Who Likes the Wind by Etta Kaner, illustrated by Marie Lafrance.
Open the flaps of this book to discover the facts about the wind.  The book covers scientific information from why the wind blows to how it cools your skin to how it moves a pinwheel.  The illustrations are warm colored and breezy, while the open flaps cover the science material clearly and concisely.  Perfect for units on the weather, it is also a great book for libraries to have for young weather watchers. 

Chuck’s Truck by Peggy Perry Anderson.
Perfect for toddler and preschool storytimes, this title combines two beloved subjects:  farm animals and trucks.  Chuck, a farmer, has an old beat-up truck.  By the time all of the animals decide they want to come along to town, the truck has broken down.  After the truck is towed back to the farm, the animals take care of the situation by calling in a mechanic.  Then they surprise Chuck with a shiny new truck.  The illustrations are deeply colored and very child friendly.  With its limited text but clear story, this is a perfect choice for storytimes for the very small.

My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World by Gilles Bachelet.
This is a purely silly book featuring a cat that looks a lot like an elephant.  He acts like any other cat, playing with string, sleeping in a cat bed, and using a litter box, but there are some silly things that this cat does.  He washes himself with toilet water, is scared of mice, and doesn’t land on his feet when he falls.  The illustrations in the book are priceless.  I was laughing as much as my preschooler as we read the book.  It is the perfect silly book to share with any class or group of preschoolers.  I have always had the kids I read to ask for a funny book, and this would be more than silly enough! 

Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Felicia Hoshino.
Little Sap is a poor girl in Cambodia who gets the chance to audition for the royal dance troupe.  Though she worries about her dark skin from the sun and dirty fingernails, she is chosen to be part of the troupe.  Little Sap spends years learning to dance.  Then the princess gives word that the troupe will be traveling to France to perform.  They travel on a large ship from Cambodia to France where they perform on a large stage.  In the audience is the French artist, Auguste Rodin.  He asks some of the children to pose for him.  Little Sap quickly becomes a favorite subject of his sketches. 
The author Lord has mixed history with some fiction to create this story.  At the end of the story she explains what parts are true and what she had to guess at.  The story is very readable and appealing.  The illustrations are deep colored and evocative. Children who are interested in dance will enjoy reading about the hard work and dedication it takes.  But even better, this is one of those books that give children a window into another culture and a heroine to identify with there. 

But Excuse Me, That Is My Book by Lauren Child.
I have always been charmed by Charlie and Lola, but this book goes right after my librarian heart.  Lola has a favorite book, Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies, that she checks out from the public library every time she visits.  For her it is not only the best book in the world, it is the only book.  But this time, when she gets to the library, the book is not on the shelf!  What oh what is a little girl to do?  Well, Charlie steps in and does the perfect readers advisory interview to find her a replacement book.  Lovely stuff that will warm the heart of even the most serious reference librarian.  Oh, and kids will enjoy it too. It immediately got the children I shared it with talking about what their all-time favorite books are.

Summer Is Summer by Phillis and David Gershator, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
I really enjoyed several things about this book.  First the illustrations capture summer for me.  They are filled not with hot colors, but with blue skies, bright green grass, flowers and friends.  Second, the rhythm to the text is wonderful.  The refrain of “Summer is summer is summer” is repeated and that phrasing is repeated using other nouns.  It creates a structure to the book that allows the reader to just drift along with it. 
This is a perfect book to share on the final day of preschool when children are just waiting for that first official day of their summer to begin. 

Max’s ABC by Rosemary Wells.
The beloved bunny siblings Max and Ruby return in an alphabet book.  Nicely, the book can be read as an alphabet book or simply as a story.  Max’s ants escape from their ant farm and climb up on him to get his cake.  When Max tries to get them off him by pouring juice on himself, Ruby has to come to the rescue.  The story is silly and filled with the simple fun you expect in a Max and Ruby book.  This one is a gem worth sharing on that first day of an alphabet unit. 

My Father’s Shop by Satomi Ichikawa
Young Mustafa helps his father in his Moroccan rug shop.  His father wishes that he would pay attention and learn to speak in different languages to their customers, but Mustafa thinks it is boring.  When he sneaks out of lessons with a torn rug over his head, he discovers that learning languages can be a lot of fun. 
I really enjoyed this book.  The illustrations are vibrant, from the colorful rugs to the many different people Mustafa encounters in the market.  The text is just long enough to work in a storytime for preschoolers who will also have fun learning how to crow like a rooster in different languages just like Mustafa.  It is a great way to share multicultural awareness with children, letting them see just like Mustafa did that all these cultures are what make up the rug of life.

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.