First Day on a Strange New Planet

Pizza delivery has never been as dangerous or exciting as in this whimsical first novel from author-illustrator Yaccarino (Doug Unplugged), in which Luno, the scion of an ancient and respected Continue reading »

In this companion to Five Little Bunnies and Five Little Pumpkins, a group of all-green elves help prepare for Santa’s flight, taking turns wondering where Santa is, reflecting on Continue reading »

In these two episodes in the Blast Off Boy and Blorp series, earthling Johnny Smith swaps places with Blorp Glorp from planet Meep as part of the Galactic Space Exchange Program. "Yaccarino Continue reading »

How can best friends be so different? Billy, a farm boy, is methodical and mild-mannered; Goat, a goat, is boisterous and a little impulsive. As Yaccarino (Doug Unplugged) writes, “Billy Continue reading »

Yaccarino (Trashy Town ) invites readers to jump into the Farley family station wagon for an old-fashioned road trip. Beginning in Maine and winding—page Continue reading »

In this auspicious debut of the Blast Off Boy and Blorp series, Yaccarino (Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I'm Off to the Moon) grandly unveils the Galactic Space Exchange Program. ""Johnny Smith, dubbed `Blast Continue reading »

Oswald the octopus, whom youngsters may recognize from the Nick Jr. series, moves to Big City and meets many pleasant neighbors in this thoroughly polite picture book. Oswald, a violet-blue orb Continue reading »

Camouflaged by snow, Little White Dog is hard to detect: only pointy extremities sticking out from a white field, plus a coal-black eye and nose, indicate his presence. The flat, highly stylized Continue reading »

"Night assumes a human form in a calming bedtime tale, whose quiet narration and undulating illustrations have an almost hypnotic quality," wrote PW. Continue reading »

Yaccarino's (Bittle ) inventive, sharp-contoured images of city life unify this assortment of 34 nursery rhymes, which would have benefited from a more Continue reading »

Cynthia "just knew" she would get a pony for her fifth birthday, "and she would name him Marigold." But the polka-dot box she receives is too small for a horse, and instead Continue reading »

When Ben McGillicutty leaves his beloved Sharkman action figure at school, the Class Pet Squad springs into action, determined to reunite Ben with his toy. Reptilian Rhonda plots the route to Ben’s Continue reading »

Two children ice-fishing with their grandfather express their dread of the watery depths in this playful story. ``The ice, two feet thick, shimmered a strange blue and white. The water was dark and Continue reading »

Alfred the pug is adorable, yet no people provide him with affection; instead, he suffers many taunts, until he meets Rex, his mirror image. In PW's words, ""This amiable tale of self-confidence Continue reading »

In this continuation of the Blast Off Boy and Blorp series, Blast Off Boy doesn't mind having swapped places with Blorp in the Galactic Space Exchange Program, except that he misses his Continue reading »

Young children who share a dependable ritual with someone special can recognize themselves in this account of a father and son's weekly breakfast out. The elementary school–age son Continue reading »

In this affectionate personal history, Yaccarino (Lawn to Lawn) traces his ancestry from Sorrento, Italy, to New York City. He links the generations with a humble hand-me-down: a hefty gray grocer's Continue reading »

Dan Yaccarino's third installment of the Blast Off Boy and Blorp series, The Big Science Fair, features the friends' projects; their planetary cultural gap contributes to some surprising Continue reading »

In Five Little Pumpkins, illus. by Dan Yaccarino, five carved pumpkins watch ghosts and witches fly by on Halloween night. Bold colors, expressive pumpkins and dramatic perspectives complement the Continue reading »

Strange critters befriend the narrator of this absurd tale, which pokes fun at those who adopt stray puppies and kittens. A tiny girl leads a huge, balloon-shaped octopus into a bathtub (""An octopus Continue reading »

Baby Face by Abigail Tabby, illus. by Dan Yaccarino, joins the Playtime Rhymes series. Large round interactive faces accompany simple rhymes that urge toddlers to pull tabs in order to expose a Continue reading »

In a companion to Five Little Pumpkins, the gourds (each with a carved jack-o’-lantern face) return. Yaccarino offers a variation on the popular nursery rhyme, counting from one to five with Continue reading »

In one of three board books kicking off the Happyland series, Yaccarino introduces a trio of friends named Bink, Clyde, and Glub-Glub. Awakening to a rainstorm, fishlike Glub-Glub—somewhat Continue reading »

Four ticky-tacky decorations—a flamingo, a gnome, a lawn jockey, and a deer with half an ear—ponder their future when their owners move away. They miss Pearl, the girl who “knew Continue reading »

In this mock-horror yarn about leftover veggies, evil greens terrorize a community. The trouble starts when lima-bean-hating Sammy stows his side dish in his sock when his mother isn't Continue reading »

In perhaps his best-realized picture book yet, Yaccarino (Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I'm Off to the Moon) takes a tongue-in-cheek look at an arrogant king of beasts. This lion bullies his subjects, including Continue reading »

Zimmerman and Clemesha, authors of The Cow Buzzed, give a cleaned-up account of sanitation work. Mr. Gilly is a trash collector and has the enviable task of driving a big blue truck. Accompanied by Continue reading »

``I just know my big brother Mike doesn't like me,'' laments the narrator of this spunky first book. Here's why: Mike always grabs the prize out of the cereal box, hogs the remote control when the Continue reading »

Doug, a robot child who’s a cross between Elroy Jetson and Rolie Polie Olie, plugs a cable into his belly button to process information. Marching out the door with their briefcases, his automaton Continue reading »

Yaccarino (I Am a Story) highlights the power of kindness and daring to go against the grain in the story of a small, dapper mole who doesn’t fit in with his larger, burlier brothers. Deep Continue reading »

"In perhaps his best-realized picture book yet, Yaccarino takes a tongue-in-cheek look at an arrogant king of beasts," wrote PW in a starred review. Continue reading »

Yaccarino (Every Friday ) dives into more complex material than many of his previous books for younger readers with this captivating biography. “Weak and Continue reading »

In understated words and bold cartoons, Yaccarino (Billy and Goat at the State Fair) traces storytelling from humanity’s earliest days to the present. Writing in the voice of story itself, Continue reading »

Kitschy art brightens a tired tale that begins as Mom delivers a classic ultimatum: Phil can't leave the dinner table until he finishes his vegetables. ""I hate vegetables!"" the boy exclaims, Continue reading »

Yaccarino (Big Brother Mike) brings an effervescent perspective to moon exploration for the youngest astronaut wannabes in this breezy flight of fancy. A boy astronaut climbs into a bulging, Continue reading »