Book Finder

Nergal and the other first grade Martians from Ms. Vortex’s pod participate in a running competition during health week. Nergal is nervous; he’s not a good runner. But he learns about healthy eating and that doing one’s Martian best is more important than winning. Zany illustrations and text convey a down to earth message in this book from the First Graders from Mars series.

When others ran from trouble, eight foot tall Mose Humphreys ran toward it as an extraordinary New York City firefighter. This larger-than-life story is actually a tall tale, an urban legend based on a real firefighter who lived in the 1840s. Text and illustration combine to create a fast-paced celebration of heroism and the man who earned the gratitude of an entire city.

On most nights, Alex stays in bed while Papa goes off to work. But on this special night, Alex puts on a small red hard hat as his father puts on his big yellow one, and together they go out to the construction site where Papa works and bedtime is put off until morning. Richly hued paintings evoke the nighttime setting of this loving story.

The engaging pig first met in Olivia (Atheneum, 2000)introduces counting from one to ten. Youngchildren will enjoy Olivia’s mischief and silly posesin this simple but appealing counting book.

While you’re on the beach, you can count from 1 to 10 by feet — combining numbers of feet and then multiplying them all the way to 100, which is ten crabs … or 100 snails if you really count slowly! Colorful, bug-eyed, cartoon-like critters further enliven this jaunty approach to numbers.

Jack wakes up to the rooster’s crow and decides he wants pancakes for breakfast. Readers follow Jack’s breakfast from wheat to plate since these pancakes are made from scratch. This informative and engaging culinary romp, done in Carle’s signature style, is sure to make mouths water at any time of the day.

A familiar cadence introduces ten animals that are all endangered. The book ends with a child dreaming of seeing all the animals “wild and free.” This appealing book can be shared for its boldly illustrated rhyme or to launch awareness of a complex topic.

When Monica asks her father for the moon, he literally sets out to get it for her. But because the moon is too big, he must wait until it wanes. As the pages unfold, the journey expands with textured, richly colored paintings that are complemented by a straightforward text. Lunar cycles are introduced in this loving story.

Flowers on many plants develop into edible fruit. From early spring to late summer, children and adults grow plants that produce flowers that turn into pea pods, raspberries, corn, peaches, peanuts, and finally pumpkins. Information and carefully crafted illustrations on fold out pages create an informative and attractive book.

Large, richly colored illustrations accompany the jaunty text in the pattern of Brown Bear…. This book depicts a group that visits the zoo and listens to the sounds that different animals make. Young children will want to join in the fun and make the animal sounds, too.

Recommended by Jessica – Benjamin’s mother sends Benjamin and Elephant to the grocery store to buy bread, cheese, and a pickle. But by the time they get there, they’ve had so much fun making up rhymes that they can’t remember what they’re supposed to buy. I loved the rhythm and rhyme in this boisterous, exuberant adventure.

Realistic, colored pencil drawings and a straightforward text tell how Jamie plants a seed, watches a pumpkin grow, harvests it, and is sure to save a seed for the following year. The large format and bold typeface create a memorable book that can be read independently.

Warm tones are used to show one man’s effort to save a beautiful field from development. With confidence and imagination, he buys and sells the field’s pumpkins throughout the world. Readers will catch the point of this cautionary tale, and will likely feel that they, too, can make a difference.

Mr. Wright’s students soon discover that the meaning of written words is much more difficult to figure out when punctuation takes a vacation from their class. Lighthearted illustrations and a lively text combine for a playful presentation of words and their meaning.

Seven-year old Ramona tries to take charge when her dad loses his job and her mother goes back to work out of the house full-time. Readers will see themselves in the Quimby household and are sure to chuckle at Ramona’s antics. 

A child plants a tree and watches it grow and change through the seasons. Highly textured illustrations incorporate seeds and other scraps of nature with brilliantly hued paper. Ehlert tells a story while providing a guide to nature in this appealing book.

Snake terrifies children and their parents. He claims to be the “king of the road.” But with gifts from the animals, Desert Woman fashions Roadrunner to defeat Snake. In the tradition of a folktale, this original story explains why rattlesnakes have their rattle and how cooperation can save the day.