ONCE UPON A NORTHERN LIGHT (PICTURE BOOK)

Once Upon a Northern Night by Jean E. Pendziwol and Isabelle Arsenault. A wintry lullaby, framed in frost. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

KING FOR A DAY (PICTURE BOOK)

King for a Day by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Christiane Kromer. A boy in a wheelchair bests a bully during Basant, the spring kite-flying festival in Pakistan. Unique multimedia collage illustrations add color and interest to a realistic story with many facets. An excellent addition both to multicultural and general collections, and always fun to learn about another celebration in the world! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

OWL KNOW HOW (PICTURE BOOK)

Owl Know How by Cat Rabbit and Isobel Knowles. The cloud town is sinking! Through some ingenious problem-solving of a DIY-minded rabbit and some owls with very strong wings, the town will be saved. Charming illustrations are photographs of handmade dolls, a la Etsy. The book even comes with a pattern for making your own owl! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

CUTE & CUTER (PICTURE BOOK)

Cute & Cuter by Michael Townsend. Sir Yips-a-Lot vs. Lady Meow-Meow.  Place your bets now.   Funny and slightly edgy appreciation of what we bring to the table, regardless of where we fall on the cute-o-meter. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

MY NEIGHBOR IS A DOG (PICTURE BOOK)

My Neighbor Is a Dog by Isabel Minhos Martins, illustrated by Madalena Matoso. So many interesting neighbors are moving in! A dog, an elephant couple, a crocodile...but the boy's parents are miffed (never mind that they are giraffes) and pack their bags. In his heart, the narrator knows he will return...someday. This Portuguese import is a subtle story about acceptance that uses a mod style to be peachy instead of preachy. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

BROWNIE GROUNDHOG AND THE WINTRY SURPRISE (PICTURE BOOK)

Brownie Groundhog and the Wintry Surprise by Susan Blackaby and Carmen Segovia. Nothing could be worth rousing Brownie from his winter rest...or could it? Lovely washy watercolors, and a solid secular pick for the season that still has the air of festivity. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

SNOWFLAKES FALL (PICTURE BOOK)

Snowflakes Fall by Patricia Maclachlan and Steven Kellogg. A poetic romp in the snow by two children's lit talents as our guides.  Written in honor of the children and families at Sandy Hook. Recommended by the PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

SQUIRREL'S FUN DAY (EMERGENT READER)

 

Squirrel's Fun Day by Lisa Moser and Valeri Gorbachev. What's "fun" for one may not be for another. Ever have an exhausting friend? Prepare to laugh-out-loud as Squirrel's unbridled mania is unleashed upon his more mild companions. Gorbachev's lovely, line-y illustrations are always classic and delightful. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

EAT LIKE A BEAR (NONFICTION)

  

 Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre and Steve Jenkins. Beautiful descriptive writing allows the reader to vicariously put on the scruffly fur and scavenge in the spring. Great read-aloud accented with dramatic cut-paper pictures. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

HENRI'S SCISSORS (BIOGRAPHY)

Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter. A bittersweet portrait of the artist at the end of his life, with a vibrancy that does the subject proud...but beyond the biographical aspects of the book, it's a wonderful story of how being sick or aged does not put an end to what is useful, or beautiful. Trés bien. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

NO FITS, NILSON! (PICTURE BOOK)

No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah OHora. Who doesn't like a good tantrum...especially when Nilson takes the blame? Fun pictures lighten the theme of having to negotiate with terrorists. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  

GUS, THE DINOSAUR BUS (PICTURE BOOK)

Gus, the Dinosaur Bus by Julia Liu and Bei Lynn. A story and loose illustration style harkening back to old-school favorites, sure to find new fans. Worth it just to see a dinosaur cause a traffic jam. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

THE GREATEST DINOSAUR EVER (NONFICTION)

The Greatest Dinosaur Ever by Brenda Z. Guiberson and Gennady Spirin. What is a dinosaur if not superlative? Many multisyllabic monsters vie for first place, with simple descriptions making each one's case (and pronunciation on each page, which REALLY makes this book the greatest). Each realistic double-page spread has an odd, magical depth that draws in the reader most alarmingly. Hope you like teeth. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

SCALY SPOTTED FEATHERED FRILLED (NONFICTION)

Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled: How Do We Know What Dinosaurs Really Looked Like? by Catherine Thimmesh. You know real dinosaur fans are sticklers for facts and vocabulary, and this book delivers with lots of text and rich investigation. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

MAPS (NONFICTION)

Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski. Stunning oversized book featuring primarily European countries to pore and dream over for hours. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

THE BEAR'S SONG (PICTURE BOOK)

The Bear's Song by Benjamin Chaud. Big book with wild illustrations...follow that bee! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information;  please support your local independent bookseller.

