The Secret Stream
by Kimberly Ridley, Megan Elizabeth Baratta (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

A small headwater stream flows along, past animals, insects, and birds who rely on the water for their livelihood. Insects lay their eggs, and the larva hide under sunken leaves. Fish and worms and flies all live in the water. Birds eat the insects that fly above the water and even dive for small fish. River otters dart and play. Turtles explore the banks. Beavers build a dam, creating a small pond. Ducks, deer, owls, and even a fox all find their way to the stream. Eventually, the little stream merges into a larger river, and continues its journey.

How Plants Talk
by Helena Haraštová, Linh Dao (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Plants can communicate and take steps to survive in difficult conditions. If a plant gets stressed out in its environment, it might shed its flowers to conserve energy. Plants put out roots to gather in nutrients and even fight for territory underground. If one plant is getting eaten by a caterpillar, it will send out signals to other plants nearby. They will start to secrete a strange smell or toxic substance to discourage caterpillars from eating them. Plants put out sweet smells to attract pollinators like bees. There are lots of things that plants do to survive and thrive!

A Flower is a Friend
by Frieda Wishinsky, Karen Patkau (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Flowers have many friends among birds, insects, and small animals. Bees and butterflies help to spread pollen. Snails eat old dead plant material. Spiders and frogs eat insects that are harmful to the flowers. A little field mouse might fall asleep inside a tulip and then carry pollen to other areas. Even ladybugs eat the little aphids that would kill the plants, and dragonflies eat mosquitos and gnats.

Bella and the Lost Ball
by Kateřina Svozilová, Mag Takac (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Bella has lost her favorite ball. She asks the animals for help, and tries to describe the ball to them so they can help her find it. The bird has seen something beautiful, but it is not Bella’s ball. The butterfly has seen something red, but it is not Bella’s ball. The cat has seen something round, but… nope. The dog has seen something with dots on it, but it’s no use. Bella has to continue the search to remember where she left her ball.

My Cup of Art
by Katerina Karolik

3 out of 5 stars

This board book uses the styles of various famous modern painters to imagine how they might paint an ordinary cup. A cup painted by van Gogh might look more like a vase of sunflowers. A cup by Malevich would probably be a big black square with a handle. Picasso might paint a person’s head as a cup. What if the diner in Edward Hopper’s famous diner painting was actually one huge cup where the diners were floating inside the drink? Kusama might make a cup of polka dots.

Best Test
by Pippa Goodhart, Anna Doherty (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

The animals find a delicious strawberry, but begin to quarrel over who will eat it. They put together a race to see who is the “best”, and the winner will get the strawberry. They devise different obstacles and tests for the race. Frog wants a hopping obstacle. Mouse is good at coloring and wants a coloring test. They also have to guess what is in a mystery bag, and make the best funny face.
As they go through the different challenges, some of the animals struggle. But their friends stop to help them through each task. They all cross the finish line together, holding paws. They never do discover who is the “best”, but they do become best friends!

A Parliament of Owls
by Devin Scillian, Sam Caldwell (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

A young girl calls each group of animals to convene for a huge photo. A parliament of owls arrive on a tree, along with a murder of crows. There is a warren of rabbits, a gaggle of geese, and a raft of otters. Some of the strangest groups are the memory of elephants, the charm of hummingbirds, and the pandemonium of parrots. When the animals are finally assembled, the girl takes a massive group photo with all the animals together!

Albie on His Way
by Jutta Bauer, Matthias Wieland (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

The king asks Albie to deliver a message to the neighboring kingdom, but Albie gets delayed along the way. First a father squirrel needs help after a bad fall. Then a mother pig needs a babysitter while she goes shopping… for a week! Albie meets an old animal who walks very slowly, but they travel together for a while. Albie decides to take a different path through the mountains, and ends up right back in his own kingdom! By now so much time has passed, that the king decides that the message doesn’t matter after all.