(3) 1-3 Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. A charming collection of stories (translated from the German) about going to sleep and saying goodnight are told through the experience of best friends Fox and Rabbit, who sleep in the same bed. Each small tale features one friend or both having trouble falling asleep; misunderstandings and curiosity stir up trouble but are reassuringly resolved. Quaint line and wash illustrations add to the appeal of this sweet, old-fashioned bedtime read-aloud.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. A woman named Elise is too fearful to leave her house. After a paper airplane flies through her window, a boy comes looking for it and invites himself in for a friendly visit. The story's originality (text translated from the German) extends to its photographed art, which features cut-out characters set against handmade backdrops; as the intergenerational friendship blossoms, so does the book's color scheme.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. Forget Godot: Bear is waiting on a bench for Goliath. The seasons change, but Bear doesn't lose faith. His patience--like the reader's--is rewarded when spring comes and so does Goliath, who turns out to be a snail ("I came as fast as I could"). This German import is an endearing ode to friendship, with photographed art of what looks like a paper-based three-dimensional set.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. Narrator Henry and his (hijab-wearing) nanny, Gulsa, go to the hospital to visit his grandmother. When Gulsa gets held up outside the building, Henry takes it upon himself to locate Grandma in the labyrinthine structure; along the way, he chats with workers and patients. This humane journey–cum–hospital tour is original picture-book terrain. Institutional colors dominate the expansive, ultra-clean-lined art.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. Illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch. Twenty-one single-page "The King and..."–titled stories, all featuring spare collage-style art, range from the pithy to the barely-existent. ("The King and the Book," in toto: "'How are you?' enquired the king. / 'That's what I've been asking you all along,' said the book.") Kids who like open-ended Zen koans will be tickled; others won't find sufficient "there" there.

Reviewer: Nell Beram