In this picture book, Caldecott-winner Ed Young details his youth at the beginning of WWII in China. Memories based upon his childhood home, built by Baba (daddy), tie the book together. Photographs, family documents, collage and ink drawings create a scrapbook style. Some details reveal volumes about...

Caldecott winner Jerry Pinkney fuses a beloved childhood song with gentle woodland illustrations. The result? A soothing bedtime tale. A playful chipmunk preparing for bed imagines himself floating down a river and into the night sky, greeting robins, opossums and bats along the way. Pinkney guides readers...

The most famous lighthouse keeper in America was a woman! Based on a true story, The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss tells the tale of Ida Lewis. As she grew up near the sea, Ida helped her father tend a lighthouse. She learned to...

Toddie, the heroic toddler from The Wicked Big Toddlah, reappears in this fun sequel by Kevin Hawkes. In The Wicked Big Toddlah Goes to New York, the youngster and his family are visiting the Big Apple, seeing the sights and generally enjoying their trip. But despite his huge size (he’s...

In the 1950s, Franny must cope with coming of age and do so with a birth defect—a crippled foot. She hates the orthopedic shoes she must wear as much as she hates the limp that defines her as “different.” Putting on a good front, Franny focuses on getting along with...

The underwater world is a fascinating place. The creatures that reside there not only intrigue us, but help keep our world in balance. Sadly, human choices can endanger and alter these ecosystems. A Place for Fish by Melissa Stewart addresses the ecological impact on these creatures as well as why...

Jane Goodall grew up observing animals and her fascination with them continued into adulthood. When Jane traveled to Africa, she discovered her calling—working with chimpanzees. For years she studied them and eventually became an activist on their behalves. The Watcher by Jeannette Winter explores the life and...

In Chicken, Chicken, Duck! by Nadia Krilanovich, Duck and his barnyard buddies are up to something. And not much more can be said about the plot of this overly simplistic book. No one knows what is taking place, or that anything will take place, until the very end...

Along the Florida shores hides the alphabet. Over many years, Leslie McGuirk has discovered fossiliferous sandstone in the shapes of letters of the alphabet. But not only has McGuirk collected rocks of each letter, she’s also found rocks that represent objects beginning with each letter (“‘B’ is...

Buglette, a small ladybug, tosses in her sleep. She rolls, she turns, she kicks. Despite her normally neat nick ways, Buglette is a messy sleeper. In her dreams, she does amazing things. She builds mountains and swings on the trapeze, but she wakes up to a mess. Her family worries...

Little Boy Blue has left his flocks to become a detective. Miss Muffet is missing and Blue is on the case! As Detective Blue searches for the missing Muffet, he interviews a host of his nursery rhyme friends. Has Muffet been a victim of foul play? ...

When Ms. Jenkinss class learns they will have a substitute teacher, they go a little crazy. Amanda scribbles on the chalkboard, Luke performs a circus act, Gavin laughs like a mad scientist. Then the one-eyed, tentacled Substitute Creacher arrives to clean up the classs act. For forty-nine years hes been...

While most chameleons prefer to blend in, Chamelia loves to stand out, especially in the way she dresses! Bold colors, sequins and animal prints fill her wardrobe. But sometimes, standing out means being left out. As Chamelia begins to feel this way, her parents let her know that standing out...

Its spring! Time to clean the pigs. Farmer resorts to all sorts of tricks to try to clean up his dirty hogs, but the mischievous pigs are determined to remain muddy. No baths for them! Finally Farmer realizes, if you cant beat em, join em. Written in...

Explore the joys of summer through jumping rope, swimming and watching fireflies exemplify some of the wonders of this season. The alphabetic verse of F is for Fireflies by Kathy-jo Wargin adds a playful note to the books text. Some ABC items seem out of...