Mars Needs Moms by Berkeley Breathed
Philomel, 2007
Recommended readers: Ages 4-8
Cautions: A little scary - one page looks like the mom may have expired.

Publisher’s description:
Milo doesn’t get it: What’s the big deal about moms? They’re just slavedriving broccoli bullies. Yet they are worshipped the world over! Perhaps even the galaxy over—because here come Martians and they’re after one thing only: moms. Milo’s mom in particular. Who better to drive them to soccer practice and to pizza parties? That’s quite a long way to come for a mom—could it be that Milo has been overlooking something special?

KIWI Bookworms review:
Nicknaming his mom a “broccoli bully,” this little boy feels like his mom’s purpose is to impose excessive restrictions.  Martians capture her (they need moms to drive them to soccer practice), so he travels to Mars to save her, finally realizing how much she means to him.  This story might be scary for some children; mom faints on Mars and must be revived.

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Moon Plane by Peter McCarty
Henry Holt, 2006
Recommended readers: Ages 1-4.
Cautions:
Publisher’s description:
A young boy sees a plane overhead and imagines himself in it, traveling all the way to the moon. What does he see on his way? With characteristically spare prose, Caldecott Honor winner Peter McCarty invites readers along for an imaginary trip from the earth to the moon and back again, visiting trains, planes, and boats along the way. McCarty’s luminous illustrations make the boy’s fantasy into a dreamlike journey that ends in his mother’s arms—a perfect way to end the day.
Kiwi Bookworms review:
Every child can relate to gazing skyward at airplanes and imagining what it would be like to fly a plane.  The story is simple, but the watercolor illustrations take your child to the sky, the moon, and finally to the safety of his own bed.

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My Granny Went to Market by Stella Blackstone, illustrations: Christopher Corr
Barefoot Books, 2006
Recommended readers: Ages 0-4
Cautions:
Publisher’s description:
Fly away with Granny as she takes a magic carpet ride around the world, collecting a steadily increasing number of souvenirs from each exotic location! This rhyming story will take young readers on an adventure to different countries while teaching them to count along the way.

Kiwi Bookworms review:

It can be challenging to find books about world travel for Pre-K children, but this is a colorful celebration of cultures and counting.  Granny races around the world on her magic carpet.
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The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
NY: Little, Brown and Company
Recommended readers: Ages 9-12
Cautions: Chase scenes, perhaps a little frightening

Publisher’s description:
Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children-two boys and two girls-succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they’ll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you’re gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.
KIWI Bookworms review:
This 485-page book is daunting, but it is a flashlight-under-the-covers page-turner.  Reynie Muldoon answers a classified ad for gifted children seeking special opportunities.  After passing a gauntlet of tests, he ascends the Benedict Society where he embarks on a secret mission.  Messages about confronting your fears and self-reliance shine through the intricate text.

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Adèle & Simon by Barbara McClintock
NY: Frances Foster Books
Recommended readers: Ages 4-8
Cautions:
Publisher’s description:
When Simon’s older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything. But as they make their way home, distractions cause Simon to leave something behind at every stop. What will they tell their mother?
Kiwi Bookworms review:
Travel back to early 20th-century Paris with siblings Simon and Adèle. Simon can’t keep track of his belongings and leaves them all over famous places in Paris, all beautifully illustrated in an old-world style.
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Toy Dance Party – By Emily Jenkins

Being the Further Adventures of a Bossy-Boots Stingray, a Courageous Buffalo, and a Hopeful Round Someone Called Plastic

Illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky;

Random House/Schwartz & Wade, 2008

Recommended readers – 9-12

Cautions: All clear

Description from publisher

Lumphy, StingRay and Plastic are back. In this sequel to Toys Go Out, the trio finds that their little girl has left for winter vacation – without them.

As the girl starts to grow up and give her attention to silent Barbies and sleepovers, the three best friends must join together to brave a blizzard, save the toy mice from the vacuum, go to the movies, make pink milk and throw an all-out dance party with the washing machine. With text that begs to be read aloud, and bold, colorful paintings, this book will have readers big and small pondering the spectrum of moods and how they can change from day to day.

Kiwi Magazine Review

Toys not where you left them? Suspicious trail of gold glitter glue? I knew it all along that the toys in our house have a very active life of their own when the family is out.

This book which is a compilation of stories is an instant favorite with its charming family of toys, each vying for Honey’s special attention. They all compete to be the one taken to the sleepover or the movies, but they also look out for each other, even sewing up each other’s holes and making sure every toy is safe and happy.

But they worry about the silent Barbies taking over their most-favored toy status. This book made me take a second look at all of the stuffed animals and toys in our house and wonder what they might be up to. I also got out the sewing kit to repair a stuffed gecko so he wouldn’t feel so bad about the hole in his tail.

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Animals by Premier Maldonado

Osmosis, 2006

Recommended readers- 2+

Cautions:

Publisher’s Description:

Double Speak

Top-notch materials for raising a bilingual child.

Helping your child learn a second language, even if you’re not fluent, has many advantages, from improving his or her overall communication skills and appreciation of other cultures to simply spending time together. These tools will encourage your child to stay tuned-in to language learning.

KIWI Bookworm Review:

A new take on dictionaries and lift-the-flap, this bilingual (Spanish-English) book has sliding word windows which show the English and Spanish words with colorful illustrations. Other sliding window books include House and Body. Osmosis also other bilingual products such as coloring books, DVDs and placemats.
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Minutka, The Bilingual Dog by Anna Mycek-Wodecki

Milet, 2007

Recommended Readers: 2+

Cautions:

Publisher’s Description:

Meet Minutka, a lovable, playful dog who is bilingual: she is fluent in English and Spanish! Minutka even dreams in both languages!

She shows us how much fun it is to be in a family, to play around the house and garden and with friends, and to be bilingual.

With beautifully expressive, witty illustrations and a highly contemporary design, Minutka delights readers of all ages. Anyone who has ever known or loved a pet will instantly recognize and laugh at what Minutka does: how she shakes paw, snatches socks, runs in circles . . . Minutka is for everyone: you don’t need to be a child or bilingual to be entertained and entranced by this lovable dog!

KIWI Bookworm Review:

Minutka is a charming little bilingual dog who even dreams in two languages. In this version, Minutka speaks Polish and English, although other languages are available. Milet offers a wide range of bilingual books and dictionaries for children in more than 25 languages.

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Up, Down and Around by Katherine Ayres

Candlewick, 2007

Recommended Readers- 2-4

Cautions:

Publisher’s Description:

From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to ants burrowing underground, everything in this vibrant picture book pulses with life — in all directions! Sprightly illustrations set the mood for a rhythmic text that follows nature’s course to a feast of backyard bounty.

KIWI Bookworm Review:

“Corn grows up. Carrots grow down. Cucumbers climb around and around.” This delightful book takes kids on a tour of a backyard garden where every seed knows which way to go in order to grow. Repetition and rhyme accompany pages bursting with color to make this a toddler favorite.

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Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jen Corace

Chronicle, 2005

Recommended Readers-3+

Cautions:

Publisher’s Review:

Little Pea — If Little Pea doesn’t eat all of his sweets, there will be no vegetables for dessert! What’s a young pea to do? Children who have trouble swallowing their veggies will love the way this pea-size picture book serves up a playful story they can relate to.

KIWI Bookworm Review:

If kids have to eat their vegetables before they get dessert, just imagine what Little Pea has to eat! Little Pea’s parents insist he finish all of his candy before he gets his favorite treat: spinach. Everyone loves a hap-pea ending!
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