Arnosky, Jim. Babies In The Bayou. Illustrated by the author. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 13: 978-0-399-22653-3. $16.99. Ages 4-8. The mommies of the bayou stay busy teaching their babies how to survive while protecting their little ones from the dangers all around.

Ayres, Katherine.  Up, Down, and Around.  Nadine Bernard Westcott.  ISBN 13: 978-0-7636-2378-4 $16.99. Paperback: 978-0-7636-4017-0 $6.99.  Big Book: 978-0-7636-4018-7 $24.99. Candlewick Press.  Ages 4-8. Gardening becomes a delightful adventure where some grow up, some down, some around and around providing nutritious, delicious food for everyone.

Bruel, Robert O.  Bob and Otto.  Illustrated by Nick Bruel.  Roaring Brook Press.  ISBN 13: 978-1-59643-203-1  $15.95.  Ages 4-8.  A worm and a caterpillar enjoy spending time together until life takes them apart.  When they meet again they come to appreciate the other’s role in life.

Ficocelli, Elizabeth. Kid Tea. Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 13: 978-0-7614-5333-8. $14.99. Ages 3-8. The dirt on the kid makes color in the tub when you make kid tea. Whether it’s Brown Kid Tea on Mud-Pie Monday or Blue Kid Tea on Saturday Splatter Day—getting clean is fun every day of the week.

Friend, Catherine.  The Perfect Nest.  Illustrated by John Manders.  Candlewick Press.  ISBN 13: 978-0-7636-2430-9. $16.99.  Ages 4-8. Jack the Cat’s scheme to build the perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken, who will lay the perfect egg for him to make a perfect omelet, turns out a little differently than he plans.

Gonzalez, Maya Christina.  My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi mundo. Children’s Book Press. ISBN 13: 978-0-89239-221-6. $16.95. Ages 4-8.  The colors of the southwestern desert surround Maya with the unique beauty of hot pink sunsets, purple and orange blossoms, and the dark blue of the night sky.

Horacek, Petr.  Butterfly Butterfly: A Book of Colors. Candlewick Press. ISBN 13: 978-0-7636-3343-1. $12.99. Ages 2-5. Colorful die cut pages compel the reader to join Lucy exploring in the garden in search of a butterfly.

Jay, Allison.  1 2 3: A Child’s First Counting Book.  Dutton Children’s Books.  ISBN 13: 978-0-525-47836-2. $15.99. Ages 4-8. Fairy tale surprises and stories within the story provide pages to peruse again and again.

Johnson, Angela. Lily Brown’s Paintings. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Orchard Books. ISBN 13: 9778-0-439-78225-8. Ages 4-8. Lily Brown’s everyday experiences are reflected in the pictures she paints and her imagination allows them to become magical and wondrous.

Kasza, Keiko. Badger’s Fancy Meal. ISBN: 978-0-399-24603-6. G. P. Putnam’s and Sons. $16.99. Ages 4-8.  Badger is in search of a fancy meal---something out of the ordinary, and then discovers that veggies, fruit and worms might be best after all.

Katz, Susan.  Oh, Theodore!  Illustrated by Stacey Schuett.  ISBN 13: 978-0-618-70222-0. Clarion Books. $16.00. Ages 4-8. Lively poems and vibrant illustrations combine to tell the story of a boy who wanted a dog but got a personable guinea pig instead.

Klise, Kate. Imagine Harry. Illustrated by Sarah M. Klise. Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 13: 978-0-15-205704-6. $16.00. Ages 3-7. Having an invisible friend named Harry makes Little Rabbit’s days special until he goes to school and makes many new friends.

McElligott, Matthew. Bean Thirteen. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 13: 978-0-399-24535. $15.99. Ages 5-8. When friends share 13 beans, it all works out perfectly, if not evenly, in this mathematical quest for equal shares.

Rylant, Cynthia. Mr. Putter and Tabby See the Stars. Illustrated by Arthur Howard. Harcourt. ISBN 13: 978-0-15-206075-6. $14.00. Ages 6-8. Mr. Putter eats too many sweet treats and gets a tummy ache. After a midnight walk with Tabby, he has a lovely chat with his neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry.

Schertle, Alice. Very Hairy Bear.  Illustrated by Matt Phelan.  Harcourt, Inc.  ISBN 13: 978-0-15-216568-0.  $16.00. Ages 2-6. Spring, summer, fall and winter come and go with a lovable, boulder-big, shaggy, raggy, very hairy bear and his no-hair nose.

Schoenherr, Ian. Pip and Squeak. Greenwillow Books.  ISBN 13: 978-0-06-087253-3. $16.99. Ages 2-6. The surprise of snow distracts Pip and Squeak as they leave for a friend’s party and later discover that they forgot the present.

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories.  Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 13: 978-1-59643-053-2. $12.95. Ages 3-7. In three short stories, two friends have fun around the house getting down from a chair, reading and playing together, and trying to decide on a new name for dog.

Teckentrup, Britta. Big Smelly Bear.  Sterling/Boxer Books.  ISBN 13: 978-1-905417-37-3. $12.95. Ages 2-6.  Big Smelly Bear doesn’t see the need for a bath until a new friend points out that he really needs one! 

Tourville, Amanda Doering. A Crocodile Grows Up.  Illustrated by Michael Denman and William J. Huiett. Picture Window Books.  ISBN 13: 978-1-4048-3157-5.  $18.95. Ages 4-8. A newly hatched crocodile learns the skills of survival from her mother.

Van Fleet, Matthew. Dog. Photography by Brian Stanton. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-4137-8. $14.99. Ages 2 up. Dog photos that almost leap off the page combine with furry textures, pull-tabs, rhyming words, opposites and concepts that will entice children to repeated readings.