Babies/tots
What Hedgehog Likes Best
By Erwin Moser
Translated by Alistair Beaton
NorthSouth, 2023, $14.95
Looking for a cozy read on a spooky night? Snuggle up with three counting ravens, a cheery bat and a groundhog bound for dreamland in his candlelit burrow. Tots can delight in playful language and learn the names of numerous animals through the rhyming verse and whimsical illustrations of the late Erwin Moser, one of Europe’s most popular children’s book creators.
Ages 3-7
Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire
By Flavia Drago
Candlewick, 2023, $17.99
Available in English and Spanish
Vlad is a vampire with a flaw – pink cheeks! – he tries to hide by fashioning sensational black outfits for himself in this lively, self-affirming tale, perfect for Halloween and Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15). Author/illustrator Flavia Drago, who was born and raised in Mexico City, gives a surprising spin to the usual scary images, and young readers will have a great time searching Drago’s mixed-media art for bouncy black cats, mischievous bats and Vlad’s many goth-glam hats, scarves and capes. In helping a friend with a secret, Vlad comes to embrace his own uniqueness.
Ancient Night
By David Alvarez, with David Bowles
Levine Querido, 2023, $18.99
Available in English and Spanish
David Alvarez and David Bowles draw on several traditional stories of Mesoamerica (now known as Mexico and Central America) to craft, through stunning art and lyrical text, a picture book sure to become a classic. When Opossum steals the glowing “sacred sap” with which Rabbit fills the moon each night, he casts the world into darkness. To make amends, he journeys to find the treasured jug of fire “hidden deep within the earth” and sets it in the sky as the “blazing sun.” The book ends with Rabbit and Opossum, the Guardians of Light, sitting together and sharing stories, much as the people of these countries continue to tell the ancient tales, according to carefully researched notes in the back.
Ages 8-10
The Skull
By Jon Klassen
Candlewick, 2023, $19.99
In an illustrated chapter book alive with shadows and falling snow, a little girl runs through a dark forest and is invited into a silent house by a hospitable skull. They don old masks, dance in an empty ballroom – and together confront the apparition that nightly haunts the frightened skull. This atmospheric tale of a strange friendship is one of Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen’s very best.
ENERGETIC
By Marsha and the Positrons
“Energetic” is a the latest album by the award-winning D.C. band, Marsha and the Positrons, and a collaborative effort of many talented musicians and “kindie” artists. In keeping with its title, most of the songs on “Energetic” are upbeat and cover a range of science topics – bee communication, parts of the brain, starling murmurations, ghost forests, kinetic and potential energy and cicadas. Other tracks relate to life experiences – learning to tie your shoelaces, anxiety about getting shots at the doctor’s office, enjoying time outside in nature, going to the library, dressing for the weather and the magic of dreaming. “Energetic” is available on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and Bandcamp. CDs are available from marshaandthepositrons.com.
