GIRAFFE PROBLEMS: A giraffe goes on and on about how awful his neck is until he meets another animal who needs his help.

HOW TO BE A T. REX: When Sal grows up, she’s going to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex because being human can be a real drag.

HEY, WALL: Armed with pencils, paints, dreams, and Grandma Addy’s memories of how beautiful the neighborhood once was, Angel and others paint the cold, empty wall.

THIS IS A CIRCLE: Circles and squares are introduced as a most unusual group of friends sings, sails, huffs, and puffs. Fun!

A DOG NAMED HAKU: During a Hindu festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, brothers Alu and Bhalu search for a dog they can honor with food and gratitude.

ERASER: Eraser is tired of cleaning up everyone else’s mistakes and wants to create instead.

AN UNLIKELY BALLERINA: A small, frail girl with wobbly legs and turned-out toes becomes the first Jewish prima ballerina assoluta in history.

CROW NOT CROW: A girl accompanies her father for the first time on a birding expedition and learns how to identify several birds.

THE REMEMBER BALLOONS: James has a bunch of balloons, each of which holds a special memory, but he notices that as his grandfather ages, he loses balloons, while James gains new ones.

KITTEN AND THE NIGHT WATCHMAN: Being a night watchman is a lonely job, especially when you’re away from your family.

FRANKENBUNNY: After Spencer discovers his big brothers’ stories about Frankenbunny aren’t true, he hatches a plan to teach his brothers a lesson.

HARRISON P. SPADER, PERSONAL SPACE INVADER: Harrison loves life and wants to share his joy with everyone, but first he needs to learn about personal space.

GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING: Every different type of girl is celebrated, because each girl is unique.

THE ONLY WAY IS BADGER: Badger wants everyone to be more like him, and when they’re not, he sends them away to the other side of the wall.

GRANDMOTHER’S VISIT: Grace receives one final visit from her grandmother after she’s passed away.

BUSINESS PIG: One little pig is passed up for adoption, no matter how many charts he presents or resumes he hands out. Adorable!

THIS IS MY EYE: Join a young girl as she explores the shapes, colors, patterns, people, and perspectives of her beloved city.

THE BUNNY BAND: When Livinia the badger threatens to turn her garden thief into stew, the bunny pleads for his life, promising a rich reward if she lets him go.

HOW TO FEED YOUR PARENTS: Matilda’s parents are picky eaters, so Matilda decides that if she wants to try something new, she’ll have to cook it herself.

THANK YOU, OMU!: When the aroma of Omu’s homemade stew fills the air, her neighbors arrive, one by one, for a taste until all is gone except for her generous spirit.

HENRI’S HATS: Henri does not know that his Grand-Papa has gone on grand adventures until he discovers a trunk full of the most amazing hats.

HECTOR’S FAVORITE PLACE: Hector worries about everything that could go wrong if he left his house.

HEY, HEY, HAY!: Celebrate farming, family, machines, and hard work while you learn how hay is made.

ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT FLUFFY: When Claire and her stuffed rabbit Fluffy become very, very angry, watch out!

ELLA & MONKEY AT SEA: Ella and her best friend Monkey do not want to board a ship and leave behind their home in Holland.

LENA’S SHOES ARE NERVOUS: Lena must find a way to convince her shoes not to be nervous about the first day of school.

AND THERE WAS EVENING, AND THERE WAS MORNING: Tells the story of how God created the world, describing six days of work fashioning everything from seas and clouds to animals and people, to finally resting on Shabbat.

THE DAY WAR CAME: A young girl, displaced by war, must fight for survival until help finally comes.

MAPPING SAM: Where does Sam go when her people are tucked in bed and she slips out into the beckoning world?

IF YOU’RE GOING TO A MARCH: A first introduction to what you’ll need and what you’ll see and do if you’re going to participate in a march.

ADRIAN SIMCOX DOES NOT HAVE A HORSE: Chloe gets angry when her classmate Adrian claims to have a horse.

THE DRESS AND THE GIRL: A girl loses her dress when she leaves her Greek island home and immigrates to America.

NEON LEON: Leon can’t change color like the other chameleons and longs for a place to blend in.

WE LOVE DINOSAURS: Dinosaurs of all shapes, sizes, and colors are loved by kids.

BULLY: When a selfish bullfrog takes over a lily pond, the other residents decide to unite and take action. Love the cover!

STERLING, BEST DOG EVER: A little dog pretends to be a fork and other household things in order to find and keep a home. Adorable!

BRAVE ENOUGH FOR TWO: With Hoot by her side, Olive sets off on an adventure, even though she’s not brave. Excellent art!

TAKE A HIKE, MILES AND SPIKE: Miles and Spike take a hike through the forest, destroying the habitat as they go and rudely dismissing the forest creatures. Clever word play, and I like the colors!

TINY LITTLE ROCKET: A rocket takes a trip through the solar system, past the sun, and narrowly misses a meteor before returning to Earth. Striking art!

TESSA TAKES WING: Tessa plays and flies around her room while the rest of the family is asleep. Sweet!

ANGEL IN BEIJING: A girl finds a white cat and takes her all over the city of Beijing on her bicycle.

LUCY AND THE STRING: When Lucy sees a string and gives it a yank, she’s surprised by what she finds on the other end.

HOW TO BE A LION: Leonard the lion and his friend Marianne the duck stand up for themselves against a pride of lion bullies.

T. REX TIME MACHINE: When two hungry dinosaurs jump into a time machine, they’re transported to present day.

NECK & NECK: Leopold the giraffe is the star of the zoo until a bobbing rival ruins everything. Funny!

