Malcolm at Midnight by W.H. Beck

When Malcolm becomes the latest classroom pet in McKenna School, everyone is delighted to have such a cute mouse join the menagerie of animals. The only problem is, Malcolm is not a mouse. He is in fact, a rat! He decides to keep his true identity a secret when he learns that rats are mistrusted by humans, as well as the Midnight Academy, who are a secret society of classroom pets. The Midnight Academy entrusts themselves with the task of keeping the children, or "nutters", as they call them, out of harm's way. But when Aggy, their iguana leader goes missing, Malcolm's true identity is revealed and he is blamed for her disappearance.

Malcolm must prove his innocence and also prove that rats can be trustworthy creatures despite their unsavory reputation. Along the way he meets a fellow rat named Clyde, who certainly does give rats a bad name, and a spiteful cat named Snip, who has her own particular revenge to exact.

This is a charming animal fantasy which will remind readers of other precocious pets such as Humphrey of Betty Birney's Humphrey Adventure series and Freddy of the I, Freddy series by Dietlof Rieche. Lovers of books about talking rodents, such as A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith and The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo will surely enjoy this book. 2013.

P.Sassoon

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan

This year's Newbery winner is a first person narration in the voice of  Ivan, a silverback gorilla, who resides at the Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. A large billboard outside the mall, which features prominently in the story's resolution, proclaims the presence of the One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback.

Ivan's has two best friends. The first is Stella, an old elephant, and another featured animal of the mall. The other is  Bob, a homeless dog who lives off scraps left by the mall patrons and who sleeps in Ivan's "domain," as he calls his glass walled cage.

Ivan was born in the wild and captured with his twin sister, Tag, who died during the trip to the U.S. He first lived with his trainer, Mack, in his house, but was transferred to the mall when he became too big and unmanageable to live with people. He has had no contact with other gorillas in the twenty-seven years since his capture and spends his life being stared at and imitated by the many people who pay to see him and the other animals.

While Ivan is generally disdainful of humans (slimy chimps), he does like Julia, the mall custodian's daughter. Julia is quiet and patient, unlike the noisy humans that Ivan sees all day. Julia is the one who first introduced Ivan to the world of art. When she noticed him watching her draw while she was waiting for her father, she pushed a crayon and some paper into his cage and he began drawing the things he saw. Mack, seeing the opportunity to further capitalize on the animals, began selling Ivan's drawings in the mall gift shop.

As Stella becomes older and sicker, Mack brings in a new, baby elephant, Ruby. He hopes to train Ruby to perform with Stella and bring in more business for his ailing circus. When Stella is dying, she extracts a promise from Ivan to provide a better life for Ruby than this mall existence.

This poignant tale is much more than an animal rights treatise. The author conveys a thoughtfulness and intelligence in the animals, especially character of Ivan, that lends depth to the story. Although obviously fictional, the book is based on a real gorilla that lives at the Atlanta Zoo. Despite the size of the book, it is a quick read. It has very short chapters, lots of white space on the pages and several illustrations. The personification of the animals will make this book appealing to a wide audience, not just animal lovers. 2012

R.Rauch

The Monkey and the Dove and Four Other True Stories of Animal Friendships, by Jennifer S. Holland

Unlikely Friendships for Kids

The Monkey and the Dove, by Jennifer S. Holland, is based on a best-selling adult book by the same author, Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom.  This book is interesting and appealing, illustrated with carefully selected photos. There are five chapters, describing five inter-species friendships, with beautifully-written narratives, including context, and closure, for each friendship pair. Recommended for animal lovers.

The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery, by Kevin Cornell Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by

The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery

J.J. Tully is a retired search and rescue dog, trying to relax and enjoy his new life on a farm. His peace and quiet is disturbed when a hen, Millicent, and her two chicks, Dirt and Sugar, try to enlist his services to rescue her other chicks, who have been kidnapped.

The alternating narrator is Vince, the farm dog,who lives in the farm house and resents another dog invading his territory. The kidnapping is really ruse to set J.J. up to receive the medical procedure for which Vince is scheduled. He also plans to bump off Millicent and all her chicks, laying the blame on J.J.

Can J.J. figure out who is responsible for the kidnapping and lay waste to Vince's plans? Will Millicent, whom J.J. call Moosh for no apparent reason, and her chicks be a help or a hindrance?

This book is a quick read with plenty of the humor that we have seen in Doreen Cronin's picture books. While any mystery reader can enjoy it, it is a good choice for those patrons who approach mysteries with trepidation or are assigned a mystery book report and don't like them because they are scary. 2011.

