Anyone who writes book reviews will tell you that every once in a while you feel like you just nailed it. You do the book justice, you provide insightful critique – it’s all working. Other times, however, you spend so much time trying to nail it that your time runs out. Since I slavishly adhere to the “I only review books during their year of publication” rule, my time has run out on the following seven books.

If you haven’t already, take the time to read them with kids.

Leo is a mail carrier who’s never received a letter himself, but when he befriends a little lost bird, things change.

Elephants never forget, or so the saying goes. But Nancy is having trouble remembering something important.

One of my favorite quotes of the year comes from Grasshopper Jungle: “Good books are about everything”. Philip Stead’s books tend to be about everything – including this one, about a boy who escapes boredom via balloon.

What happens when the Hug Machine runs out of hugging power?

Near the seaside home of a boy and his father, a little whale washes ashore. The lonely boy appreciates the company for a while, but knows what must be done.

A girl orders a sloth through the mail. What she’s expecting is a pet. What she gets is a sloth.

A boy’s kindness is repaid by a mother fox in need of shelter. Another excellent entry into the Stories Without Words series from Enchanted Lion Books.