KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY by Mo Willems

In this sequel to the Caldecott-winning Knuffle Bunny, Trixie and her daddy return in a new Knuffle Bunny adventure. This time Trixie brings Knuffle Bunny to her preschool show-and-tell, only to discover that Sonja, another student in her class, has the same bunny. After much arguing and fussing, their teacher takes the bunnies away, which results in a 2 a.m. swapping arrangement.

Mo Willems's appealing illustrations, set against the amazing photographic backdrop of New York City, make for a pleasurable reading and viewing experience. I actually enjoyed this sequel more than the original. Kids also will relate to the feelings Trixie experiences, from not having her bunny be as unique as she first believes to her anxiety when she realizes she has the wrong bunny.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD by Jerry Pinkney

In this fairy tale classic, Jerry Pinkney retells Red Riding Hood’s tale with beautifully detailed and thorough illustrations. This is the traditional cautionary tale to remind children of the importance of following the directions on one’s elders. In this version of the tale, the wolf eats both Grandmama and Little Red Riding Hood and then falls into a deep sleep. A passing woodcutter hears the wolf’s snores, and thinking there may be something wrong with Grandmama, goes in and discovers the wolf, with a writhing belly. After quickly assessing the situation, the woodcutter kills the wolf and cuts open his stomach, releasing Little Red Riding Hood and Grandmama.

This is a fairly typical retelling of the Red Riding Hood story. The book’s strongest point is its illustrations, and although they are quite detailed, the style is not my personal favorite. However, I like to have multiple versions of various fairy tales available in my library for comparing and contrasting.

ORANGE PEAR APPLE BEAR by Emily Gravett

This story plays primarily with the same four words over and over. Throughout the story, we see individual pictures of an orange, a pear, an apple, and a bear. Then we see variations on these, such as an orange-colored pear, an orange-colored bear, and even a green pear-shaped bear. The book concludes with the bear eating each of the pieces of fruit, and the last page reads “There!”, so the book consists of just five total words.

This is a great way to introduce little ones to rhyming, adjectives, and fruits. I like the simple, friendly-looking illustrations. There is just white space behind each page’s focal point, so children will not be easily distracted by the page background. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of preschool-aged children.

DIMITY DUMPTY: THE STORY OF HUMPTY'S LITTLE SISTER by Bob Graham

We all know the old nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty—but who knew he had a timid little sister named Dimity? It turns out that the Dumptys are a traveling circus family. Mom, Dad, and Humpty all perform before the crowds, but shy little Dimity much prefers playing the flute her father crafted for her. When vandalizing Humpty takes his historic fall, it is little Dimity who senses that something is wrong and comes to her brother's aid.

This is a story about finding one's voice. I like this story because it highlights the fact that even those who do not seem to readily fit in have an important place in the overall scheme of things—and as a fellow quiet, shy person, I appreciate Dimity's struggle and her courage.

MOTHER GOOSE: NUMBERS ON THE LOOSE by Leo and Diane Dillon

This is a unique collection of some well-known and a number of lesser-known nursery rhymes containing various numbers. Each time a number is used in a rhyme, it is highlighted in purple, making it stand out from the rest of the text. In an introductory Illustrator’s Note, the Dillons explain the process they went through to locate the rhymes used in the text.

Although I appreciate the book as a variation on the traditional Mother Goose format, I was expecting more of a counting book. Basically this book is just a collection of nursery rhymes that contain random numbers. The rhymes are not arranged in numerical order or in any organized fashion, so I wouldn’t see it as much of a teaching tool, more just a collection of rhymes.