Duck, Duck, Moose by Mary Sullivan 
A young girl pleads with two ducks and moose for help in finding their missing friend, Goose. Silliness abounds, complemented by the amusing illustrations. Told mostly in speech bubbles with monosyllabic words. A first graphic novel for emergent readers.
Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library
Mr. Complain Takes the Train by Carlyn Beccia, Stephan Britt, Wade Bradford 
As his name signifies, Mr. Complain is a fussy fellow who is not enamored with his train ride until the train goes on a loop-de-loop roller coaster-like track. The book has a simple plot and some fun interactive pages where you read the book on its side and upside down. It makes a not so subtle point about complaining and may offer a humorous lesson for some preschool children. Incidentally, this book is by the same author as The Dinosaur on the Thirteenth Floor, which was the 2018 Lupine Award Picture book Honor title featuring illustrations by Kevin Hawkes.
Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library
How to Be Cooler Than Cool by Jean Jullien, Sean Taylor 
First cat, then cockatoo, and finally, pig each find the same pair of sunglasses. When they put them on, they instantly feel cool, which causes them to make some poor choices. Then Chick finds them and shows them that being yourself is the coolest thing to be. Amusing cartoon illustrations and frequent use of speech bubbles convey the subtle lesson that you don’t need to show off to have fun. A good readaloud for kindergarten and first grade. Also a good pick to give to certain kids – you know who they are!
Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library
Henry at Home by Alea Marley, Megan Maynor Liza and her little brother, Henry, have always done everything together. But that changes when Liza starts school leaving her little brother behind. Henry is devastated. The illustrations convey the loving relationship between these dark-skinned siblings. An often overlooked topic in the back-to-school genre: the experience of the younger sibling. An important book to add to libraries’ back-to-school collection.
Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library
Home Is Where the Heart Is by Emma Dodd Thirteenth volume of ‘Love You’ series. A celebration of what home means, featuring adorable mama cat and her kitten. Sweet, simple, and features shiny gold accents just like her other books. Toddlers, especially cat lovers, will identify with the small, white kitten who discovers that there really is no place like home.
Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library
Bears at the Beach by David Walker, Shirley Parenteau Once again, these sweet bears are out and about, this time on the beach. In their joint attempt to build a sand castle the bears learn some important skills needed by all children who visit the seashore or a lake with sand. As in life, when the first attempt fails it is time to move on to another approach. As always, the bears are charming creatures who each possess their own personality yet it is the group effort that saves the day. The rhyming flows as the seagulls themselves making for a satisfying storyline. Walker’s illustrations come alive with action in splendid seaside colors. This title lives up to the past 8 titles and is sure to delight young children and the adults who read to them.
Public librarians will want to add this book to their group of books written by Parenteau. Seaside and lake side pre-schools and primary schools should add this title to the media center and to early classroom collections. Parents and grandparents may well gift this book to little ones in their lives who enjoy the beach.
Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME
The Day Time Stopped by Flavia Ruotolo The concept of time is a challenge to many pre-school and primary age children. This book reveals how time differs in various locations upon our planet earth in a playful and interesting way. While one child in Italy is eating a treat at 5:33pm another in China is watching fireworks but the time is 12:33 am. Concept books are entertaining and educational; The Day Time Stopped will help explain how time differs across the world.
The illustrations are colorful but somewhat distorted and the storyline is limited. Add this book to classroom collections when children are taught about time.
Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME
Vivi Loves Science by Joelle Murray, Kimberly Derting, Shelli R. Johannes Vivi loves science. She’s really excited when her class is set to take a trip to the beach. What will she find, what will she learn? The teacher gives the kids a scavenger hunt, and they go off in search of beach animals, plants, and more. Throughout their explorations, the book includes information about the animals they’re finding. There is even a spot where it tells readers how to make their own aquascope. This book is a fun combination of science and exploration/adventure. The class is racially diverse as are the teachers. The digitally rendered illustrations are full of color and depict ocean animals well and with some accuracy. They really bring the emotion and excitement of the kids in the story to life.
Recommended for science lovers 4 and up. Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME
Zuri Ray Tries Ballet by Sharon Sordo, Tami Charles Zuri is up for anything — until her best friend suggests they go to ballet camp. Zuri isn’t a dancer. She loves sports, not dancing. She agrees to go, puts on ballet clothes, and hates every minute of it. The teacher asks Zuri why she’s upset after the class, and then reminds her that she doesn’t have move OR look like everyone else to dance. She says, “…dancing is all about imagination.” Zuri decides to dress and dance her own way, and despite the other kids’ initial reservations, they all come to love and explore different ways of dancing and moving.
This is a great story about being true to yourself and finding comfort in doing things your own way. Thankfully, Zuri had a very open minded teacher who allowed her to really express herself. Zuri is brown skinned and part of a biracial family, and the ballet class is composed of a diverse group of kids. The digitally rendered illustrations bring the dance class alive with movement and emotion and are full of colors and music.
Recommended for readers 4 and up. Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME
Toot & Puddle: How Does Your Garden Grow? by Holly Hobbie Toot and Puddle are back in Woodcock Pocket for another adventure. This time, they’re growing a garden but something keeps eating their crops at night. They decide to stay up all night to determine who the culprit is, and the find it’s a porcupine. After trying all sorts of things to keep the porcupine at bay, they decide it feels better to share. They plant a row of spinach right near the place where the porcupine enters and put up a sign encouraging the porcupine to help itself.
This book will be popular where Toot and Puddle are already a hit but it is also a story of kindness and compassion. The illustrations are like that of previous Toot and Puddle books, and the familiar characters will delight young readers. They add emotion to the story and will keep readers engaged.
Recommended for readers 3 and up. Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME