The Birthday Pet by Ellen Javernick, illus. by Kevin O’Malley

Anyone who has ever felt frustrated while trying to get their desires known will appreciate The Birthday Pet. Danny is the birthday boy and his parents said he could have any kind of animal he wanted for a pet. After thinking it over, Danny decides he wants a turtle. Each member of Danny’s family chooses [...]

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The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark by Deborah Diesen

This story has delightful pictures and an endearing character Mr. Fish. He makes a promise to his friend Ms. Clam and it leads him on an ocean adventure. In his search Mr. Fish is given encouragement to face his fear of the dark and in the end he keeps his promise and overcomes his fear! [...]

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Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman

Katie the dog is sooo excited to welcome new kittens to her home. However, the new kittens aren’t so sure about Katie whose energetic leaps, bounds, and howls startle them. This sweet story shows the difficulties that can arise when our families expand. The highlight of this story comes in the precious ending. The author [...]

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ZooZical by Judy Sierra, illus. by Marc Brown

My colleague Noreen pulled this from the shelf and told me it was a great picture book. She’s right;  I was charmed right from the start. What is a ZooZical? A song and dance extravaganza performed by the denizens of a zoo. The animals in the zoo were suffering from the winter blues.  No one [...]

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Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

Watercolors and black and white drawings gently take turns introducing readers to short Zen meditations in this Caldecott Honor book. In the watercolor portion Addy, Michael, and Karl meet the panda Stillwater in their backyard.  The children each visit Stillwater on subsequent days and he tells them a story related to their visit. The black [...]

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The Mitten by Jan Brett

One of my favorite winter stories is The Mitten by Jan Brett. Nicki wants his grandmother to knit him snow white mittens. His grandmother, being practical, tells him that snow white mittens will be hard to find if he drops them in the snow… but she relents when Nicki insists. As predicted, he drops a [...]

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Dear Tabby by Carolyn Crimi, illus. by David Roberts

Dear Tabby engages the reader from the very first page. Animals send letters to Dear Tabby asking for advice about their unusual problems. As an example, a pet groundhog is feeling the stress of forecasting the weather. I love the creativity the author uses to tell her story! My favorite aspect of this story is [...]

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Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems

I love all the positive messages this simple little story gives the reader! Snake wants to join his friends Elephant and Piggie for a game of catch. Can you picture this situation? The three show determination and perseverance, but are not successful at first. Then Piggie comes up with a new idea. This story is [...]

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Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox, illus. by Lydia Monks

Falling for Rapunzel is a hilarious twist based on the classic fairy tale. A desperate prince hears Rapunzel’s whines about a bad hair day and tries to help. Sadly, Rapunzel hears him wrong and sends down so many “delightful” surprises. The pictures are quirky and cute, making this book ideal for girls. Falling for Rapunzel [...]

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Belinda the Ballerina by Amy Young

“Your feet are as big as boats!” This cheerful story tells the tale of a girl named Belinda who loved to do ballet. The only problem? Her feet were huge! After being told that she would never dance with feet that large, Belinda decides to quit ballet. She picks up a job at Fred’s Fine [...]

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