Preschool teachers and parents know the value of a good read-aloud story — it can calm, teach, energize or entertain, depending on the tale. These bright new picture books are worthy of a spin or two.

“A Kitten Tale” by Eric Rohmann; Alfred A. Knopf; 32 pages; $15.99.

Caldecott Medal winner Eric Rohmann sets his sights on the youngest crowd in his new tale. The gentle story of four adorable kittens that have never seen snow, “A Kitten Tale” takes readers through all four seasons as the kittens share their fears about snow — the fourth one always commenting, “I can't wait.” So when winter arrives and three of the kittens are hesitant, they join in the fun when they see their pal laughing and rolling around in the white stuff.

A quiet, cheery reminder of the power of a positive outlook, while acknowledging children's fears of the unknown, “A Kitten Tale” is also an irresistible kitty cat romp.

“Little Boy With a Big Horn” by Jack Bechdolt; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino; Golden Books/Random House; 48 pages; $14.99.

Bespectacled Ollie loves to play his tuba, loudly, to the dismay of everyone in town. And the only tune he knows — “Many brave hearts are asleep in the deep so beware, beeeeeWARE!” — prompts everyone to beg Ollie to play somewhere else. But where? As Ollie searches for the perfect place to blow his horn, he finds himself on a boat in the ocean, with thickening fog and a missing bell buoy. Ollie and his horn come to the rescue as he saves the ship from running aground, earning him a medal of bravery from the mayor and, even better, a journey to music school.

A super combination of classic tale jazzed up with Yaccarino's mod, yet retro, illustrations, “Little Boy With a Big Horn” should appeal to Golden Books fans as well as new tots.

“Ridin' Dinos With Buck Bronco,” as told to George McClements; Harcourt; 32 pages; $18.

Yee-Haw! This superbly fun tale stars a cheery cowboy named Buck as he introduces the fine sport of dinosaur riding. With a fooling, authentic western tone (“Saddlin' yer Dino is next, unless ya got glue in yer britches, we'll need to tack up!”), McClements also includes plenty of dinosaur information. Fun facts teach kids that a 40-inch Compsognathus could sleep in a big shoebox, while a 40-foot tall Spinosuarus rests leaning on a barn.

Zippy and action-packed, “Ridin' Dinos With Buck Bronco” makes a sure-fire winner in the story-time picture book category — especially with little boys.

“Jack Pine” by Christopher Patton; illustrations by Cybele Young; Groundwood Books; 32 pages; $18.95.

A fabulous read-aloud for elementary school children — especially those studying nature, trees or the environment — “Jack Pine” tells the story of an ugly, gnarled tree with hidden benefits. Throughout history, many thought the Jack Pine, native to Canada, the Great Lakes region and parts of the East Coast of the United States, to be poisonous or evil due to its tenacity in poor soil. In reality, the tree, chopped down in this story finally by a caring farmer, acts as a nurse tree; it protects other more fragile seedlings from wind, sunlight and fire by producing lush pine conifers.

Penned like a poem, in short vignettes easy to read, “Jack Pine” is an amazing nature story based in truth about a steadfast icon of the outdoors. Kids living near burnt forests may garner some comfort by knowing there are elements of nature working on their own to replenish, while others will appreciate the book's lesson in not judging a “tree” by its cover.

“Doodle All Year” by Taro Gomi; Chronicle Books; 365 pages; $16.95.

Gomi's wildly popular “Scribbles, Doodles, and Squiggles” series of open-ended doodling notebooks returns with this compact activity book. Playful, childlike drawings of spring, summer, fall and winter scenes prompt kids to add their own touches and fill in blank spaces with whatever they'd like. Not only for youngsters though, “Doodle All Year” would be smart for hospital patients or college art students as well — certainly fun for the doodlers in all of us.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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