My rating:

A wolf is sick of eating vegetable soup and longs to eat a lamb, when he hears a knock at the door, and discovers a young, half-frozen lamb at his door, hoping to get in out of the winter cold. The wolf welcomes the lamb in, thinking of her as his meal, but he realizes he can't eat her frozen, so he helps to warm her. Next, she's hungry, so he feeds her, then tries to stop her hiccups--and the little lamb hugs him, which makes him feel funny about eating her. But he gets hungry again, and realizes he wants to eat her, so he shoves her outside to safety--and then realizes how much he misses her. After a frantic hunt for her, he goes back home to discover her there, and they decide to live together as friends. This is a heartwarming story with great tension, humor, and a satisfying emotional payoff, and it's written and illustrated beautifully.

Smallman creates instant and strong reader empathy for the lamb by making it clear that the lamb is young ("little lamb"), cold, naive (by knocking on the door of a wolf, and not running away when she sees that it's a wolf), and in potential danger from a hungry wolf. This reader empathy remains throughout the book, and is increased by discovering that the lamb is also being hungry, innocent, and sweet, and in frequent, though reducing, danger of the wolf. . . .

My rating:

Earmuffle Avenue is a quiet street until the Louds move in. The quiet neighbors, who all treasure their quiet, are aghast at the noise, and one by one, they go to complain to the Loud family, and reject the Loud family's friendly offers. But when the Loud family appears to have left, the quiet neighbors begin to miss the noise, even going so far as to make noise themselves, until, when the Loud family returns from vacation, they rush to welcome them back. This is a funny, appealing book about accepting others, reaching out to other people, and experiencing new things.

Crimi's text moves quickly from the setup--how quiet it's always been on Earmuffle Avenue--to the point of change, when the Louds move in, and this brings quick interest. From the onset, readers are set up to welcome and like the Louds, even with their noisiness . . . .

My rating:

Can a cat make someone happier? In this book, as often is true in life, it can. Mrs. Crump, a grumpy older woman, doesn't like cats—but when a wet golden cat slips into her house on a rainy night, she doesn't immediately put it out. Instead, she puts a log on the fire, and thinks she'll send the cat away when it's dry. But when the cat is dry, it winds itself around her legs and mews hungrily, and when it rejects the bread she puts out, she goes to town and gets some cream for the cat, thinking she'll feed it and then send it on its way. This continues, with Mrs. Crump continually putting off making the cat leave, until finally she discovers that she really does like and need the cat. This is a humourous, touching book about loneliness and isolation, friendship and companionship, and the way that animals and friendly beings can break through even the greatest defenses.

Mrs. Crump's Cat is a well-written story that propels the reader forward, wanting to know what happens to both the cat and Mrs. Crump. Even Mrs. Crump's name is aptly chosen—every time I read it, I think of "grump," which it rhymes with, and which Mrs. Crump is at first. Smith uses irony, depth of character, and hidden kindness to bring the story alive . . . .

My rating:

Most of us know what it's like to feel a little shy or introverted some of the time. Some of us know what it's like to be that way a lot. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, will speak to anyone who's ever had a hard time reaching out to others, feeling secure, or knowing that they are loved.

In the book, Mr. Hatch goes to work, keeps to himself, and doesn't interact much with others except for the exchange of a few words when he needs necessities. But on Valentine's day, Mr. Hatch receives a huge box of chocolates with an anonymous note that says "Somebody loves you." Mr. Hatch feels like someone cares about him, and that tiny event changes him. He begins to reach out to others, to smile and say hello, to share his chocolates—and people respond to him. He starts helping people more, too. Soon Mr. Hatch has a lot of friends and enjoys interacting with others and making them (and himself) happy. Then one day, the postman tells him that he delivered the box of chocolates and the note to him by accident—it wasn't meant for him at all. Mr. Hatch immediately retreats into his shell, thinking he really isn't cared about, after all. No one can figure out what's wrong with him—until the postman tells someone, and they tell someone else. All Mr. Hatch's new friends band together to show Mr. Hatch just how much they care about him—and Mr. Hatch realizes he really is loved.

This is a heartwarming story about friendship; loneliness, shyness, and isolation; opening your heart to others; and realizing that if you reach out to others, even in small ways, others will often reach back to you.

My rating:

In this entertaining tale of sharing, co-operation, and friendship, five little fiends live, lonely and isolated, inside their own statues, coming out only to look at their surroundings. They each decide to take what they love the best—the moon, the sky, the sea, the land, and the sun—and holed them away in their statues. But then they discover that those things can't exist without each other—the sun couldn't stay up without the sky, the sky couldn't be found without the land. . . . So in the end, they decide to put everything back and admire it together.

The text is simple, well written, and profound. It flows easily, with just enough writing paired with each image to be satisfying and to tell the story well . . . .

My rating:

Willems (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale)has written an endearing story about a little monster who isn't good at scaring people. He tries hard to, but he just can't. So he finds the most frightened kid in the world—Sam—and sneaks up to scare him. But when Sam cries, Leonardo discovers it's not because he scared him, it's because of a lot of other things (his brother took and then broke his favorite action figure, he kicked the table and stubbed his toe, got soap in his eyes). Leonardo hesitates, and then decides to become Sam's friend.

Willems' text is succinct and humourous, with a mixture of kid-like humor . . . .