R. Rauch

Wiener Wolf, by Jeff Crosby

Wiener Wolf

This is a beautiful, funny book for anyone who, in loving a dog, recognizes their pet's inner wolf.

The deadpan but hilarious text and engaging illustrations combine perfectly to tell a story of longing and of love. The satisfying ending balances the dog's need for adventure and security, and provides both--with a heavy dash of comfort.

Highly recommended. 2011.

A Ball For Daisy by Chris Raschka

A Ball for Daisy

This wordless book features Daisy, a sweetly illustrated dog who obviously loves her red ball – to the point that she sleeps with it. Then one day on an outing to the park, another dog accidently bites it too hard and deflates it. Her joy now gone, Daisy is also deflated as she sadly makes her way back home.

But it all turns out well in the end. On her next outing to the park, Daisy gets a wonderful surprise from the puppy that accidentally broke her beloved toy – the gift of a new ball (this time blue). Both dog’s exuberance is contagious as they rush off playing together.

Packed with heartfelt emotion in every brush stroke, this is the perfect book to spark the imaginations of both young and old. 2011

A. Basso

The Fox and the Hen by Eric Battut

The Fox and the Hen

This is one of the most delightful of the crafty fox and silly hen stories. A sweet but naive hen gives her newly laid egg to a red fox in exchange for a worm. When she returns to the barnyard and announces the trade, her animal friends are appalled and implore her to go back to the fox and retrieve her egg. Fox, of course, refuses. Hen returns and reports the sad news. And so begins the animals' plan to help hen--each animal takes a turn accompanying Hen to Fox, offering all kinds of wonderful gifts: wool, cheese, feathers, seeds, milk. Fox rejects everything, saying each time how he might cook the egg: fried, scrambled, or hard boiled. Hen and her friends , undaunted, find an enormous oval stone, paint it white, and tempt Fox for one last time. It works! His eyes are bigger than his stomach. Hen is reunited with her egg, which hatches shortly after they return to the barnyard. Happiness prevails. Meanwhile, Fox is wondering why the giant egg is taking so darn long to cook. The illustrations are done in vivid shades of red and orange with the animals outlined in black. 2011.

M.Cooney

Dial M for Mongoose by Bruce Hale

Dial M for Mongoose

Chet Gecko and his detective partner, mockingbird Natalie Attired, are back for their fifteenth case. Serious shenanigans--a stink bomb, a fire and several thefts--are wreaking havoc at Emerson Hickey Elemetary and Chet's pal and supporter, Maureen DeBree, the head custodian, is taking all the heat. Principal Zero really has it in for her.

When Maureen gets fired and then the problems continue and escalate with a classroom collapse and the mysterious disappearance of several students, Chet and Natalie are determined to find out who is responsible and clear Maureen's name.

This is a fun read and a very light mystery. It is a good choice for anyone who wants a mystery but doesn't want to be too scared. Chet's 1940's style private-eye wisecracks are probably lost on kids, but can be amusing for any adults reading the book with or to children. 2009

R. Rauch

Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole, by Wong Herbert Yee

Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole

Mole is at first in rhapsodies over a magic performer he sees, but then becomes disillusioned and depressed when he realizes it's all "show biz." His friend, Mouse, takes him out into nature, and shows him one miracle after another, and they are all real!

This would be a great first chapter book for the child who is outgrowing beginning readers. 2007

K. Muhm

The Parade: A Stampede of Stories about Ananse, the Trickster Spider, by KP Kojo. Illustrated by Karen Lilje.

The Parade: A Stampede of Stories about Ananse, the Trickster Spider

The Parade, by KP Kojo, is a gem for folklore lovers of any age. The stories, all based on traditional African Anansi trickster tales, have been retold for elementary-aged readers, at about a fourth-grade (or even younger) reading level.

Each story stands on its own. The tales are so well-written that the reader can almost hear them being told aloud. Lots of action, humor and humanity make this collection very accessible, and, in fact, a joy to read. 2011.

K. Muhm

Mad at Mommy, by Komako Sakai

"I AM SO MAD AT YOU" yells little bunny to his mother, and then he proceeds to tell her all the reasons that he is angry with her: she always sleeps late on Saturdays, she never lets him watch cartoons, she never washes his socks, and most of all, SHE WILL NOT MARRY HIM WHEN HE GROWS UP!

