Unique observances for everything from rats to limericks are celebrated in a variety of poems and poetic forms. When combined with comic illustrations, the lighthearted collection is sure to keep readers chuckling from cover to cover.
World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of
Textured borders contain each double-page illustration which places the familiar cumulative song on an African savannah. Rebuses are included in the body of the book and again in a key; music is also included to make this version ideal for sharing.
There Was a Tree
Circles, squares, triangles, ovals and stars are all around! The rhyming text incorporates Spanish words which are defined in illustrations reminiscent of folk art. A glossary of Spanish words concludes this engaging glimpse into Mexican culture.
Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes
Rain spoils Max and Ruby (and friends) outdoor plans but their clever grandmother’s treasure hunt more than makes up for it. Clues in the form of traditional rhymes are numbered, hidden beneath small but sturdy flaps as well as in the spot art are sure to make this a modern classic.
Max and Ruby’s Treasure Hunt
Animated illustrations and a variety of poems from around the world celebrate well and lesser known occasions. From Arbor Day to Diwali, from Pancake Day to Purim — and lots in between — readers are introduced to a range of poets and poetic forms in this appealing book.
Let’s Celebrate: Festival Poems from Around the World
A warm portrait of universal parental love begins on a beach when a boy asks his mother, “How far do you love me?” Lyrical responses combine with stunning double page illustrations in places around the globe until the boy is tucked into bed with his response: “I love you to the moon!” A world map and the query in each language conclude this tender book.
How Far Do You Love Me?
In this springtime tale, a young girl and her father plant a flower box together.
Flower Garden
Short poems (haiku) were written in response to but also evoke creatures shown in crisp close-up photographs of small animals and insects in their natural surroundings. This collection and others by Yolen/Stemple introduce information about nature, and could be used as part of the science curriculum.
Least Things: Poems about Small Natures
Easier to read poems focus on weather and seasons.
Weather: Poems for All Seasons
Tongue twisters abound in this lively and easy to read book by the famous doctor.
Fox in Socks
Familiar subjects are presented in short poems by a range of writers. These easier-to read works are just right to encourage careful listening.
Hamsters, Shells, and Spelling Bees: School Poems
These poems introduce various insects and their lives; ideal for sharing aloud and for relating to informational books on insects.
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
Over in the meadow live animals and their young – from one to 10. The predictable pattern is made memorable with intricate illustration and repetition in this ageless rendition of a familiar counting ditty.
Over in the Meadow
A celebration of Pullman porters is the focus of this new picture-book edition of Langston Hughes’ classic poem. The collage spreads, blending oil paintings and cut paper, begin with an image of a speeding train before moving on to large portraits of African American porters serving white passengers aboard a luxury train. When the passengers leave, the porters gather left-behind items — newspapers, blues and jazz albums — and toss them from the train. Carried by the wind, the words and music fall into the hands of African Americans across the country. Winner of the 2013 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. [From Booklist]
I, Too, Am America
Product Description: Alma Flor Ada’s groundbreaking bilingual collection of rhymes from Spain and Latin America repackaged with a compact disc containing recordings of the included pieces.
¡Pío Peep! Book and CD
Morning routines may never seem the same after sharing day’s start with a small, chubby knight in armor and his long-eared dog who climb a ladder to wake up large dragons. Cheerful, bright, amusing illustrations and catchy rhymes propel readers to the satisfying start of the day.
Waking Dragons
Additional verses are added to the familiar ditty and illustrated in the artist’s signature naïve style. The little star sparkles, flickers, shimmers, and glistens around the whole world watched by animal parents and their young in different settings ending with a human baby and mother.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
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.
Ten Tiny Toes
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.
A Mary Blair Treasure of Golden Books
Short, rhyming verse combines with outdoor scenes as a boy and his dad share a camping trip. Their day is presented from fishing to cooking their dinner, until the boy — with “Nodding head/Time for bed” — is carried into their tent by his dad.
In the Woods
Ducks don daring socks for their weekly Duck Sock Hop. Colorful, textured illustrations of ducks in top hats and amazing socks dance through the pages, an effective accompaniment to the alliterative, animated rhymes.
Duck Sock Hop
Lillian, Tilly, and William J. start their energetic adventure when “They choose a spot. They spot some ewes.” The homophones and silliness continue until the exhausted cats relax with a good book. Boldly shaped, colorful illustrations illuminate the animated, rhythmic language.
Cat Tale
There’s a lot going on around the farm from sun-up to sundown. It’s described here with onomatopoeic sounds, jaunty rhymes, and illustrations reminiscent of times past. Children are sure to join in and laugh with the sprightly telling.
Cock-a-Doodle-Doo, Creak, Pop-Pop, Moo
Vivid paintings by San artists, an artists’ project of Botswana, accompany an original story about the ostrich that finds his voice and changes the veld. Lyrical language will read aloud well and evokes a strong sense of place.