The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DICamillo

I came upon this book in an unusual manner--I was reading a collection of essays by Ann Patchett, in one of which she describes her discovery of the children's author Kate DiCamillo, who is someone that is well known to me but who I had never read one of her books before. Patchett started here and went on to read all of them, and so that is where I thought I too would start. It is a tale of the private lives of children's playthings (of which Toy Story is the gold standard when it comes to movie versions). Edward Tulane is a vain, self-absorbed three-foot-tall china rabbit from France who appears to have all he could want: fabulous clothes, a tiny gold pocket watch and a little girl, Abilene, who loves him. Then it all vanishes. When the family goes off on an ocean voyage, he ends up in the water. Unfortunately, Edward is a passive character, so he can neither walk nor talk. But he does think and observe and wonder. His subsequent journey through life encompasses several metamorphoses as a wide variety of owners adopt him and is the quiet kind of adventure that is quite enjoyable to read.

Golden Glow by Benjamin Flouw

While I read a small number of children's books each year for personal edification and pleaser, I read to small children for their edification and pleasure, and this book works for both of those endeavors. The book is aimed at a slightly higher reader than is sometimes targeted in picture books. There is no counting to be had, and while things have color, to be sure, that is not something it would be convenient to highlight. It is a book about camping, being in nature, and enjoying it. In addition to identifiable leaves and canopies of various trees, and some common flowere that can be found in the woods, the senter section of the book is devoted to the euqipment that Mr. Fox needs for his mountain adventure in search of the Golden Glow flower, something so rare that he has to be prepared to sleep and eat outside for days in order to find it. I think it gives a thorough and realistic equipment list and for parents who want to prepare their children for just such an adventure, this would be an excellent book.

Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina

This is a book that my daughter-in-law read to her third grade class.  It is playful and inclusive, all while illustrating a point.
Juana, a Colombian girl takes on her greatest challenge—the English language—in this cheery series opener. She lives in Bogotá, where she enjoys life with her family and dog, Lucas. When English is introduced in school, Juana asks everyone she knows if she really has to learn another language. The author incorporates italicized Spanish words throughout Juana’s first-person narration, always providing enough context clues so that English-speaking readers can do some language-learning of their own (“When a grown-up says something is going to be a ton of fun, it means there will be no fun at all. Not even a single bit of fun. Nada de fun”). Enlarged words and phrases creative type placement help emphasize Juana’s lively attitude as she discovers the ways that English can be useful.
Let's all learn Spanish because that can be fun too!

Waylon! by Sara Pennypacker

Now that I have both a granddaughter and an elementary school teacher in the family, I am expanding my reading options down from Young Adult into what are more accurately seen as Children's books, and what a fun time that has been.
Waylon’s finding fourth grade tough, both at school and at home. He is different from most other kids and he finds that most adults just really do not get him.  In school, Arlo Brody, the kid everyone wants to be like, has decided that the boys should be divided into two teams. Waylon just wants to be friends with all the kids, but Arlo says the teams are at war.  He creates a have and have nots situation, where you are either in, or you are on the outside looking in.  Guess where Qaylon ends up. 
A new boy, Baxter, who might be a criminal, seems to want to hang out with Waylon. Meanwhile, Neon (Waylon’s 14-year-old sister formerly known as Charlotte) has taken to wearing all black and locking herself into her room.  Between the two, they form a kind of support team for Waylon, and along with Waylon’s passion is science, he manages to muddle through. 

Twig by Aura Parker

This is the last book that I read in my recent spate of finding the perfect children's picture book, and it is very good, especially if you have a child who is a bit afraid of bugs or thinks that they are really cool.
There are a lot of elements of counting in the book, which could be another good aspect of a book that you might reread.  Here is the basic plot.  Heidi is a stick insect, long and thin like the twig of a tree. It's her first day at Bug School, where she hopes to learn lots and make new friends. But no one will talk to her and no one will play with her at lunch. No one notices her at all - not even her teacher Miss Orb, because she's blending in with the branches a little too well.  Finally, Heidi speaks up for herself and Miss Orb comes up with a plan to help Heidi stand out.  There are many things to hunt for and find in the book, which is exactly what you would have to do outside to find some of these bugs in real life.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson is a bright light for everyone in the young adult literature scene, and now she has written a book for children.
"The Day You Begin

started with a poem in Brown Girl Dreaming about my great grandfather who was the only black child in an all-white school," Woodson told an interviewer. "My mom used to tell us there’d be moments when we walked into a room and no one there was like us. I’ve walked into those rooms many times during my childhood and beyond so I had the sense that this was true of most people and began writing the story."
And that, in a nutshell, is what the book is about.  First the sense of alienation, and then, when you take a risk, that it can all work out well, that people are more alike than they are different.  And it is beautifully illustrated.

The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara

I am on a search for good picture books that came out this year to get for our granddaughter.  I get them out of the library, and then make a decision if this is a story that I think will resonate, or one that will be enjoyable to read again and again.
This book features Mr. Tiffin and his class (which have apparently appeared in other books as well.  So same class, different featured student).  Kimmy has been hunting for fossils and studying dinosaurs her whole life and her class is going to a natural history museum, which is like a dream come true.  She experiences some momentary shyness when a classmate tells her that a girl cannot study dinosaurs.  Mr. Tiffin shows her otherwise, and the end of the book concludes with real life women who have contributed to paleontology.  One is Mary Anning, who was amongst the first fossil scientists, and the subject of Tracy Chevalier's book Remarkable Creatures.
There has never been a better time for dinosaur fans. New species are named at a dizzying rate, and refined techniques are telling us more about dinosaur lives than was ever possible before.  So encouraging the study of our planet's past is timely.