Book Finder

Slowly and quietly on this particular Tuesday, a few fat frogs begin hovering over a swamp, riding lily pads like magic carpets. Gradually, the flying fleet grows in momentum and number, sailing over the countryside and into an unsuspecting town.

After her mother lays the egg, Clara becomes a plain caterpillar and then, predictably, a plain butterfly. Her homely color, however, camouflages Clara and allows her to become a hero by saving her once-haughty friend from a hungry crow. Butterfly fact and utter imagination combine in this winning tale of courage and contentedness.

Newbery Award winner Virginia Hamilton describes how Lindy and her family suffer through a long drought. Then a mysterious boy comes and teaches them the secrets of finding water hidden in the earth.

Using the alphabet as a pattern, paintings and brief poems explore rural life in Mexico presented first in Spanish and followed by English. From A to Z, brilliant illustrations and fluid poems evoke the plants, and more and the emotional impact on the lives of farm workers.

In this cumulative tale, Jack plants, tends and harvests his garden. Not only will readers follow Jack’s activities, they’ll learn about gardens and gardening in this informative and animated book through text and highly detailed and well-labeled illustrations. (The author’s background as a science teacher is pleasantly evident.)

It was cold and snowy when Grandma and Grandpa left their home in Maine to live in California. Lily, the young narrator, fills each month with activities that range from collecting sap to planting a garden. After a whole year has passed, Grandma and Grandpa return in December to share Christmas with Lily and her family in New England. Illustrated sidebars extend the text and provide additional information about Lily’s garden over the months.

Crisp illustrations fold out to illustrate the way Sam’s garden grows. Simply told in a familiar cadence, this cumulative tale may inspire young children to grow a garden while exploring their environment.

Slowly, slowly, slowly… that’s how the sloth lives. He hangs upside-down from the branch of a tree, night and day, in the sun and in the rain, while the other animals of the rain forest rush past him. “Why are you so slow? Why are you so quiet? Why are you so lazy?” the others ask the sloth. And, after a long, long, long time, the sloth finally tells them!

Exuberant illustrations and varied typefaces show a trash truck’s pride in the important work he does. He eats an alphabet of really dreadful and smelly trash which makes the point that without this city service, “you’re on Mount Trash-o-rama, baby.” Now, that’s gross!

Short poems and child-like illustrations framed on brilliantly white pages capture the splendor (“Morning glories/Campfire stories‡”) and sorrow of summer *(“Skinned knees/Ninety degrees‡). Readers will readily relate to all aspects of summer, seen in a short poem for the end of summer: “Three words/Most cruel:/Back to school.”

Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas. How they came to be is an Indian legend from the Comanche tradition. An orphan, She-Who-Is-Alone, is raised by the tribe in a time of drought and famine. Her sacrifice brings the people back into harmony with nature and saves the tribe. Stylized illustrations (though obviously still dePaola’s work) provide atmosphere for this inspiring, touching, and respectful tale.

Did you know that corn is a grass? Early American Indian farmers figured out how to cultivate corn and shared their knowledge with the European settlers. Easy to read language and crisp illustrations provide a glimpse into the importance of corn throughout history.

As the seasons change, a large black bear prepares for hibernation. In his search for a den, he startles a bobcat, a grouse, and other smaller animals. Striking watercolors and brief text, drawn from the artist’s observations of a bear behind his Vermont home, explain the balance found in nature and the cycles of life.

A frisky cat stalks brightly colored birds, but always misses them — and ends up with just feathers for lunch. Learn about birds, their distinctive calls, and their lifestyles through this attractive book and engaging story.

Cutouts preview each dazzlingly colored fish as they swim through the pages of this appealing counting book.

Vividly colored vegetables make a delicious soup in this handsome and informative book. Additional details are provided in small labels about the seeds that are planted and the vegetables that emerge.

Hawaii is home to no less than 8 national parks where magic abounds in natural wonders such as the Volcanoes National Park. In this Magic Tree House installment, Jack and Annie are instructed to find a “special magic” in old Hawaii. They find it in Hawaii’s beauty and the drama of natural disasters!

Benjamin Franklin was amazing. He was a musician, aprinter, a cartoonist, a shopkeeper, an inventor andmore. He figured out how to solve many problems – including how to steal lightening from the sky toprevent it from starting fires in Colonial towns. Conversational text and lighthearted illustrationsintroduce this early American hero to a new generation.

When a boy can’t sleep, he and his father drive out to the country, away from the city lights. There they try to count the stars. Lush paintings show the warmth of the evening and the loving relationship between father and son.

Well-chosen information about these ancient and ever-interesting predators is presented in an easily accessible format. Text is clearly written and accompanied by dramatic illustrations to depict different kinds of sharks and their habits.

What could it be? This fun book uses die-cuts to focus the viewers’ eye on an extremely small section of a full-color photograph. Readers will be surprised as they turn the pages to discover what looked strange up close is really something familiar.

Look at the moon and what do you see? Could it be Fox? Fox convinced Mole to accompany him to the moon by suggesting that huge worms were there. Mole comes back down to Earth, but Fox may still be up there. This myth from Peru is told in both English and Spanish and is illustrated with shining collages inspired by Peruvian artwork and artifacts.

While you’re on the beach, you can count from 1 to 10 by feet — combining numbers of feet and then multiplying them all the way to 100, which is ten crabs … or 100 snails if you really count slowly! Colorful, bug-eyed, cartoon-like critters further enliven this jaunty approach to numbers.

A familiar cadence introduces ten animals that are all endangered. The book ends with a child dreaming of seeing all the animals “wild and free.” This appealing book can be shared for its boldly illustrated rhyme or to launch awareness of a complex topic.