The award-winning illustrator Sean Qualls’s painted and collaged artwork captures universally powerful maternal moments with tenderness and whimsy. In the end, readers will find a rare photo of baby Hughes and his mother, a biographical note, further reading, and the complete lullaby. Like little love-ones, this beautiful book is a treasure.

    Each page introduces a different animal with a suggestion for how a child can imitate that animal, such as “I can roar like a lion” and “I can snap like a turtle.” In place of the animal's face on each brightly illustrated page is a four-inch circular cut-out, allowing the child to insert his or her own face and pretend to be the animal by acting out what the text instructs. Alternating between animal sounds (“I can hoot like an owl”) and animal actions (“I can stick out my tongue like a snake”), this book provides children with loads of opportunities for imaginative play. It is also an excellent resource for teaching the youngest children about many kinds of animals. From a walrus to a cow, a cat to a bear, seventeen are featured in all, including household pets, farm favorites and creatures that live in the wild. The final page of the book concludes with the empowering message “I can be anything!” Created by the bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Frank Asch, this book would work beautifully for a creative activity with preschoolers or kindergartners. It could be used one on one with a child or could be passed around the circle allowing each youngster to take a turn with the next animal. This is a truly fun book that young children are sure to request.

    Jocelyn’s marvelous concept — finding common characteristics in different creatures and objects — coupled with Slaughter’s masterful paper cuts makes Same Same a clever introduction to similarities, as well as a preface to modern art. The duo’s previous titles have received numerous awards worldwide; from Japan to Denmark, from France to Mexico. Fashioned in the traditional and stunning style of the pair’s past books, Same Same is a wonderful addition to their already impressive library.

    Books feature appealing full-color illustrations on every page plus a page of advice to parents and teachers.

    Toddler book of shapes and Islamic traditions: From a crescent moon to a square garden to an octagonal fountain, this breathtaking picture book celebrates the shapes-and traditions-of the Muslim world.Toddler book by author Hena Khan: Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets is equally at home in a classroom reading circle and on a parent's lap being read to a child.

    Then take a cruise on an ocean liner, crewed by our favorite animal characters, in a jolly rhyming journey.