FICTION…2004
Greenstein, E. One Little Seed. Viking
Seasonal story for younger readers (Going Places!)
Hesse, K. The Cats in Krasinski Square. Scholastic
Historical (Going Places!)
Henkes, K. Kitten’s First Full Moon. Greenwillow
Caldecott award, retro colors
Lehman, B. The Red Book. Houghton
Great developmental title, young readers, special ed uses
Radubskt, V. What Does Peace Feel Like? Atheneum
Children from a school in Rome describe the taste, smell, and feel of peace
Rash, A. Agent A to Agent Z. Scholastic
Rhyming alphabet book
Reynolds, P. Ish. Candlewick
Story about creativity
Sierra, J. Wild About Books. Random House
Pro-literacy with clever and fun illustrations
Shannon, D. Alice the Fairy. Scholastic
Wickedly funny, perfectly captured voice, fabulous artwork
Simon, J. Baby Brains. Candlewick
Satiric look at parental gushing
Willems, M. Knuffle Bunny. Hyperion
A comedic and cautionary tale about a child losing her binky
Woodson, J. Coming on Home Soon. Putnam
Lovely slow pacing, WWII setting (Going Places!)
NON-FICTION…2004
Bartoletti, S. The Flag Maker. Houghton
Historical fiction – war of 1812
Brenner, B. One Small Place in a Tree. HarperCollins
Habitat (Going Places!) (Frameworks)
Cherry, L. The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle.
Biography of a mangrove tree. Habitat
Davies, J. The Boy Who Drew Birds. Houghton
Audubon biog
George, K. Hummingbird’s Nest. Harcourt
Seasonal poetry
Hoberman, M. You Read to Me… Little, Brown
Fairy tales for beginning readers
Kerley, B. Walt Whitman: Words for America. Scholastic
Biography, lavish illustrations
Morrison, G. Nature in the Neighborhood. Houghton
Perfect for fall and tandem readings. (Going Places!)
Morrison, T. Remember:the Journey to School Integration. Houghton
Historical (Frameworks)
Moss, M. Mighty Jackie: the Strikeout Queen. Simon&Schuster
Baseball Bio
Prelutsky, J. If Not for the Cat. Greenwillow
Animal Haikus
Rumford, J. Sequoyah. Houghton
Native American Biography
Scieszka, J. Science Verse. Viking
Use as intro to any unit on science. Screamingly funny poems.
Shange, N. Ellington was not a street. Simon & Schuster
Illustrated version of a sophisticated poem about the civil rights movement
Sis, P. Train of States. Greenwillow
Transportation, travel, US (Going Places!)
Spinelli, E. Feathers: Poems about Birds. Henry Holt
Poetry
Turner, P. Hachiko: Houghton
True story of a loyal dog. Japanese culture (Going Places!)
FICTION…2005
Belle, J. Animal Stackers. Hyperion
Acrostic poems, fold a poem
Child, L. Albert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent.
A rich boy becomes poor and happy
DePaola,T. Stagestruck. Putnam
Young Tomie steals the show and learns a lesson about hogging the limelight
Friedman, R. The Silent Witness. Houghton
Doll witnesses German occupation and the Holocaust
Harper, J. Me Too! Little, Brown
Adoring little sister is a pain in the neck
Johnson, A. A Sweet Smell of Roses. Simon&Schuster
Martin Luther King Biography
Landry, L. Eat Your Peas, Ivy Louise. Houghton
Pea Circus story (Going Places!)
McKissack, P. Precious and the Boo Hag. Atheneum
Humorous, scary Halloween story
Sweet, M. Carmine, A Little More Red. Houghton
Little Red Riding Hood retelling with alphabetically vocab-building
Thompson, Imagine a Day. Atheneum
(Going Places!) summer story
Wellington, M. Zinnia’s Flower Garden. Dutton
(Going Places!) summer story
Zalben, J. Hey, Mama Goose. Dutton
Fractured Fairy Tales
NON-FICTION…2005
Bildner, P The Shot Heard Round the World. Simon&Schuster
Historical – Brooklyn Dodgers
Jenkins, S. I See a Kookaburra! Houghton
Animal Habitats
Rappaport, D. The School is Not White! Hyperion
For older readers
Robbins, K. Seeds. Clarion
Science Frameworks. Color photos
Russo, D. Always Remember Me. Clarion
Holocaust survival
Sidman, J. Song of the Water Boatman… Houghton
Fact filled poems about pond habitats
Winter, J. The Librarian of Basra. Harcourt
A true story from Iraq about a brave librarian
Picture Books, Spring 2005
Asher, S. Too Many Frogs! Philomel
Great for reading aloud together
Cabrera, J. If You’re Happy and You Know It! Holiday
Bright colors, animal sounds – storytime potential
Celenza, A. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Charlesbridge
Historical picture book about the story behind a famous arrangement. Lots of cherubs (period style?)
