Children's Book of the Month
Another month, another children's book we especially love.

January 2006

Small Steps by Louis Sacher (Delacorte Press, Hardback, $16.95).
For ages ten years and up. Sacher's first major novel since his Nebery novel Holes in Small Steps. Stanley's pal in Holes, Armpit, meets Kaira, a pop sensation.

September/October 2004

Janell Cannon, the creator of Stellaluna, has just published a new picture book. In Pinduli (Harcourt, H, $16.00), Ms. Cannon has written a story about a creature most humans regard with repugnance. Pinduli is a hyena. Her mama has always told her how beautiful she is, but the other animals on the African plain think otherwise. They make fun of her big ears, fuzzy mane, and uneven stripes. The little hyena tries to change her appearance, but inadvertantly helps the other creatures realize that being critical of others is what's ultimately most repugnant. If you liked Stellaluna, Verdi, and Crickwing, you will certainly enjoy Pinduli.

August 2004
Hardback book of the month:
Knuffle Bunny, A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (Hyperion, H, $15.99).
What happens when Daddy is left in charge. Author and illustrator of Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! (A Caldecott Honor Book). Ages 4 and up.

Paperback book of the month:
Fannie In The Kitchen, by Deborah Hopkinson (Simon & Schuster, $6.99). Ages 4 and up.
This picture book is a clever introduction to the renowned nineteenth-century cook who invented recipes with precise measurements. Delightfully humorous.

July 2004
Hardback book of the month:
Catalina Magdelena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic, H, $10.95). Ages 4 and up.
Tedd Arnold has transformed this popular camp song into a wild, wacky, happy story.

Paperback book of the month:
The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed (HarperTrophy, P, $6.99). Ages 4-8.
In the magic of a moonshower, a childless couple finds a dozen tiny babies in a meadow. Published in 1992, the paperback was released this spring.

June 2004
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French (Clarion, H, $14.00). Ages 4-8.

May 2004
The Happy Lion written by Louise Fatio and illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Knopf, H, $14.95). A 50th anniversary edition. Picture book.

The happy lion lives in a zoo in a small French town. He is everyone's favorite animal to visit and has many townspeople as friends. One day the lion's keeper leaves the door to his house open and the lion decides to visit his friends in town. As he walks down the streets of town nodding hello to the people, he can't understand why his friends are running away and screaming in terror.

Readers will enjoy the lion's rescue from the fire department's water hoses and van by a small boy who leads him back to the safety of the zoo. A charming story that children can enjoy hearing again and again. --Cindy, manager and partner in the Children's Book Shop.