Owen (Caldecott Honor Book)
The clinical name istransitional object, but for young children, a beloved blanket is more like  a lifeline. And that's exactly how Owen feels about his baby blanket, fondly named Fuzzy. The Owen-Fuzzy  relationship is cruising along smoothly until a nosy neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, leans over the fence and asks  his parents, "Isn't he getting a little old to be carrying that thing around?" With kindergarten just around the  corner, Owen's parents wonder if he should in fact relinquish his prized Fuzzy. Kevin Henkes uses his  signature mouse characters and jewel-tone watercolors to explore the antics and foils of one mouse-boy, one  rag-blanket, and two parents wondering how to help their son kick the habit. This is what Henkes does best--playfully bringing childhood fears and feelings to the surface while portraying real-life parent-child  tensions. Mrs. Tweezers, a real sourpuss, is no help at all. She offers terrible over-the-fence advice, such as  dipping Fuzzy in vinegar (as if to cure a nail-biting habit) or stealing the blanket in the night.It is not until the eve of Owen's first day of kindergarten that his mother hatches the perfect solution.  Ultimately, she finds a way that Owen can hang on to his first true love while also taking the next step into  middle childhood--a solution that suits everyone, including Mrs. Tweezers. Caldecott Honor Book,Horn  BookFanfare Honor List, ALA Notable Book,Boston Globe/Horn BookHonor Book,School Library JournalBest Book of the Year, ALABooklistChildren's Editors' Choice.  (Ages 3 and older)--Gail Hudson