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

Cindy: If the cover of Flip Flop! (Random House 2011) doesn’t say “SUMMER,” I don’t know what does. Sitting on a dock with a friend, a popsicle, an ice cream cone and wearing flip flops….ah. The two girls in this book are not only wearing flip flops, but their minds are flip flopping with all [...]

Cindy: I can’t decide what I like more about this book, the text or the illustrations! Does it really matter? This is a delightful whole. I have said that my favorite kind of book is one that makes me laugh, cry, and think, and leaves me wondering what the characters are going to do next. [...]

Lynn: As our focus group started to read independently, I girded my mental loins for the arrival of beginning readers. What our school calls “Baggy Books” started coming home in their backpacks to be read every night. It’s a great concept and I have faithfully supported its practice but the books did nothing to change [...]

Lynn: Here is a book that is going to take very little work to promote. Just set Pika: Life in the Rocks (Boyds Mills 2010) on display and stand back. The eye-catching cover will guarantee that this book will be checked out immediately. I am always excited to find excellent nonfiction books for our youngest [...]

Lynn: Hayes, winner of the 2010 Geisel award for Benny and Penny in the Big No-No, brings Benny and Penny back for their third adventure in Benny and Penny in the Toy Breaker (Raw Jr. 2010). As the enticing cover proclaims their cousin Bo, the dreaded toy breaker, is also back. The furry siblings hide [...]

Cindy and Lynn: So here we are. Last year we listed our Baker’s Dozen of top books and who are we to argue with tradition? These are our choices for the most outstanding teen books for this year in terms of literary merit. Each list is arranged alphabetically by title. We’ve always wondered how authors [...]

Lynn: I had forgotten what a milestone losing a tooth is for kids until my grandsons developed wiggly teeth. Suddenly teeth were falling like rain and they and their kindergarten classmates seemed to have more gaps than teeth. I instantly started looking for good loose tooth books to share with them. I found Arthur’s Tooth [...]

Cindy: What child doesn’t plead, “higher, higher” when they are being pushed on a swing? Higher! Higher! (Candlewick, 2009) is a perfect blend of art, clever-but-simple story, and dead-on child psychology. Full disclosure: I am a swing addict going way back and this book is a tribute to those who love to soar. When a [...]

Cindy: My teenage daughters think April Fool’s Day is hilarious when I get caught by one of their jokes. And, I never seem to learn, although I now check the sprayer on the kitchen faucet to be sure it hasn’t been rubber banded into the “on” position before I try to fill my coffee maker. [...]