by Valerie Hobbs; Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005; $16; www.fsgkidsbooks.com. Toby is an 11-year-old cancer patient who takes a vacation in the country. While there, he learns some important lessons about living and dying from a poet and her cow.

Family Fun!

Origami on the Go! 40 Paper-Folding Projects for Kids Who Love to Travel, by Margaret Van Sicklen; Workman, 2009; $14.95 (paperback); www.workman.com. 

Explore the world with these easy-to-follow instructions and clever designs that highlight countries from around the world. Learn to fold a tiny scrapbook to highlight travel adventures, an exotic peacock like those that strut on the lawn of the Taj Mahal, or an Egyptian mummy. The 100 quality sheets of origami paper, stickers and book tempt adults and children to sit side-by-side and create – while increasing their geographical awareness. Origami is a great way to learn to read directions (an important test skill) and is an excellent mind exercise. The author calls herself the “origami swami,” and she certainly has assembled an attractive and informative resource.

“Let’s go on another trip so I can take this with me!”
 – Child Tester
 

The I LOVE YOU Book, by Todd Parr; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009; $9.99; www.lb-kids.com.  

If you are a Todd Parr fan (and we sure are!), you won’t want to miss this newest title. Using his trademark vibrant illustrations and simple sentences, Parr explores the meaning of unconditional love. The cover presents a big heart cutout, trimmed in shiny silver to expose the first page, picturing a character with arms stretched wide for a hug. The title’s “I LOVE YOU” appears in tactile silver lettering, all capitalized, to emphasize the message of love. A brief note from Todd reminds readers that all of us need love; he assures us that there’s enough to share; and he encourages each of us to love ourselves. Young readers are sure to embrace this simple and heartfelt salute to love.

Check out more books and art by Todd Parr at www.toddparr.com.
 

Judge's Top Pick! 

by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2008; $16.99; www.lb-kids.com. Wabi Sabi is a cat in Kyoto, Japan, who sets off to discover the meaning of her name. The story is complemented with haiku and Caldecott Medal-winning artist Ed Young’s beautiful collages. 

For more curious kitties, check out:

The Tale of the Lucky Cat
A Kitten Tale

Chicken Socks/Klutz, 2008; $12.95; www.scholastic.com. Just too silly, this activity book contains two cute pups made of non-tear paper, 12 whimsical dog outfits to punch out and put on, plus a vinyl dog carrier. Sets the stage for hours of fun and laughter.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009; $16.99; www.lb-kids.com. 

The brilliantly bold cover of this fantasy book draws kids into an adventure infused with Chinese folklore. A spunky girl named Minli toils with her family in the field near Fruitless Mountain, eking out a living. Inspired by her father’s nightly stories, she embarks on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon and learn how her family can escape poverty. Color illustrations by the author guide the reader along, just as a dragon guides Minli on her Wizard-of-Oz-like journey.
 

Top Pick!

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, by Brian Floca; Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2009; $17.99; www.simonandschuster.com.  

Captivating drawings and a simple, beautifully written text dramatize the 1969 moonwalk in terms just right for young readers. Kids marvel at the amazing journey of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin as they soar to the moon and back “to warmth, to light, to home at last.” The book manages to convey the stark cold and quiet of the moon, the courage and skill of these three men, and the way many scientists work as a team to make the impossible happen. At the same time, it includes details kids would really want to know, such as what astronauts eat, why Velcro is essential on a spaceship, and why “after a week this small home will not smell so good.”
 

Horrid Henry, by Francesca Simon, illustrated by Tony Ross; Sourcebooks, 2009; $4.99 (paper); www.jabberwockykids.com. 

Sometimes kids just need to laugh. In these four, easy-to-read stories about mischievous Henry – not a role model – kids may laugh so hard they snort milk out their noses. Unruly Henry’s foil is his younger brother, known as Perfect Peter. In the first story he craftily sets out to surpass his brother’s perfection. Once such example is, “Henry let himself be kissed. Oh my, it was hard work being perfect.” All the while, Henry is tricking his brother into hurling a plate of spaghetti across the room: “Who would have thought being perfect would be such fun?” The stories hail from England and may remind you of Roald Dahl.