Bea’s Balikbayan Box of Treasures by Christine Alemshah (author) and Dream Chen (illustrator) (Free Spirit Publishing). It’s finally time to fill another balikbayan box, and the little girl is excited! “We stuff the box full to the tippy top with all the goodies we’ve gathered. Tinned meats for Tito Rico. Fancy tea bags and lotions for Tita Alma. I sprinkle the best treasures in last for my pinsans — bubble wands, chocolates, and stuffed animals.” True, she won’t be there to see the smiles on her cousins’ faces when the gifts finally reach them back in the Philippines, but they’ll send pictures!

Cat Nap by Brian Lies (Greenwillow Books). “Something scritches, waking Kitten. A mouse? A MOUSE!” Immediately, the young feline takes off after the pesky rodent, and the chase is on! But this no simple pursuit: The animals sprint through great works of art from antiquity to the modern era, their appearance changing to mirror the pieces they enter. The result is a hypnotic, gorgeous cat-and-mouse tale like you’ve never experienced!

A Fall Day for Bear by Bonny Becker (author) and Kady MacDonald Denton (illustrator) (Candlewick). “One morning, Bear waited for a tap, tap, tapping on his front door. He waited and then he waited some more.” What’s taking Mouse so long? It’s time for their picnic! It turns out the tiny guy is far too sad to have fun today — autumn is here, and all the beautiful leaves are disappearing. There’s no point in Bear trying to cheer him up, either. He’s too, too somber. But when Bear accidentally takes a spill in the slippery mud? Okay, maybe that’ll raise a giggle…