Chin-Lee, C. Amelia to Zora. Charlesbridge
Collective biography of famous women, arranged by first name – great for browsing – use a jumping off point for kids to select a topic for an in-depth report
Clements, A. Because Your Daddy Loves You. Clarion
Single dad story
Dewdney, A. Llama Llama Red Pajama.Viking
Verse bedtime story
Gibbons, G. Owls. Holiday
Excellent, documented, fact-filled natural history
Giblin, J. Secrets of the Sphinx. Scholastic (2004)
NF – beautiful illustrations, discusses history and preservation
Himmelman, J. Mouse in the Meadow. Charlesbridge
Habitat story shows animals, plants and insects
Janeczko, P. A Kick in the Head. Candlewick
Wonderful guide to poetic forms
Kelly, I. A Small Dog’s Big Life… Holiday
Story of Owney, the dog who traveled – (Going Places!)
Krensky, S. Dangerous Crossing. Dutton
Biographical/historical/revolutionary war – Adams crosses ocean (Going Places – travel to France, ships)
Krull, K. Houdini. Walker
Hot topic by excellent biographer.
Lewis, E.B. This Little Light of Mine. S & S
Lovely illustrations to Negro spiritual
Peddicord, J. Night Wonders. Charlesbridge
Astromony – beautiful photos (Going Places – space!)
Poole, A. The Pea Blossom. Holiday
An upbeat Hans Christian Andersen tale (Going places – peas travel via pea shooter!)
Priest, R. Pirate’s Eye. Houghton
A pirates lost glass eye ends up in the hands of a man who can ‘see’ with it. (Going Places – ocean/pirates, travel)
Rodman, M. My Best Friend. Viking
Summer story about friendship (Going Places – summer, vacation)
Sayre, A. The Bumblebee Queen. Charlesbridge
Life cycle of bee, seasons. Can be read on 2 levels, as a story, or as informative text.
Stamaty, M. Alia’s Mission. Knopf (2004)
Graphic novel format of the true story from Iraq of the hero librarian of Basra in saving the library books when war came to town.
Sturges, P. Down to the Sea in Ships. Putnam
Poems about watercraft (Going places – transportation)
Winter, J. Roberto Clemente. Atheneum
Biography of noble ball player, lyrical text, baseball! (Going Places - summer)
Short Novels, Spring 2005
Landon, L. Meg MacKintosh and the Stage Fright Secret. Secret Passage
Curriculum frameworks – play!
Lowry, L. Gooney Bird and the Room Mother. Houghton
Sequel to Gooney Bird Greene – vocabulary building is hidden behind outlandish stories from a spunky heroine as the class puts on a Thanksgiving play
McDonald, M. Stink: the Incredible Shrinking Kid. Candlewick
Judy Moody spinoff – short little brother is inspired by James Madison
Warner, S. Only Emma. Viking
Science loving Emma contends with an annoying little brother and a new school.
Books Suggested by Attendees, 2006
FICTION
Kirk, David. Listening Walk. Callaway, 2005.
Miss Spider takes one of her sleepless children on a midnight walk to observe sounds in nature.
Diakite, Penda. I Lost My Tooth in Africa. ill by Baba Waque Diakite. Scholastic, 2006.
Diane Z. Shore. This Is the Dream. ill by James Ransome. Amistad, 2005.
Illustrated chronicle of the Civil Rights movement.
Hazen, Barbara. Who is Your Favorite Monster Mama? ill. by Maryann Kovalski Kirk. Hyperion, 2006.
