A father and daughter go out “owling” on a cold, snow-filled evening with only moonlight to guide them. An introduction by the author to this edition opens the now-classic, luminously illustrated story in which hope “…flies on silent wings under a shining Owl Moon.”
Owl Moon
Summer has finally arrived to the young narrator’s island home. With it come four different artists who the boy – an artist himself – observes carefully as he tries to paint the wind. Newbery medalist Patricia MacLachlan and her daughter team up to explore creativity in an unusual but understandable way.
Painting the Wind
I’m awake! I’m awake! / I cannot shut my eyes. / I’m unable to sleep, / though I’ve made many tries… The insomniac in all of us will find plenty of company in this rollicking series of rhymes by the prolific and popular poet, Jack Prelutsky.
My Parents Think I’m Sleeping
Sally narrates the story of her brother’s crisis of confidence when his world turns fuzzy. She figures out he needs glasses and so together they visit the eye doctor and all things soon become clear! The lively illustrations are as varied as the typeface in this fun and fresh tale.
Paul Needs Specs
Good manners and proper behavior is stylish at all times in all places. Nattily dressed pigs demonstrate etiquette and appropriate conduct in a variety of places – from around the house to public places and everything in between – in this lighthearted look at manners.
Perfect Pigs
The entire town is scammed by the new Perfect Pup Institute but not Martha. She discovers that the partners who run it are using the RoboRover Brain Stopper and saves the day (and the dogs). As all of the Martha tales, this is told and illustrated with lots of humor and verve.
Perfectly Martha
When Admiral Drake sends a penguin named Captain Cook to the Popper family, Mr. Popper’s dreams of seeing the world begin to come true. Humor abounds in this early Newbery Honor book as readers follow Mr. Popper and his penguins to Antarctica.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
When Possum comes a-knockin’ at their door, each member of the family takes a turn stopping their daily routines to see who is interrupting them. But the clever offender — a long tailed possum with top hat and vest — stays out of sight. This funny, rhyming, and cumulative tale with a distinct southern lilt is sure to twist tongues and create a smile.
Possum Come a-Knockin’
When rude roosters continue to disturb the other farm animals, only Clarissa the cow and Sophie the pig take action to stop the raucous fowl. Their tale creates lots of laughs for readers.
Poultrygeist
Ramona, now starting 4th grade, gets a teacher who is a stickler for proper spelling. Ramona is propelled into writing a letter when she finds an error in an advertisement — all with the verve and humor readers expect of Ramona.
Ramona’s World
Bob and Joan’s white puppy, Sam, is bored, so she decides to join the kids when they board the school bus. The children try to hide Sam, but she wants to play. Sam reluctantly returns home with Joan and Bob, but only after deciding that puppies need school, too!
Sam Goes to School
This collection of spooky stories and poems by well known writers such as Ogden Nash, Jack Prelutsky, and Jane Yolen has been illustrated with wit and verve in Marc Brown’s signature style. The effect is to provide young readers with slight shivers along with chuckles.
Scared Silly! A Book for the Brave
Warmly evoking the universality of a child’s relationship with her grandmother, this book follows a girl’s journey to a small village in Palestine, where she comes to know her grandmother Sitti. Once back in the United States, the child recalls the sights, sounds, and culture of Palestine as well as the commonalities between the Arabic and English speaking worlds.
Sitti’s Secret
Cutie LaRue is normally a very agreeable child. But at bedtime she becomes downright defiant. As hard as her parents try to make Cutie sleepy, well, nothing works. But a talking doll named Night Owl may just hold the key to the Dreamland Nightclub where Cutie can dance, play music, and dream happily all night long! The talented husband/wife team of Andrea and Brian Pinkney have collaborated again to present this jaunty, imaginative nighttime tale.
Sleeping Cutie
In this Caldecott Medal book, a boy and his mother come to know a Korean neighbor when their cats escape during the Los Angeles riots. Boldly colored paintings and textured collage illustrations help distance readers while evoking the tension of the time.
Smoky Night
As this book shows, brain teasers are popular everywhere! The short tales, riddles, and more are from many different countries. Readers try to figure out how the solution was found. The answers are provided and some are even embedded in decorative black and white line drawings.
Stories to Solve: Folktales from Around the World
Alice McGill retells the tales she heard growing up in North Carolina with the verve and informality of a storyteller. Some are familiar, others are less well known, but all involve Bruh (Brer) Rabbit and his companions from the lore of the southern United States.
Sure as Sunrise: Tales of Bruh Rabbit and his Walkin’ Talkin’ Friends
The fun begins when Tricky Fox makes a bet with his brother that he can trick a silly human into giving him a pig. “I’ll eat my hat if you can,” says his brother, and Tricky Fox sets off to win the bet. The endearingly antique pictures add to the merriment, especially when the conniving fox winks at readers, drawing them into his joke.
A Tale of Tricky Fox: A New England Trickster
This countdown to bedtime begins with “10 small toes all washed and warm” until one little girl is tucked snugly into bed by her loving dad. Richly hued illustrations, warmly detailed, combine with a straightforward text that holds up to multiple readings as well as careful examination.
Ten, Nine, Eight
Vivid colors depict the Haitian setting for a tale in which a goat uses the banza, a banjo, given to him by a tiger, for protection in an unforeseen way. The traditional tale is retold in a way ideal for sharing aloud, and is complemented by expressive illustrations.
The Banza: A Haitian Story
A girl and her grandfather make a butterfly house that provides shelter for Painted Ladies even after the girl grows up. The cyclical nature of life is gently portrayed in handsome paintings and lyrical language.
The Butterfly House
When a cat’s elderly mistress dies, he finds himself an outcast, soon forgotten. He begins a lonely journey, traveling across a lush country. When the tired cat comes to a stone cottage by the edge of the sea, he finds a new home with children who love him. Rich paintings combine with a lyrical text in this evocative saga.
The Cat Who Walked Across France
When Chester Cricket accidentally finds himself in a New York subway, he is befriended by a worldly mouse and cat. Before returning to his Connecticut home, Chester becomes Mario Bellini’s special pet and helps save Bellini’s Times Square newsstand with his very special talent.
The Cricket in Times Square
Run, run, run just as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man! After escaping the kitchen, the Gingerbread Man taunts a number of animals until he is eaten by a wily fox. But don’t worry about this Gingerbread Man, he’ll come back when you make your own gingerbread cookies!