The Very Lonely Firefly (Penguin Young Readers, Level 2)

Many of Eric Carle's books begin with a small creature being born just as a great yellow sun rises. This time the hero is a firefly, and the inimitably Carle-ish cut-tissue paper orange and yellow sun is setting. The firefly buzzes off in search of companionship, but keeps following other lights by mistake--a candle, a torch, a lantern--and these in turn are all leading in the direction of a fireworks display. Finally, the lonely firefly finds the friends it is seeking--a dozen or more other fireflies. This is one of Eric Carle's books with a mechanical twist: in this case, the firefly's new group of friends start to flash (from tiny yellow bulbs embedded in the book) as you turn the last page. (The battery is replaceable.) (Ages 0 to 4 years) --RichardFarr