Anatopsis by Chris Abouzeid has already been reviewed across the kidlitblogosphere.  But I never got around to reading it until now despite all of the stellar reviews it received both online and in print.   I am not going to provide a detailed review, but I will say that this fantasy for older elementary and teens is vibrant, unique and impossible to put down.  The balanced nature of the magic in the novel is a unique feature as is the fact that magic takes an awful toll on the world around it.  Anatopsis is a great heroine, who makes mistakes that cost her and the ones she loves dearly.   Abouzeid’s writing is familiar and accessible.  Amazingly, reading his writing is like returning to a favorite author although this is his first novel.  His writing is simply, joyously readable. 
Share this one with teens who enjoy fantasy.  Good readers in elementary school can also be encouraged to read this because there is no content that is worrisome.  Both boys and girls will enjoy the story. 

Dizzy by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Sean Qualls.
Dizzy is a picture book biography of jazz great Dizzy Gillespie.  It is an amazing combination of language and picture, reading like poetry and looking like art.  It creates a mood, sustains it and teaches as it does it.   Read this book aloud or at least aloud in your mind to hear the rhythm, the jazz of the writing as it glides, dances and plays along just as Dizzy Gillespie did. 
This book caught me by surprise.  I tend not to like picture books about musicians because I think they often fail at trying to match the brief story and illustrations to the music that made the person famous.  But this one?  This one is one of the best musician biographies I have seen.  The illustrations add to the biography, informing readers of the time and place.  The text is gorgeously rich yet very simple like jazz itself.

Nutmeg by David Lucas is the story of a little girl who lives in a very dreary, grey world where all they ever eat is cardboard, string and sawdust.  It is all very dull and their home is filled with piles of junk.  Until Nutmeg decides that she is going to do the unheard of and go for a walk.  On her walk, she finds a bottle floating in the grey water.  Out bursts a bright blue genie surrounded by bursts of yellow, red and orange.  He gives her three wishes and Nutmeg wishes for something different to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  So the genie gives her a magic spoon.  That evening, the spoon cooked supper all by itself.  A colorful supper of puddings, gelatins, pies, fruit, meat and more.  Then in the middle of the night, the spoon stirs up more changes and Nutmeg’s life will never be grey and dull again. 
Lucas has created a story that demonstrates the color and change that a little imagination and change from the norm can bring into your life.  His writing is simple and easy to read, but very evocative of the mood of the story.  His writing at the grey beginning repeats and grinds the way it has always been.  Then the writing is almost wild as the genie appears.  And finally as the story glides to a finish, the sentences are longer and the writing glides along as well.  Add to this his illustrations that do the same thing, starting with greys and browns, changing to bright vivid primaries and finally ending with peaches, pinks, and hazy blues. 
Share this one with children.  They will immediately understand that it is about imagination and magic.  It is a great read that offers few answers but is certainly worth the journey.

Manny’s Cows: the Niagara Falls tale by Suzy Becker.
Manny is a farmboy who cannot go on vacation like the rest of the kids in his class because he has to take care of the 500 cows on the farm.  I mean, what is he supposed to do, take them with him?  Well, that is exactly what he does by loading them all into buses and heading off to Niagara Falls.  At first, the cows are less than enthusiastic about the trip, but they get into the spirit.  And eventually when Manny finds himself broke and far from home, the cows save the day.  The book is filled with clever puns, great asides, and lots of laughter.  It is made even funnier by the illustrations that often feel more like a comic book than a picture book. 
This is not a book to read to a group, but one to share with children in elementary school who like a good giggle and enjoy pure silliness.  The illustrations are too detailed for them to project well enough to a crowd, and one would not want to skip any of the wry comments made by the cows on their travels. 

Pizza at Sally’s by Monica Wellington is a charmer of a picture book.  Perfect for the smallest of pizza lovers, this book looks at where pizza comes from, the ingredients, and how it is prepared.  Add in Sally’s helpful kitten and you have a real winner for small children.  The illustrations are an interesting mix of cartoons and photographs that are bright  colored and fun.  Don’t limit this to only toddlers, because emerging readers will enjoy decoding the labels on the cans in the story, finding the word pizza repeated again and again, and reading the words on the street sign page.   This one is a great addition to your pizza-flavored storytimes or a cozy read at home when pizza is on the menu.