The Birthday Queen

When the lowercase x from Charley’s alphabet disappears, the other letters set off to find him. Young readers become detectives on the quest to find the lowercase letters and will rejoice when little x finds a way to rescue his rescuers from becoming alphabet soup.

The sky is as changeable as the weather — from blue sky to rain sky to dark sky and ultimately to sleep sky. A poetic depiction of the sky introduces weather and a child’s day in simple, repeating language and richly colored illustrations that may inspire writing “list poems.”

A mother warns her seven children not to open the door in her absence, but alas, the children are duped by a tricky witch named Heckedy Peg. Their mother’s wisdom, however, cleverly saves the day. Told in the cadence of a folktale, this richly illustrated tale makes a fine read aloud.

While others in his court have tried, only the young page is able to dislodge King Bidgood from his bubbly bathtub. Rich illustration (which won a Caldecott Honor) and a rhyming text depict an elegant Elizabethan period in this rib-tickling tale. 

Little pigs play on pudgy fingers in this inventive and playful illustrated rhyme. Young children and adults are sure to enjoy reading and re-reading the book and slow down to examine the colorful paintings.

Young readers share short, humorous escapades with Piggy Pie Po, a large-eared porcine hero. Lively illustrations and vivacious, rhyming illustration make this an adventure to share more than once.

A child can be as quiet as a cricket, as small as an ant or as big as a whale on the path from toddler to childhood. Lyrical metaphors and realistic illustrations combine for a celebration of the sometimes contradictory process of growing up.   

Residents of the napping house are anything but sleepy; in fact, the full moon shining brightly is making them restless! With rich, rhyming language and playful paintings, this cumulative tale is a worthy companion to the creators’ early (and quite opposite book), The Napping House. 

A small mouse tries to protect its lovely strawberry from a big hungry – but always “off stage” – bear. The narrative directly addresses readers, complemented by colorful illustrations of a charismatic mouse with large ears and an expressive face.

Sleepers, both human and four-legged, pile atop of each other in this clever cumulative rhyme. Rich illustrations evoke the evening setting and provide humorous personalities to the drowsy granny and her companions.