The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB) wrote a great review of Constance Lombardo‘s middle school illustrated novel, Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat to the Stars, which tells the tale of a young cat’s journey to become a famous actor. The BCCB praised the story’s humor, writing, “Lombardo positively revels in loading on the cinematic clichés and topping them with a generous sprinkle of cat-themed wordplay…and Mr. Puffball’s breathless, straightfaced delivery of one droll line after another adds to the fun.” Lombardo both wrote and illustrated the book, and the illustrations are praised too: “The numerous comical black and white line drawings continue the jokes, with plenty of speech bubbles…and amusing visual details adding another layer of fun.”

Mr. Puffball can be ordered here!

Booklist reviewed Sarah Dillard’s Mouse Scouts, an upcoming chapter book about a troop of young mice learning lessons and earning badges in skills such as gardening. Booklist calls Mouse Scouts, the first in the series, a “cheerful series starters,” and praises the illustrations. They conclude, “Readers won’t have to be scouts to enjoy this agreeable tale of friendship.” Mouse Scouts goes on sale this January. You can pre-order a copy here!

Race Car Count, written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and illustrated by Michael Slack, received praise in a Booklist review! Race Car Count shows the story of a high speed car race to help teach children to count. Booklist writes of Michael Slack’s race car illustrations, “Full of power and personality, each car has its own color, look, and attitude, created with its eyes (in the windshield area) and mouth (the grill).” In all, they call the book, “A fast-paced, fun counting book.”

You can read the full review in Booklist’s November 12^th issue, and you can check out Race Car Counts here!

NYC Reads 365 chose Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, written by Katheryn Russel Brown and illustrated by Frank Morrison, for its recommended reading list for grade 4. NYC Reads 365 is a program to encourage reading in both the children and adults of New York. Find out more about the program and the other winners here. Little Melba and Her Big Trombone can be purchased here.

Parents Magazine named Eric Barclay’s adorable counting book Counting Dogs one of their Best Children’s Books of 2015. Congratulations, Eric! You can check out the list here and find Counting Dogs here!

Il Sung Na’s Welcome Home, Bear and Betsy Snyder’s I Can Dance made it to Amazon’s list of Best Books of 2015! Welcome Home, Bear and I Can Dance were both included as one of the best books of the year for the baby to age 2 category. Congratulations to Il Sung Na and Betsy Snyder! You can buy Welcome Home, Bear here and I Can Dance here.

Publisher’s Weekly praised the first book in Sarah Dillard’s upcoming series Mouse Scouts. Sarah Dillard’s adorable books tell the adventures of a scouting troupe of young mice as they work to earn their badges. Publisher’s Weekly admired the illustrations and wrote, “It’s easy to imagine children finishing this book with an increased interest in both gardening and scouting.”

Check out the full review here, and pre-order Mouse Scouts (on sale January 5th) here!

The First Book Blog chose Sunday Shopping, written by Sally Derby and illustrated by Shadra Strickland, for one of its Five Favorite Books of October. The First Book Blog chose Sunday Shopping as the best pick of the month for ages eight to ten.  They write, “This sweet story about a Sunday tradition between a loving grandmother and her granddaughter is also a great opportunity for imaginative play!” Congratulations, Sally and Shadra!

You can see the full list here and buy your own copy of Sunday Shopping here.

Elizabeth Zunon, illustrator of Poems in the Attic, will be doing several appearances this upcoming month.  November 8th she will be signing copies of Poems in the Attic at the The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, a book store in her hometown of Albany, New York, from 2 to 4 pm. You can find more information about the event here.

The New York State Reading Association will be having a conference on diverse literature from November 9th to 11th in Saratoga Springs, and Elizabeth will be speaking there on the 11th! Her session is entitled “Weaving Worlds Together” and will begin at 9:10 am. Further information can be found here.

If you’re in the area for either of these events, we hope you’ll have time to see her!