​ Bear Came Along
Written by Richard T. Morris
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Age Level: 2 – 5
Grade Level: P – 3  

​This is a simple cause/effect story, and, a beautiful book. A group of animals live in the forest, but they never meet . . . until Bear falls into the river. One by one Froggy, the Turtles, Beaver, the Raccoons, and Duck fall in too. I can’t tell you about the ending, but it was lovely!

Harold Snipperpot’s Best Disaster Ever
Written & Illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna
Age Level: 4 – 8
Grade Level: P – 3

​A cover is a promise, and the story inside delivered on it. I love the illustration Beatrice picked, and the title – too funny! Harold  Snipperpot is just fun to say, and Best Disaster . . . HA! That’s an oxymoron. How could a disaster ever be the best one, let alone the best ever?! But Beatrice told the truth . . . it was the best disaster ever.
 
The beginning starts with the end – another oxymoron! Harold tells us he just had the best disaster ever. Then he goes back to the beginning and tells the story in proper sequential order. It’s Harold’s seventh birthday, and he’s never had a party. Poor Harold! His parents don’t like them, but they agree to hire Mr. Ponzio to plan the party. I won’t tell you how a birthday can become the best disaster ever  . . . You’ll have to read it for yourself!

Dodging Dinosaurs: Time Jumpers #4
Written by Wendy Mass
Illustrated by Oriol Vidal
Age Level:  6 – 8
Grade Level: 1 – 3   

​I loved this story, and I think young readers will too. Its plot – Dynomite! It features kids traveling back in time to save a baby dinosaur. Its egg was switched, and the wrong dinosaur skeleton is in the museum. Can Chase and Ava make things right? You’ll have to read to find out!
 
Dodging Dinosaurs is #4, the last in the Time Jumpers series. I loved it so much it makes me want to check out the other three books.    

​Peep and Egg: I’m Not Hatching
Written by Laura Gehl
Illustrated by Joyce Wan
Age Level: 2 – 6
Grade Level: 1 – 2

​Meet Peep and Egg. Their problem – a case of opposites! Peep’s lonely and needs a friend. She wants Egg to hatch, but Egg’s afraid of the outside world. She just wants to stay inside her shell where she’s safe and sound. How will these two friends ever solve their problems and get what they need? You’ll have to read and find out. If you like this tale, check out the other three Peep and Egg stories. They’re as good as this one!

A Little Bit of Dinosaur!
Written by Elleen Hutcheson and Darcy Pattison
Illustrated by John Joven
Age Level: 5 – 9
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Who knew you could have a little dinosaur in you? AND, it’s your mom’s fault! How? Read this book and follow the trail from fossil, to dissolved calcium, to the food you eat. This is a great story to spur your imagination, and to show you the farm to table story. Thanks to this book, I’d like to think I have a little T Rex in me!

​Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It)
Written by Carrie Finison
Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman
Age Level: 3 – 7
Grade Level: P – 2

I thought this book would be about autism . . . It wasn’t. It’s about even more! Doug could be anyone who doesn’t like to be hugged – Sometimes I don’t. For Doug, it’s nothing personal. He’d rather have a high five. How do you tell who wants a hug, and who doesn’t? Ask! Everyone likes to be asked what they want, from kids to grown-ups.

​Heidi Heckelbeck Pool Party
Written by Wanda Coven
Illustrated by Priscilla Burris
Age Level: 5 – 9
Grade Level: K – 4
 
A pool party?! With magic?! Yes, please! The plot revolves around Heidi, her swim team, and a party to raise money for equipment. The beginning is a little teachy-preachy, but the rest of the story is as fun as its cover. And the ending . . . Heidi nailed it! I bet kids will love it as much as I did . . . Pool Party is #29 out of a series of 34 books.

​Picture Perfect
Written by Jenny Goebel
Age Level: 8 – 12
Grade Level: P – 3

​ LOVED this book! I couldn’t imagine a pig as a pet, let alone as a therapy animal, but now I can. And the characters in this story – they’re so well done! Grace is a 12-year-old girl whose mother just got married. There are so many kids who can identify with Grace and the adjustments she’s making to start this new family. This is her first Christmas to share her mom with anyone else. Poor Grace! She can’t even decide what to call her new stepfather.
 
It gets even worse when Mr. P, her stepdad, gives her a pig for Christmas. Grace was absolutely sure she was finally going to get that doodle dog she’d always wanted. NOT! This book is full of great themes for tweens and teens, stepfamilies, boys, friends, and even for understanding yourself. I hope teens and tweens will love it like I did.

​Dozens of Doughnuts
Written by Carrie Finson
Illustrated by Brianne Farley
Age Level: 3 – 7
Grade Level: P – 2
 
What do you do when you’ve made a dozen doughnuts, and a friend stops by? You share, of course! But what do you do when dozens of friends pop over, and they eat all your doughnuts without leaving you a single crumb? You ROAR with FRUSTRATION! You’re hungry, and you still need to eat enough food to get you through hibernation. What do you do when the author gives you and Bear, a satisfying ending? You read this story again and again – while you eat a dozen doughnuts.

The Vanishing Lake
Written and Illustrated by Paddy Donnelly
Age Level: 4 – 8
Grade Level: P – 3
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I loved everything about this book – the words, the illustrations, the back matter! Meara doesn’t understand why her lake is vanishing. Me neither! Her grandpa has some really creative ideas. The real explanation is nearly as creative. The back matter includes the authors note about where this story came from – his childhood in Ireland where his lake really did vanish! It ends with the scientific reason for this natural phenomenon. I was fascinated from the beginning to the end . . . LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!