Summer Reading Roundup For Kids and Teens

Recently Published Children's Books by Hudson Valley Authors

by Susan Krawitz, Nina Shengold, June 26, 2008

PICTURE BOOKS:
Because You Are My Baby
Sherry North, illustrated by Marcellus Hall
Abrams Books for Young readers, 2008, $16.95
What would you do for your child? Would you write a hit song, throw a winning touchdown, make a “Pisa pizza” 12 feet high? Engagingly illustrated bedtime comfort food captures the to-the-ends-of-the-Earth bond between parent and baby. The artwork by Chronogram frequent flyer Marcellus Hall plays nicely with North’s text.

Ladybug Girl
David Soman & Jacky Davis
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008, $16.99
To her lofty brother, Lulu’s just a pesky little sister, but send her outdoors and she’s Ladybug Girl, able to rescue endangered ants, walk a fallen tree trunk without slipping, and leap shark-infested puddles in a single bound! Created by a local husband-and-wife team, this affirmative big girl adventure recently hit the New York Times children’s bestseller list.

Trainstop
Barbara Lehman
Houghton Mifflin, 2008, $16
A little girl and her parents take their usual subway ride, but when all the grown-ups fall asleep, the train makes a stop that’s definitely off the beaten track. An enchanting adventure ensues, and when the train moves on, the grown-ups awaken, none the wiser. Real, or just a dream? The conductor seems to know. An imaginative wordless tale from Caldecott honoree Lehman.

The Wolves Are Back
Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Wendell Minor
Dutton Children’s Books, 2008, $16.99
When Yellowstone’s wolves were exterminated, no one realized that its badgers would disappear too, as would Vesper sparrows, bears, and wildflowers. This compelling pairing of an acclaimed illustrator and legendary children’s author (My Side of the Mountain) depicts nature’s chain of coexistence, and what happens when mankind breaks and then restores it.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Eugene W. Field, illustrated by Giselle Potter
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008, $16.99
“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night sailed off in a wooden shoe ...” And then what? The trio’s adventures are stranger than you may remember: seems the fellas are fishing for stars. Kingston resident Giselle Potter’s gorgeously illustrated re-visioning of this poem brings out the nocturnal magic and charm of a timeless classic.