Book Finder

Dumpling, an enthusiastic dog with a poor sense of smell, enjoys her life with the Frisbees. With a useless sniffer, she has no dog pals and befriends a small black animal with a wide white stripe down its back. Eventually, the dog’s family learns to keep tomato juice handy in this satisfying family story.

Scaredy Squirrel comes by his name honestly; he’s a bit frightened of just about everything! Can his preparation for a day at the beach protect him adequately? Readers will laugh at Scaredy Squirrel’s ultimate realization that there is a lot to enjoy at the beach!

What is summer without a rainstorm? Alliterative language and richly textured collages create a day’s play interrupted by rain — until the sun returns.

A young pig is warned to be careful with a pointy stick — but it’s not really a stick. It’s a paint brush, it’s a fishing pole, it’s “not-a-stick”! Children and adults will recognize a child’s imaginary play and an adult’s concern for safety in the brief text, simple line, and flat color in this good-natured book.

During the hot summer, Devon likes to visit Mitch. Mitch is a man who makes sparks fly as he creates welded metal sculptures — and invites Mitch to make one with him. As the boy decides what to make, he begins to see things differently — because of “that fiery metal man.”

Max and his brothers play outdoors on a summer day, but Max is the first to see his dragon. When chased by a dark cloud that looks surprising like a fierce dinosaur, only a rhyme — and the breeze from the dragon’s sneeze defeats it. Textured, rounded figures and playful language combine to present this imaginative summer adventure.

Maisy the mouse is used to introduce opposites. Maisy stops and goes; she’s messy and clean; says hello and goodbye. Signature illustrations use bold color and broad line with limited text create a fresh look at the two sides of many things.

A full-color, close-up framed by black and a repeated text focuses the reader’s eye. Look closely. What do you see? Turn the page to discover an ochre sea star, sea anemone, a coastal rock, and more. Brief text and crisp photographs introduce children to a different way of seeing and looking.

A young otter named Otto does many things well, but swimming isn’t one of them. With the help of his sister, Otto does learn to swim well, little by little. Idealized illustrations and a gentle text help the satisfying story to unfold.

Moving day for animals happens when seasons change or when a threat comes close. Lushly colored, textured paintings invite readers to look closely at the animals on moving day and in their homes. A bit of additional information about the animals concludes this fascinating book.

Dogs say “bow-wow” in English, “goo-ow” in Spanish, “wah-wah” in French, and “wan-wan” in Japanese. But no matter where the cow lives, it says “moo!” Bright, bold, playful illustrations introduce how animals sound in different languages.

When new neighbors move near Rabbit; he learns from a wise owl to “do unto otters as you would have otters do to you.” That includes saying please and thank you (in several languages), cooperating, and more. The humorous take on manners makes them fun to see in practice, in stylized, engaging illustrations.

Instead of taking a nap, Carl, the loveable large dog, and his human charge, Madeline, use the time to go boating, explore the playground, and even play a bit of baseball. Tired out, dog and toddler sleep through dinner and fireworks. Their adventures are related through realistic watercolor illustration.

In order to beat the heat that summer, most of the residents of Clermont County practically lived in the pool. That is, everyone except Eric Dooley. He and his rubber giraffe were afraid of the water. How Eric learns to overcome his fear is told with humor and bubbly illustrations.

Benny is busy being a pirate and doesn’t want to play with his little sister. But when Penny seems to be lost, Benny realizes that sometimes playing alone isn’t all that much fun. Words and illustration in a comic book-like format create an appealing, short novel for emerging readers.

John’s music began when he listened to the music in his childhood. Semi-abstract illustrations vivify sound-filled poetry, together introducing a boy who would grow up to become the great John Coltrane.

Bonnie takes ballet classes while her little sister, Sylvie, waits outside for her. That is, until Sylvie follows Bonnie in one day and wins a place in the class. The warm relationship between the girls is revealed through Bonnie’s voice. Expressive illustrations are sure to be appreciated by dancers and non-dancers alike.

Colorful, cartoon-like illustrations clearly depict signs with mealtime meaning. From “eat” to “all done” (with more in between), the simple signs can easily be shared with young children to aid communication or just for a different way of sharing.

Everyday is an adventure with a silly baby who gets switched at the zoo, the circus, and other places. When the silly baby is retrieved by mom, that happy child makes joyful noises all the way to bedtime — or playtime! The jaunty illustrations complement the predictable adventure.

Pigeon — like most young children — wants a puppy and he wants it now. He wheedles, begs, and promises to get it. Will pigeon change his mind when a puppy shows up? Readers will appreciate that the indomitable pigeon speaks directly to them on each appealing page.

As he gets ready for bed, a cat can’t find his book anywhere! While young readers will see that the book is in plain sight, they’ll delight in what the cat imagines might have happened to it. Told with few words and lively illustrations, this is sure to delight.

Count people and animals doing what they do on a Caribbean island. From one to ten, the rhyming text combines with brightly colored, child-like illustrations to produce the sense of place and people.

In this gentle, imaginative countdown to sleep, a child and her mother imagine how a menagerie of animals would lovingly say goodnight; that is, all except the sloth and her cub. Rich language swirls around and through warmly-hued illustrations to create a satisfying bedtime tale.

A penguin parent and child celebrate the everyday pleasures of hugging, playing, dancing, and the kiss good night. Now in a bilingual board book, both languages appear in different colors on the bold, uncluttered pages.