Middle child Harry wonders which is Mama’s favorite.
Liao, Jimmy. The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination. Little, Brown, 2006.
Subway station sounds take a young blind girl on an imaginative journey.
McDonald, Margaret Read. The Squeaky Door. ill. by Mary Newell DePalma HarperCollins
Traditional folktale about problem solving.
McDonnell, Patrick. The Gift of Nothing. Little Brown, 2005.
What do you get the dog that has everything?
Numeroff, L. What Aunts Do Best/What Uncles Do Best. ill. by Lynn Munsinger. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
Dual book – how aunts and uncles enjoy their nieces and nephews.
Yorinks, Arthur. Happy Bees. ill. by Carey Armstrong-Ellis. Harry N. Abrams, 2005.
A lyrical, humorous tale of those creatures we love to hate-bees!
Hartman, Deborah. Jacob and the Magic Feather. ill by Deborah Putnoi. BookSurge Publishing, 2004.
A young hiker has wonderful adventures, thanks to a magical feather given to him by a bird he saved.
O’Connor, Jane. Fancy Nancy. ill. by Robin Preiss Glasser. HarperCollins, 2005.
A little girl obsessed with the frills shows her family how to be fancy too.
Prince, Joshua. I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track. ill. by Macky Pamintuan. Sterling, 2006.
Pinkwater, Daniel. At the Hotel Larry. ill. by Jill Pinkwater. Marshall Cavendish, 1997.
A displaced polar bear becomes a lifeguard at a New Jersey hotel.
Pinkwater, Daniel. Ice Cream Larry. ill. by Jill Pinkwater. Marshall Cavendish, 2004.
Larry eats 1/8 ton of ice cream and ends up as a spokesman for the product.
McGhee, Alison. Countdown to Kindergarten. ill. by Harry Bliss. Silver Whistle, 2002.
Anxiety over starting school and learning to tie shoes.
Wells, Rosemary. Carry Me. Hyperion, 2006
Joyful picture book about being held, talked to and carried around.
NONFICTION
Winters, Jeanette. Mama: A True Story, in which a Baby Hippo Loses his Mama During
Tsunami, but Finds a New Home, and a New Mama. Harcourt, 2006.
Title says it all!
Hatkoff, Isabella. Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship. ill. by Peter Greste. Scholastic, 2006.
A baby hippo and a 130-year old tortise form a bond at an animal sanctuary in Kenya.
Sobel, June. B is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC. ill. by Melissa Iwai. Gulliver, 2003.
Althabet book with construction zone keywords.
Wheeler, Lisa. Mammoths on the Move. ill. by Kurt Cyrus. Harcourt, 2006.
Follows the migration of the woolly mammoth.
Katz, Bobbi. Once Around the Sun. ill. by LeUyen Pham, Harcourt, 2006.
Poems that celebrate the changing seasons of a neighborhood.
YOUNG ADULT
Howe, James. The Misfits. Atheneum, 2001.
An unpopular gang of five outcasts try to change the climate at their school.
Howe, James. Totally Joe. Atheneum, 2005.
Sequel to The Misfits, focusing on 12-year-old Joe, who is in the coming out process.
FICTION (annotations by Cheryl Oullette, Sherborn)
Alexander, Martha G. Nobody Asked Me if I Wanted a Baby Sister. Reissue. Charlesbridge.
Lovely illustrations– When the new baby comes I’m moving out. Great gift
Anderson, Peggy Perry. Chuck’s Truck. Houghton.
Barnyard animals riding in a truck. The truck breaks down, and then gets repaired. It was worn out blue, now is shiny new blue color. Great color, whimsical story, an adventure. Not too much text. Great for storytime.
Arnosky, Jim. Grandfather Buffalo. Charlesbridge.
Circle of life. An old buffalo takes care of a young buffalo during a storm. If you like Arnosky, you’ll like this one.
Aston, Diana Hutts. Mama’s Wild Child/Papa's Wild Child. ill. by Nora Hib. Charlesbridge.
Turn around book. Croc takes an egg and cares for it. Turn the book over for Papa’s Wild Child. A good turnaround book.
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. Ballerino Nate. ill by R.W. Alley. Dial.
