This true story has everything a dog lover is looking for: loyalty, bravery and drama. Add a splash of patriotism and some strawberry Pop-Tarts and you’ve got yourself the feel-good picture book of the fall.

Nubs, so-named because his ears had been cut off to “make him a dog of war,” was a skinny, hungry dog with no owner when Major Brian Dennis discovered him one fall morning in Iraq. In short order, Marine and canine were inseparable. While on the base, Nubs and Brian walked guard duty together, and Brian gave Nubs love, food and many belly rubs. Whenever Brian had to leave the base, Nubs would chase his Humvee until he couldn’t run anymore. Time after time, Brian would leave and Nubs would follow, running until his body gave out.

Once, with a burst of determination, Nubs followed Brian 70 miles in the snow, from the border of Syria to the border of Jordan. One would think such dedication would earn Nubs a place by Major Dennis’ side forever, but there was one big problem. It was against the rules for a Marine to have a dog. They were reported to superiors and Brian was given four days to ‘get rid of the dog, or else.’ Stateside financial support saved Nubs and he was quickly shipped to San Diego, where he was met by Brian’s friends who cared for him during the last months of Brian’s tour of duty.

Not only is this an inspiring dog story, Nubs is a perfect book for children who want to learn a little more about life in a war zone. There is no political agenda here, only the story of a soldier doing his job with a loving dog at his heels. Photographs are presented scrapbook style and, though many readers already know the outcome, the authors build the suspense and emotion to the heartwarming ending. I imagine more than a few happy tears will be shed by dog-loving children and adults as they turn the final pages.

Robin Smith is a second-grade teacher in Nashville.

The characters from Sarah, Plain and Tall, Skylark and Caleb's Story are back in Patricia MacLachlan's newest novella. Cassie, about to enter third grade, is also about to give up her spot as the baby of the family. She does not willingly take on the mantle of big sisterhood, even when it is clear the "terrible baby" is coming no matter what she says. Her mother, Sarah, is uncomfortable, tired and a little surprised to find herself expecting another baby. After all, she was already an older mom when Cassie was born. Her stepchildren, Anna and Caleb, are mostly grown, and her life has settled into a routine that is about to change dramatically.

MacLachlan takes her characters and their emotions seriously. She allows Cassie to find an outlet for her strong feelings. She keeps a journal, the one passed to her by her much-older brother, Caleb. Here she records her observations of her family and mines the rich ore of her own imagination. She loves telling little stories of the day's events, usually with a little exaggeration. When she learns that her mother is not sick, just pregnant, she will need the journal for something more. She finds a safe place to express her misgivings about the baby and her deep fears that something will happen to her beloved mother in childbirth. She imagines the baby going away, being too troublesome or too ugly. Her amusing tales reflect an eight-year-old's view of a world about to change.

It takes her a while, but she remembers the terrible stories of Caleb's birth, when his mother died from the ordeal. She wonders if it could happen again. This fear moves her to watch her mother's every move as Cassie sets out to be her mother's protector. Sarah, who has grown from a Yankee mail-order bride into a warm stepmother and mother, says the right things to comfort her anxious daughter and let her know that she has enough love for all her children.

A visit with Sarah and her growing family is like a cup of hot tea, reassuring, comforting, and familiar.

Famed children's book illustrator Jules Feiffer, known for such favorites as I Lost My Bear and Bark, George, scales new heights with The Daddy Mountain, a tale of a small girl and her tall father. "Watch me," she begins, looking up at a pair of long legs in trousers and loafers. "I'm getting ready to climb the Daddy Mountain." Of course, as any seasoned mountaineer knows, keeping your strength up on expeditions is extremely important. Fortified by juice, our young heroine bravely tackles the vertical challenge before her.

Now, as any climber is aware, there are certain rules and procedures to follow to help prevent catastrophes. For example, when climbing Daddy Mountains, it is essential that the "mountain" wear a shirt. ("Because if you grab hold of his skin, he'll get mad.") And, naturally, young climbers have to be extra careful the higher they go. But our young heroine seems to be an expert in scaling this particular peak, and she skillfully swings one foot, then the other, onto the Daddy's shoulders. Almost there! Courageously, grabbing now an ear, and then some hair, she pulls herself to the top and shouts to her mother to come quick.

Up to this point, the Daddy Mountain has remained a rather shadowy figure. But now, the page folds out to twice the height of the book, revealing a delighted dad and a triumphant daughter, perched on her daddy's head. "No problem, she's fine," the Daddy Mountain assures the flabbergasted, white-faced mom. Once again, Feiffer accomplishes a lot with a few expressive, energetic strokes. Full of action and humor, this is the perfect gift for Father's Day. But buyer, beware! If you do give this delightful book to a father of your acquaintance, make sure he's ready to get lots of practice being a "Daddy Mountain!"