When he gets bigger, he promises her, he will do just what he wants. So there. But for now he is going to leave home. Needless to say, that plan does not last long. He returns in a minute or two, supposedly to retrieve his ball. He cannot resist asking his mother if she missed him while he was gone. Of course she did! They hug--all is well. Even darling little bunnies need to vent once in a while.

The illustrations are done in pale blue, cream, black and white; they are subtle and striking at the same time, and pair charmingly with the story. 2010.
M. Cooney

The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties, by Toon Tellegen. Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg

This is a lovely collection of short, sweet, interconnected animal stories, reminiscent of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Perfect for bedtime read-alouds, the stories are gentle, thoughtful and comforting--each one satisfying, with emotional depth. The lovely illustrations perfectly complement the stories with their beauty and innocence. This collection will be a classic. 2009.

K. Muhm

Ortega, by Maureen Fergus

Ortega is no ordinary 11-year-old. Sure he enjoys hanging out with his friends, disagrees with his mom on a regular basis and is trying to find where he belongs in his new middle school. But the most interesting thing about Ortega is that he's actually a GORILLA! Scientists taught him to talk, read and write from an early age as part of "Project Ortega", an experiment whose goal was to see if a wild animal could be integrated into human society. Dr. Susan, the only mother he has ever known, is Ortega's fiercest champion as he awkwardly tries to blend into middle school life. For not all of Ortega's classmates nor their parents are thrilled to have a enormous gorilla in their midst. When one of the scientists on the team decides to sell Ortega and abandon the experiment, Dr. Susan must find a way to show everyone that Ortega is more than just a science project.

The author does a fantastic job of conveying the conflicting animal/human elements of Ortega's personality, while mirroring the adolescent angst that any typical 11-year-old experiences. Told with humor and heart this tale will appeal to a wide range of audiences while bringing to mind the issues of discrimination and animal as well as human rights. 2010.

P. Sassoon

I Don’t Like Gloria! By Kaye Umansky

Gloria is the cat who arrives at the family home and immediately grabs all the attention away from our main character, Calvin, the dog. Calvin’s fantastic facial expressions and the heartfelt, repeated refrain, “I don’t like Gloria!” pepper this humorous tale. The two remain at odds throughout the story, until the end, when a new family pet (a bunny, named Jeffery) is added into the mix. Calvin and Gloria now have something in common. “I still don’t like Gloria, and Gloria doesn’t like me,” says Calvin. “But at least we agree on one thing. We really don’t like Jeffrey!” A great choice to share with the preschool storytime crowd. 2007
A. Basso

We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

There is a reason young elementary students (and adults) adore Mo Willems. It's an art to a evoke a stirring emotional truth within the necessary constraints of a beginning reader.

A great beginning reader is as tightly crafted as a perfect poem. It has to be concise, emotionally engaging, have a satisfying plot line, and the language must be simple enough for new readers to decode. The illustrations need to support the text by offering clues to the word meanings, on every page.

Willems' latest, We Are in a Book, delivers humor as well as poignancy in this limited-vocabulary story. The two characters, Elephant and Piggie, become self-conscious when they realize they are characters in this book. At first they feel powerful, but when they consider that all books eventually end, they go through a kind of existential angst. They eventually come up with a solution that the reader can choose to implement, by re-reading the book.

We Are in a Book is the twelfth title in Mo Willems' beginning reader series, "Elephant & Piggie." 2010.

K. Muhm

Pete's Disappearing Act, by Jenny Tripp

When Pete, the performing poodle, and his chimpanzee partner, Rita, are swept up in a tornado, they are separated from their circus. They have quite a series of adventures as they try to get back to the circus including encounters with a flock of very intelligent birds, a performing duck named Quackers, some nasty kidnappers and would-be killers. These two really discover the truth behind the statement, "There's no place like home." 2009.
R. Rauch

Waiting for Winter, by Sebastian Meschenmoser

This beautiful picture book tells the story of a squirrel who decides not to hibernate until he gets to see snow. His attempts to stay awake wake up hedgehog and bear, and they all wait eagerly for the snow. After a few false starts at identifying snow (they think a toothbrush and a tin can and a sock, in turn, might be snow) they finally get to see it. The pictures of the woods are sparse and lovely, and the animals are adorably rumpled looking. 2009.
M. Adams

Two Bobbies, by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery

The touching picture book tells the true story of the friendship between a dog and a cat in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They stick together and care for each other as they wander the streets, and when they are taken in by a shelter it becomes clear just how special the bond between them is. 2008.
M. Adams