Check out these literary treats perfect for reading aloud with the picture-book set:

• Combining a spare text with exquisitely evocative watercolor illustrations, "City Dog, Country Frog" (Hyperion, $17.99) offers readers a story of a friendship filled with joy, loss and change. The book blends the talents of two Caldecott Honor-winning picture-book creators: author/illustrator Mo Willems, best known for his books "Knuffle Bunny" and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus," and Jon Muth, author and illustrator of "Zen Shorts."

Here, Mr. Willems is the author as he spins the tale of a city dog who first visits the country in springtime and becomes fast friends with a frog who lives there. Thus, the dog is devastated when he returns to the country in winter to find no sign of his friend. Fortunately, spring returns, bringing with it the promise of a new friendship. Mr. Muth's delicate watercolors brilliantly convey a range of emotions and seasonal landscapes, making this book one of my picks for the 2011 Caldecott Medal. (Ages 4-7.)

• It's not surprising that Miss Brooks loves books. After all, she's a children's librarian. But even the charismatic Miss Brooks has trouble finding books that will interest reluctant reader Missy. Fortunately, as author Barbara Bottner shows in "Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't)" (Knopf, $17.99), there's a book for every reader -- you just have to find the right one. Ms. Bottner's realistic, entertaining story is matched by Michael Emberley's fluid watercolors, which spotlight both Miss Brooks' whimsy and Missy's contrarian ways. (Ages 3-6.)

• Author/illustrator Keith Baker offers a delightful riff on the alphabet song in "L M N O Peas" (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster, $16.99). Here, dozens of energetic, anthropomorphized green peas take readers on a tour of the alphabet, illustrating activities for each letter. In the illustrations, each alphabet letter looms large, taking up most of the height of the page as the diminutive peas race around it. Mr. Baker's book is so fun that kids won't have a clue as to how much they're learning. (Ages 3-6.)

• Maria Sibylla Merian has been all but forgotten, but her 17th-century studies of butterflies, moths and frogs helped counter the belief that those creatures sprang from mud and thus were "beasts of the devil." Newbery Honor-winning author Margarita Engle tells the naturalist's story for young readers in "Summer Birds" (Henry Holt, $16.99). Featuring lush, dense illustrations by Julie Paschkis, "Summer Birds" highlights both the work and the joy of the scientific method and may inspire some budding young scientists. (Ages 4-7.)

Three new picture books have ocean settings:

• Ladybug Girl, aka Lulu, is thrilled to spend a day at the beach with her family, including her trusty basset hound Bingo, but she's scared by the power of the waves. It takes a small crisis -- the waves carry off her pail -- to help Ladybug Girl overcome her fear. In "Ladybug Girl at the Beach" (Dial, $16.99), authors David Soman and Jacky Davis' leisurely story -- the latest in a series about this entertaining heroine -- highlights the ups and downs of a beach day, aided by Mr. Soman's eye-catching illustrations. (Ages 3-6.)

• Author/illustrator Laura Vaccaro Seeger asks young readers to play with time and space as she details three similar scenarios with different endings in "What If?" (Roaring Brook, $15.99). Three times, Ms. Seeger uses her vibrantly colored illustrations to depict a sequence of events where two seals are playing with a beach ball in the ocean and one of them chases the ball onto the sand. From there, Ms. Seeger offers three different endings, asking readers, "What if?" (Ages 3-6.)

• As he begins a day at the beach with his father, Gregory draws a lion in the sand. Gregory's father warns him not to go into the water alone, adding, "Don't leave Sandy," the lion Gregory has drawn. Gregory promises but, as only a child can, manages to stretch out that promise in a way that will intrigue young readers. In "A Beach Tail" (Boyd's Mill Press, $17.95), author Karen Lynn Williams tells a story that will ring true for young readers and their parents, while Floyd Cooper's magnificent illustrations, done in a beach-brown palette, highlight Gregory's curiosity and imagination. (Ages 3-6.)

Other great bets:

• Veteran author Bernard Waber teams up with his artist daughter, Paulis Waber, to create "Lyle Walks the Dogs" (Houghton Mifflin, $12.99), the latest Manhattan adventure of the irrepressible crocodile. (Ages 3-5.)

• Maisy the mouse packs her bags and heads for the beach in "Maisy Goes On Vacation" (Candlewick Press, $12.99), written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins. (Ages 2-5.)

• Get ready for a rollicking read-aloud with "Jump!" (Simon & Schuster, $14.99), written and illustrated by Scott M. Fischer. (Ages 2-5.)

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