Sophie Blackall

Imagine flying between countries in a hot air balloon. What would you take? What would you leave behind when it becomes too dangerous to hold onto everything? Might you discard even your clothing? Join the English Dr. John Jeffries and his French pilot, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, for just such a trip. Humor and hijinks make their unforgettable trip positively joyful. 

A mother tells her child the story of the real Winne, the true story of how a young veterinarian left his native Canada to fight during the First World War. The bear cub he found became a part of his military before finding a more permanent home and inspired a childhood classic. Gentle illustrations depict the fondness between the man and bear and that shared by mother and child pictured in spot illustrations. Factual information about Harry Colebourn is included as an album. Another book about how Winnie-the-Pooh came to life is presented by Sally Walker in Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh with gentle watercolor illustrations. (2016 Caldecott Medal Winner)

As a girl, Rachel Carson did not realize that she would influence so many to respect and protect the natural world. Lyrical verse, gracefully illustrated, fictionalizes Carson’s life and relationships with her family and others.

Best friends, Ivy & Bean, both desperately want to dance ballet with the drama of “Giselle.” Instead, they must learn the basics and finally are cast as squid in the recital. How these recognizable 2nd graders manage to keep their promise not to quit makes the latest installment a worthy one.

All the kids have it — the cheese covered with red wax — except Ivy & Bean. How they earn the money to buy it causes funny mayhem and minor disasters.

It all started when a king learned of that a girl would unseat him and change the world. How a girl, a monk, and a goat named Answelica come together for a riveting tale handsomely illustrated to create a medieval world in which the unexpected can and does occur.