Build, Dogs, Build: A Tall Tail
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James Horvath. Harper, $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-218967-7
The hardworking canines from 2013’s Dig, Digs, Dig replace a dilapidated apartment building with a gleaming high-rise tower in this companion book. “The crane is in place./ The angle’s correct./ Get the ball swinging now./ Wreck, dogs, wreck!” writes Horvath before a page turn reveals a colossal “boom” as the wrecking ball does its thing. From subterranean pipeworks and a 10-inch concrete base to finishing touches (“The last thing to do/ is install the doorbell”), children get a ground-up tour of how a building comes together. Paint mishaps, a “fetch” break, and other canine antics keep the mood light amid all the hard work. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Jan.)
Robot Burp Head Smartypants
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Annette Simon. Candlewick, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-6582-1
The geometric robots from Robot Zombie Frankenstein! (2012) return, and their competitive spirit is undiminished. This time, they’re embroiled in a motor oil–fueled belching contest, giving readers a crash course in numbers and letters as they cram as much verbiage as possible into their burps. “Brrr—1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-20-30-40-50-A-B-C-D—rrrp!” booms the magenta robot at one point, juggling apples blindfolded while riding a skateboard, to boot. Simon’s storytelling and artwork continue to be an unlikely (and effective) combination of pared-down restraint and hyperbolic spontaneity, and of course it’s hard to go wrong with the subject of bodily emissions. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Feb.)
Duck to the Rescue
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John Himmelman. Holt, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-9485-5
Given all the disasters that befall the Greenstalk farm, it’s a wonder that it’s still in business. In the fourth book in the series that began with Chickens to the Rescue, it’s Ernie the duck’s turn to “help out.” So when the pumpkins must get to market on Monday, duck leaps into the driver’s seat of the vintage pickup truck (“I guess we can turn them into pumpkin pie,” says Farmer Greenstalk of the aftermath). Duck’s attempts to retrieve a calf from the rafters of the barn, babysit chickens, and serve as a scarecrow are equally fraught with disaster—and just as certain to have kids laughing through a week’s worth of barnyard chaos. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)
Maisy Goes to the Movies
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Lucy Cousins. Candlewick, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-7237-9
In this addition to the Maisy First Experiences line of books, Cousins’s mouse heroine and friends walk readers through the basics of catching a flick on the big screen. After settling on a film and stopping at the concession stand, Maisy and company give their tickets to an ostrich and settle into their seats. Cousins briskly defuses potential pitfalls that include a fear of the dark, the need to stay quiet, and the call of nature (“They go as fast as they can. And wash their hands very quickly.... They don’t want to miss anything”). Cousins’s vivid, ever-cheery artwork and economical writing continue to offer a welcoming and reassuring introduction to reader “firsts.” Ages 3–7. (Feb.)
The Hueys in It Wasn’t Me
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Oliver Jeffers. Philomel, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25768-1
Jeffers’s first book about the Hueys quietly extolled the virtues of nonconformity; with equal subtlety (and a touch of dark humor) he explores disagreement in this sequel. “The thing about the Hueys,” Jeffers writes of his egg-shaped, stick-legged crew, “was that most of the time they got along.” But when they fight—Jeffers depicts their argument as a joint speech bubble filled with scribbles, scrawls, storm cloud, hammer, and skull-and-crossbones—it’s up to a Huey named Gillespie to set things right. What’s his trick? Distraction. “Want to see a dead fly?” he asks, and everyone does, naturally. A stylish and sophisticated story that reminds readers that some fights aren’t worth having. Ages 3–5. (Jan.)
Baby Penguins Love Their Mama!
