Holiday Buying Guide 2004

A father and his children go over, under, and through while on an exciting bear hunt in this retelling of a traditional chant. Illustrations alternate between black and white and color, enhancing the engaging repetition and the exciting chase — all the way home!

A boy sets off to rescue a baby dragon and has a series of adventures before the happy conclusion. Though written long ago, the slightly eccentric tale continues to engage young readers.

When Ruby sends out invitations to a party, Max sends out his own which are delivered to Grandma. Children are encouraged to participate by lifting the flaps in this sturdy, colorful book. They’ll try to figure out the meaning of Max’s messages and may even be inspired to write their own letters in this latest Max and Ruby jaunt.

Ramona loves kindergarten and her wonderful teacher, Miss Binney. But even the best teacher and the most enthusiastic kindergartner can have a rough day or so. This leads to laughs for readers as they empathize with Ramona, who can be rather a pest and perhaps the first-ever kindergarten dropout.

Lily just can’t contain her excitement and simply MUST share her jingly quarters and new purse causing her favorite teacher to put her in the thinking corner. How Lily rethinks her anger with Mr. Slinger is told with gentle humor, lively language, and very expressive illustrations.

The ducks and goose start the animals’ frenzied flight when they see a mostly hidden animal and exclaim, “A coyote’s on the loose!” Colorful, comic illustrations culminate in a house in a rain storm where the “coyote” turns out to be a small white rabbit.

Max’s imaginative adventure begins the night he wears his wolf suit and makes some mischief. When he is sent to his room to cool off, he travels to the land of the Wild Things, where he is crowned king. This beloved Caldecott-winning classic is also available in Spanish. Go on a reading adventure with our Where the Wild Things Are reading adventure pack, available in English and Spanish!

A girl discovers things that are round, square, and rectangular in her urban neighborhood. A gently rhyming text and crisply lined illustrations reveal many things that are universally recognizable as well as others that come from the child’s Chinese background.

Introduce young readers to a kindergarten filled with activities and great fun, from making a museum of treasured objects to celebrating holidays. Current kindergarteners will draw connections to their own experience in school, and younger children will look forward to their turn.

Where do words come from? For this poet, they come from dreams or a memory. This book of poems and textured illustrations of fabric and yarn complete this exploration of feelings and language.

When Henry, his big dog Mudge, and their family take in a scraggly stray cat, Mudge and the cat develop a fond and unusual friendship. This story is as engaging as the other titles in the Henry and Mudge series.

For fans of these famous amphibians, this story continues Frog and Toad’s saga and gives a glimpse of what the two friends are up to all year long. They frolic together over four seasons, with a story for each, plus one for Christmas. Glide down the snow-covered hill with Toad, hunt for spring with Frog, and discover just who is hiding under all that melted chocolate ice cream.

From one to one hundred, the numbers (differentiated by their vibrant colors) go up – and ultimately down – the apple tree in this lively and worthy counting companion to Chicka Chicka ABC. The role of zero (0) creates tension (“Will there be a place for me?”) and finally a celebration!

Easy rhymes hint at what can be found in jam-packed, full color photographs of the things that kids collect. Look closely and you too can solve the hidden mysteries on each double page spread.

When Little Bear draws a picture for Grandma, she likes it so much that she sends him a kiss in gratitude and asks him to pass it on. Astute readers will recognize Little Bear’s “Wild Thing” drawing by illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Children are encouraged to explore their world and their five senses in this informative and engaging introduction to sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound.

A little boy travels around the world to find his missing cat. As he encounters other felines, he exclaims, “This is not my cat!” That is, until his very own is located.

As advertisements go up announcing the arrival of the circus, children imagine the different acts on the sidewalks of their town. It’s a nearly wordless but richly imagined adventure.

The essence of animals is evoked in rich language and the short form of haiku poems in this engaging book. Coupled with breathtaking and well composed illustrations, the poems are dramatically placed on double page spreads.

As a child doodles and draws, she plays with lively language and creates all that she’s illustrated. Which comes first, the doodles or the words? Well, it’s a tantalizing tangle to untwist tongues and identify illustrations.

Marian Anderson was an extraordinary contralto whose talent was celebrated in Europe long before she was recognized in her native United States. Anderson’s focus, musical talent, and the difficult times in which she lived are captured in a dramatic picture book biography.

Once upon a time three pigs built three houses, out of straw, sticks, and bricks. Along came a wolf, who huffed and puffed… So, you think you know the rest? Think again. With David Wiesner at the helm, it’s never safe to assume too much. When the wolf approaches the first house, for example, and blows it in, he somehow manages to blow the pig right out of the story frame, and the perplexed expression on the wolf’s face as he looks in vain for his ham dinner is priceless. One by one, the pigs exit the fairy tale’s border and set off on an adventure of their own. (2002 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Set in the 1800s, a widowed farmer advertises for a wife and mother for his two children. A tall, plain woman answers the ad; Sarah leaves her Maine home and the sea for the Plains as she grows to love Caleb and Anna. An elegantly simple telling.

