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.