Straw by Amy Krouse Rosenthal  ill by Scott Magoon

First there was a Spoon, then Chopsticks, and now Straw joins the trio of picture books featuring eating implements. Amy Krause Rosenthal’s fertile imagination gives Straw a distinctive personality and character trait. That’s right. Straw is his name so a capital letter is in order. Here’s the thing: Straw has a compulsion to be first. He measures his consumption in relationship to the nearby straws, constantly comparing himself to others. ​With help from friends, he learns to slow down and savor the moment. ​The text is chock full is delightful word play. "I think what you're feeling is called awe, Straw."  Gentle message. Charming characters. It's better than a thick milkshake with whipped cream and cherry on top.

Making Things

Eat Up

The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer

It began in 2001. Eoin Colfer published a story about a twelve-year-old boy named Artemus Fowl, the world's greatest criminal mastermind. Time has passed and in the intervening years Fowl has fathered fraternal twins Myles and Beckett. In many respects it is difficult to believe that the eleven-year-old boys are siblings. Myles is the epitome of an intellectual detail-oriented techno-geek. Beckett seems wildly random, bouncing around, delighting in life. He is also a trans-species polyglot, communicating with animals and fairies.

The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City
by Tara Lazar ill by Ross MacDonald

Following up on her hit picture book 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story Tara Lazar brings readers another clever take on our alphabet system, specifically capitalized letters. Readers are treated to a noir style whodunit. Private I is informed by Question Mark that the capital letters are missing. ALL of them. Our intrepid detective is on the case. This was serious. If all the capital letters were gone, there’d be incomplete sentences dangling everywhere.

Upper Case Antics

The Upper Case trailer

Alphabuild magnetic blocks

Bake alphabet cookies

Good Dog, McTavish by Meg Rosoff ill by Grace Easton

Books that are a delight for adults and young children to read together are a rare breed. Meg Rosoff has pulled off this feat with Good Dog, McTavish, a story brimming with wit and charm. Rosoff turns the familiar rescue dog trope on its head. McTavish is indeed a dog. But his task is to rescue a family.  When he decides to adopt the Peachey family, he knows that this going to take time and a great deal of work. Ma Peachey has announced that she is giving up on being a mother. No more cleaning. No more cooking. No more nagging. Pa Peachey and the three Peachey children are on their own. Needless to say, the entire household is in a state of chaotic disarray. McTavish and eight-year old Betty devise a plan, actually several plans, to restore order to the home.  ​Humans were puzzlingly dim. McTavish sighed. There was so much work to do.

Youngsters will chortle as McTavish puts his plans into action. Beginning with the piles of discarded clothing and shoes scattered throughout the house, McTavish systematically trains the family to clean up, pick up, be punctual, and feed themselves. The ongoing efforts of the father and his children are interspersed with descriptions of Ma Peachey, intoning "ohhhmmm" while executing near-perfect looping cobra and dancing warrior yoga poses. When the family takes ownership of the home and contribute to its order, Ma quietly rejoins the family. Humans make excellent pets, he thought. When you took on a rescue family, it often took some weeks for them to settle, but he was glad he'd decided to adopt the Peacheys.

Meet the Author

Meg Rosoff is the author of Guardian Children's Prize and Michael L. Printz award-winning How I Live Now and National Honor Book finalist recognition for Picture Me Gone.  She also received the 2016 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. With Good Dog, McTavish, readers can enjoy another side of Rosoff. Her sparkling writing with clever asides is tailor-made for entertaining family reading. Enjoy this brief interview with the author.

Meet the Illustrator

Grace Easton's illustrations add a fine touch of whimsy.  Love the details. Of special note is McTavish's eye roll.  It speaks volumes.

My Cat Looks Like My Dad by Thao Lam

Meet dad. Meet the family cat. Dad and cat are alike in many ways. Both have fluffy yellow hair, enjoy a tasty meal followed by a nap, even have similar fears. They make a great pair. ​But that’s just the beginning. ​The real story on these pages goes beyond a charming tale of a man and his cat. Readers wonder about the family member narrating the story. Who can it be? The storyteller's identity is discovered by carefully examining the illustrations. Observant readers will recognize that there is more to this family than a man and his cat. There will come an "ah ha" moment when it is obvious that the narrator i.e.  additional family member is a bird! That's right. The bird refers to its sibling as "my cat." Clever. Clever indeed. The complete family portrait with dad, mom, cat, and bird graces the final page.

