Big new titles perfect for the littles.
Wish Soup: A Celebration of Seollal by Junghwa Park (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers). “Today is an important day! Not just because it is Seollal. But also because I will become an eonni. I’ll be too cool to hang out with my little sister, Somi, and younger cousins. And only a big girl can help on Seollal.” Okay, so Sohee is finally grown-up enough to pitch in during the Korean Lunar New Year celebration — but is she quick enough to stop Somi from snatching her bowl of delicious tteokguk? Uh, oh!
Otto the Ornament: A Christmas Book for Kids by Troy Cummings (Random House Books for Young Readers). Who’s the sparkly new guy? “Merry Christmas, bulbs and baubles!” says the brash interloper to the less-than-glam trinkets hanging from the boughs. “I’m Otto! I’m here to bedeck the heck out of your tree!” Sure, he’s dazzling, but he’s also a bit full of himself. So, when the wooden Santa, green glass bell, homemade reindeer, and other ornaments refuse to bow to Otto’s brilliance and give him a prime spot at the top, he decides to take his glitzy show on the road — or, at least, “out the doggy door and into the snowy night.”
Penguin Huddle by Ross Montgomery (author) and Sarah Warburton (illustrator) (Walker Books US). “The penguin pack played all day long at the frozen southern pole. Some went ice-skating. Some went fishing. The others juggled snowballs! And when the sun went down, and stars filled the cold, dark sky…‘PENGUIN HUDDLE!’ The penguins squeezed and squished together so they stayed warm and cozy all night long.” But when an especially frigid wind blows through? Yikes! They’re stuck, and the huddle is a muddle! It’s gonna take some blustery, birdy know-how to get unstuck…
