Twenty-six Princesses
Dave Horowitz
G.P. Putnam, March 2008, $15.99
Rosendale gefiltemeister Horowitz hits another bull-seye with this read-aloud tale of a frog prince besieged by an alphabet’s worth of royal attitude. The pastel collages are laugh-out-loud funny, and kids will delight in choosing their favorite princesses. Smelly Nell, petite Pearl, or lisping Ruth (mithing a tooth)?
David Horowitz will be doing a reading and signing of Twenty-six Princesses at Inquiring Minds in New Paltz on April 26, at 2pm.
Zen Ties
Jon J Muth
Scholastic Press, February 2008, $17.99
Zen Shorts’ multi-award-winning do-gooder panda (who doubles as zen life coach and huggable hassock) shares a meaningful summer with three human children and his bow-tied nephew Koo, who arrives by train, speaking in haiku, and leaves with a cupful of memories. Muth’s watercolors are stunning.
LaRue For Mayor:
Letters From the Campaign Trail
Mark Teague
Blue Sky Press, March 2008, $16.99
Teague’s epistolary pooch returns—after bestselling missives from obedience school and detective files—to take on a dog-hating candidate. Children’s lit doesn’t get much more timely than this frisky take on dirty-tricks campaigns, and the color-splashed illustrations are full of enticing details.
The Sheep That Swam
written by Claudine Craig, illustrated by Michael Sherker
Hudson House, 2007, $16.
A loving tribute to the joys of the exploring the road not traveled (for Marvin the sheep, a whaleback ride to a tropical island) and coming back home safe and sound. Sherker’s watercolors capture the spontaneity of Marvin’s swim on the wild side, and who can resist a book inspired by Pete Seeger?
CatKid: Three’s A Crowd
by Brian James, illustrated by Ned Woodman
Scholastic, 2008, $3.99
Woodstock author James’s feisty heroine is half cat, half kid, and all energy! CatKid may have pointy ears and an irresistible yen for fish sticks, but in this fourth volume of the young-reader series, she faces an all-too-human dilemma: Her best friend is straying. What’s a CatKid to do? Hiss or purr?
Skies Over Sweetwater
Julia Moberg
Keene Publishing, 2008, $15
Warwick-based Keene Publishers launched Marburg’s high-flying young adult novel, telling the little-known saga of WWII’s WASP (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots) through the eyes of a courageous 18-year-old flyer from Iowa who calls herself Byrd. A Literary Guild and Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club selection, this is a lively read for teens, especially adventure-loving girls.
