To me, the greatest of all picture books is "The Snowy Day": It tells a complete story, it uses very few words, it has memorable characters, and it's visually striking. I'm thrilled that the new Caldecott winner is in the tradition of Ezra Jack Keats; its author is Doug Salati, an "EJ Keats Illustrator Honor" recipient. The book, called "Hot Dog," re-tells "The Snowy Day," with key details altered. Our protagonist (an unnamed dog) is moved not by cold, but by heat; an unbearable city day becomes an excuse to travel to the beach. There, the dog has adventures, collecting pebbles, bartering with a seal, racing against a tiny crab. Both "Snow Day" and "Hot Dog" end in a reassuring way. Peter--concerned that he'll never see more snow--discovers that yesterday's white mounds still exist today. Salati's "hot dog" finds that he can immediately revisit the beach, and the seals--at least in his dreams. I...