Nate wants to be a dancer, but his brother makes fun of him. He is borrowed by his brother’s comments. He persists and goes to professional ballet school where he sees other male dancers. He doesn’t have to listen to his brother. This story addresses the problem.
Child, Lauren. Charlie and Lola: But Excuse Me That is My Book. Dial.
Great book. A girl loves bugs, butterflies and beetles. Someone has taken out her favorite book at the library. She’s sad. She’s offered another book on cheetahs. She loves this new book. Another girl at the library says “That’s My Book”. Terrific story! Fits 2006 Summer Reading Theme, what’s buzzin at your library
Cruise, Robin. Little Mama Forgets. ill. by Stacey Dressen-McQueen. Farrar.
Mexican grandmother is forgetful. Loving family. Wonderful end papers, bright, nice illustrations. Great title page. Art is phenomenal.
Cunnane, Kelly. For You Are a Kenyan Child. ill. by Ana Juan. Atheneum.
Wrap around cover. Nice endpapers. Lots of white space. Nice ill. Swahili words explained in glossary. Nice look at an African village. A boy is asked to do something but he forgets the task. It’s written by a Peace Core Worker.
Egan, Tim. Roasted Peanuts. Houghton.
Friendship story set in a baseball park. Two animals one an athlete, the other one not. The athlete is on the baseball team and he wants his non-athlete friend to stay on the team. So instead the non athlete friend gets a job as a peanut vendor and throws peanuts all over the park. Clever!
Elya, Susan Middleton. Bebe Goes Shopping. ill. by Steven Salerno. Harcourt.
Energetic shopping trip. Sing song rhyme with bouncy text and art. Very energetic. Great end papers. Integrated Spanish words. There’s a glossary with pronunciation at the end.
George, Lindsay Barrett. In the Garden: Who’s Been There? Greenwillow.
Gorgeous cover. Close up view of the garden, and animals. Fits 2006 Summer Reading Theme, what’s buzzin at your library
Headley, J. The Patch. ill. by Mitch Vane. Charlesbridge.
A girl wears an eye patch. Great illustrations. Address the problem of wearing a patch.
Henkes, Kevin. Lilly’s Big Day. Greenwillow.
This is s-o-o-o good! Fabulous. Lilly loves her teacher and want to be his flower girl at his wedding, but a relative named Ginger is the flower girl. Lilly is not modest, she feels she’s the only one for the job. She becomes Ginger’s assistant and saves the day when Ginger freezes up as she’s walking down the aisle. Great story, humor. Right on.
Jahn-Clough, Lisa. Little Dog. Houghton.
An artist who is sad befriends a sad dog. They become friends and her painting become more colorful. Straightforward.
Koster, Gloria. The Peanut-Free Café. ill. by Maryann Cocca Leffler. Albert Whitman.
A boy with peanut allergies only eats 4 things. His school teacher sets up a peanut-free café in school for all the children with peanut allergies. Colorful illustrations.
Krosoczka, Jarrett. Giddy Up, Cowgirl. Viking.
Hilarious! A girl trying to be helpful, but isn’t.
Lies, Brian. Bats at the Beach. Houghton.
Dark illustrations. Only for one on one sharing. Night time adventure at the beach with bats. Fits 2006 Summer Reading Theme, what’s buzzin at your library
Littlesugar, Amy. Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story. ill. by William Low. Philomel.
Friendship of 1 Jewish and 1 non-Jewish boy during the Holocaust. Their descendents meet and return cherished art to the rightful owner. Based on a real event. (for older readers 4-5th grade)
Look, Lenore. Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding. ill by Yumi Heo. Atheneum/Anne Schwartz.
Wonderful illustrations about a Chinese wedding and the tradition of letting butterflies go at the ceremony. An uncle is getting married and his niece is feeling left out.
Lorbiecki, Marybeth. Jackie’s Bat. ill. by Brian Pinckney. Simon & Schuster.
Bat boy’s father is prejudice against black people and makes judgments. The boy realizes Jackie Robinson is a great guy. The boy is caught in the middle between his father’s opinions and what he knows is true. A moral dilemma. Nice illustrations by Brian Pinkney.
McCloud, Bob. Superhero ABC. HarperCollins.