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Melissa Guion. Philomel, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-16365-4
Guion follows her 2012 debut, Baby Penguins Everywhere!, with another reminder that being a mama, penguin or otherwise, can be exhausting at times. The book takes readers through the large penguin family’s busy week, from swimming and sliding lessons on Monday and Tuesday to Friday fishing. “And everyone loved Saturday squawking!” writes Guion of the weekend, though Mama’s pinched facial expression tells another story. Sunday is a much-needed day of rest, but Guion’s quietly humorous writing and soft watercolors make it clear that, more than anything, Mama penguin is proud of her babies and their accomplishments. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)
Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List
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Michael Townsend. Blue Apple (Random, dist.), $12.99 (88p) ISBN 978-1-60905-365-9
Like an unholy union between the Dick and Jane series and R. Crumb–style psychedelia, Townsend’s contribution to the Jump Into Chapters line introduces an animate yellow ball with an enormous grin, rubbery limbs, and manic energy that never abates. To-do lists are Mr. Ball’s passion, and he attempts to knock off a few items over the book’s four sections, with limited success. The house Mr. Ball builds for his pet cat, Ms. Kitty Cow, winds up a misshaped pile of lumber, and he only paints half of his own house before falling off a ladder, dousing himself with Pepto-Bismol pink paint, and opting to spend the day chasing butterflies instead. Townsend’s (Cute and Cuter) hero is as much punching bag as protagonist—later adventures have him punted into the sky by an unhappy mama rabbit and sprayed at close range by a skunk. The adrenalized emotions, rampant slapstick, and comics-style format make this a good pick for kids who generally would rather watch SpongeBob reruns than pick up a book. Ages 5–8. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Feb.)■
White Space
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Ilsa J. Bick. Egmont USA, $18.99 (560p) ISBN 978-1-60684-419-9
Bick (the Ashes trilogy) launches the Dark Passages series with this ambitious meta-textual adventure, which invokes Stephen King levels of psychological and physical horror, while defying readers’ perceptions of reality at every turn. After a car accident, Emma Lindsay is inexplicably trapped in a valley with a handful of other teenagers, unable to escape the pervasive fog and the monsters hidden within. As Emma and her companions attempt to escape, they’re thrust into a series of shifting realities based on the works of a deceased author, where no one and nothing are as they seem. Faced with unsettling revelations and disturbing questions, they must fight for their lives and determine what’s real and what’s fiction. Though the story starts off slowly, and the often-shifting perspective makes it hard to empathize with many characters, things pick up considerably once the heroes start unraveling the underlying mystery. While Bick does an excellent job at conveying tension, atmosphere, and the multi-layered premise, the epic length, frequent character-hopping, and convoluted action detract from an otherwise intriguing tale. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Feb.)
Anything to Have You
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Paige Harbison. Harlequin Teen, $9.99 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-373-21088-6
Harbison (New Girl) follows the faltering friendship between a pair of high school seniors in this entertaining and believable drama. Brooke is an attention-seeker who begs her serious-minded best friend Natalie to “make an effort” to party with her before they graduate. At the “Stupid Cupid Rager,” Brooke gets drunk, flirty, and belligerent, once again alienating her boyfriend, Aiden, as well as Natalie. A hungover Natalie awakes the next morning in bed with Aiden and little memory of the night before. She knows she’s had sex and assumes it’s with golden boy Eric, who’s been acting unusually friendly. Yet she can’t shake her feelings for Aiden and the guilt that accompanies them. Meanwhile, Brooke’s risk-taking spirals out of control. Harbison makes it easy to sympathize with and understand both girls—the narration alternates between Natalie and Brooke (allowing readers to see certain scenes and events from two angles), and occasional flashbacks give a fuller sense of their friendship. A realistic look at the difficulty of searching for a direction in life and pursuing one’s desires honestly. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Feb.)
The Sound of Letting Go
Stasia Ward Kehoe. Viking, $17.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-670-01553-5
Kehoe’s second novel-in-verse, after 2011’s Audition, movingly evokes the conflicting emotions of 17-year-old Daisy Meehan as her family teeters on the edge of falling apart due to her younger brother Steven’s violent episodes. A skilled trumpet player, Daisy has used music as a means of escape from her chaotic home life for years. However, her parents, burdened by caring for Steven, “who has morphed from challenging autistic boy/ to dangerous, nonverbal near-man,” are unable to give her the support she needs. Now that they are considering placing Steven in an institution, Daisy is torn, craving a respite from being Steven’s “third parent,” but also dreading the hole in the family his absence would leave. Daisy’s increasingly large acts of rebellion undermine her chance to cultivate a friendship with a foreign exchange student who shares her passion for jazz. Instead, she turns to an old friend, who is no stranger to family conflicts. This painfully honest portrait of a family in crisis raises questions about love, responsibility, and self-sacrifice as it moves gracefully to a difficult but realistic resolution. Ages 12–up. Agent: Catherine Drayton, InkWell Management. (Feb.)
