* “Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille,” by Jen Bryant, with illustrations by Boris Kulikow, is a fantastic biography of a super-cool inventor. (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2016, ages 4-8 (and up) 40 pages, $17.99.) Braille lost his sight at age 5 due to an accident in his father’s leather-working shop. He later went to the Royal School for the blind, in Paris, and was frustrated that there were no books he could read.

Braille improvised and improved on a code invented by a French army captain, and the rest is history. Great storytelling, the art is engaging, and man, do I love young adult biographies and autobiographies. What a lovely tribute to a cool guy whose project, and success in pulling it off, has touched so many. The Braille alphabet (not in Braille, though) is printed in the front of the book, along with a pronunciation guide to French phrases used in the book. Fini!

* “Freckleface Strawberry and the Really Big Voice” is the latest installment in the series by actress Julianne Moore, with illustrations by LeUyen Pham. (Random House Children’s Books, 2016, ages 3-7, $16.99.) There is a time for quiet, inside voices, my friends, and there is a time for BIG, LOUD, OUTSIDE VOICES! Let’s hope someone helps Freckleface’s bestie, Windy Pants Patrick, figure out what’s what. Sweet book.

* “1 2 3 Dream,” by Portland, Ore. author and illustrator Kim Krans, is an ethereal, whimsical picture book. (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2016, ages 3-7 (and up) 48 pages, $16.99.) It’s a companion book to Krans’ “A B C Dream,” which is another lovely title. She’s from Portland, is she in a band? Why, yes, she and her husband Jonny’s band is called Family Band. In case you were wondering :)

* Penguins are so sensitive, in the words of Lyle Lovett. They are! They have problems, too, y’know. Just ask them. Luckily Jory John (also from Portland, and he teaches songwriting and guitar, so maybe he has a band? What say you?) and Lane Smith are here to advocate for them in “Penguin Problems.” (Random House Children’s Books, 2016, ages 3-7, $17.99.) Their beaks get cold. There is a LOT of squawking. All of that snow is bright. You might get gobbled up by someone bigger than you. Really funny picture book with just the right amount of sass and empathy. John also wrote “I Will Chomp You!” and Smith… oh, he’s just the author of one of the best children’s books ever, “It’s A Book.” And what’s that one book he illustrated? Oh, right… with his buddy Jon Scieszka? “The Stinky Cheese Man.” Buy two copies and give one away.

Bon appetit, babies.

— wacky mommy