Book Finder

With a little parental scheming, Lola and Bella discover friendship and how ballerinas and soccer players just may have complementary skills.

Homer is a dog who longs to be a wolf so his people send his to Wolf Camp to learn how to become more wolf-like. At first, Homer and his fellow campers (Pixie and Rex) struggle with the counselors, Fang and Grrr, but soon enough get into wolf rhythm. Offbeat humor is evident in understated telling and comical illustration.

Once a shelter dog, Strudel is now a proud, healthy, and happy dachshund who lives with Jake and his mom. Together, Strudel and his family make mostly good decisions as they learn about everyday goings-on and each other. Humor from the dog’s point of view as they deal with recognizable issues will engage young readers.

A dog not only retrieves his lost ball when it goes into a mouse hole, he finds a friend. After a romp through the house that is told — literally — from A to Z, this comic jaunt concludes with the friends napping together. The alphabet is used to tell the clever tale in single words, though extended through cartoon-like illustrations

Trog is a cave boy with all the best toys: a stick, rock, and mud. Still he longs for a puppy. Readers will readily see the big green and red striped “puppy!” just misses its own huge mom. When it returns to her, Trog is sad, until he finds a very large new pet: “Kitty!” Cartoon illustrations and limited text create an outrageous, laugh out loud tale.

Sitting with his dog lamenting all the things that a rainy day stops him from doing, a boy’s clever mother draws a scene in which they all have fun in a puddle. The drawing becomes reality when they all go out to enjoy the weather. Childlike illustrations on open pages convey joy in the everyday activity.

They live in prairies, they’re very important to the environment but these dogs wouldn’t make good pets. Meet prairie dogs in this handsomely illustrated, lively, and informative book told in a familiar cadence with music and additional resources included.

A girl’s parents say she can get a do. She, of course, wants to find the perfect one which will be big, bigger … well, hairy, hairier … well … Ultimately, the perfect pup finds her for a happy ending. Exaggerated illustrations exude a lively humor in a satisfying story of finding the perfect companion.

These thorough explorations of what dogs see, how and why they behave, and more is sure to engage both canine aficionados as well as young scientists. The narrative is lucid, clear and appealing. Index, additional resources, and table of content complete the package.

The story of a small dog, the girl who loves her, and the girl’s struggling father come together in four acts. Brief text and detailed, black/white illustrations that appear as though in a spotlight effectively convey the daily intersections of these lives. Touching, dramatic, and gently humorous, Lucy — as the dog comes to be known — steals the show!

The day Frank went to the shelter, he got Lucky. From that day forward, boy and dog are inseparable. Together they learn science and entomology (Lucky finds burdock and ticks), reading (Lucky listens best), foreign language (Spanish and “quack”) and more. Academic subjects applied to the duo’s explorations are sure to add verve to classroom experiences revealed in detailed illustration and unassuming text. 

Each member of the Ellis family excels at something; that is, everyone except their dog, Ed. Ed’s confidence soars, however, when he’s recognized for being an excellent greeter, dropped-food-cleaner-upper, and more. Everyday activities are shown in a loving family with their insecure but loving mutt.

An imaginative girl with her trusty canine creates adventure all day by combining a variety of things. She adds water to dirt to create a huge mud puddle in which to frolic followed by “Hose + High Up = Shower.” At the end of the day, tuckered out girl + dog = best friends. Math equations and charming illustrations capture the joy of summer play.

Marty would rather spend recess catching frogs in the pond than playing dress-up with the other girls in third grade. So when her teacher casts Marty as the princess in the class play, Marty’s absolutely, positively sure that there’s been a huge mistake! But after a special lesson in the art of improvisation, Marty comes up with her own plan to improve the play. Maybe a princess in muddy sneakers can live happily ever after, after all! This is the first title in the Marty Maguire chapter book series.

Meet Ranger! He’s a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble … and always saves the day! This is the first book in the historical fiction chapter book series titled Ranger in Time.

Charlie learns that wishes granted by a magic fish do not work as planned. In fact, Charlie learns that it sometimes takes a lot more to confront the most difficult things, including her older sister’s heroin addiction. 

Gianna Zales enjoys lots of things but doing a research project is not one of them. Achieving a balance between school work and family is presented through humorous, recognizable characters in a well-paced plot.

Middle school is stressful for everyone, especially for Ava. When she discovers her pencil can answer questions, Ava learns that there’s more to consider than just being right. Magic allows tough topics to be tackled.

Simple, everyday activities enjoyed by a father and his children become a vivacious romp as this is no ordinary family. They are, after all, alligators (though their antics are highly recognizable!) making the joy even more jubilant and the frolic more playful. 

Henry is a tireless toddler, generally outlasting each member of the family with his desire for more music, more stories, more attention!  That is until at last, the baby is tuckered out and goes to sleep with “more!” kisses from his loving family.  

A father tells a story about each tattoo which combine to present a family history.  Told as a conversation between father and son, this gently illustrated story is very contemporary but with an old-fashioned warmth.

A preschool child imagines that his dad goes to school to learn all the things that dads do — from making awesome snacks to telling silly stories.  But this dad and his child know that the most important job is “being my dad.”

Have you ever wondered what your dad would be like as an animal?  Siblings who usually like their real dad (except when he’s “grouchy, bossy, or just totally gross…”) imagine with very funny results their dad as various animals.

Sophisticated listeners will appreciate this touching World War II story of a disabled girl learning to respect herself in spite of her uncaring mother.