Skeleton for Dinner
Written by Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Will Terry
Age Level: 4 - 8                                
​Grade Level: P – 3

​This book is as cute as the cover! Poor Skeleton hears the witches want to have him for dinner, but he’s afraid he’ll be on the menu. He turns to Ghost and Ghoul. Their best advice – hide.  That won’t solve the problem, but, at least Skeleton won’t be dinner. Can anyone help? There is a little birdie, and they always seem to have the inside scoop. However dinner turns out, this is one cute story!

Dino-Halloween
Written by Lisa Wheeler
Illustrated by Barry Gott
Age Level: 5 - 9                                               
​Grade Level: K – 3

​If you love Lisa Wheeler’s other dinosaur books, you are in for a treat! This is the first holiday book I’ve seen. You can
celebrate Halloween by carving pumpkins and picking costumes, dinosaur-style. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas with my favorite rhyming dinosaurs.

Morris . . . the Downside-Up Bat
Written & Illustrated by H.R. Karpes
Age Level: 3 - 6                                   
​Grade Level: PS – 1

​This is a cute story about adapting to change and staying true to yourself! An owl thinks Morris looks like a tasty dinner. But when he strikes a new pose, the owl changes his mind.
 
Hanging from his hands gives Morris a new view on bugs, and rock music. The other bats bully him about it. They fight to keep him out of the talent show. Read how Morris finds his way onstage, to his own rock and roll dreams.

​ Over and Under the Pond
Written by Kate Messner
Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Age Level: 5 - 8                                                                   
​Grade Level: 1 – 2

I loved this book as much as I did OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW. I was fascinated by what was down there, animals that I never, ever would have guessed.
 
This one is just as beautifully done. It shows kids what they can see and do above the pond. But even more suprising for this retired teacher, was what was going on below, unsuspected, unimagined.
 
The Back Matter includes a paragraph and a small picture about each animal. There’s also Further Reading listed for interested kids that includes both books and websites. THIS, is so well done. No wonder there are 4 books in the Over and Under series!

Glamourpuss
Written by Sarah Weeks
Illustrated by David Small
Age Level: 4 - 6                                                           
​Grade Level: PS – 1

​Meet Glamourpuss! She’s one spoiled kitty. She even has  millionaire owners, Mr. and Mrs. Highhorsen. (Love those names!) Life is good until Mr. H’s sister visits, AND brings her dog. The drama goes into overdrive when that dog dares to appear in finer, more dazzling clothing than Glamourpuss is wearing. She even starts to doubt her own fashion sense until she makes an important discovery. Sorry, I can’t give it away. It would ruin the ending. But, I can tell you the pictures are out-of-this-world. David Small even used glitter! 

Always Remember
Written by Cece Meng
Illustrated by Jago
Age Level: 3 - 7                                                        
​Grade Level: PS – 2

​This picture book is as beautiful as the cover. The story inside shows kids how to deal with death, through kindness and friendship. When Old Turtle dies, one by one, his friends step forward to share their favorite memories. People and animals die, but friendships and good memories can last forever.

After the Rain
Written by Rebecca Koehn
Illustrated by Simone Krüger
Age Level:  3 - 6                                                                                                   
Grade Level: 1 – 2
                                      
Gorgeous illustrations + Rich language = A beautiful book. It may be sparse on words, but each one counts to make this one cute story!
It starts after the rain when Levi grabs his rain gear and runs straight into the water, ready for an adventure. He finds it tracking his boat through the run-off. But after a daring drain rescue, he runs into Polly who claims the river, then outlaws boats. How can this end? I’ll give you a clue – “Building together is much more fun.” (It’s the last line of this book.)

Brobarians
Written & Illustrated by Lindsay Ward
Age Level: 3 - 7                                                                      
​Grade Level: PS – 1

​Oh my gosh! I loved this book! I remember reading it a year or two ago. Imagine, Iggy has taken over Otto’s territory, and he’s had enough. Otto waits for the perfect moment and takes Iggy’s bottle. The Brobarians come to blows, fighting through dirt and mud until powerful magic stops them. (You’ll have to read to find out what that magic was, but don’t worry! Both brothers will live to fight another day.)
 

Surgery on Sunday
Written by Kat Harrison
Illustrated by Shane Crampton
Age Level: 4 - 8                                                                   
​Grade Level: K – 4
                                      
This is more than a cute book – it’s also useful. If you have a kiddo who’s facing surgery, this is the perfect book for them. Meet its hero, Sunday, nicknamed Sunny. She’ll take you from the night before surgery to a couple weeks later. It’s also a great way to show your child what surgery looks like, feels like, through Sunny’s eyes. Nothing is better, or worse, than your own imagination. This book can help your child see what surgery looks like. It’s also a great way to get them talking about fear, then shrinking it down to size. Best of all I hope it helps your child face their own fears and discover their own brand of bravery, just like Sunny who’s better after surgery. Back matter includes ‘Sunny’s unofficial rules for surgery’ and ‘Questions to ask yourself, or someone else, before surgery.’

The Rough Patch
Written & Illustrated by Brian Lies
Age Level: 4 - 8                                                         
​Grade Level: PS – 3

Everything is better with a friend. Evan and Dog do everything together, including grow a prize-winning garden. But when Dog dies, Evan hits a rough patch. He cuts down his favorite plants and lets the weeds in. Soon the garden looks as bad as Evan feels.
 
Then a vine begins to grow. It takes over the garden and turns into a pumpkin. Could it make a difference? You’ll have to read to find out how. Everyone hits rough patches, but sometimes it takes the unexpected to lead you out of them.