Book Finder

Imagine flying between countries in a hot air balloon. What would you take? What would you leave behind when it becomes too dangerous to hold onto everything? Might you discard even your clothing? Join the English Dr. John Jeffries and his French pilot, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, for just such a trip. Humor and hijinks make their unforgettable trip positively joyful. 

Winter is a season of questions and of waiting. How do animals live during the cold winter? How do snowflakes form? What is it we wait for in the winter? But all the waiting and wondering come to an end and “wonderful winter makes way for … spectacular spring.” Photographs and an informal text plus a few activities just right for the season make this a cozy book. 

Scratchboard illustrations accompany an invocation, a poem that invites something to happen. Here a girl wants the world to slow down just a bit so her pilot mother doesn’t have to leave. What happens before morning? A huge snowfall slows everything down. Dark lines and rich shapes of a winter cityscape unfold along with the poem, leaving room for the reader to imagine. 

Lyrical rhymes and gorgeous color photographs capture the magic of winter. The combination of image and word also explores the water cycle and animals in the winter. This handsome book is a worthy companion to the author’s Raindrops Roll (opens in a new window).

Julia is a professional dancer; Emma is a young girl taking ballet lessons. Their training and performances parallel until the two meet backstage for a hug after Julia performs on stage. Ballet lovers of all ages will enjoy the detailed illustrations and portraits of two dancers.

Meet Juan García Esquivel whose contributions to music can still be heard. From his early days in Mexico, Juan experimented to find just the right sounds for his music. Additional information and a photograph of Juan are included at the end of this lively picture book biography done in Tonatiuh’s signature style. 

A passing seagull gives a polar bear a rainbow in a letter written by a faraway girl. When the polar bear continues to feel sad, he joins up with the girl and together they travel the world seeing colors all around. The duo is welcomed home by the colors of the aurora borealis and the warmth of friendship from the other animals. 

A young child hears something outside — “pit; pit; pit against the window.” It’s the first snow! She dons her clothes and goes out to play. In a dreamlike sequence, she and other children make multiple snowmen before the girl returns to her own backyard. Touches of red are added to variations of black, white and grey for a sweet portrait of a first snowfall.

Lonely Hedgehog builds a boat to look for the elusive friend ship. As Hedgehog travels, other animals fill the boat. A wise elephant teaches Hedgehog and the others that friendship was on board all the time. Stylized illustrations in muted colors expressively convey the humor of the gentle story.

Dramatic illustrations and an equally dramatic narration combine to present the giant squid. Just as quickly as the squid emerges from its dark world to feed, it is gone. The stunning images and rich language move this intriguing book quickly, swimmingly along.

Children familiar with traditional rhymes will enjoy these take-offs, while those who don’t know them will enjoy the sound of the poetry read aloud. Humorous illustrations echo the tone of the poetry in this playful collection. 

When Sophie was born, her neighbor made Sophie a hat. Now that Sophie is big, she makes pom-poms for Mrs. Goldman’s hats. Sophie then makes a very special hat for Mrs. Goldman especially for when they walk the dog, Fifi. Instructions for hat-making are included at the end of this charming story of friendship.

Bruce the bear and parent to four young geese returns from his migration trip ready to rest at home. He’s not ready, however, for his den to turn into Hotel Bruce, filled with animals of all types and stripes. Equally funny as the first book, Mother Bruce (opens in a new window), this is sure to delight adults and children.

Join a mother and her children on an imaginative journey to places where bears ride bicycles and wear scarves, lions read books, and buses are fish that fly through the clouds. Highly detailed, inventive black and white illustrations with splashes of red move the journey along until the very satisfying conclusion.

When the little penguins see snowflakes, they wonder how many? There are many! They dress for the weather and go play in the snow, tired and content when it’s time for bed. Bold forms of round-headed, dark penguins that play in the snow stand out until they recede in the night of their own room. This is a charming, whimsical, wintery tale.

Look over the ledge with the child watching other kids play far below. What does she see? When they look up and see her, she is joins them below with the promise of friendship. Aerial views and limited text make this visual experience memorable, especially when we see the child who watched from above; her wheelchair does not impede her at all.

Madeline Finn likes many things but reading aloud is not one of them. That is until she meets a big white dog named Bonnie at the library. Reading to Bonnie helps Madeline to read aloud capably in front of her classroom. Soft pastel illustrations depict a timid reader and a patient dog and how the mild canine boosts Madeline’s confidence and gives her a surprise.

Marta is a little girl who is learning that it’s all in how you look at things! To a roaring lion, “Marta is tranouila. Quiet. Very quiet.” But “To a rabbit, Marta is ruidosa! Loud. Very loud.” Opposites are presented in simple English and Spanish complemented by charming illustrations in a muted palette.   

After a busy night in the neighborhood, Mr. Pip, the cat, tries to find a quiet place to sleep. That’s easier said than done! Vacuum cleaners, canoodlers and more make noises that keep the poor feline awake! Stylized illustrations in rich colors and lots of alliterative language create an irresistible tale.

Niño is back and is hard to defeat – except when the horrible little girls don’t play by the rules! Almost surreal illustrations add humor and surprise as they roll across the pages to a cozy conclusion. Spanish and English are used throughout for a vivacious romp.

When Yoshio opens his door, the sounds of Tokyo surround him. Where would he find silence? Not at home or in school or in the forest. No, Yoshio finds silence “between and underneath every sound.” Detailed illustrations show the contemporary Japanese city with the use of color punctuating the child’s discovery.

The unicorn that Lucy got for 25 cents isn’t the special Sparkle she had envisioned. This unicorn resembles s a speckled goat plus he’s got fleas and is quite naughty. Lucy considers returning Sparkle but discovers that she loves him in spite of his peculiarities. Line illustrations are detailed adding humor and movement to the satisfying story.

Who did what? What did they do? Where did they do it? A question is asked on each horizontal page; the answer is on the next page – but a keen eye is needed to figure it out by looking carefully at a line-up of suspects. The characters are comical in recognizable situations. (Happily, a key to the right answers appears at the very end.)

Charles’ brother and sister told him there was no such thing, but the little boy and his sled set out to find the wish tree. In this sensitive story, a boy’s conviction and kindness are rewarded in kind. Illustrations in muted color accompany the text.