Book Finder

The narrator tells of a winter run with a team of dogs. Lush illustrations depict the animals’ anticipation and pleasure on the snow-filled night.

Each season of the year has its own special color and feeling. Summer, fall, winter, and spring are presented in rich, lyrical language accompanied by stylized illustrations that evoke something special about each.

Five ducks ride on bicycles for an apple-picking adventure. The rhyming text and gentle illustrations create a playful, satisfying, everyday adventure.

The townspeople are flummoxed when a new store mysteriously appears. But Benny Penny examines its mysterious stock — from the flying toaster to a walking teapot. Surreal illustrations correspond with the story revealed rebus-style, with words and pictures. The truly fantastic tale is told in complete words at the end.

New poems, many rhyming, describe the animals introduced in Saint-Saens’ orchestral music that was first performed in the 19th century. Semi-abstract illustrations accompany the verse. The book includes a music CD to bring the carnival of animals to life for a new generation.

A large format is used to present a variety of nighttime poems by a variety of poets, neatly organized in three sections: “Going to Sleep,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “In the Night.” Gentle, whimsical illustrations enhance the mood of each poem that will be appreciated especially when shared aloud.

Young squirrels play all day then say a “fond goodnight” as they curl up in their cozy nest in a tree, bringing to life a brief rhyming poem by Scottish poet James Guthrie (1874-1952). Illustrations are richly colored and lively, creating a cozy tale.

From racing out of the house to riding the bus with “thirty pairs of sleepy eyes” to the much noisier ride home, these short, humorous poems bring the school day to life. Loose watercolors add verve to the light and varied verse.

Happy puppies,/scrappy puppies … each one needs a name … and ideal names from A to Z are presented in 26 descriptive poems. Aspen is the color of leaves in fall, Melody likes to sing, and Zipper loves to run, zipping everywhere. These poems are wonderful to read aloud to one child or a whole group.

Meet a sea anemone, sea urchin, a sculpin and other inhabitants of a tide pool through poems (in each creature’s voice) and an informative paragraph (in a different typeface). Cartoon-like illustrations complete the engaging animal introductions while additional information is provided.

Everyone knows that there are two sides to every story. Read a cleverly illustrated poem one way for one side; read the same poem in reverse and learn the other. Well known fairy tales are presented through reversible poems sure to intrigue sophisticated readers of all ages. Each book comes with a CD, so pop it in and follow along!

Enjoy short, lively, and varied poems for different occasions and from Monday (“…Washday,/sloshday…”) to Friday which is “…fishday in out town/Fat-fish, flat-fish/Cod- and cat-fish…” Line drawings on richly hued pages make an attractive and engaging collection to be read cover-to-cover or to dipped into for a special treat.

Both traditional and original nursery rhymes featuring animals are presented in this attractively illustrated collection. An introduction is likely to inspire adults and lays a foundation for sharing the rhymes in one or the other language.

Cat the Cat asks Bee the Bee and other flying animals if they can fly then cheers them on as they do what comes naturally. When Rhino the Rhino goes up in a plane, all of the playground friends join him! Strong, simple forms enhance the deadpan humor in this new and series about the endlessly friendly feline.
See also: Cat the Cat, Who Is That? (opens in a new window)

A mutt tells reveals a “doggy allegory” and how he went from “the saddest and the baddest” to being a hip hop dog. Jazzy language swirls around and with fresh, loose art to create a sense of music in many forms. While rappers may just call it ‘freestyle,’ this zippy book is howling good fun.

If anyone is looking for a new pet, they may want to consider a rhinoceros. In this amusing book, there’s one for sale “cheap.” Black line drawings with an occasional splash of color and a straightforward text reveal the unique strengths of an unlikely friendship with characteristic Silverstein flair.

Young readers (or listeners) are invited to share whimsical, imaginative, sometimes head-turning, always laugh-inducing poems in this classic collection.

The creature with the missing piece (in the book of the same title) is back. Here it searches for a friend and meets the Big O, learning what it means to have a buddy that suits you well. Simple black line drawings and unadorned language make this a powerful tale that works on many levels.

Its gentle journey begins with melancholy: “It was missing a piece and it was not happy” but concludes with greater self-awareness. The main character is depicted as a Pac-Man-like creature who strives to find what it thinks it’s missing. Simple text and line drawings ideally complement each other in this many-leveled tale.

Laugh out loud things happen when one has a giraffe who has stretched to become a giraffe and a half. Absurdity and humor build as a boy adds more silly (but rhyming) things to the long-necked animal. Line illustrations build to bring the satisfying tale full circle.

As he did in his earlier collections, Silverstein presents the world with shrewd humor, a bit of rebellion, loads of lively language, and endless reader appeal. His signature line drawings add to the comic appeal of the classic poems presented in this collection.

Meet the Pointy-Peaked Pavarius, a Quick-Disguising Ginnit, and other amazing imaginary critters in this poetic bestiary. Delight in the pages of Silverstein’s only collection illustrated in full color. Wordplay and humor are the hallmarks of this engaging collection.

“My name is Gabriela Mistral. It is a name I chose myself because I like the sound of it.” With these words, Monica Brown introduces us to the Chilean poet and author who, in 1945, became the first Latin American writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The lyrical text and exquisite illustrations bring Gabriela’s childhood and talent to life for young readers.

Who has teeth? Everyone from people to the zebra! And so opens this book of questions and answers designed to engage and provide readers with information revealed in lively rhythm and rhyme with Seussian humor. (LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards, Dr. Seuss’ real name.) Cartoon-like illustrations complement the lightheartedness of the book.