Mr. Wuffles!

Mr. Wuffles!

by David Wiesner

Our brave adventurers have made landfall on a strange new planet. As they prepare to leave their ship, they are attacked by a ferocious beast - a house cat called Mr. Wuffles.

When Mr. Wuffles tires of his new plaything, discarding the smoking ship among his other toys, the crew discovers that they can't repair their broken ship. They must go out and search for help to repair their damaged drive.

They make their way through Mr. Wuffles' house, finding shelter behind the radiator. There they discover and befriend a society of ants and ladybirds. The insects have chronicled their past battles with Mr. Wuffles in elaborate cave paintings, commemorating their fallen comrades.

After sharing some food, their insect hosts help the aliens make repairs to their damaged ship. Through teamwork, the aliens and insects perform a daring escape. The aliens get away and the insects return to their cave to commemorate their victory with their new extraterrestrial friends.

In this almost wordless picture book, David Wiesner deftly tells a compelling story about inter-species cooperation and friendship. The rich coloring and clever details make this a rewarding book to 'read' with your child. The story changes a bit every time and you can encourage creative story telling by encouraging your young collaborator to help tell the story.

Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner

How To Train a Train

How To Train a Train

by Jason Carter Eaton, illustrated by John Rocco

This manual for the proper care and feeding of your pet train is an indispensable resource. From types of trains, their natural habitat, proper nutrition, hygiene, naming, house training, to properly socializing, this book has all the information a young engineer needs to keep their train happy and healthy. There's also lots of good information that could help with your pet airplane, pet truck, or pet submarine.

Jason Carter Eaton's wickedly clever book adapts all of the conventions of pet manuals to the realities of train ownership. John Rocco's hilarious illustrations are works of fine art in themselves. This book is sure to delight and enchant the train obsessed young person in your life.

How To Train a Train by Jason Carter Eaton, illustrated by John Rocco

Violet the Pilot

Violet the Pilot

by Steven Breen

Violet van Winkle has a problem. She's a mechanical genius and aspiring aviatrix, but she has no friends (aside from her faithful pup Orville). The kids at school mock her for her strange books and greasy coveralls, but her parent give her the run of their junk yard where her creativity blooms. She builds all manner of crazy flying contraptions - the Pogo Plane, Bicycopter, and Wing-a-ma-jig to name a few but has trouble keeping bugs out of her teeth.

When she learns of the upcoming airshow, she hatches a plan to earn the respect of her peers and sets to work building her greatest flyer yet - The Hornet. Her plan to win the blue ribbon is thwarted when she sees a Boy Scout troop in distress. Little does she know that her heroic rescue will earn her an even better prize - a visit from the Mayor and the esteem of her whole town.

Violet the Pilot promotes the DIY ethic, selflessness, and heroism and to top it off, has a female protagonist. It's a great story all around.

Violet the Pilot by Steven Breen

All in Just One Cookie

All in Just One Cookie

by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by Timothy Bush

Have you ever wondered where your sugar comes from? Your flour? How about your baking soda (spoiler: it's mined from underground in Wyoming)? And what exactly does the baking powder do anyway?

This fun book takes you and your child on a guided tour through the ingredients of a chocolate chip cookie, explaining the origin and purpose of each ingredient. With a frame story of a Grandma and her pets getting ready for company, there's a good source of humor as well.

If your child loves to ask 'why' (and what child doesn't ask 'why'?) and 'how' (ditto), this is an excellent book to satisfy their appetite for knowledge. With a recipe for chocolate chip cookies in the back, it will do a good job of satisfying their appetite for desert, as well.

All in Just One Cookie, by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by Timothy Bush