Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli

Owl is getting ready for bed when he hears a noise.  What could it be?  He thinks he knows, but is mistaken.  Each time he thinks he has found the source of the noise he hears it again.  Slowly, he begins to dismantle his house to stop the squeak.  Will he ever find out what is making the noise?  Can you?

Hammer and Nails by Josh Bledsoe

A heartwarming story about a dad who goes to great lengths to make sure his daughter, Darcy, has a wonderful day despite her play date being cancelled.  He has a list of things he needs to do; his daughter has a list of things she wanted to do.  They do one from dad's list and one from Darcy's list until they are all done.  They have coffee time (and chocolate milk); they play dress up.  They mow the grass, fix the fence, and finish the day with manicures!

It is precious and a perfect father/daughter story.

Parachute by Danny Parker

Toby is a young boy who never goes anywhere without his parachute.  It helps him get out of bed, climb off the stool in the bathroom, get out of the chair after breakfast.  Then one day, his cat is stuck in a tree.  Toby climbs up the tree and lowers his cat to the ground in his parachute.  Suddenly, he is up in a very high tree house without his parachute.  Slowly, he is able to make his way down to the ground, and as time goes by, he doesn't need his parachute as much as he used to.

Just Right for Two by Tracey Corderoy

A little dog has everything he needs inside his suitcase, and it is just the right size for sleeping.  But he wakes up one morning to discover that a small mouse has joined him.  He is not happy, but the two start talking about all the cool things in the suitcase, then they start playing games.  Mouse leaves and the dog is sad.  He can't quite figure out what he is missing, but he is sure that Mouse can help him find it.

Buddy and Earl Go Exploring by Maureen Fergus

Buddy and Earl are back at it again!  That little hedgehog has such a wonderful imagination.  The dog's water bowl is a lake.  The trash can is a mountain.  But things take a turn for the worse when Earl spies a monster (mom's purse) who has captured a lady hedgehog (a brush).  Oh, the mess they made!

A Friend for Mole by Nancy Armo

Mole likes his burrow, but all the scampering above ground makes him curious enough to peek.  He soon discovers that he made a terrible mistake.  He can't find his way back home.  Hiding in the brush to avoid the sunlight, mole falls asleep.  He wakes up at night to find that he is not alone.  What starts out as scary turns fun as mole meets a new friend, and they have so much fun that both are sad to say goodbye.  They make plans to meet again.

Love the illustrations and how the two friends help each other through a scary time.

Life Without Nico by Andrea Maturana

A great story for children who are having to deal with losing a friend because of a family moving away.  It shows that it is okay to be sad, but you should always remember to open your heart to new friends and possibilities.  Eventually things will get better.

I don't quite understand why Nico is blue.

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Absolutely loved this book.  I couldn't stop laughing at this grumpy bear who accidentally becomes "Mother" to a bunch of goslings.  All he wanted was a meal, but what he ends up with is so much more fun for the reader.  I especially like the baby gosling with a bit of butter on his head.  I had to read this to several different people and had trouble holding it together each time.

Mr. King's Machine by Geneviève Côté

This is a great book about Mr. King who gets upset when he sees that a caterpillar ate a leaf.  He decides to build a caterpillar catching machine.  But he ends up causing more problems.  He learns that caterpillars are not bad, and he turns his machine into something positive.

Illustration can make or break a book as far as I am concerned.  In this case, I love the illustrations.  There is a combination of media used, but I especially love how the animals are outlined in black and filled in (as if a child had drawn them).