Amy Hest, Author Puffin Books $4.99 (4p) ISBN 978-0-14-036174-2
``The war came and my father left in a uniform,'' begins this brief but affecting first-person narrative of the many changes wrought within a girl's family during WW II. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)
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Amy Hest, Author Clarion Books $11.95 (112p) ISBN 978-0-89919-354-0
Pete and Lily are best friends. They also happen to live in the same apartment building on Manhattan's Central Park West. Pete's (short for Patricia) Mom is a recent widow who's coping with a job and being a single mother. Lily's father is a...
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Amy Hest, Author , illus. by P.J. Lynch. Candlewick $6.99 (
, $6.99 ISBN ) ISBN 978-0-7636-1274-0
, $6.99 ISBN ) ISBN 978-0-7636-1274-0
"With this tale of a 13-year-old girl's journey from a shtetl in Eastern Europe to America, the author simply and faithfully holds a mirror to the milestone event for millions of immigrants," wrote PW
in a starred review. Ages 6-12. (Oc
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Amy Hest, Author, Claire A. Nivola, Illustrator , illus. by Claire A. Nivola. Candlewick $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0658-9
Set a few generations ago, this graceful evocation of a family Sabbath dinner radiates all the tenderness of Hest's (the Baby Duck books; Kiss Good Night, Children's Forecasts, Aug. 6) best work. Jennie, the narrator, is spending the day...
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Amy Hest, Author, Sheila White Samton, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56402-348-3
Much like Hest's 1995 How to Get Famous in Brooklyn, this good-humored if slight tale shows the effect a young artist has on her neighborhood. This time her protagonist is an eight-year-old black girl, who paints picture after picture after her...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Amy Bates. Abrams, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4197-1901-1
Hest and Bates return to the themes of their 2008 collaboration, The Dog Who Belonged to No One, in a tearjerker of a story about a heartsick boy who meets a stray dog on the beach. The day is as stormy as their unnamed narrator, who stomps across...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Polly Dunbar. Candlewick, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-8787-8
Anyone who has played hide and seek will recognize that it’s knowing you will be found—but not knowing exactly when—that makes the game irresistible. Hest (Are You Sure, Mother Bear?) and Dunbar (I Will Not Wear Pink) offer ample proof as their...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Candlewick, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-5314-9
Having gotten to know each other in Charley’s First Night (2012), Henry and his dog Charley are now thick as thieves. But Henry’s grandfather is visiting, and he has “never been friends with a dog before.” There’s no need to worry, though: Hest and...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Candlewick, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-4055-2
Skittish, curious, loving, and vividly adorable, Henry’s new puppy, Charley, epitomizes the idea that while being a fledging pet owner isn’t always easy, it’s entirely worthwhile. Charley is a bit overwhelmed by his new surroundings, but Henry...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Lauren Castillo. Amazon Children’s Publishing, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7614-6184-5
As snow falls gently, Castillo’s (Happy Like Soccer) woodcutlike ink-and-watercolor spreads show a boy in red boots and scarf pulling a sled, accompanied by his dog. Hest (Letters to Leo) doesn’t name the boy; he’s “the reader” of the title. He...
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Amy Hest, Author, Christine Davenier, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0746-3
Davenier's (Very Best [Almost] Friends) wispy watercolors portray a Fred Astaire world that may be far removed from the experience of most children but is no less inviting. Young Mabel's joie de vivre as she spins and twirls through these pages is...
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Amy Hest, Author, Jacqueline Rogers, Illustrator, Jackie Rogers, Photographer Morrow Junior Books $11.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-688-07149-3
Gillie, eight, cannot believe that her gorgeous older sister is living at home once more. Krista is called home from college when the sisters' father loses his job; now she jogs, does aerobics, showers three times a day and generally spends all her...
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Amy Hest, Author, Irene Trivas, Illustrator Morrow Junior Books $14 (40p) ISBN 978-0-688-07866-9
In a bouncy, first-person narrative, eight-year-old Casey tells of her older sister's ``bad and boring'' pajama party, at which she and her guests did nothing but eat junk food, listen to loud music and spray perfume. Disgusted, Casey sells her two...
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Amy Hest, Author, Amy Schwartz, Illustrator Four Winds $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-02-743640-2
A lighthearted story of a little girl's desire for something different, with comical illustrations by the creator of Her Majesty, Aunt Essie. Every fall Gabby and her mother travel into New York City to have a new navy blue coat made by Gabby's...