Superheroes. Comic style; end papers are great. Nice alliteration. Kids will love it.
Palatini, Margie. Oink? ill. by Henry Cole. Simon & Schuster.
Very funny. Other animals in the barn think the pigs are offensive. The barnyard animals clean up the farm while the pigs do nothing. Who’s the smart one now!
Salzberg, Barney. Star of the Week. Candlewick.
Being a star for the week isn’t as much fun as what a boy has expected. Funny illustrations.
Schotter, Roni. The Boy Who Loved Words. ill. by Giselle Potter. Random.
Poet finds words and collects them. He meets his love and they travel looking for words. Glossary with many words. Unusual story. Pat Keough’s favorite story. Great illustrations.
Segal, John. Carrot Soup. McElderry Books.
A garden story. Rabbit loves carrots but the carrots are gone. Friends picks the carrots and makes carrot soup. A recipe for carrot soup at the end.
Smith, Lane. John, Paul, George & Ben. Hyperion.
Funny story, corrects inaccuracies about Revolutionary characters. This may appeal more to adults. Quirky
Sutton, Jane. The Trouble with Cauliflower. ill. by Jim Harris. Dial
Mortimer, a koala, is a pessimist and blames cauliflower for his problems. Sadie loves cauliflower and convinces Mortimer it’s not the food that causes bad luck.
Trice, Linda. Kenya’s Word. ill. by Pamela Johnson. Charlesbridge.
A black child finds that her favorite word is black. Interesting book.
Young, Ed. My Mei Mei. Philomel.
Young’s adoption of his 2 Chinese daughters. End papers are beautiful. Older child wants a baby sibling, but when the adopted sibling arrives older sister is jealous. They later become best friends when the baby grows up. Stunning illustrations.
Nonfiction & Easy Readers, 2006
NONFICTION (annotated by Carol Klatt)
Note: Word in italics are presenters’ comments.
Bowler, A. Gecko’s Complaint: a Balinese Folktale. ill. by I Gusti Made Sukanada. Peripius Editions.
A Balinese folktale in which a gecko's griping about enthusiastic fireflies sets off a chain of complaints that is finally resolved by the jungle's lion chief. Book includes some additional information about Bali. The moral of the story is great: the animals complain and complain then in the end the leaders says quit your complaining, go home, and live in peace.
Butterworth, Chris. Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea. ill. by John Lawrence. Candlewick.
Discover the secrets of the endangered sea horse - one of nature's most mysterious fish - through Chris Butterworth's clear, engaging text and the intricate engravings of award-winning illustrator John Lawrence. This book is filled with interesting information about these very shy creatures. There is a good amount of text. The illustrations depict the sea horse lurking shyly about.
Fisher, Valorie. How High Can a Dinosaur Count… and other Math Mysteries? Random.
Presents fifteen story problems with wacky elements such as flapjack-flipping frogs, a daisy-chomping dragon, and a laundromat whose washing machines mix frappes. This book presents a math mystery on every page. Uses a lot of alliteration and is great fun. Not only are the answers at the end of the book but supplemental questions are included.
Goodman, Susan E. All in Just One Cookie. ill. by Timothy Bush. Greenwillow.
1 hungry Vermont cow, 2 stalks Hawaiian grass, 1 tsp flower seeds from Madagascar, 2 days of hard work from a New Hampshire hen, 1 tsp Pacific Ocean, 1 tsp dried-up Wyoming lake, 2 ¼ c Kansas field, 2 c West African beans. Mix. Bake until golden brown. It may not be the usual recipe, but it's just what Grandma needs to bake her famous chocolate chip cookies! You won't believe what is all in just one cookie! Yum! Similar to “How to Make Apple Pie and See the World”. Tell about where all the ingredients come from.
Havill, Juanita. I Heard It From Alice Zucchini. ill. by Christine Davenier. Chronicle. Twenty illustrated poems depict a fairy who visits a garden and listens to the stories of the garden vegetables. This humorous collection of poems would appeal to older children (Grade 4+). The book has nice art.
Hennessy, B.G. The Boy Who Cried Wolf. ill. by Boris Kulikov. Simon & Schuster.
