Book Finder

Benny is busy being a pirate and doesn’t want to play with his little sister. But when Penny seems to be lost, Benny realizes that sometimes playing alone isn’t all that much fun. Words and illustration in a comic book-like format create an appealing, short novel for emerging readers.

John’s music began when he listened to the music in his childhood. Semi-abstract illustrations vivify sound-filled poetry, together introducing a boy who would grow up to become the great John Coltrane.

Bonnie takes ballet classes while her little sister, Sylvie, waits outside for her. That is, until Sylvie follows Bonnie in one day and wins a place in the class. The warm relationship between the girls is revealed through Bonnie’s voice. Expressive illustrations are sure to be appreciated by dancers and non-dancers alike.

Colorful, cartoon-like illustrations clearly depict signs with mealtime meaning. From “eat” to “all done” (with more in between), the simple signs can easily be shared with young children to aid communication or just for a different way of sharing.

Everyday is an adventure with a silly baby who gets switched at the zoo, the circus, and other places. When the silly baby is retrieved by mom, that happy child makes joyful noises all the way to bedtime — or playtime! The jaunty illustrations complement the predictable adventure.

Pigeon — like most young children — wants a puppy and he wants it now. He wheedles, begs, and promises to get it. Will pigeon change his mind when a puppy shows up? Readers will appreciate that the indomitable pigeon speaks directly to them on each appealing page.

As he gets ready for bed, a cat can’t find his book anywhere! While young readers will see that the book is in plain sight, they’ll delight in what the cat imagines might have happened to it. Told with few words and lively illustrations, this is sure to delight.

Count people and animals doing what they do on a Caribbean island. From one to ten, the rhyming text combines with brightly colored, child-like illustrations to produce the sense of place and people.

In this gentle, imaginative countdown to sleep, a child and her mother imagine how a menagerie of animals would lovingly say goodnight; that is, all except the sloth and her cub. Rich language swirls around and through warmly-hued illustrations to create a satisfying bedtime tale.

A penguin parent and child celebrate the everyday pleasures of hugging, playing, dancing, and the kiss good night. Now in a bilingual board book, both languages appear in different colors on the bold, uncluttered pages.

Grandparents and grandchildren share something special everywhere. Here the universal story of a grandmother and her granddaughter is made unique as it reflects their Hawaiian life and style.

Two boys nicknamed Squirrel and Bear are best buddies. Bear’s rhyming narration chronicles how they play outside all year round — swimming, splashing in puddles, rolling in snow, and more. Lighthearted illustrations recount the boys’ mutual affection and their play.

A rhyming text combines with tender photographs of animals and their young, concluding with how humans show affection for each other. Not only is this an interesting way to introduce families, but additional information about animals and their young is included in this warm book.

When Farmer Gray went on vacation, Blue Goose and his friends decided to paint their black and white barnyard for a happy surprise. With the help of his friends, Blue Goose mixes paints to introduce both primary and secondary colors in this clever barnyard tale.

Sturdy pages are used to introduce the alphabet and more. Alliteration, folding flaps, and added textures create a lively, appealing, humorous menagerie in word and illustration.

“The Pacific Ocean was Duke’s backyard.” So begins the tale of Duke Kahanamoku, often considered the “Father of Modern Surfing.” Duke won six Olympic medals as a swimmer, but surfing was his passion. Duke, who encountered discrimination throughout his lifetime, was also a hero, saving eight people singlehandedly from a capsized boat in 1925. Readers will enjoy discovering the story behind Duke’s unforgettable legacy.

Fourth-grader Kenny goes with his older brother Byron and his parents on a road trip from Flint, Michigan to the South, where Byron will be spending the summer with his grandparents, away from the temptations of city life. Curtis mixes humor with the volatility of the South in the summer of 1963.

Four young sisters spend their summer in the Berkshires in this humorous tale. Each of the sisters is well drawn and unique, as are the supporting characters. If you enjoy the first, the “autumn” sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is also available.

Since Oliver’s class has been studying about elections and voting, he decides to nominate his teacher for President, and contacts a local television station, clearly stating her many qualifications! Humor abounds as the teacher’s assets are juxtaposed with U.S. presidential duties — and with a real sense of child-like appreciation for what the teacher does.

Kind and attractive Miss Nelson goes missing, replaced by a substitute teacher named Viola Swamp. The children come to appreciate — really appreciate — Miss Nelson’s softer ways as they are whipped into shape by mean, strict, and not very pretty Ms. Swamp. Be sure to look for Miss Nelson Is Back (Houghton, 1986) and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (Houghton, 1988) for more of Miss Nelson’s classroom adventures!

Miss Fry welcomes the variety of pets that come to visit for the school year as warmly as she does each child in her increasingly noisy classroom. But each evening she returns to her calm little home in this quietly humorous and gentle story.

Ms. Frizzle, the amazing teacher whose students experience field trips in extraordinary fashion, now moves into history and other social studies areas. In this installment, Ms. Frizzle and her class travel by dragon to 11th century China to experience its history.