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Darkus finds friends, adventure, and surprises once his widowed father disappears from a closed museum room filled with beetles. The author delightfully narrates the engaging science fiction/fantasy/realistic tale just right for slightly older listeners.

Animals care for and carry their young much like people do — from kangaroos carrying babies in pouches in the Australian outback to penguin babies perched on their parents’ feet in the frozen Antarctic. This is brought to life in Stockdale’s signature style of lyrical text and richly hued illustrations.  

Bright, stylized illustrations are accompanied by brief descriptions that suggest the animals look like they’re wearing human attire. In this short, creative, humorous book the wooly sheep that “wears a fluffy jacket”, a rhino with “a warm coat”, a goldfish in “a tie-dye skirt”; and the “boy wears … nothing?”

With a warm invitation, “Sun says, Wake up-/come out and explore…” all are invited to observe the new life all around. Stunning nature photographs of animals, amphibians, and insects and a brief text which encourages participation and thought continue the exploration. A bit of additional information to help answer possible questions concludes this handsome book.

From 1 to 10 race cars with personalities line up to begin the race. When the lights go from red to yellow to green – off they go!  Who will win? Playful, rhyming text accompanies the colorful, angular illustrations.

Familiar and some not-so-familiar nursery rhymes are presented in a child-sized, sturdy format illustrated in Well’s signature style. Charming bunnies, chicks, cats and other critters in old fashioned garb and settings enliven and freshen up the ditties.

Simple rhymes and colorful, flat illustrations introduce familiar farm animals and their sounds. In addition, young readers are encouraged to count from 1 to 5. Die-cuts for each animal’s eyes add texture and interest before the last animal and number roundup.

Getting a new pup means getting a new friend but it also means getting to know each other. At first, the small brown and white dog is shy and kind of scared but that changes. Sometime dogs and kids are sloppy, smelly and noisy but it’s all worth it!  Simple illustrations and straightforward text combine to present a warm story of friendship.

Rhythmic, inventive language — “Yawny and dozy…”, “Tickly and feathery…” — along with boldly lined illustrations ask how each animal pair says goodnight. Turn the sturdy half page to see the cozy nighttime cuddle. Deep hues and black lines present the prefect bedtime tale to relax young children. 

Flora places an empty bowl near a hen’s nest filled with eggs. One by one as the eggs hatch, Flora fills the bowl the yellow, orange, and even a brown chick. Expressive illustrations on plain backgrounds and large numbers from 1 to 10 convey the story.  The use of sturdy foldouts increases the delightful surprises as the chicks meet their new friend, Flora.

Ruby builds with her red blocks while Benji uses his blue blocks. An argument erupts when Benji tries to take one of the red blocks. Tugging and pulling makes a mixed up mess of blue and red blocks that creates cooperative construction! What will happen when Guy joins them with green blocks?  Uncluttered illustrations and straightforward text present the recognizable tale.

One day a small black cat came to live with a big white cat. The white cat taught the little one a great deal. One day, the big white cat now old, left and didn’t come back. Soon, however, a small white cat joined the black cat. Strong, simple lines illustrate this gentle tale which is sure to be interpreted in many ways by young children.

Observing birds and eating berries just may lead to a summertime exploration of colors and counting. Meet the yellow goldfinch, a pink flamingo, and other well and less familiar birds in brief text and realistic illustrations. In The Very Berry Counting Book (opens in a new window) by Jerry Pallotta (Charlesbridge; 1580897843), you can count realistic, luscious looking berries from 1 to 10.

Hattie McFadden is a born explorer. Every morning she grabs her life jacket and paddles out in her canoe to discover something new on the lake, singing a little song on her way. When her singing draws up from the depths a huge mysterious beast, everyone in town is terrified — except Hattie, who looks into the creature’s friendly, curious eyes and knows that this is no monster.

A howling wolf, a stalking tiger, a playful panda, a dancing bird – pairing the beautiful photography of National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore with the delicate poetry of Newbery award-winning author Kwame Alexander, this lush picture book celebrates the beauty, diversity, and fragility of the animal world. Featuring more than 40 unique animal portraits, the pages invite kids to explore each creature’s markings, textures, and attributes in amazing detail.

Thirteen classic poems by poets such as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and David McCord are paired with parodies written by J. Patrick Lewis that honor and play off of the original poems in a range of ways. This playful introduction to classics will inspire imagination and wonder even as it tickles funny bones.

This sensitively crafted picture book offers a glimpse into the life and work of Japanese poet Kaneko (1903–30). Accompanied by colorful, soft illustrations, the first half recounts Kaneko’s short life along with a selection of her poems that thematically complement the text. The second half is a larger (also illustrated) collection of her poems in English and Japanese.

New York’s crowded subway system is known for many things, but being easy on a lost kid isn’t one of them. Pablo gets separated from his new schoolmates during his first field trip in New York City. Luckily, he has a little knowledge, a new friend, and the surprisingly approachable city itself to guide his way. This story features maps, archival photos, and fascinating facts in a graphic novel format to help readers explore the subway.

Nate, boy detective, and his dog Sludge hit the rails to help Olivia and Hoot, her pet owl. When Hoot disappears, Nate must solve the case of the vanishing owl before the train reaches its destination.

Funny, engaging poems and pictures worth poring over offer readers delightful details about some really crazy cars! Ready for a ride in the Dragonwagon? How about an Eel-ectric Car? You really auto take these poems out for a spin.

Marshall Taylor’s bike stunts get him a job at the famous Indiana bike shop Hay and Willits. But he’s meant for even bigger things — namely the 1899 World Cycling championship — where his skin color attracts as much attention as his domination on the racetrack.

Harry and Horsie may have solved the problem of how to reach the cookie jar when they create CookieBot. But building the most amazing cookie-grabbing robot ever may have created a new problem. How will they stop CookieBot from eating all the cookies in town? Delightfully illustrated with a retro-modern feel. 

Seventh grader Olive is tired of feeling left out at school because she prefers acting in the drama club rather than playing a sport. Her school is so sports crazy that the principal never acknowledges any of the other clubs during the morning announcements. Olive decides it’s time to take action and embarks on a game plan to ensure that her drama club and other groups at school get the attention they deserve. A perfect book for Readers’ Theater!

Aang and friends must join together once again as the four nations’ tenuous peace is threatened in an impasse between Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei! As the world heads toward another devastating war, Aang’s friendship with Zuko throws him into the middle of the conflict!