Deborah Hopkinson is the author of Girl Wonder and Shutting out the Sky, both recently named honor books for the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.

Blending the tongue-in-cheek humor of her popular Scaredy Squirrel series with a clever direct appeal to the reader, Canadian author-illustrator Mélanie Watt introduces an oddly appealing new animal character in You’re Finally Here. As readers open the digitally illustrated book, a white bunny with an oversized head, bulging eyes and expressive eyebrows announces in large type, “You’re finally here!!!” The fanfare is short-lived, however, as readers turn the next page to see the bunny, now getting annoyed, ask, “But where were you?”

The humor takes off as the bunny’s ever-changing moods whip back and forth. First he describes how long he’s been waiting (long enough to watch paint dry and fulfill other exaggerated sayings) and how bored he’s become. Realizing he might have started off on the wrong foot, our narrator switches to his right foot (literally) and launches his welcome all over again. As the bunny’s anger creeps back, he describes the unfairness, annoyance and rudeness of waiting.

It’s not long, however, before the bunny changes tactics, trying to convince the reader to stay (“I’ll spend every second of the day with you!”) and even drawing up a contract to make the relationship binding (and garner a few carrot treats in the process). The bunny’s last-ditch efforts to keep the reader from closing the cover will fall on giggling children.

Watt has once again created an original and entertaining character whose hare-trigger antics add up to great read-aloud fun.

In her first picture book, Jamie Harper channels a bit of Hillary Knight: the three children in Don't Grown-Ups Ever Have Fun?, based on her own daughters, sport Eloise-inspired expressions when captured mid-mischief. But the book's narrative thrust, playful and creative, is all Harper's own, starting with the child's-view observation that adults lead draggy lives.

Throughout the book, the kids offer hilarious insights into the grown-up world. Adults "waste time sleeping . . . when there's a zillion things to do," like conduct a teddy-bear tea party amid the covers, or use the mattress as a launching pad. Grownups rush through their morning routines (Mom tries to down a cup of coffee while ensnared in a blow-dryer cord), whereas the three kids have the good sense to "take it easy" with a bubble bath. Dad wears the same clothes day after day, while cut to a dress-up session outside the parents' plundered closet "We're always changing outfits." It takes a daring remote-control intercept to disrupt the boring news and a colorizing makeover to transform Dad's drab black-and-white office. His "To Do" list, of course, is consigned to the trash.

What are grownups into, according to these kids? "Cleaning up's their favorite thing to do," notes the unnamed child narrator, with palpable disdain. When the children leap into carefully raked piles of leaves, they're merely doing their part to right the natural balance: "Why does it all have to be so perfect?" they wonder.

Luckily, a pasta dinner provides the inspiration for the put-upon parents to cut loose: they cast each other a conspiratorial glance, and before long they're wearing ziti crowns, constructing a ziti fort and slurping a shared strand of spaghetti a la Lady and the Tramp.

Don't Grown-Ups Ever Have Fun? is a playful debut that marks a talent to watch. The author's lively, subtly detailed watercolor illustrations make this a great shared read. Afterwards, though, parents will probably want to put the book aside and do something silly.

Most kids have probably never seen a silent movie, but after reading the new picture book from best-selling author Avi, they just might want to rent an old Charlie Chaplin film on their next trip to the video store.

As Avi explains in a note, until "talkies" arrived in 1929, silent movies captured the country's attention. The films featured short, melodramatic stories, with printed titles inserted to help explain the plot or provide bits of dialogue. Sometimes a piano player or organist performed in the theater to set the mood. Silent movies were a popular, inexpensive form of entertainment, especially in large cities, where immigrants often saved their pennies to go to a nickelodeon.

For the Swedish immigrant family in Avi's book, silent movies also represent the dreams of success in America. In 1909, Papa Hans leaves Sweden for a new life in America, followed six months later by Mama and Gustave. But Papa isn't able to find his family when they arrive, and mother and son struggle on their own in New York City to make ends meet. Mama takes a job in a sweatshop, while Gustave begs for money, only to have his coins stolen by a thief.

Enter Bartholmew Bunting, famous silent movie director. Catching sight of Gustave on the street, he casts the young boy in his new movie, The Thief. Taking a break from his job and his search for his family, Papa goes to the nickelodeon, where to his astonishment, he sees his son on the screen.

And then, as the saying goes, the plot thickens. To find out what happens next, you'll have to see the film or rather, read the book! Silent Movie's black-and-white illustrations, executed by C.B. Mordan, effectively evoke a silent film, and the artist also uses frames to suggest action. The book includes both author and illustrator notes, as well as "production notes" with a cast of characters. This is a warm-hearted tale that will introduce young readers to a memorable part of America's past.

Deborah Hopkinson writes from Walla, Walla Washington.