Greeting the day with graceful tai chi.

Crooning tunes at the keyboard.

Snoozing: Nap time is lap time.

Bonus

The Becket List by Adele Griffin ill LeUyen Pham

Meet the irrepressible Becket. When her veterinarian parents decide to leave the city and relocate in the country, Rebecca is ready to go. She wants to take on a new country persona, requesting to be called Becket and creating a list of all the new experiences she plans to have on the farm. Not everyone shares her enthusiasm. Older sister Caroline is devastated, as she must leave friends. Twin brother Nicolas finds that his perceived ailments are even worse. Then there's Mr. Fancypants, the pug that has always been a member of the family but has slowed down and isn't much fun anymore. Living with her family on grandmother's Blackberry Farm, isn't quite what Becket envisioned. Collecting eggs can be painful when Laying Godiva, Gran's prize New Hampshire Red hen, defends her eggs by viciously pecking Becket. There is a lemonade stand fiasco, when Becket discovers the importance of sweeteners. Summer day camp is not the friend-fest she thought it would be. And sometimes helping the launch of a camper’s miniature boat is not helpful.

This camp has been a bran muffin amount of fun, not a banana split with three cherries and sprinkles amount of fun.

Outside, the big old moon is glowing yellow over the fields.
​”Beautiful Alert,” I whisper.

Have You Met These Girls?

To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer

​​Full disclosure: Initially I skimmed this book's  back cover and concluded that it was a remake of The Parent Trap. To be honest, I wasn't crazy about the movie. So, no. I wasn't interested. But... this middle grade novel was by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer.  I reasoned that two extremely talented authors would write something more than a warmed-over Disney movie script. Once I started reading I was hooked.  ​​Reasons why I loved this book: Point one: The girls are interesting individuals, not plot contrivances. While they have a west coast vs. east coast point of view, they have enough unique traits to transcend the California and New York City stereotypes.  Point two: The dads.  These men are neither good guys nor bad guys. They are guys.  They are dads. They make some good decisions, arrive at some conclusions based inaccurate assumptions. They make mistakes. They love their families.

I Have Questions

Music of Love

100 Questions About Oceans by Simon Abbott

Simon Abbott's subject-specific trivia books are jam-packed with fascinating factoids.   100 Questions and About Oceans covers a wide range of ocean-related data including basic underwater geography and ecology, ecosystems, marine animal records, well-known marine biologists, historical shipwrecks, and protecting aquatic life.  ​Information is presented as a series of questions with corresponding answers, formatted in brief easy-to-read statements. How does the goblin shark hunt in the dark? ​Its snout is lined with natural sensors called ampulae, which detect weak electrical fields from living creatures. The shark simply tracks down its prey, open its retractable jaws, and ... chomp!

More Questions & Answers

Dear Santa, I Know It Looks Bad but It It Wasn't My Fault!
by Norma Lewis
ill Olivia Beckman

​Ten days before Christmas: The pet canary is missing, There is cat poop in the neighbor's sandbox. The cat's head is stuck inside an empty milk pitcher. A week before Christmas: Scalawag climbs up the holiday tree. The tree topples over. All the ornaments are shattered. The tablecloth catches on fire. Miss Violet is temporarily knocked unconscious.

Porcelain Ornament

Cotton Bandana

Pet Collar ID Tag

Teach Your Giraffe to Ski 
by Viviane Elbee  ill Danni Gowdy

When a task is daunting, you sometimes need a little incentive. Take skiing. It's a sport that requires training and a measure of courage. Meet a boy who is hesitates to try something challenging. Can he step away from his comfy chair and soothing hot chocolate? Giraffe wants to ski and she is not waiting another minute. She's heading out to the slopes. Now. Our young protagonist realizes that without basic instruction this rash impulse portends disaster. Grabbing his skis, he heads out in the snow. He teaches giraffe how to: put on a pair of skis, slow down "the pizza move," speed up "the french fry stance, "and turn "S shape maneuvers."

Viviane Elbee explores the anxiety associated with attempting something  difficult. It’s a story of overcoming one’s fears and being willing to take risks. She injects plenty of humor and whimsy, which prevents the story from becoming a heavy-handed moralistic tale. Grab a copy of Teach Your Giraffe to Ski. Then be brave and try something new.

Giraffe Gyrations