"THAT'S NOT MY TRACTOR...IT'S ENGINE IS TOO BUMPY" an Usborne touchy-feely book, 2001
A splendid new board book. How can anyone resist a book that has "squashy" wheels for the touching?
YOKO'S PAPER CRANES by Rosemary Wells, Hyperion, 2001
For Yoko's beloved grandmother's birthday, she makes paper origami cranes in the way that her grandfather showed her before her grandparents moved to Japan. This wonderful story honors the special relationship and love between grandchild and grandparent, even those that live far apart. The illustrations add a rich layer to the book. A sequel to YOKO (1998).
BERRY SMUDGES AND LEAF PRINTS: FINDING AND MAKING COLORS FROM NATURE by Ellen B. Senisi, Dutton, 2001
Young children will need supervision and help from adults to make the colors and fun crafts from this book, but it will be well worth it. The ideas are simple and easy, the photographs entice you to try the crafts, and the pure joy of learning more about color and nature comes through on every page.
MY BABY by Jeanette Winter, Francis Foster Books, 2001
This one-of-a-kind story tells about a girl in Mali who learns the ancient art of making bogolan, a mud-painted cloth. As she and her mother work, she dreams ahead to her wedding and preparing cloth for her baby. In the process, the readers are given an experience of life on the savannah, complete with sweet flowers that you can almost smell, drums you'd swear you could hear, and the rich animal life of this part of Africa. The remarkable illustrations add great detail and vivid images to the story. All in all, a beautiful reading experience from the author of FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD.
MILO'S HAT TRICK by Jon Agee, Hyperion, 2001
Milo is just about the sorriest magician you have ever seen, and he is about to be fired. But who comes to his rescue? A bear who can make himself disappear into Milo's hat. Their new act is a smash, but Milo faces his biggest challenge yet when the bear becomes too tired to perform anymore. You'll have to read it to find out what happens, but we will say that Milo, who starts out in trouble, finds his way out by accepting help and learning from an unlikely place.
FLAPDOODLE DINOSAURS by David Carter, Little Simon, 2001
David Carter has elevated the craft of pop-up and lift-the-flap books to an art form and his newest creation is no exception. Each page features a dinosaur and is accompanied by a great verse and things to do. Wonderful, as you would expect from the creator of ALPHA BUGS.
OLIVIA SAVES THE CIRCUS by Ian Falconer, Atheneum, 2001.
If you give a child OLIVIA, they'll want to see its sequel. In this installment (hopefully, there will be more) Olivia, the only colorful thing on any page, tells her class at school how the whole circus happened to be sick and so she performed daring feat after daring feat in order to save the day. When asked if these stories are really true, Olivia confidently answers "pretty true" and "to the best of my recollection." Kids and adults alike won't be able to help falling for Olivia--she's a true original.
To find more new books for children, ask at your library and bookstore, and look for reviews and award-winners in parenting magazines, local parenting papers, and at online parenting Web sites. For more online help, go to:
•Children's Choices 2001. A list of the year's most popular books as chosen by 10,000 kids all over the United States--compiled by the International Reading Association-Children's Book Council Joint Committee.
•The American Library Association's 2001 Notable Books for Children.
