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.

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.

Each animal sleeps where it’s supposed to, but flip the book over and you’ll see where each dreams about sleeping.

This book highlights the rigorous daily schedule of a baby.

When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are as different as the families.

Fiona has promised to bake cupcakes for the whole class for Felix’s birthday, but she forgets and then lies about what happened.

Panda wants to wear pants, but father Panda does not agree.

On a ninja mission to find the Golden Carrot of Awesomeness, a young rabbit meets his biggest challenge yet–his annoying little sister.

This is the beginning of one young girl’s quest to bring clean drinking water to her African village.

This is the story of astronaut Chris Hadfield and how, as a boy, he faced his fears and went on to reach the stars.

In this version of Little Red Riding Hood, set on the African plains, Little Red realizes what the hungry lion is up to, and teaches him a lesson before sharing her donuts with him.

Whether searching for his next meal or avoiding becoming a meal, an octopus is an underwater master of camouflage and escape.

This grasslands variation of the classic song “Over in the Meadow” introduces animals and their offspring that dwell on the savanna of Africa.

Henry likes to take his time and often sees things that his family misses in the rush.

A little white mouse always manages to find trouble and gets his three littler friends into trouble too.

Follow a family through frosty fields and snow-covered woods as they walk and play together.

When Tony, a little boy, offers his stuffed animals to the animal shelter to raise money, it touches his mom’s heart.

When a branch from her beloved tree snaps off in an ice storm, a plucky girl refuses to let it be hauled away.

Matt, Katie, and Pablo work hard to restore a pond to its former glory.

Count from one to ten and back again as a jolly group of fish explore their undersea world.

After a day at the track, zipping and zooming, a race car is tired and ready for bed.

Walking with his energetic puppy in their neighborhood, a young boy hops, bends, spins, and jumps with friends he encounters along the way.

A dragon resists the urge to eat the animals that approach his cave.

When Shirley’s gingerbread treat leaps out of her lunchbox, a wild chase ensues through the neighborhoods of San Francisco.

Chico the monkey has to step in and save the day when his friend Clark the elephant’s cooking nearly destroys their town.

A boy who likes to dress as a frog and a girl who loves numbers are best friends, despite being so different.

Late one night, a very unusual door-to-door salesman selling vacuum cleaners offers to help lazy Schnitzel with his housecleaning woes.

Max and Lily won’t follow the rules at Ruby and Louise’s home preschool.

Fatima and Galo load the luggage and ride on top while their dad Big Ali drives the bus along the Bobo Road, the most beautiful road in the world.

The city is still asleep as a young girl and her father leave their house and walk to school.

Papillon is a cat who is so fluffy he floats, so his owner tries many silly ways to keep him on the ground.

A boy wants to write a story just like his big sister, but he hasn’t learned to write words yet.

Rosie searches everywhere for her little baby chick. Will she find her before the hungry foxes do?

Pig wants to help rat and cow make soup, but when he chooses umbrellas and galoshes to add to the mix, the others think he’s terribly unwise.

When King Baby’s faithful subjects let him down, he must take royal action.

Hank is a pill bug whose daily routine involves nibbling a dead leaf, climbing up a long stick, avoiding a skateboarder, and playing pretend with his best friend Amelia.

When a group of precocious young students visit Don’s Safari on a school field trip, a missing hippo sends them all scrambling to be the first to spot it.

An old woman wants to be left alone to finish her knitting, so she packs up her yarn and leaves.

The Ghost-Hunters may be the only ones who can figure out what is haunting Farmer Greg’s farm.

Follow the ghosts as they trick-or-treat and cause mischief along the scary-silly way to the tune of The Ants Go Marching.

A teeny tiny woman gets trapped in her teeny tiny house in a very big forest by falling leaves.

When summer gives way to fall and the days grow crisp and cool, there’s something special in the air. Gorgeous illustrations!