THE DRAGON AND THE NIBBLESOME KNIGHT: Mistaken identity allows two sworn enemies–a dragon and a knight–to become friends. Great art!

A WEREWOLF NAMED OLIVER JAMES: One moonlit night, Oliver unexpectedly turns into a werewolf. Fun, and I like the use of color!

A DOG NAMED DOUG: Doug digs miles underground, then takes a detour through the White House before digging some more. Fun and colorful!

WHEN THE COUSINS CAME: Lila’s cousins do some things differently, but she loves when they come to visit.

PRETTY KITTY: As more and more cats show up on his doorstep, an old man must decide whether or not to let them in.

OFF & AWAY: When Jo’s father becomes ill and cannot deliver the messages in bottles, she takes on the job, even though she’s afraid of what lives in the ocean. Striking art!

GINNY GOBLIN IS NOT ALLOWED TO OPEN THIS BOX: Ginny tries everything she can think of to reach and open a box that she’s not supposed to touch.

MIXED: Red, Yellow, and Blue all lived in harmony until the day that Red declared that Reds are the best. Clever book combining colors and diversity!

GOOD DOG: A little stray dog searches for a friend. Sweet!

CAT WISHES: A snake grants a hungry cat three wishes after the cat spares its life.

A BIG MOONCAKE FOR LITTLE STAR: Little Star creates the phases of the moon as she nibbles away at the mooncake. Clever!

ON GULL BEACH: A boy chases after sea gulls as they play with a star fish.

BIG BOX LITTLE BOX: A curious cat investigates every box it can find and makes a friend along the way.

SHORTY & CLEM BLAST OFF: Clem won’t let Shorty help him build his spaceship.

LORETTA’S GIFT: Loretta tries hard to find the perfect gift for her new baby cousin.

PICNIC WITH OLIVER: While on a picnic, Philbert gets caught in a storm and Oliver must make a daring rescue.

HOW TO KNIT A MONSTER: After Mrs. Sheep insults Greta Goat’s knitting, Greta knits a wolf that swallows Mrs. Sheep whole.

I FEEL TEAL: A girl experiences many feelings, represented by colors, during the course of her day. Nice art!

STEGOTHESAURUS: Stegothesaurus has little in common with his fellow dinosaurs until he meets an allosaurus that’s as hungry for synonyms as he is. Super cute and clever!

GO FISH!: Goose and friends have trouble catching a fish on their fishing trip. Cute!

TINY, PERFECT THINGS: A child and grandfather marvel at all the perfect things they see as they take a walk.

ONCE UPON A SLIME: Beginning with Goldilocks, various fairy-tale characters are drenched in slime and join forces to discover who is responsible.

THEY CAME: When a spaceship lands on Earth, a small town launches into a frenzy until a boy named Stephen explains why the aliens came.

MUSTAFA: Mustafa feels out of place in his new country with strange customs and strange language he doesn’t understand.

A PLACE FOR PLUTO: Pluto feels lost, confused, and left out when he finds out he’s not a planet.

SOMETHING SMELLS!: When Elliot wakes up to a terrible smell, he’s determined to find the source.

SUPER MANNY CLEANS UP!: Manny and his friend Gertie join forces to clean up their local park.

HENRY AND THE YETI: Henry sets off to prove that yetis exist.

KING BEN AND SIR RHINO: Ben must learn how to be a good friend if he wants the other animals to play with him.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SOUL: With the school talent show coming up, one young music lover dreams about creating the perfect act.

BIGGER THAN YOU: Dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes discover that cooperation, creativity, and being a good friend make playtime the best time.

BE OUR GUEST!: At the Parker Palm Springs Hotel, you can sip lemonade with flamingos, play games with penguins or a zebra, and explore the beautiful grounds with a tiger, a camel, or an elephant.

THE DINOSAUR EXPERT: Kimmy can’t wait to share her fossil facts with all of her friends at the natural history museum.

AYOBAMI AND THE NAMES OF THE ANIMALS: Ayobami dreams of going to school, but to reach the schoolhouse, she has to take a dangerous path through the jungle.

SEED MAGIC: Little Spider teaches her friend Anxious Ant about the life cycle of plants.

JACK B. NINJA: Jack sneaks over castle walls, swims through hidden tunnels, and uncovers a secret treasure, all while avoiding detection.

MAGNOLIA’S MAGNIFICENT MAP: It has taken Magnolia months of exploring and sketching to create her latest map. There’s just one problem, it’s not finished.

LITTLE BROTHERS & LITTLE SISTERS: Explores the relationship between younger and older siblings.

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.

When Juno returns from a nighttime adventure, she finds a polar bear near the door she left open, and she must summon all her courage to save her boy.

A boy and his family visit the local public gardens throughout the year to see the turtles.

On a gray and rainy day, Kat feels better after writing a song and singing it around the neighborhood.

Newly arrived at boarding school, a boy finds an invitation and goes on an adventure that may lead to friendship.

Fox is lonely and confused when winter comes and his friends Chipmunk, Marmot, and Bear take to their beds and he can’t wake them up.

Fox sets off to find the golden glow, a very rare plant from the Wellhidden family that grows high in the mountains.

Piggy is unhappy living with a boy named Thomas. A chance encounter with a wild pig may lead him to discover what lies beyond the fence.

Bear is hungry and Gertie wants to help, but finding the perfect snack is harder than it looks. Funny!

Hedgehog wakes up needing a hug, but has trouble finding a friend who will get so close to his prickles. Cute!