Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers - from the trusted experts at the American Library Association

Lynn:  For so many children, milk is something that is found in large white bottles at the local store.  They know it comes from cows but how it gets from cows to store is pretty vague.  It’s Milking Time (Random 2013) provides an exploration of that process using a surprising amount of detail while doing [...]

Lynn: Monkeys are always popular with kids and we have two really special monkey books today.  First up is Anthony Browne’s gorgeous One Gorilla:  A Counting Book (Candlewick 2013).  This is a counting book, yes, but is also one of those versatile delights that can be used in, well, countless ways.  Counting book, science book, [...]

Lynn:  Here is the challenge should you chose to accept it.  Describe A Little Book of Sloth (S&S March 2013) without using the word cute or dissolving into a puddle of goo over the adorable pictures.  I’m sorry but even the indefatigable Mr. Phelps would find that a total impossible mission.  It simply can’t be [...]

Lynn:  When I looked back over our posts, I noticed that we seem to be drawn to bears – picture book bears anyway.  From bears with sniffles to baby panda bear kindergarten, we’ve got bears everywhere.  I’m not sure if that says something about us or about picture book illustrators but we’re adding to our [...]

Lynn:  There are times when I want to bang my head against the wall and shriek, “Why didn’t I read this sooner?”  I had Endangered (Scholastic 2012) for many months and somehow had never quite gotten around to it.  I knew I should too – there was something about the premise that just shouted “READ [...]

Cindy: Browsing the new book shelf at the public library usually means hauling home a stack of books and with luck finding a gem. In this case I found a new nonfiction series for young elementary school readers about endangered animals. I brought home Brown Bear by Suzi Eszterhas (Frances Lincoln 2012). The cover of a [...]

Lynn:  This month as we honor our brave men and women who currently serve or who have served our country, please take time for this wonderful book that celebrates a special kind of brave and faithful soldier.  Dogs On Duty:  Soldiers’ Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond (Walker 2012) is the story of military [...]

Lynn:  As we’ve written before, loose tooth books are surprisingly hard to find so we’re always excited when we find a good new one.  The Tooth Mouse (Kids Can 2012) is exactly  that and has the added benefit of giving a lovely new twist to the tooth fairy story. Long ago in an ancient cathedral [...]

Cindy: It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite page in this book. Okay, maybe I am partial to the grasshopper opposite the title page. The angle of the photograph makes it appear as if the little guy is flying overhead. But there’s no poetry on that page, so that can’t be my favorite. 2011 [...]

Cindy: Bringing a new baby home is always One Special Day (Disney/Hyperion 2012) and preparing the older sibling for the fragile baby’s arrival is an important part of the process. Schaefer and illustrator Jessica Meserve have combined talents to create a special delivery of their own. Spencer is a boy and you know what that [...]