I WISH I HAD... (PICTURE BOOK)

I Wish I Had... by Giovanna Zoboli and Simona Mulazzani. This book is like a magic trick that puts you in the skin of wild animals, and promotes an attitude of gratitude. A wish come true! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

ON A BEAM OF LIGHT (BIOGRAPHY)

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne and Vladimir Radunsky. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

MR. TIGER GOES WILD (PICTURE BOOK)

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown. There's a place for being proper. And this book is not it. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

TAP THE MAGIC TREE (PICTURE BOOK)

 
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson. Watch as you tap, blow, shake or clap around this book: leaves bloom, or blossom, or tumble away in the autumn breeze. A gimmick a la Hervé Tullet's Press Here, but a well-placed one, and one that will enchant young children. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

SOPHIE'S SQUASH (PICTURE BOOK)

Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller and Anne Wilsdorf. Girl finds a suitable pet at the farmer's market. Love the earnest heroine and the expressive illustrations! A great read-aloud. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  

GRUMPY GOAT (PICTURE BOOK)

Grumpy Goat by Brett Helquist. "Goat had never had a single friend in his life. He didn't want one now." That is, until the nurturing of a dandelion rallies the barnyard around him. An old-fashioned story of abundance vs. scarcity, and one Roger Duvoisin or maybe The Little Prince would be proud of. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.  

HOOP GENIUS (NONFICTION)

Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball by John Coy and Joe Morse. Necessity is the mother of invention, and a teacher is the father, setting up two peach baskets, a soccer ball and a place in history. The endpapers with the original basketball rules are a bonus! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

MISTER AND LADY DAY: BILLIE HOLIDAY AND THE DOG WHO LOVED HER (BIOGRAPHY)

Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her by Amy Novesky and Vanessa Brantley Newton. Telling the life story of Billie Holiday to kids is no easy feat, but this team and their focus on the canine who loved her unconditionally pull it off with aplomb. Includes a great photo of Lady Day and Mister! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

AFRICA IS MY HOME: A CHILD OF THE AMISTAD (NONFICTION)

Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad by Monica Edinger and Robert Byrd. An illustrated book for older children based on a true story, we follow the struggles of a young girl on board a slave ship, to her hard-won freedom and the return to her homeland, where she becomes a teacher. Beautifully detailed art (and plenty of it) uses a palette that changes with the narrative mood. A very special book and a very important story. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

New PlanetEsme Pinterest Page!

Please check out the Pinterest page in progress, PlanetEsme Picks the Best Children's Picture Books of 2013! Fiction and nonfiction surprises await!

ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY (FICTION)

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. A gifted game designer has trapped some resourceful readers in a library, and a dozen players have twenty-four hours to find the exit and win the prize of a lifetime.  All right, not a picture book, but a pleasure for puzzlers and a suspenseful must-recommend read-aloud for all library-loving friends! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

THE MIGHTY LALOUCHE (BIOGRAPHY)

-->  The Mighty Lalouche by Matthew Olshan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. A gentle Parisian postman's circumstances put him into the boxer's corner, where the underdog takes the day. Oh la la, the elegance of these illustrations certainly pack a punch. Based on a true story, with an illuminating author's note and fascinating endpaper portraits of past pugilists. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

LIFETIME: THE AMAZING NUMBERS IN ANIMAL LIVES (NONFICTION)

Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives by Lola M. Schaefer and Christopher Silas Neal. Handsome informational book that melds nature and math as it counts out the amazing things that happen in the course of an animal's lifetime, and the illustrator took about 1,000 minutes to make the numbers in the pictures match. Wow. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

CARNIVORES (PICTURE BOOK)

Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat. Lion, Great White Shark and Wolf are tired of their bad rap as villains of the food chain...but old menus die hard. Wicked and hilarious. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

ODD DUCK (PICTURE BOOK, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci and Sara Varon. Judge not, as ye shall be judged. After all, we're all a little weird, aren't we? Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

HERMAN AND ROSIE (PICTURE BOOK)

--> --> Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon. How romantic, a jazzy urban love story for kids. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

BATTLE BUNNY (PICTURE BOOK)

Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, illustrated by Matthew Meyers. When Alexander gets a saccharine book for his birthday, he wields a pencil and starts making some hard-core revisions to the text until they suit his more action-packed taste. A subversive and clever book that will be an elementary teacher's dream come true for introducing the effects of word choice and the editing process. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

