
SWIFT FOX ALL ALONG: When Swift Fox’s father picks her up to go visit her Mi’kmaq family and tells her she’ll learn to be like them, butterflies fill up her belly.
TIME FOR BED’S STORY: Bed has a lot of complaints about how he’s treated by the child who owns him, such as too much kicking and drooling and too many stickers. Cute!
LITTLE BLUE HOUSE BESIDE THE SEA: A girl loves living by the sea, from watching boats go by to exploring nature to seeing the moon shine on the water, but when a storm blows in, she retreats inside her little blue house. Rhyme
I AM DARN TOUGH: A girl finishes a race, even after she’s fallen, even with aching muscles and a cramp in her side because she is strong on the inside and the outside.
ELBOW GREASE: FAST FRIENDS: Monster truck Elbow Grease and his brothers meet a monster cycle, Chopper, and hope to be her friend, until she proves to be faster, smarter, more daring, and tougher than they are.
SNOOZAPALOOZA: Count to ten with cuddly forest creatures, from a mouse to a bear, as they settle down in one furry heap to hibernate for winter. Rhyme/Concept
PIRATE NELL’S TALE TO TELL: Captain Gnash says there’s no time for reading on his ship, but when the journey gets rough and the captain is in trouble, it’s Nell and her book knowledge that saves the day. Rhyme
Lauri Fortino's Frog On A (B)Log 