Book Finder

It’s hard to resist babies and baby toes which are “a hundred times sweeter than one could suppose.” A sweet, rhyming homage to babies, families, and a lifetime of affection is presented here with textured, softly colored illustrations.

One snowboy all alone begins the count to 10 then reverses to count down to where it started. Computer-generated art is colorful with patterned, wintery icons and images. The sound of language and the interesting visuals make the counting — and the book — satisfying.

Colorful mice are shown skating when the outline of a cat appears on the ice. The cat with a hat winds up joining the skating party.  Limited vocabulary is enhanced by vibrant illustrations that together create mild tension to move the tale to its sunny conclusion.

A collection of early Golden Books illustrated by an artist who (as stated in the introduction) influenced Disney films are presented in a new, larger format. Though retro in feel (and reality) the playful stories, poems and songs effectively capture the joy in simple things.

Just outside a baby’s window there is a world of activity and goings-on. Stylized illustrations in bold black and white line with text in green are just right to share with very young children, perhaps to encourage conversation and observation.

Little Tug isn’t the tallest, fastest or biggest boat in the harbor but he is able to push, pull and guide each of his larger friends to safety. And they respond with affection. Little Tug’s day is presented in simple language and carefully crafted, expressive illustrations.

A red sports car with an attitude challenges a train to see who can get to Chicago first. Even loaded with freight, the train handily wins but graciously offers the car a ride home. Train lovers of all ages will enjoy the humorous portraits of the vehicles’ personalities and the staccato text.

When Bear looked at the sky and smelled the air, he ran to get his friend Mole. Together they make and fly a kite. A sudden storm tears the kite away from them but disappointment turns to satisfaction in this affably illustrated story told with repetition and onomatopoeia.

An imaginative child shares her pleasure in old clothing, repurposing them and finding joy in imagining the history, mystery surrounding them. Soft, expressive illustrations accompany the lively rhythmic, rhyming text.

A cheerful, much loved baby hears everyday sounds when at play, on a walk outdoors, and in the car. Even the youngest child will enjoy sharing this sweet, simple book with an adult.

Zephyr’s imagination takes off when her family is too busy to play or watch her fly her model plane do spectacular feats. Through a hidden door, Zephyr finds friends, flying ships, returning home in time for breakfast. Comfortable, old-fashioned illustrations complement the telling.

The narrator, a very small fish, snitches a much larger fish’s hat and hides out where he thinks no one can see him. The wordless conclusion is humorous and satisfying in this stylized, expressively illustrated book sure to generate conversations among readers. (2013 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Oliver is a curious child with lots of questions and a penchant for exploration. During quiet time at home, Oliver builds a contraption to find out if there’s a monster in the tub drain. His imaginative jaunt is presented with droll, naïve drawings, filled with Oliver’s child-like ideas.

Molly told Olive a secret which Olive promised not to tell anyone. Secrets have a way of bubbling out though and so Molly’s secret comes back to her. This familiar dilemma is humorously presented with cartoon illustrations and short text with an unexpected conclusion.

Ribbit-oops! Frog falls into a deep hole, followed by other animals who try to help. Oh, no! Stalked by a hungry tiger, saved by a gentle elephant the drama of the story is enhanced by richly hued illustrations and lots of playful patterns of sounds and language sure to be repeated.

As midnight strikes, he appears: “Hand over hand, the ninja climbed and clambered.” Just as the ninja reaches his target, he’s caught by his mother with ice cream and spoon in hand!  Textured collage illustrations and spare language dramatically evoke a satisfying nighttime mystery

When a downcast magpie is given a single marble by a mouse, it starts its accumulation of many more things until its nest crashes to the ground. Magpie and mouse determine that more isn’t necessarily best. Their tale is told with few words but lush, detailed, and expressive illustrations.

An entrepreneurial sister and her brother decide to make and sell lemonade on a snowy winter day. It’s a chance for Pauline to help John-John learn about money, have a bit of fun, and meet some neighbors. Playful language and quirky illustrations turn a dull day into an adventure.

A polar bear journeys from one exotic setting to another winding up with a friend looking at the stars. The bear’s expedition is revealed without words, using soft-lined, expressive, whimsical illustrations.

The arrogant wolf’s self-confidence is bolstered by his encounters with family characters from fairy tales, until he meets a small dragon whose father has taught the tiny lizard a very impressive skill. Comic illustrations and understated text create a very funny and satisfying tale.

The author turns the familiar tale around in this funny take-off. Here, Goldilocks goes to the home of three dinosaurs who would like nothing more than a chocolate-filled little girl. Goldi and the dinos take away very different lessons — all to the delight of well-read children!

Annabelle finds a box with colorful yarn from which she makes sweater for all, adding color and life to a dull landscape. The box is empty when stolen by a greedy man but is yarn-filled when it returns to Annabelle. Textured pictures and understated text on open pages tell an engaging yarn.

Bear wants to share his story though his friends are preoccupied with winter preparation. When they gather again at winter’s end, Bear’s friends remind him of his story. Tender text and gentle illustrations by the Caldecott-medal winning husband & wife team is sure to engage.

Readers are encouraged to tell the story of a brave farm girl who provides food to someone who has escaped in this sophisticated, expressive, wordless book. Inspired by family stories, the author allows adults to fill in the historical detail while children recognize the story’s power.