A grandmother tells her granddaughter the history of baskets, going all the way back to Africa. The circular history of a people and of families is suggested in gentle text and evocative watercolors.

The real and truly amazing size of animals from the sea and land are shown in a way that children can understand and appreciate. Textured collage illustrations are used to show the actual size of a gorilla’s hand, a giant squid’s eye and much more. Additional information on each animal is included in an afterward to allow reading on several levels.

The story of one boy’s passion for snowflakes led to a lifetime’s study. Wilson Bentley, better known as Snowflake Bentley, is presented in a fascinating picture book biography. Read just the story portion or include the factual narration which is included on each page. Illustrations evoke Snowflake’s Vermont, just the thing for a warm day.

Rhyming tales written for two voices makes an ideal — and humorous — introduction to readers’ theater. Well known fairy tales have been adapted, reorganized and reinvigorated with lively language and sprightly illustrations, worthy of many dramatizations.

Children may feel more confident as readers if they read stories aloud to their pets – though with or without a pair of floppy ears listening, these short tales celebrate what makes dogs unique: barking, loving a good bone, and digging holes. Comic illustrations enhance the humor and link the three readable tales.

While they wait to go back into the water, Lolly, Sam, and Spider pass the time by telling stories to each other. One story is so vividly told, the monster seems to come alive! The deadpan language is very humorous, and is complemented by simple line-and-wash illustrations.

Though Wanda says she has a hundred dresses at home, her classmates tease her because she wears the same worn dress everyday. Only one girl feels badly when Wanda no longer attends school, and she tries to make amends. This girl learns what Wanda already knows — that words really hurt.

Rich language and lots of farm detail are used in the saga of Babe, a unique and truly heroic pig, who works successfully as a sheep dog.

Even though she has allergies, Emma wants a pet for her birthday. Not only does Emma find an acceptable and intriguing pet, she convinces her parents that her younger brother Max needs one, too.

A brief history of classical ballet opens this handsome, richly told collection of seven stories from ballets. Each story is introduced with information on the production and time period in which the ballet was first performed.

The Great Sphinx has amazed and intrigued since it was first created some 4,500 years ago. Those secrets that have been revealed, and others that remain cloaked in mystery, are the subject of this well written, handsomely illustrated, and thoroughly engaging book.

When an orphaned boy fulfills an ancient prophesy and becomes a dragon rider to help Firedrake find the Rim of Heaven, he finds more than just adventure. The fantastic journey is filled with characters from folklore, and the classic struggle between good and evil makes a spirited good read aloud.

This boy’s curse begins when his teacher suggests that the “poetry of science” can be heard everywhere. From Moore to Frost, familiar poems are parodied and turned into science verse. Again art and illustration are inseparable as are the laughs in this offbeat look at science.

From the architects’ plans to the tower’s completion, a New York skyscraper is created step by step. Clear text is presented on several layers of detail and is coupled with crisp, informative, full color photographs to document this fascinating process.

The latest edition of the Young Explorers atlas uses satellite images to help focus on various parts of the world and to build an understanding of continents, countries, and natural resources. This edition also suggests links to a dedicated website to extend the learning.

While sitting on the log in the meadow, Mr. Franklin asks young Bet to read aloud. Little does she realize that she’ll soon befriend a small mole. This rollicking story includes a bit of magic, a hint of history, and an atmospheric setting that together reveal the essence of friendship.

How Theodore Geisel, a dreamer and doodler from Springfield, Massachusetts, came to be Dr. Seuss, is reveled through a concise text and selected early work by the artist. This book provides a rare glimpse into the personal life of the innovative children’s book author and illustrator.

This story of a true and faithful dog so touched the people of Japan that a statue of Hachiko was erected in the train station where the dog went daily for almost ten years after his master’s death. Told from the point of view of a young boy, the book includes an afterword that provides additional details about this true story.

As mysterious things happen in and around their Chicago school, Petra and Calder use their knowledge of the painter Vermeer, their intuition, and their problem solving skills to retrieve a stolen painting. The book’s Illustrations contain clues that are revealed only upon close (and multiple) examinations. This quirky mystery is sure to please fans of E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Otto, a gentle giant, is understandably upset when a fellow named Jack steals his pet hen. When Otto descends the beanstalk to retrieve it, he encounters several boys named Jack (who readers may recognize from other tales!) – until he finds the right Jack and makes an equitable deal. Humor abounds in the text and illustration of this fractured fairytale.

Jackie loved to pitch baseball. Her long practices paid off when at 17-years old she pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts in a demonstration game against the New York Yankees. Jackie struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig — and forever changed baseball’s rules. The excitement of Jackie Mitchell’s story is well-paced, illustrated with slightly exaggerated and altogether winning illustrations.

Gooney Bird is a memorable character whose outrageous tales are all true! Children may see their world differently through Gooney Bird’s storytelling and consider writing themselves just like the kids in Ms. Pidgeon’s class at Watertower Elementary School. This is first of Lowry’s Gooney Bird books, all of which are relatable.