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.

Those who enjoyed Jamie Lee Curtis' and Laura Cornell's previous books (When I Was Little and Today I Feel Silly) are in for a treat: a brand new collaboration called I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem. Like the previous efforts, this one is a joyous romp, filled with humor and lots of understanding about what makes kids tick.

As fans know, Jamie Lee Curtis can not only act, she can write best-selling children's books. She says her goddaughter inspired this one when she was trying on a dress Curtis had given her and proclaimed, "I'm gonna like me!" Two narrators, a boy and a girl, do the talking, so the upbeat, funny messages about self-esteem are squarely aimed at both sexes. The kids alternate by explaining many different "I'm gonna like me when . . ." situations, some fun but many universally distressing or scary for kids, like getting on a school bus alone and waving goodbye to one's parents, giving the wrong answer in school, or falling down and getting hurt. The rhyming text is short and jaunty: "I'm gonna like me when I don't run so fast. Then they pick teams and I'm chosen last." Curtis adds funny twists to familiar childhood pains: "I'm gonna like me when I eat something new even if Grandma makes octopus stew."

Matters of politeness and morals are also addressed, as in "I'm gonna like me when I open the box and smile and say 'Thanks' even though I got socks." Laura Cornell's artwork is nothing less than exuberant. Her cute, cocky kids have boundless energy and winning smiles, and each page is filled with a multitude of interesting expressions and details. Just watch the bespectacled boy go through numerous gyrations as he sails through the air before falling flat on his face. Watch grandma whip up that octopus stew (after hauling it out of the ocean). Read the various lunch containers at the cafeteria table: T-Bone on a Stick, No Beef Allowed, Global Warming Soup Thermos and even Pork By the Foot! The humor brings to mind a Roz Chast cartoon.

I'm Gonna Like Me is a great way to give a child a little lesson in fact many little life lessons without them ever knowing it! And the best part is, both you and the child will be smiling as you read.

Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau are icons for most Americans, but how many of us realize that these two met? In Louisa May and Mr. Thoreau's Flute, 7-year-old Louy Alcott is amazed by the eccentric, wild-haired teacher, Mr. Thoreau. He is the talk of Concord, Massachusetts. Thought to be a loafer and a dreamer, Thoreau is rumored to brush his hair with a pinecone! He knows all the best berry patches and loves sharing his knowledge of the woods and nature with his young scholars. And, wherever Mr. Thoreau goes, his flute goes too, providing a soft musical accompaniment to his life and the lives of his students.

In between chores and obligations, Louisa watches and learns from her teacher. She notices the changes of nature. She envies Thoreau when she hears that he is spending the winter studying foxes and fish: Mr. Alcott scoffed, 'Has he nothing better to do?' Louisa couldn't imagine there was anything better.

Mary Azarian's trademark hand-colored woodcuts beautifully complement the story. The highly textured pictures invite readers to look closely. The details in the characters' clothing suggest calico and homespun, patches and plaid. Nature is treated with a loving hand, too. Each pine needle and leaf, wave and cloud is unique and carefully crafted by this Caldecott-winning artist.

Though we all think of Louisa May Alcott as a prolific and graceful novelist, in reality, as a young girl, she was not an enthusiastic writer. She had an author for a father and a writer for a teacher, but she often had difficulty thinking of things to write about: Words seemed trapped within her, like fish under ice. But, one day on the Concord River, the ice thaws and cracks. The robin carols for her and the words she had longed for suddenly rush into her head. Readers will cheer for Louy as she races to catch the words on paper in her very first poem.

More a story about writing and inspiration than historical fiction for young readers, this is a gentle tale of a teacher and a student, and the birth of a writer. The story will inspire young authors and naturalists, and budding artists will revel in the sparkling illustrations. A treasure about two national treasures.

Life is good for Rocket, the adorable spotted dog who stars in Tad Hills' new picture book, How Rocket Learned to Read. Rocket romps and plays all day, chasing leaves and chewing on sticks until it's time for a nap under his favorite tree. Little does he know that a tiny yellow bird has big plans for him—she's determined to teach Rocket how to read.

Rocket and the little bird are the most irresistible animal duo since Sylvester and Tweety. The little bird takes the role of a firm but conscientious teacher, while the dog is her playful and reluctant student. The bouncy pup at first doesn't show any interest in the bird's classroom, but she lures him by reading a story aloud. Rocket becomes enraptured by the story, and when the bird suddenly stops reading, Rocket has to know what happens next!

Soon, little Rocket is a regular in the bird’s class and an enthusiastic student, hooked by the thrill of mastering "the wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet." Hills' illustrations—from close-ups of the dog's expressive face to broad two-page views of a landscape shifting from summer to winter—are beautifully interwoven with the text to create a story that will charm children and adults alike. In one scene, Rocket practices the alphabet by tracing the patterns of letters in the snow. In another, the tiny teacher is dwarfed by her canine student, who is curled around her and listening with rapt attention to her latest story.

A perfect choice for new students, reluctant readers and educators who could use a little inspiration for the year ahead, How Rocket Learned to Read is a delightful salute to the joys of reading and a touching tribute to teachers who unlock the magic of the alphabet for their students.

What's dinner like at the homes of authors Chris Raschka and Vladimir Radunsky? Their new book, Table Manners provides a few clues. Do they eat like their incorrigible character Dudunya, who is clearly in need of some basic etiquette lessons? Or, like Chester, are they able to instruct their less-civilized friends on the finer points of napkin folding, potato cutting and chewing food before swallowing?

Chester, whose head resembles an elongated lima bean, is the teacher here. He carefully explains the basic points of manners to his friend Dudunya, who, despite his rather messy potato-shaped face, is quite curious about civilized eating. And just where has Dudunya been eating? Clearly, he has dined in a world where meals take place without the benefits of utensils or napkins or even chewing.

To look for moral lessons or reason in this unorthodox, freewheeling guide is to miss the attraction. Using hilarious mixed-media illustrations, Table Manners is a bright, bold book that causes the reader to laugh aloud. There's a lot to see, and the splashy layout begs the reader to pause and look closely at the details. Is that really a cutout of a chicken with gravy and capers? And just what are the correct answers to "The Final Exam" at the end? I defy anyone to look at "Chester's Chart of Full-Mouthed Speaking Accidents" without chortling. The mother encrusted with rainbow sprinkles, and the cousin doused in cream sauce are images that should inspire the messiest of eaters to chew first and talk later.

So, whether you are eating at the Queen's palace, or having a chicken dinner at home, review Chester's rules of eating beforehand. Bon appetit!