Welcome to another round-up of recently read and recommended picture books! In no particular order, here are the titles: the supremely adorable and charming The Doll Hospital by Kallie George, illustrated by Sara Gillingham (my daughter has been loving this one and clamoring for re-reads); the energetic and fun koala-centered story Don’t call me bear! by Aaron Blabey; the out-of-the-ordinary, canny Toys Talking by Leanne Shapton, which has wonderfully retro, quaint illustrations that made me think Ernest Shepard’s Winnie the Pooh artwork; the delightful and educational Hello, My Name Is…: How Adorabilis Got His Name by Marisa Polansky, illustrated by Joey Chou; the thoughtful, Frog & Toad-like Vernon Is on His Way: Small Stories by Philip C. Stead; Brian Lies’s heartrending and gorgeous The Rough Patch; Grace Lin’s A Big Mooncake for Little Star, (which I have already talked about on Twitter), a brilliant, imaginatively told story that my daughter and I have been happily rereading; Ryan T. Higgins’s Be Quiet!, a hysterical (and smart) read that had me snorting out loud with laughter; the very clever and terrifically told Sloth at the Zoom by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Orbie; Yuyi Morales’ critically acclaimed Dreamers, as excellent, as arresting and moving as every reviewer has stated; the heartfelt and engaging Chik Chak Shabbat by Mara Rockliff, with illustrations by Kyrsten Brooker; Cozbi A. Cabrera’s magnificently written and illustrated My Hair is a Garden; The Blue Hour, a mesmerizing read from Plume author and illustrator Isabelle Simler; and last but not least, Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, with illustrations by Max Lang, so sharp, so perceptive, so funny, so good, I can’t recommend this one enough.

Happy reading!