Book Finder

A young girl learns to find beauty in her sometimes gritty urban neighborhood, showing how the way one sees makes a difference that affects others. Luminous watercolors detail the child, her neighborhood, and suggest what she sees around her.

Grandpa regales his visiting grandchildren when he revisits his days as a song and dance man — complete with banjo and jokes. Illustrations sparkle, showing Grandpa once again young and the delight his revisited youth creates.

The complicated, sometimes disconcerting life of Galileo is presented in a multi-faceted, intricately illustrated, completely original biography. Differing typefaces combine with illustrations in various styles to create an informative, engaging, and unusual glimpse of the man and his genius.

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!

These five short and funny stories show the mischief that Huey gets into in daily adventures with his annoying older brother Julian. The stories are filled with fun and warmth.

Big Anthony is large in size and curiosity but short on self-control. When Strega Nona, “grandma witch” of the village, leaves him in charge of her magic pasta pot, he can’t resist trying his hand at a spell. The small town almost drowns in pasta until Strega Nona returns just in time to reverse the spell and save the day. Through his lively illustrations and vivacious retelling, dePaola brings a traditional tale to new generations.

The summer Elisa finished first grade, not only did her 11-year old brother Russell go to a sleepaway camp but the entire family went on a vacation to the country. Sibling rivalry results in a competition with humorous results and a bit of insight.

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.”

This illustrated vignette from the career of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues, depicts his strength and that of his teammate Pee Wee Reese, who stood together against the prejudice of both fans and players. This powerful story makes the life and times of Robinson come alive for younger readers.

As a child gets ready for bed, she implores, “Tell me a story, Mama,” then proceeds to tell it herself. Mama adds only to punctuate the girl’s story with maternal wisdom. This warm story, told in two voices, reflects how children make family stories their own.

Ten not-so-terrible dinosaurs count down to bedtime until one particularly rowdy reptile revives them all again. A rhyming text and engaging, colorful dinosaurs playfully introduce counting as well as provide a lighthearted tale.

Mild-mannered paperboy Henry collides with a sparrow and turns into Sparrowboy just like his hero, Falconman – a superhero who not only delivers the paper but also helps out the neighborhood. When Henry returns from his comic-strip fantasy, things seem just a bit better than before.

Though Tommy’s family values and respects his artwork, the budding artist’s school doesn’t always seem to appreciate it. That is until a special teacher encourages Tommy to follow his own interests. The tone of dePaola’s signature art is reserved here but ideally suited to this autobiographical picture book. Those who follow their own passions and persevere (or want to) will find this book affirming.