A boy tending sheep on a lonely mountainside thinks it a fine joke to cry "wolf" and watch the people come running--and then one day a wolf is really there, but no one answers his call. This book is a take off of Aesop’s traditional tale but has an exuberance to the writing and art.
Jenkins, Steve. Move! Houghton.
Vivid illustrations and playful text introduce a variety of animals that swing, walk, dive, swim, leap, slither, climb, fly, run, dance, float, slide, and waddle. Includes facts on each animal at the back of the book. As always, Steven Jenkin’s page design is excellent. The pattern is similar to his others books.
Kennedy, Edward. My Senator and Me: A Dog’s Eye View of Washington. Scholastic.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy's dog, Champion Amigo's Seventh Wave, or Splash, introduces readers to Washington, D.C., as he follows the senator around for a day. Basically, this book show how a bill becomes a law but is entertaining because of the point of view of the dog. Book gives great information.
Kinkade, S. My Family. Charlesbridge.
Describes relationships, similarities and differences in families around the world. Photographs show daily family life and activities along with descriptions and country of origin. This book would be a good addition for 1st grade classrooms studying families.
Lasky, Kathryn. John Muir: America’s First Environmentalist. ill. by Stan Fellows. Candlewick.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 40). A brief, illustrated, look at the life and work of environmentalist John Muir, describing his early life in Scotland, his move to America, his appreciation of nature, and his work to establish Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Club.
McCarthy, Meghan. Aliens are Coming: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast.
Knopf.
Includes bibliographical references. The story of Orson Welles' radio broadcast which reported aliens landing in New Jersey and how this broadcast panicked the entire country and made Welles famous. This book, for Grade 5+, is fun and fascinating.
McCully, Emily Arnold. Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor. Farrar.
Includes bibliographical references. Describes inventor Margaret E. Knight's childhood, explaining how her interest in mechanical innovations began, and tells the story of her invention of a paper bag maker and her legal battle for the patent after someone stole her idea.
Minor, Wendell. Yankee Doodle America: The Spirit of 1776 from A to Z. Putnam.
Includes bibliographical references. Associates each letter of the alphabet with a person, place, or event from the American Revolution, for example, "V" is for Valley Forge, and "W" is for George Washington.
Prince, April Jones. What Do Wheels Do All Day? ill. by Giles Laroche. Houghton.
This colorful picture book and rhyming text explores wheels in use in all kinds of ways from bicycles to wheelchairs. This is a concept book for young children with very simple text. Book is gorgeous.
Quattlebaum, Mary. Winter Friends. ill. by Hiroe Nataka. Doubleday.
Presents an illustrated collection of children's poems by author Mary Quattlebaum that describes the joys of winter. Nice book of verse for young children. Bouncy, warm feelings and good illustrations.
Richards, Beah E. Keep Climbing, Girls. ill. by R. Gregory Christie. Simon & Schuster.
Presents the poem "Keep Climbing, Girls" by noted African-American actor, poet, and playwright Beah E. Richards, that encourages all human beings, young and old, male and female, to reach far beyond the expectations that society might have for them.
Rodriquez, Rachel Victoria. Through Georgia’s Eyes. ill. by Julie Paschkis. Henry Holt.
Traces American painter Georgia O'Keeffe's relationship with color and shape from her first memory to her later years in New Mexico, describing the inspiration she took from wide, open spaces, and includes illustrations inspired by her work. Cut paper art and minimal text provide glorious illustrations introducing Georgia O’Keeffe.
Sis, Peter. Play, Mozart, Play. Greenwillow.
Introduces young children to the child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in a tribute to the beauty of listening, looking, imagining, and, above all, playing. Looks at the early life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in simple text with illustrations. Includes biographical information. Tells the story of Mozart’s life and how his father always made him practice. The text is very simple but a little negative and leaves this issues unresolved.
Hudson, Cheryl Willis. Construction Zone. Candlewick.
Simple text and colorful photographs describe the excitement of a busy construction site. Illustrated by Sobol, R. This book shows all the people involved with the construction project.
EARLY READERS (annotated by Carol Kelly)
Chacomas, Dori. Cork & Fuzz: Short and Tall. ill by Lisa McCue. Viking.
