I kind of love reviewing kids’ books. I do. I don’t know how I was lucky enough to land this gig, but I like it, my friends. First up today:

“Mr. Hare’s Big Secret,” (2015, Doubleday Books for Young Readers, unpaged, $16.99) a new title from Hannah Dale, is a darling book. (Reminds me very much of a longtime favorite, “The Golden Egg Book.” My copy looks a lot like the copy pictured in this blog.)

“In the wild, wild wood there stood a big, tall tree. And under that tree lived a very hungry hare.”

He’s clever, he’s a little scruffy, he looks like our beloved Wacky Cat 2, and he knows “a big, fat, juicy secret.” What is it? Read and find out… You might even be able to dance to it.

This is a really beautiful picture book that the kids will love.

Richard Torrey wrote and illustrated “The Almost Terrible Playdate,” another brand-new picture book (2016, Doubleday Books for Young Readers, unpaged, $16.99). I love it for a few reasons: It’s funny. It has a girl hero and a boy hero, both equally complex and animated. It has a purple and green color scheme, and those are my two absolutely favorite colors of all time.

Yes, they are.

So there you have it: Purple and green for the win. The author grew up in a large family of boys, and says he learned from his brothers that compromise is a big part of play. Smart man. It’s fun to watch how the characters learn to come around to each other’s way of thinking. (He doesn’t want to be a ballerina, frog, or a pony; she, on the other hand, doesn’t care to be a wolf, or a dinosaur, or a race car.) Sweet book, and not preachy.

A pair of new board books just arrived, both by Jill McDonald, both science titles: “Weather” and “Solar System” (2016, Hello, World! series, Doubleday Books for Young Readers, unpaged, $7.99 each). Non-fiction titles are great for even the youngest of readers. Let’s say you know a kid, a little kid, who loves encyclopedias, dinosaur books, books about astronomy or what-have-you, up to the sky and back. Do not give this kid a hard time. Don’t say, Seriously, kid, you want this guidebook for your bedtime story? Be patient. Look at the pictures. Read a sentence (or two or three) from each page.

Some of us are science/non-fiction geeks, that’s all. These two little-kid-sized books are pretty much perfect. They’re reminiscent of Colorforms, all blocky and bright colors. Very cute.

“Is it a crisp, cool morning? (tweet) Bundle up with a sweater, jeans, and warm socks. Your pet might like a sweater too!”

Happy reading, babies.

— wm