Picture Books to Enrapture Young Readers

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By Maria Russo


Maria Russo is the children’s books editor for the Book Review.


LITTLE DOCTOR AND THE FEARLESS BEAST 
Written and illustrated by Sophie Gilmore.

From “Little Doctor and the Fearless Beast.”

Little Doctor is a specialist in crocodiles, as we can see from the enormous green patients who flock to her examination room (which, shhhh, may just be a backyard office). She ministers to them with deep concentration, applying long bandages and tender, expert care — and cures them all except a toughie called Big Mean, who refuses to unclasp her jaws. There’s a scary trip inside the beast’s mouth, and a happy ending involving the adorable hatchlings Big Mean was of course carrying in there. With its softly detailed, virtuoso art and a perfectly wrought story full of heart and respect for the imaginative rules of children’s play, this debut shines.
32 pp. Owlkids. (Ages 4 to 8.)

Buy book here.


THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME 
By Eloise Greenfield. Illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi.

Image: “Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me”

In this charming book of linked poems — the story of a pup who speaks, but only in verse — the distinguished children’s poet Greenfield glides gracefully between rhyme, free verse, haiku and rap. A boy named Jace becomes the dog’s owner. He names him Thinker (“I’m deep and I’m a poet,” the dog warns. “A cute name’s not O.K.”) and the two have back-and-forth chats about life. On every page, Abdollahi’s collaged illustrations bring the characters to life with a soulful flair.
32 pp. Jabberwocky/Sourcebooks. (Ages 4 to 8.)

Buy book here.


 

MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE
By Isabel Quintero. Illustrated by Zeke Peña.

Image: “My Papi Has a Motorcycle.”

Southern California is home to almost 24 million, yet few picture books show us life there, or tell stories about its vibrant immigrant communities. This delightful book bursts into the gap: A girl named Daisy takes a spin on the back of her carpenter papi’s motorcycle, greeting friends and relatives, noting historical murals and stopping at his work site. “Even in all that noise, my papi’s voice touches everything,” she says. There’s no earthshaking story, just the sweet rumble of family love, neighborhood pride, the dignity of work and the joy of a fast ride. Yet Quintero’s warm, economical text and the desert-sunset tones of Peña’s comics-inflected art feel like a revelation.
32 pp. Kokila/Penguin Random House. (Ages 4 to 8.)

Buy book here.


SOCK STORY 
By CK Smouha. Illustrated by Eleonora Marton.

 
 
Image: “Sock Story.”

Two socks, a pair, tumble around in the washing machine, doing tricks like “double axel triple flip” and annoying the larger items. It’s all fun and games until the spin cycle, when they’re separated — and one takes refuge in the pocket of a non-color-fast red shirt. Eek! Can an unmatching duo still be partners? Those raising a style-conscious child will know the answer these days is a resounding yes. Still, Smouha and Marton wring genuine suspense and edgy humor out of this clever, colorful tale.
32 pp. Cicada. (Ages 4 to 8.)

Buy book here.


THE HIDEOUT

By Susanna Mattiangeli. Illustrated by Felicita Sala.

Image: “The Hideout.”

Nothing beats a secret place, and even better if, as in this enthralling story, it’s hidden in a public space. Someone’s calling Hannah, but she’s decided to go live inside a bush in the park, wearing a feather cape, making a fire and befriending an Odd Furry Creature. Or did she just draw the whole thing? The homage here to “Where the Wild Things Are” may be subtle, but it brings a smile.
32 pp. Abrams. (Ages 4 to 8.)

Buy book here.


POWER UP
By Seth Fishman. Illustrated by Isabel Greenberg.

Image: “Power Up.”

Your pinkie, this innovative book explains, “has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world” for a day. Fishman and Greenberg (“A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars”) turn something kids instinctively understand — the energy in our bodies — into a lesson in biology and physics, and the real importance of food and sleep.
40 pp. Greenwillow/HarperCollins. (Ages 4 to 8.)

Buy book here.


CAMP TIGER
By Susan Choi. Illustrated by John Rocco.

Image: “Camp Tiger.”

Summer’s almost over, and the narrator of this sweetly mysterious first children’s book by the literary novelist Choi is dreading the start of first grade. A family camping trip brings him face to face with a tiger — one that talks. With the tiger’s help, the boy catches a fish and even, in a stunning wordless sequence, ventures into the woods at night to leap across rocks and howl at the moon. Rocco’s (“Blackout”) art gives an emotionally astute story even more depth.
40 pp. Putnam. (Ages 5 to 8.)

 


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