Book Finder

A princess is bored by the goings-on at the castle but finds adventure with dragons when she runs away. She willingly becomes the captive of Kazul, a grumpy but good-hearted dragon, and the two of them save the other dragons from mean-spirited wizards. Sequels are equally light and engaging and include: Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, and Talking to Dragons.

When Duck decides to try riding a bike, the other farmanimals scoff at him – that is, until a group of kidsleave their bikes unattended. Expressiveillustrations use different perspectives to show theanimals gleefully riding the bikes around the barnyardin this imaginative and funny romp.

When Farmer Brown leaves his brother in charge, hewarns Bob to keep an eye on the duck, because “he’s trouble.” Bob follows the farmer’s written instructions to the letter, but are they authentic? Astute readers willknow who’s really writing them from the animated,cartoon-like illustrations. The animals were firstintroduced in Click, Clack, Moo (Simon and Schuster,2000), another barnyard chuckler.

Gooney Bird is a memorable character whose outrageous tales are all true! Children may see their world differently through Gooney Bird’s storytelling and consider writing themselves just like the kids in Ms. Pidgeon’s class at Watertower Elementary School. This is first of Lowry’s Gooney Bird books, all of which are relatable.

A boring summer turns into a fantastic series of adventures when Jane and her three siblings find an ancient coin that makes wishes come true – but only halfway. Other magical titles by Edward Eager include: Knight’s Castle, Magic by the Lake, The Time Garden, Magic or Not, The Well-Wishers, and Seven-Day Magic.

Hawaii is home to no less than 8 national parks where magic abounds in natural wonders such as the Volcanoes National Park. In this Magic Tree House installment, Jack and Annie are instructed to find a “special magic” in old Hawaii. They find it in Hawaii’s beauty and the drama of natural disasters!

When Ossie, Jamaica’s older brother, goes out to play, Jamaica follows. Ossie tells Jamaica that she’s a tag-along. But Jamaica soon meets another friend and together they turn the tables on her brother. Realistic watercolors convey the children’s emotions.

Lilly is sick and tired of hearing about the wonders of Julius, her new baby brother. Because she wants him to go back to where he came from, Lilly spends a lot of time in the “uncooperative chair.” But when a cousin criticizes Julius, Lilly learns just how protective a big sister can feel. Deceptively simple line and wash illustrations show the intense emotions of Lilly and her mouse family.

No matter how hard Ruby tries to get her baby brother to say the names of the objects around him, Max will only say “Bang!” One day, however, Ruby gets a big surprise from Max’s first real word. Understated humor and bright, bold illustrations appeal to children and their adults.

Like another English boy, Charlie discovers his unique mysterious abilities and goes off to Bloor’s Academy, a school for specially gifted students. Twists and turns, exceptional magical skills, and remarkable characters make this an adventure not to miss.

Bovine buddies Minnie and Moo are inspired afterreading about Zorro. Moo decides that there are justnot enough heroes and so she and her friend don disguises to become Juanita del Zorro del Moo andDelores del Zorro del Minnie. The heroic team set off to save thechickens and the farmer, providing lots of laughsalong the way. Young readers will enjoythis installment of the humorous series about twoloveable, laughable, and valiant cows.

Minnie and Moo are surprised by a one-eyed, package-delivering, potatolike alien named Spud, who crash-lands his UPS (“Universal Package Service”) spaceship in their pasture. He needs another ship and five gallons of “space fuel” to deliver a tube of Anti-Bump Cream to prevent planets from bumping into one another-and he has 30 minutes to get the job done. Can Minnie and Moo help Spud build a new spaceship in time to save the universe?

The engaging pig first met in Olivia (Atheneum, 2000)introduces counting from one to ten. Youngchildren will enjoy Olivia’s mischief and silly posesin this simple but appealing counting book.

A familiar cadence introduces ten animals that are all endangered. The book ends with a child dreaming of seeing all the animals “wild and free.” This appealing book can be shared for its boldly illustrated rhyme or to launch awareness of a complex topic.

Large, richly colored illustrations accompany the jaunty text in the pattern of Brown Bear…. This book depicts a group that visits the zoo and listens to the sounds that different animals make. Young children will want to join in the fun and make the animal sounds, too.

Seven-year old Ramona tries to take charge when her dad loses his job and her mother goes back to work out of the house full-time. Readers will see themselves in the Quimby household and are sure to chuckle at Ramona’s antics. 

Under the spell of a vengeful fairy, Princess Aurora sleeps for a hundred years until she is awakened by the kiss of her true love. Lush illustrations place this retelling of the familiar story in a dramatic Baroque-like setting, rich in detail and suspense.

Snow is magical and beautiful and sometimes even dangerous. Through both observation and experimentation, this book introduces the many aspects of snow through crisp text and appealing illustrations that are sure to engage, inform, and inspire younger children.

A hairless toddler at the beach is the star of this child-sized, sturdy book. One word accompanies each simple, colorful illustration to introduce words like swimsuit, sunscreen, and sleep as the sun goes down.

Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, and a host of memorable characters set out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil. Drawing inspiration from the colorful tales of Welsh mythology, The Chronicles of Prydain continue in The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King.

While on vacation in an English village by the sea, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, the protagonists of Over Sea, Under Stone, begin a quest to retrieve a relic from King Arthur’s time. Different characters join their quest through The Dark Is Rising, Greenwitch, and the Newbery Award winning The Grey King, until the Drew children, Will Stanton, and Bran Davies defeat the forces of the Dark in the exciting conclusion of the series, Silver on the Tree.

Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable Hobbit-hole when selected by Gandalf the wizard to become part of a dangerous adventure in this prequel to Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy.

When siblings, Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund are sent away from London air-raids during World War II, they are placed with an old man in the country. There, they enter another time and place through an old wardrobe found by Lucy. This is the first book in the Narnia Chronicles.

Fred, Sam, and Joe – the boys who travel by The Book, become known as “Brave Fred, Berserk Sam, and Magic Joe” when they travel back in time to meet Leif Eriksson and his Vikings. The boys seem as much like aliens to the Vikings as the ancient runes do to them; that is, until they write their own saga! Readers will learn a little along the way as they laugh out loud with this book from The Time Warp Trio series.