When ten mice start their day, they engage in routine activities — always equaling 10. Lively verbiage and numerical equations combine with animated illustrations to present the rodents’ antics (e.g., “10 mice wake.9 mice tidy. 1 mouse somersaults. 9+1=10”).
Mice Mischief: Math Facts in Action
Moose and his friend Zebra (from Z is for Moose (opens in a new window)), are back, this time changing shapes, recognizing geometric shapes all around, and generally causing chaos within the pages of the book. Spirited illustrations create a witty tone for this engaging and surprisingly informative book.
Circle Square Moose
Playful situations from familiar situations and activities make math come alive. Questions for “wee ones”, “little” and “big kids” as well as bonuses make this humorously illustrated bedtime book fun at any time of the day. It’s a follow-up to Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late (opens in a new window).
Bedtime Math 2: This Time It’s Personal
Buzz and his pet fly, Fly Guy, are back. Boy and fly visit a fire station to learn more about what firefighters do as well as a bit about fire safety. Comic illustrations of bug-eyed Buzz and Fly Guy combine with actual photographs present information accessibly and with good humor.
Fly Guy Presents Firefighters
Dog lovers everywhere will appreciate the canine shenanigans of best friends, Lucie and Kate. They are neighbors in a no-dogs-allowed apartment but they use their amazing dog-bone necklaces to become dogs! Dog jokes and dog notes by the authors conclude this playful novel.
Teacher’s Pets
When a squirrel is snatched up by a hungry hawk (but not eaten), his courageous friends go after him. Together they discover another squirrel society and save their homes from devastation in this clever, quite funny, and often insightful tale that provides a glimpse into what squirrel civilization might be.
Nuts to You!
What happens to Pop’s cell phone when he and Sam fall asleep at the zoo? It passes from one animal to the next! Cartoon illustrations and straightforward text are just right to create and easy, amusing, fanciful adventure.
A Night at the Zoo
Animals and people both have hair. Photographs of animals and droll illustrations of kids with that hair on opposing pages provide a light, humorous, and surprisingly informative look at different animals — and of course, hair.
What If You Had Animal Hair?
Growing up is not easy, even for a small seed. But with encouragement from a bespectacled worm, a frightened seed pushes on and up and develops into a handsome flower. Rhyming text and cartoon line drawings suggest the challenges of sprouting — both literally and figuratively — while presenting a saga in which many children will see themselves.
Rooting for You
Pokerfaced Pete the cat sings the traditional song with his guitar as he travels the farm in a red pickup truck and his big green tractor. Deadpan illustrations add verve and humor to the familiar tune and farm animal sounds.
Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Bulldozer was the first to get up when Little Green rolled into town and yelled GO which continued until Little Red came to town and hollered STOP. Red and Green are later joined by Little Yellow’s SLOW DOWN. Vehicles with personality populate this funny, vehicle-filled saga.
Go! Go! Go! Stop!
Frankie is an 18-wheeler with a big personality who shares onomatopoeic sounds he makes and the bright sights he sees as he delivers his cargo. The truck and all he meets along the road are expressively illustrated accompanied by animated language.
Big Rig
When Old MacDonald tires of cutting his large suburban lawn, he gets a goat and then a very smart little red hen. When compost and manure are added — and in spite of neighbors’ concerns — MacDonald has a thriving farm to everyone’s delight! This lively, rhyming tale with its exaggerated illustrations just may inspire suburban and perhaps urban gardening.
E-I-E-I-O: How Old MacDonald Got His Farm
Sophisticated readers will appreciate the snippets of presidential history presented in a variety of poetic forms. Illustrations, reminiscent of political cartoons, range in tone from serious to silly. Additional information about the office and the individual presidents concludes this appealing and surprisingly informative collection (which includes the sitting POTUS).
Rutherford B., Who Was He? Poems About Our Presidents
Tacky and his friends are training for the Winter Games and when the competition finally arrives, the other animals are worried that Tacky’s lack of training will ruin their chance at a medal. Along with the humor, the author brings in many facets of the Olympics: training before the games, the march of the athletes into the stadium for the opening ceremonies that include the lighting of a torch.
Tacky and the Winter Games
What causes the remote, or just one sock to disappear? Dr. Zooper provides the answers in his guide to the Mischevians. Young artists can add to the list of these silly critters as they laugh and share this pseudo-serious take on why things disappear.
The Mischievians
Poor Gerald just doesn’t understand Piggie when he pretends to be a frog. But Piggie persists until his friend catches on in this humorous homage to dramatic, imaginative play all presented with Willems’ signature humor.
I’m a Frog
A group of young men from Liverpool changed the world of music and they enjoyed a good laugh — often on themselves. The Fab Four and their humor are presented in appealing stylized illustrations and a lighthearted narrative well suited to the material presented.
The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny)
The number 1 and the letter A welcome readers to a book about numbers, or is it a book about letters? They discover that it’s really both, as things from A to Z in quantities of 1 to 26, parade through the pages. Cartoon illustrations and humor multiply as the competition and the concepts playfully unfold in increasingly busy illustrations.
1 2 3 versus A B C
A handsome feline named Mr. Wuffles is quite fussy about his toys. But he certainly enjoys a small roundish object he comes across unexpectedly. Surprises abound when readers see what that object holds and how — and from whom — the aliens contained in it find help. The three-time Caldecott medalist presents another fresh, nearly wordless tale.
Mr. Wuffles!
Mr. Tiger nattily sports his top hat and bow tie but becomes bored with the confines of the proper, polite and prim world. As Mr. Tiger’s wild idea takes shape, his behavior changes. The results are freeing for all of the animals and fun for the reader. Understated humor and flat illustrations create a comedy that validates individuality.
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild
There are faces all around. They can be seen in everyday things, like a chair. And they can be made from fruits and vegetables, tools and what is found in the garden. When imaginations are let loose, there are all kinds of faces to see and to make! Cheerful collages made from different materials are sure to inspire creativity and making faces.
Let’s Make Faces
What happens if you push the red button? The monster changes color! Curious young readers will enjoy the results of pushing the forbidden buttons of the benign looking purple monster. Even a two-dimensional button will generate silly play in this simple tale.
Don’t Push the Button
One shaggy dog sniffs at the edge of a rain puddle, and then “glub, glub, glub … he sinks out of sight.” The same fate happens to 2 cats, 3 squirrels and on to 12; then everyone reappears in reverse order until all’s again well … for the time being, that is. Silliness abounds in whimsical language and jaunty illustrations with lots to see and count.