The friendship between Cork, a muskrat, and Fuzz, a possum, is in trouble when Cork decides that since he is older, he has to be taller than Fuzz. This story is good for early readers and resolves nicely at the end.
DiCamillo, Kate. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. ill by Chris Van Dusen. Candlewick.
Mr. Watson's usual Saturday drive in his Cadillac with his favorite pig, Mercy, turns into an adventure when an unexpected passenger shows up in the back seat and Mercy finds herself behind the wheel. The Watson’s have a pig for a child who rides in an awesome pink convertible. The book looks like an old primer but are good stories for emerging readers.
DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. ill. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick.
Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories. Lovely story of a rabbit who has no love and learns to accept love. Good for Grades 2-4, not above.
Fine, Anne. The Diary of a Killer Cat. ill. by Steve Cox. Farrar.
Tuffy the pet cat tries to defend himself against accusations of terrifying other animals and murdering the neighbor's rabbit. Funny and a great read aloud. Similar book by this author is Notso Hotso with a dog as the main character.
Gregorich, Barbara. Waltur Buys a Pig in a Poke. Houghton Mifflin.
Two bears, Waltur and Darwin, learn from their friend Matilda such lessons as "do not buy a pig in a poke" and "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
This book explores how we got to these expressions.
Holm, Jennifer. Baby Mouse: Our Hero. ill. by Matthew Holm. Random.
For Babymouse, school is a constant battle between good (Babymouse), evil (Felicia Furrpaws), and more evil (gym class!). Can things get any worse? Yup. Because it's time for the annual dodgeball tournament. What's a mouse to do? Don't miss the excitement in Babymouse: Our Hero! Graphic novel for Grade 2+. Lots of fun.
Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. Little, Brown.
Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life.
This is a fictionalized memoir and would be great to use as an author study along with her picture books (Kite Flying, Ugly Vegetables, Fortune Cookie Fortunes, Seven Chinese Sisters, Dim Sum for Everyone, Red is a Dragon).
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Picture Book Resources
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Children & Libraries
Journal of the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC) provides research, news, articles and reviews.
Horn Book:
Articles, reviews, and information about award-winning books from Horn Book.
Kliatt
Bimonthy magazine that reviews children's and young adult titles.
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Online companion to print SLJ, includes articles, web links and reviews.
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Professional development programs and online instructional materials for K-12 teachers.
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Articles, print and multimedia reviews, innovative ideas, and practical tips and techniques.
Publishers Weekly
New releases and reviews, interviews and articles.
Books
Dresang, Eliza T. Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1999.
Gillespie, John Thomas. Best Books for Children: Preschool Through Grade 6. Westport, CT: Bowker-Greenwood, 2002.
Lewis, Valerie V and Walter M. Mayes. Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children: A Lively, Opinionated Guide. New York: Avon Books, 1998.
Lima, Carolyn W. and John A. Lima. A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books. Westport, CT: Bowker-Greenwood, 2001.
Canavan, Diane D. and LaVonne Hayes Sanborn. Using Children's Books in Reading/Language Arts Programs: A How-to-do-it Manual for Library Applications. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1992.
McElmeel, Sharron L. Literature Frameworks: From Apples to Zoos. Worthington OH: Linworth Pub., 1997.
Online Reviews & Reader's Advisory
The Best Kids Book Site/
Children's books arranged by topic with accompanying storytime ideas, presented by local librarian Bonnie Peirce (Dover MA).
Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Booklists, reviews and topics of interest in the field of children's and young adult literature
Eastern MA Children's Book Review Group
Local group with 35-year history meets bi-monthly to recommend and review children's literature.
Multicultural Review
Grouped by subject, the reviews of children’s literature promote ethnic racial and religious diversity.
NMRLS Youth Services Book Review Group
Children's literature reviewed by librarians from the Northeast Region.
New York Times Book Review
Free registration gives you a year's worth of archives!
Notes from the Windowsill
Children's literature reviews by adult readers.
Center for Children's Books Collection Development Resources
Bibliographies, best books and reading promotion from the University of Illinois.
School Library Collection Development
A directory of useful websites and articles.
Evaluation for Picture Books Not to be Missed! (please complete an evaluation if you access any of the materials on this page)