Book Finder

With bottle caps on the bottom of their shoes, two brothers have a tap dancing contest on the sidewalk. Animated, rhythmic language, filled with onomatopoeia is complemented by cartoon illustrations showing New Orleans and the warm relationship between the boys.

The narrator recalls the time when Tony, a large white draft horse, would pull Tom’s wagon to deliver milk, butter, and eggs. Soft, handsome illustrations evoke an earlier time in this sweet, nostalgic story.

How one person helped make one community into the bicycle capital of the world is told in animated illustrations and easy text. It began in the 1970s when Maartje Rutten and her friends strived to change one city. The impact of that movement is still evident in Amsterdam today where bicycles remain more prevalent than automobiles. 

Colette’s loses her imaginary parrot but finds friends in her neighborhood while the children help her search for it. Sequential art expressively tells the story in mostly blacks and grays punctuated with yellow. Limited text completes the appealing package. 

There are many ways to say Hello! There’s more than just “hi!” People world-over say it in their own languages. Travel the world through the pages of this book to say “hello” then lift the flaps to discover more interesting facts. Small illustrations on large double-page spreads are sure to help readers become more cognizant of the similarities among the people of the world 

As the weather warms farmers’ markets begin to open. Celebrate the start of the season through lively illustrations and short poems that allow communities from large cities to small towns to “…teem with farmers and their goods — /tasty transformations.”

The true story of a mother, her four daughters, one son, and a handsome white cat named Kunkush is a journey out of war-torn Iraq to resettle in Norway. It is also the tale of valiant volunteers who reunite Kunkush with his brave family after being separated during the grueling jouney. Richly hued, realistic illustrations accompany the straightforward text. Photos of the family, Kunkush, and the volunteers conclude the book.

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.

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.

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.

Madame Chapeau makes the perfect hat for each of her customers but she herself remains quite lonely. That is, until a young girl makes the ideal chapeau for Madame Chapeau. Illustrations are fun and worth looking at again and again as they are an homage to haute couture. 

The story of a small dog, the girl who loves her, and the girl’s struggling father come together in four acts. Brief text and detailed, black/white illustrations that appear as though in a spotlight effectively convey the daily intersections of these lives. Touching, dramatic, and gently humorous, Lucy — as the dog comes to be known — steals the show!

Inge Maria leaves her beloved Copenhagen to live with Dizzy, her seemingly stern grandmother. But Inge Maria brings mischief, laughter, and warmth to Bornholm, her new island home. The tale unfolds through Inge Maria’s naïve and good-natured voice.

The four Fletcher boys (each from a different background; each adopted) and their two fathers vacation in New England. Together the boys and their neighbors, the Galindo girls, help solve the mystery of the closed lighthouse in this fast-paced novel with recognizable events and personalities. The characters in this stand-alone book were first introduced in The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.

Mira brings color and builds community through her beautiful art which she first gives to individuals and then has them contribute their own paintings. Based on an Urban Art Trail in San Diego, the animated illustrations evoke Mexican folk art while remaining child-like. 

A town transforms from dreary to delighted when a night gardener provides a new topiary to be seen each day. Muted colors in highly detailed illustration depict the impact of the creative gardener on the townspeople as they enjoy the outdoors.

Familiar rhymes and ditties are set in a city by clever photo-collage images. The diverse casts of characters bring new life to poems appealing and appropriate for the youngest listener.

A preschooler marks the progress of her day, not by the clock but by what happens after lunch, after nap, after swimming, after the library, and after Daddy comes home. She doesn’t map her neighborhood by street signs, either. Her morning walk to see dogs in the park takes her past the cat outside the deli, past her friend Errolyn’s building, and the daycare where she used to go when she was little, and down the block to the bagel store. The sounds, tastes, smells, and sights of a multiethnic Brooklyn neighborhood, as seen through a child’s eyes are captured through the text and illustrations.

From the first orange glow on the water in the pond, to the last humans and animals running home from an evening rain shower, here is a day-in-the-life of a city park, and the playground within it. A rhythmic text and sweet, accessible images will immerse parents, toddlers, and young children in the summer season and the community within a park.

Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates 22 riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance. (2008 Newbery Medal Winner)

Connections, shared humanity…through surprisingly far-reaching, themed content, Faces exposes readers to a wider world, celebrating diversity through a framework of common ground. Issues regularly explore varied facets of the culture and history of a country, a region or a city.

Many animals, like people, live in groups. Many of these groups have special words to describe them — from a colony of koalas, to a scurry of squirrels, and even a flamboyance of flamingos. Stunning collage and line illustration of each group march across each double page spread. A bit of information about the animals’ behavior is included in this memorable book.

A girl takes the bus alone for the first time to visit her grandmother though she’s really not traveling along. A cast of animals accompany her on the journey presented in the girl’s narration and expressive illustrations presented in a long format reminiscent of the shape of a bus.

Where is home? What makes a home? People throughout history, around the world, and in all cultures have made their homes in different structures to suit different needs which are explored here in highly detailed, often playful illustrations and limited text.