“Somebody Come & Play” (Photo by Rawley/use with permission only, please and thank you)

I was caught up with the reviews for a second there… then found another stack. It’s a good problem to have, lol.

Hope y’all are having a great week! (All quotes/info used with permission from the authors/illustrators.)

WM

• “Hey Now, Little Man,” oh, hey now, new little board book by Dori Elys, with illustrations by Chris Park. (Little Simon/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2024, ages infant and up, $7.99.) “The truth is everyone’s got a touch of unique. There’s a dozen, a hundred, a thousand ways to be.” #truth
• “Sea of Constellations” is a new release from the “Mother of Sharks” author Melissa Cristina Marquez. This title has vivid and lovely illustrations by Rocio Arreola Mendoza. (Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House; scheduled for release May 28, 2024; all ages; $19.99.) The light disappears — blink! — from the ocean, but Maren the whale shark has an idea. Reminiscent of Marcus Pfister’s “The Rainbow Fish,” an old favorite.
• Oh, hullo, Bear! Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, author and illustrator, bring us another book in the series with Bear and his friends. “Bear Finds Eggs” is a sweet, happy book about community, love, eggs and babies. (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 2024, all ages, $18.99.) Other titles include: “Bear’s New Friend,” “Bear Can’t Wait,” “Bear Says Thanks” and many others.
• “Grilled Cheese? YES, PLEASE!” from Tim Kleyn, the author/illustrator of “Set Sail for Pancakes!” OK, those are cute titles. And Kleyn includes his top secret recipe for grilled cheese, so that’s cool. You know how when it’s a stormy, stormy night, your mama might be lost at sea, and you and your gramps are home ready for her with grilled cheese sandwiches and piping hot tomato soup, but she’s just not getting home? And all these random sea-faring folks keep swinging by, so you have to feed them? Yeah. That’s the situation here. (Viking/Penguin Random House; May 7, 2024; ages 4 and up; $18.99.)