“ROBOT ZOMBIE FRANKENSTEIN!” by Annette Simon, Candlewick, Hardcover, April 24, 2012, $16.99 (ages 3 and up) Two robots, both very alike. Maybe too alike. But Robot can take care of that. A few changes here, a few changes there, and Robot becomes Robot ZOMBIE! Well other Robot can’t let that go — enter Robot Zombie…

Toni Buzzeo is passionate about children’s literature. Having been a classroom educator and then a school librarian for many years, she has been surrounded by it. That’s also why she writes for children, though that’s not the only reason. “Just as importantly,” she says, “I love children and consider them, wherever they may be, to…

“MAGRITTE’S MARVELOUS HAT,” by D. B. Johnson, Houghton Mifflin, Hardback, April 17, 2012, $16.99 (ages 4 and up) Rene Magritte is known for his surrealist paintings. He was also known for a bowler hat. In “Magritte’s Marvelous Hat,” author/illustrator D.B. Johnson brings Magritte to life in the form of a dog. One day, Magritte sees…

“SCHOLASTIC DISCOVER MORE: TECHNOLOGY,” by Clive Gifford, Paperback, May 1, 2012, $15.99 (ages 8 and up) and “SCHOLASTIC DISCOVER MORE: NIGHT SKY,” by Giles Sparrow, Paperback, May 1, 2012, $15.99 (ages 8 and up) Growing up, many of my favorite books were “discovery books,” books that made more complicated subjects accessible to me as a child,…

Josh Selig loves writing, and he’s actively been doing it since he was in high school. The type of writing, he says, varies from scripts to poems to songs. “I can’t actually imagine a life without writing,” Josh told Cracking the Cover. “For me, writing is like a friend who’s always there who totally understands…

“It’s a Big World, Little Pig!” by Kristi Yamaguchi, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, Hardcover, March 6, 2012, $16.99 (ages 4 and up) Poppy the ice skating pig is back, and she’s just as charming as she was a year ago. The creation of Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, Poppy is a persistent pig who, through a lot…

“Step Gently Out,” by Helen Frost, photographs by Rick Lieder, Candlewick Press, March 13, 2012, hardcover $15.99 (ages 2 and up) Step gently out, be still, and watch a single blade of grass. An ant climbs up to look around. A honeybee flies past Each line in “Step Gently Out” asks readers to explore. The…

“Meet Me at the Moon,” by Gianna Marino, Viking Juvenile, March 29, 2012, hardcover $16.99 (ages 2 and up) The land is dry, and Mama must leave Little One to ask the skies for rain. It’s important, but Little One is worried and doesn’t want Mam to go. “You will feel my love in everything…

“EVERY-DAY DRESS-UP,” by Selina Alko, Knopf Books for Young Readers, October 11, 2011, $16.99 (ages 5 and up) Who needs to dress up as an imaginary princess when there are so many real amazing women to dress up as?  That’s the message the little girl in this book wants to share.  Moving through each day…

Kate Coombs says she’s read some books for grown-ups, including the classics as an English major, but it’s children’s books that have always called to her. “Even while I was in college, I used to study in the children’s book section of the library,” the author told Cracking the Cover. “Those were the books that…