Sweet Thang by Allison Whittenberg.
Set in the seventies, this book features a loving black family and a strong black female protagonist.  Charmaine is a smart girl who is going through puberty.  She worries about the way she looks, longs after the handsome Demetrius, and hates having to look after her little cousin, Tracy John, after school.  Charmaine is under some pressure.  She has to deal with girls with lighter skin calling her names, Demetrius gives her attention in exchange for Charmaine doing his homework, and Tracy John simply will not listen.  Throughout the book, readers will understand Charmaine while still seeing the point of view of her larger family, which is quite an accomplishment.  The book is warm and inviting.  Reading it is like visiting family again no matter what color your skin is.  This is a lovely book that almost all middle school girls will enjoy. 

On Top of Spaghetti by Paul Brett Johnson.
This is great fun.  The book is based on the class song, but Johnson has created an original story to complement it.  Yodeler Jones owns a Spaghetti Emporium that is successful until a Fried Fritter Fricassee parlor opens next door.  So Jones invents the most delicious meatball ever, but then… somebody sneezes.  The illustrations are colorful and bright.  They will project well for a storytime and children will have fun joining in the sections of song. 

Thelonius Monster’s Sky-High Fly Pie by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Edward Koren.
Released May 9th, 2006.
This book had my four-year-old talking for days, which is exactly what you want a book to do for a child.  Thelonius Monster ate a fly and decided that flies would make a great pie.  So he created a crust and covered it in goo.  Then he went all around to likely spots gathering flies.  He then dumped them into the goo where they all stuck.  He invited his friends to come and share in the delicious fly pie.  But in the end, the monsters do not get to devour the pie after all.
The book is grand fun.  Disgusting, icky, messy, and pure child heaven.  I occasionally do a gross storytime for preschoolers and kindergarteners.  This one will fit right in.  It has a great storyline throughout with a surprise ending that will have kids giggling in glee.  Share this with any child who loves bugs, dirt, and monsters.  This is a winner!

Once Upon a Tide by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Selina Young.
Released May 9th, 2006.
What appears to be a beach tale of two children with buckets and shovels, really is an adventure story.  It is the story of Bess and a boy who build their own sailboat on the beach.  They then take the boat out to sea where they meet a whale, discover an island, and dig up a treasure chest.  Then they return to the beach and create a beach house from the boat where they live “forevermore.”  The text is rhyming and lilting, suiting the rhythm of the book.  The illustrations are filled with beach details, active and will project well for a storytime.  My only quibble with the illustrations is that the two characters are portrayed as children throughout the story until the final spread.  Then they are adults with children of their own, but wear the same clothes and retain their childlike features.  It is jarring enough to make you turn back to the beginning of the book to see if they were supposed to be adults all along. 
Because the text on each page is brief and there is lots of action in the book, it is a good choice to share with toddlers and preschoolers.