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Amy Hest, Author, Amy Schwartz, Illustrator HarperCollins $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-688-07497-5
Hest and Schwartz, whose past collaborations include The Purple Coat and Fancy Aunt Jess , here present the endearing tale of two cousins preparing for the birthday party their grandmother throws for herself every year. Maggie and Brette spend the...
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Amy Hest, Author, Amy Schwartz, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-80573-8
In their adroit sequel to The Purple Coat, Hest and Schwartz lovingly recreate postwar New York City, but the issues they address are timeless. As she and her mother ride the train into the city on Grampa's birthday, Gabby admires the short, ""perky"
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Amy Hest, Author, Amy Schwartz, Illustrator Aladdin Paperbacks $6.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-71634-8
Once in a while it's good to try something new, declares this fanciful tale's heroine, as she conspires to break out of a clothing rut. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
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Amy Hest, Author, Jill Barton, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1981-7
Baby Duck is a bit under the weather in Guess Who, Baby Duck!, the newest in the series by Amy Hest, illus. by Jill Barton. But when Grampa comes to visit with an album ""all filled up with pictures,"" Baby Duck soon feels much better. This...
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Amy Hest, Author, Jill Barton, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1541-3
Baby Duck is back, and only Grandpa can coax her off the sidelines to help her conquer her fear of water and achieve her dream in Aug.)
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Amy Hest, Author, Jill Barton, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $10.99 (14p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1582-6
The star of You're the Boss, Baby Duck and more is back in Baby Duck and the Cozy Blanket by Amy Hest, illus. by Jill Barton, whose fuzzy yellow tummy peeks out of the cut-away cover. Inside, little ones can touch the ""sticky jam"" that has...
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Amy Hest, Author, Jill Barton, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $6.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0697-8
Baby Duck makes her series debut in a tender, funny story with bright, affectionately detailed art. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)
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Amy Hest, Author, Jon J. Muth, Illustrator , illus. by Jon J Muth. Candlewick $16.99 (0p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1233-7
Hest (the Baby Duck books) and Muth (Stone Soup
) eloquently capture a friendship between two neighbors in the span of a morning wait for the school bus. First grader Harry and Mr. George Baker ("He's a hundred
years old, no kidding,"...
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Amy Hest, Author, P. J. Lynch, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0094-5
With this tale of a 13-year-old girl's journey from a shtetl in Eastern Europe to America, Hest (Love You, Soldier) simply and faithfully holds a mirror to the milestone event for millions of turn-of-the-century immigrants. The graceful sentiment...
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Amy Hest, Author, Anita Jeram, Illustrator , illus. by Anita Jeram. Candlewick $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1009-8
In this followup to the team's Kiss Good Night,
bear cub Sam comes down with a cough—"Hck, hck!" he hacks—and is doted upon by his unflappable mother. If Sam can steel himself to take his cough medicine ("Tastes bad,
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Amy Hest, Author, Anita Jeram, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $12.99 (30p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2524-5
Books for all ages come boxed for entertainment pleasure. Kiss Good Night Book and Toy Gift Set packages the board book edition of the title by Amy Hest, illus. by Anita Jeram, with a hand-size plush version of Sam the bear cub. PW said of the book,
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Amy Hest, Author, Anita Jeram, Illustrator , illus. by Anita Jeram. Candlewick $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0780-7
Hest (When Jessie Came Across the Sea) pays tribute to reassuring bedtime rituals that assuage a toddler's fears even on a "dark and stormy night." Sam the bear cub will not go to sleep. "I'm waiting," he keeps telling Mrs....
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Amy Hest, Author, Anita Jeram, Illustrator , illus. by Anita Jeram. Candlewick $17.99 (0p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2890-1
Old-Auntie the hen, endlessly patient, marvelously kind, helps Little Chick deal with frustration in three stories. As depicted in Jeram's (Guess How Much I Love You
) watercolor washes, Old-Auntie's feathered bulk dwarfs Little Chick, and
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Amy Hest, Author, Anita Jeram, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1934-3
A number of fall picture books feature familiar characters. In You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest, illus. by Anita Jeram, this third Mrs. Bear and Sam the cub story finds the mother-son duo cooking up ""a tasty surprise"" for their neighbors. The...
