Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue

 Kitty is the daughter of a famous superhero. Her mother has special cat powers and skills, and Kitty hopes she will grow up to be just like her.  One night a cat comes to Kitty's window asking for help. Her mother has already gone out for the night and Kitty wonders if she is brave enough to go on her first adventure.  With the encouragement of some feline friends, Kitty dons her cat costume and goes out into the night.

This is a new-ish early reader series that is really gaining popularity at my library.  It has a simple and mildly suspenseful story and darling pictures. I think it is well suited for kids who like Princess in Black but who are ready for a little bit more text. I could see my own granddaughter reading the story and then wanting to dress up like Kitty and rename her toy cats Pumpkin and Figaro. (2019, 128 p.)

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick

Baby Monkey is a baby, and a monkey, but he is also a private eye.  When the baker has loses his pizza, or the clown has loses his clown nose, Baby Monkey knows just what to do.  Being a PI is hard work and in the end, Baby Monkey is pretty sleepy when his solves his last, and most important, case.

I saw this book with stars in the review journals and at first I thought it might be a novel.  It did, after all, have 190 pages. After I read some reviews, I thought it might be in the intermediate section, but finally I found it in the Easy Reader section along side Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat.  Can an Easy Reader really have 190 pages, five chapters, an index, and a bibliography? I guess so.  It really is an easy reader, with only about 100 very simple words total in the whole book.  The reason it is so long is because it was created by Selzinck, the same guy who created the Invention of Hugo Cabret. The book has darling black and white illustrations that tell the story, and the words are just sprinkled about when needed.  It is really cute and will delight even the earliest readers because they will be able to "read" a real chapter book all by themselves.  (191 p. 2018)

Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder

One of my goals for the new year is to read more nonfiction and intermediate books.  I picked up this one thinking it was an intermediate, but it is actually an early reader. It is about the daily life of Charlie and his younger brother, Mouse.  They wake up every morning next to each other in bed.  They like bed time stories, neighborhood parties, and Popsicles.  The book contains 4 mini stories and is illustrated with charming ink and watercolor drawings. This book has very low level vocabulary, but a quaint kind of charm.  It reminds me a little of the Little Bear books. It has received some starred reviews and ended up on some Best Books lists. (2017, 36 p.)