Ribbit! - Rodrigo Folgueira & Poly Bernatene

As a group of frogs are minding their own business, a pig joins them. The pig says "Ribbit!" The frogs are aghast. Is this pig trying to mock them? Other woodland creatures come by to observe as the pig continues to say "Ribbit!" They talk amongst themselves about the pig who isn't doing what he ought to. Finally, they seek out the wise old beetle to tell them how they should deal with this pig. The beetle helps them realize that maybe the pig is just looking for new friends. At this point, the pig has disappeared. Is it too late for a new friendship to begin?

Folgueira's sweet and lightly humorous book deals with judgement and gossiping in a way young children can understand without being too emotional or heavy. The pig who goes out of his way to make new friends is a great role model. I love that despite the rejection he receives, the pig keeps up his mission to make new friends. This book is a great for reading aloud and following up with a discussion. Bernatene's textured illustrations are lovely.    

Xander's Panda Party - Linda Sue Park & Matt Phelan

Xander wants to throw a panda party, but he is the only panda in the zoo. He decides to make it a bear party, but when he invites the koala and discovers that koalas are marsupials, he decides he needs to invite other marsupials as well. As he talks to more animals and doesn't want to leave anyone out, he is overwhelmed by the growing guest list. Will he throw a successful party, or will it be more than he can handle?

The storytelling is delightful. Park's use of verse is impressively executed. She incorporates a bit of zoology and animal classification, which is a fun element. Phelan's ink and watercolor is stunning. Overall a lovely book.

Antonia, the Horse Whisperer - Elisabeth Zöller and Birgitte Kolloch

Eleven-year-old Antonia Rosenburg helps care for the horses on her family-owned riding stables. She has big dreams of winning riding competitions, but those dreams are put on hold when her favorite horse is injured. When her family takes on a new client with a wild-mannered horse, Antonia discovers that she has a natural gift for reaching out to this horse. The problem: their client doesn't want an eleven-year-old near his precious horse. The other problem: the horse, Elfin Dance, won't go willingly to anyone else.

This book is a cute beginning to a promising series. Instead of being about winning a big horse competition or accomplishing amazing feats, Zöller and Kolloch focus on human-to-human and human-to-horse interactions. The problems Antonia faces are realistic and not overly dramatic. Antonia never doubts her natural gifts, even if others do. She takes action to solve her problems in a realistic way. There are no "bad guys" in this book, just problems that need solving.

This is a great transitional book from intermediate to juvenile fiction. The illustrations by Gotzen-Beek are cute and plentiful, which may help girls who are reluctant to move into more advanced books. It flows nicely and quickly. I look forward to more in the series.