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Amy Hest, Author, Heather Maione, Illustrator , illus. by Heather Maione. Candlewick $14.99 (143p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2163-6
When eight-year-old Annie's mother, a sixth-grade teacher, contracts pneumonia, "nobody, absolutely nobody" expected her to die. But she does. Hest's (The Purple Coat
) moving novel balances humor with poignant moments, such as Annie&
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Amy Hest, Author, V. Duncan, Editor, Linda Dalal Sawaya, Illustrator Atheneum Books $15 (0p) ISBN 978-0-689-80293-5
In a sort of junior version of Hest's novel The Private Notebook of Katie Roberts, Age 11 (reviewed June 5), a strong-minded protagonist fills the pages of this picture book with ``her'' art and stories about her contemporary Brooklyn neighborhood....
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Amy Hest, Author, Chloe Cheese, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $17 (40p) ISBN 978-0-517-70943-6
It's no secret that babies love books about babies, and the opening pages of this volume presents a full dozen of them climbing, dancing, rolling and crawling as their families prepare them for evening story hour at the library. Here Hest's (In the...
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Amy Hest, Author, Sonja Lamut, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $14.99 (80p) ISBN 978-1-56402-474-9
Dramatic changes are in store for New York native Katie Roberts (introduced in Love You, Soldier) when her war-widow mother marries Sam Gold in 1947. Before Katie and her mom move to Sam's ranch in Texas, Katie's elderly neighbor gives her a leather
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Amy Hest, Author, Hest, Author, Nancy Cote, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing $14.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-02-743160-5
As in Nana's Birthday Party , Hest fashions tender, intimate relationships between children and their grandparents. But this title's meager plot and uncharacteristically awkward prose overshadow Hest's natural warmth as a storyteller. Ruby packs a...
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Amy Hest, Author, Hest, Author, DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-02-743632-7
Sometimes romance needs a little push to help it blossom, and young Lexi is more than willing to give her grandmother's budding love life a nudge. Gram's object of affection is her old friend (and old secret crush) Murray Singer, a fellow ardent...
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Amy Hest, Author, Hest, Author, DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, Illustrator Aladdin Paperbacks $3.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-689-71450-4
Dissatisfied with their families, friends Jessica and Jason decide to switch places; PW praised this ``sweet, funny look at the world of young children'' that ``wonderfully captures the humor of a preschooler's day.'' Ages 5-8. (Mar.)
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Amy Hest, Author, Hest, Author, DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing $13.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-02-743650-1
A sweet, funny look at the world of young children begins because friends Jessica and Jason are dissatisfied with their homes and families. At Jessica's they have spaghetti once a week, and it's green and curly so her twin-toddler siblings (noisy...
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Amy Hest, Author, Hest, Author, Karen Gundersheimer, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing $13.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-02-743630-3
Granddaughter and grandmother conspire in this demure and touching story to pass a night together in complete freedom, breaking rules when necessary and sharing intergenerational wisdom. `` `Is it awful being old?' '' asks redheaded scamp Samantha J.
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Amy Hest. Candlewick, $16.99 (192p) ISBN 978-0-7636-6007-9
Hest (Letters to Leo) interlaces three perspectives to relay a story about two families living in a Long Island seaside town during WWII. Each credible voice is distinct yet complementary, shaping a richly layered, cohesive novel that is by turns...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Kady MacDonald Denton. Candlewick, $16.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-5362-1419-2
Across four likable Frog and Toad–style stories, Hest celebrates the camaraderie of barnyard pals Billy and Rose. In the first chapter, Rose, a pale-colored pig who puts off doing laundry, and Billy, a gray sheep who dislikes practicing cello,...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Philip C. Stead. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4947-7
“Sometimes it’s nice to be alone,” Hest (Billy and Rose: Forever Friends) muses in this book’s early lines. “Just you, eating your cookie, alone.” Using printmaking techniques, Stead (The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer) portrays a child with tan...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Taeeun Yoo. Two Lions, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5420-1855-5
George is a brown-and-white spotted hound who, Hest (Sometimes It’s Nice to Be Alone) writes in observational prose, is “old and deaf in one ear, and he doesn’t run fast anymore.” Gently tinted digital illustrations by Yoo (Kitten and the Night...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Erin E. Stead. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4975-0
As Big Bear and Little Bear stand together in their pajamas, Big Bear peers down at Little Bear. “I’m just in the mood for fishing,” Big Bear says, and Little Bear agrees—“Me, too.... Just in the mood.” Delicate pencil and watercolor vignettes by...
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Amy Hest, illus. by Renata Liwska. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5341-2
On a winter night, Bunny’s awake in bed, his surroundings soft and cozy: “Bunny’s toes are warm. His blanket is soft, and the moon hovers over the pond.” He’s waiting for his father, who “will come in the night to check on his little Bunny.” The...
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