ANT AND HONEY BEE: A PAIR OF FRIENDS IN WINTER (PICTURE BOOK, EMERGENT READER)

Ant and Honey Bee: A Pair of Friends in Winter by Megan McDonald and G.Brian Karas. You can never have too many friendship stories for emergent readers...especially this one, with a hibernation theme. (Bugs hibernate too, you know!) Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

THE TINY KING (PICTURE BOOK)

The Tiny King by Taro Miura. So visually sharp, with a retro sensibility and a story so very sweet. You'll cheer big for the Tiny King's win over loneliness! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

NINO WRESTLES THE WORLD (PICTURE BOOK)

 
Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales. There is a throw-down in the toy room! Imaginative play meets lucha libre meets Captain Underpants. Yesssss. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

MURILLA GORILLA, JUNGLE DETECTIVE (EMERGENT READER)

Murilla Gorilla, Jungle Detective by Jennifer Lloyd and Jacqui Lee. Adorable new first chapter book series for emergent readers!  "Will Murilla Gorilla ever solve the case of the missing banana muffins?! Wait until you see the poor frustrated client's face in the illustrations and Murilla's silly disguise. Kids will laugh and solve the mystery before Murilla Gorilla does!” - South Country Library Children's Department. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Links for information; please support your local independent children's bookseller.  

SNEAKY ART (NONFICTION)

 
Sneaky Art: Crafty Surprises to Hide in Plain Sight by Marthe Jocelyn. Fun for young artsy-fartsies and future pinners. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  

HEDGEHOG'S MAGIC TRICKS (PICTURE BOOK)

Hedgehog's Magic Tricks by Ruth Paul. While the tricks on the stage may not always work, the magic of friendship prevails. Gentle humor, darling pictures for the preschool set. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  

MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS (PICTURE BOOK)

Miss Maple's Seeds by Eliza Wheeler. Pollination, anyone? Speaks to the potential in every seed...and every child. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

ROTTEN PUMPKIN (NONFICTION)

-->  Rotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices by David M. Schwartz and Dwight Kuhn. Gross is great when it offers the kind of step-by-step scientific process of decomposition found here, with a point-of-view twist, no less. Great photographs, too! Someone is trying to make the nonfiction shift to Common Core very painless. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

YETI, TURN OUT THE LIGHT! (PICTURE BOOK)

Yeti,Turn Out the Light! by Greg Long and Chris Edmundson. Don't fret, Yeti! Those scary shadows are really sweethearts. Reassuring bedtime story for the type of kid who can be reassured by a Yeti. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

BRAVE GIRL (NONFICTION)

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Girl power! Union power! History power! A winning combination. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE YAKYU (PICTURE BOOK)

Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon. Two countries across the ocean from each other share one passion: baseball! "In America, we cheer: 'Win! Win! Win!' In Japan, we cheer: 'Do your best!'" Compare opposite pages for more fascinating differences. Simply told, but bold, interesting and unifying. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

INSIDE OUTSIDE (PICTURE BOOK)

Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd. Wordless picture book full of die-cuts that perfectly allow preschoolers a view into and out of their wonderful world. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

HOW TO (PICTURE BOOK)

How To by Julie Morstad. Some books teach you about art just by looking at them, and this is one. Holy smokes, look at these figures. Loveliest since Marc Simont. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local bookseller.

EXCLAMATION MARK (PICTURE BOOK)

Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. Positivity is punctuated in a lively conversation with a question mark accentuated by cheerful minimalist illustration. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

PETEY AND PRU AND THE HULLABALOO (PICTURE BOOK)

Petey and Pru and the Hullabaloo by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Joy Ang. Teacher pick! Amazing how useful this lively book is in determining meaning from context. Common Core, here we come (sigh)! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link provided for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

LITTLE RED WRITING (PICTURE BOOK)

 
Little Red Writing by Joan Holub and Melissa Sweet. Anyone who has ever tried to write knows it can be like entering the dark woods. Two picture book pros help us navigate our own writing process in this clever story. Recommended by the PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

OUCH! (NONFICTION)

Ouch!: The Weird, Wild Ways Your Body Deals With Agonizing Aches, Ferocious Fevers, Lousy Lumps, Crummy Colds, Bothersome Bites, Breaks, Bruises and Burns & Makes Them Feel Better! by Joe Rhatigan. Clear scientific explanations for (see above), with lots of pictures to sometimes clarify and sometimes gross out. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.