Unicorn Races by Stephen J. Brooks, illustrated by Linda Crockett.

Unicorn Races arrived in my mailbox this weekend.  I added it to the large pile of books waiting to be reviewed.  But my son had a different idea and asked me to read it to him immediately.  I know that the sparkling lettering and amazing unicorns had a lot to do with it. 

The book is about a young girl, Abigail, who instead of going to sleep at night after being tucked in, goes out into the night with a unicorn to the unicorn races.  She dresses and acts as a princess throughout the night, judging who has won the race, dining on sweets, and flying on the back of her unicorn friend.  The book is illustrated in deep purples and pinks and filled with sparkling unicorns, fairies and elves.  One of the big appeals of this book is that there is no scariness to the night that Abigail goes out into.  There is only magic, wonder and a feeling of safety. 

This book is not one that will win any awards on literary merit, new subject matter, or breaking boundaries.  However, it is filled with child appeal.   From the sparkling title to the very colors and language used, Brooks knows his audience.  This book will fly off of library shelves into the hands of girls who dream of being princesses and befriending unicorns.  Recommend it to any small girl entering the library with a My Pretty Pony and they won’t be disappointed. 

Space Leftovers: a book about comets, asteroids, and meteoroids by Dana Meachen Rau, illustrated by Denise Shea.

My five-year-old is loving space nonfiction right now.  The books vary amazingly in quality for such a young reader.  But this book by Rau hits the mark perfectly as a readaloud all about space rocks. 

The pictures are very child friendly and the text is exactly the right amount for kindergarteners and first graders to absorb.  Add in the fun facts on each page, and you have all of the interesting details that fuel the love of astronomy in children.  Share this with a class studying outer space or hand it to a space-loving child. 

Tudley Didn’t Know by John Himmelman.

This picture book’s illustrations immediately drew me in.  The turtles basking in the sun on logs and trailing their limbs in the water captured completely the mood of a summer’s day.  But that mood doesn’t last long with Tudley around.  When a bird drops a piece of lichen into the pond, Tudley helps out by picking up the lichen and flying it back up to the nest.  Yes, flying.  Tudley doesn’t realize what he can and can’t do, so he is able to do all sorts of amazing things that turtles don’t normally try.  Finally, he is faced with having to do a turtle sort of thing in order to survive, but he has to be shown how to do it. 

I loved the message of this book.  Try to do something before you tell yourself you can’t.  I know that it will speak to children who are often told that they can’t do something even though deep inside they know that they can.  This book is a great read aloud and will be a wonderful addition to turtle storytimes as well as units on self-esteem.