![A Year with Friends](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1419704435.jpg?itok=Jelwylb7)
Soft illustrations and brief, patterned language suggest a special pleasure from January to December, just right for sharing. After all, each month of the year is a “time for fun with new friends!”
A Year with Friends
![The Red Book](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0618428585.jpg?itok=J4M0TAge)
A girl finds a book with a red cover on a winter day that transports her to a sunny beach. The idea of getting lost in a book (figuratively and magically) is presented wordlessly; only illustrations are used. The story can be told or written any number of ways according to the writer’s interpretation of the story.
The Red Book
![Hamsters, Shells, and Spelling Bees: School Poems](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0060741120.jpg?itok=dZRNkAll)
Familiar subjects are presented in short poems by a range of writers. These easier-to read works are just right to encourage careful listening.
Hamsters, Shells, and Spelling Bees: School Poems
![Owl at Home](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0064440346.jpg?itok=ZeTEXYUg)
Young readers will understand what Owl doesn’t in each of five short chapters. The episodic tales and lighthearted illustrations are sure to engage newly independent readers.
Owl at Home
![Extra Credit](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1416949313.jpg?itok=IaFiaP5K)
“A forced pen-pal exchange turns into an opportunity for real communication between Illinois sixth-grader Abby Carson and Sadeed Bayat, the best English-language student in his Afghan village. When Abby’s first letter arrives in Bahar-Lan, 11-year-old Sadeed is asked by the elders to compose his sister Amira’s reply; it isn’t proper for a boy and girl to correspond with one another. But soon Sadeed can’t resist telling Abby that it is he who has been writing to her. The third-person narrative alternates points of view, allowing for inclusion of intriguing details of both lives.” — School Library Journal
Extra Credit
![Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1561455954.jpg?itok=8-atoGFB)
Dickens’s England comes to life from the perspective of an alley cat.
Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale
![Olive and the Big Secret](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/076366149X.jpg?itok=H2reaik6)
Molly told Olive a secret which Olive promised not to tell anyone. Secrets have a way of bubbling out though and so Molly’s secret comes back to her. This familiar dilemma is humorously presented with cartoon illustrations and short text with an unexpected conclusion.
Olive and the Big Secret
![Oh, No!](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0375842713.jpg?itok=3IlOPFGc)
Ribbit-oops! Frog falls into a deep hole, followed by other animals who try to help. Oh, no! Stalked by a hungry tiger, saved by a gentle elephant the drama of the story is enhanced by richly hued illustrations and lots of playful patterns of sounds and language sure to be repeated.
Oh, No!
![Bear Has a Story to Tell](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1596437456.jpg?itok=Dr1t1DBL)
Bear wants to share his story though his friends are preoccupied with winter preparation. When they gather again at winter’s end, Bear’s friends remind him of his story. Tender text and gentle illustrations by the Caldecott-medal winning husband & wife team is sure to engage.
Bear Has a Story to Tell
![Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0545399971.jpg?itok=MB46-3xb)
Readers are encouraged to tell the story of a brave farm girl who provides food to someone who has escaped in this sophisticated, expressive, wordless book. Inspired by family stories, the author allows adults to fill in the historical detail while children recognize the story’s power.
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad
![Ostrich and Lark](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1590787021.jpg?itok=vM5jYgwm)
Vivid paintings by San artists, an artists’ project of Botswana, accompany an original story about the ostrich that finds his voice and changes the veld. Lyrical language will read aloud well and evokes a strong sense of place.
Ostrich and Lark
![There's a Fly Guy in My Soup](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0545312841.jpg?itok=YaZ-TV11)
In this latest installment about a boy named Buzz and his pet fly, Fly Guy, takes readers on a slapstick journey that gives new meaning to the old joke about the fly in the soup. Bug-eyed characters and absurd situations with easy language propel readers to the silly, satisfying end.
There’s a Fly Guy in My Soup
![Let's Go for a Drive (An Elephant and Piggie Book)](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1423164822.jpg?itok=8eqYfQDS)
Elephant and Piggie gather everything they might possibly need when they decide to go for a drive. They have every possible thing except…the car! Humor abounds as the dynamic duo prepare and then adapt their travel plans.
Let’s Go for a Drive (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
![Tilly's Moonlight Garden](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/140227730X.jpg?itok=GJDC2kz_)
A fox lives near the old house where Tilly and her parents have moved far from friends and the familiar. She follows the fox one night into a secret, moonlit garden where she finds friendship. Rich language, a calm pace, and a suggestion of magic create a memorable story.
Tilly’s Moonlight Garden
![Return to the Willows](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/080509413X.jpg?itok=pdVg0277)
Toad, Mole, Rat and Badger are back in this sequel to Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 Wind in the Willows. Though several new characters are introduced, the lush language evokes the original saga and may lead readers to revisit the original.
Return to the Willows
![Splat Says Thank You](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0061978744.jpg?itok=H2Lke9A_)
Splat, a likeable, fuzzy cat is grateful for many things, especially his friend Seymour. To show him, Splat makes more than a card; he makes a thank you book! Expressive, textured illustrations on open backgrounds show Splat’s range of emotions as he thinks about his buddy.
Splat Says Thank You
![Where the Flame Trees Bloom](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1416968407.jpg?itok=SoVx_8tU)
“Telling of her childhood in Cuba, Ada begins with an introduction to her homeland followed by 11 episodes about her family and her community. One story tells of her grandfather Modesto’s courage and loyalty in the face of the death of his beloved wife and the simultaneous collapse of the Cuban economy. Another tells of her great-grandmother Mina, who continued to make rag dolls for the village children even after she had lost her sight. And a third tale tells of a Japanese street vendor who sold ice cream for a living, but gave generous samples to children who could not afford to pay.” — School Library Journal
Where the Flame Trees Bloom
![The Monsters' Monster](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0316045470.jpg?itok=2Ke8qdES)
Grouch, Grump, and two-headed little Gloom ‘n’ Doom — three crabby monsters — tried to create the “biggest, baddest monster EVER!” When the huge monster comes alive his first words are “Dank you!” causing the cantankerous little monsters to succumb to his kind ways. Cartoon line and wash illustrations and understated text present a pleasing monster saga.
The Monsters’ Monster
![Clara and the Curandera](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1558857001.jpg?itok=iE5eSJZn)
Meet Clara, a little girl who is very, very grumpy. Mami is tired of Clara’s grumpy face, so she sends her daughter to the curandera — or healer — down the hall. The curandera knows just what Clara needs — to help her neighbors! Readers will cheer for Clara as she learns to focus on others rather than herself in this charming story.
Clara and the Curandera
![Good News, Bad News](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1452101108.jpg?itok=gk0H08sW)
Good news: rabbit has a picnic to share with his friend mouse; bad news: it starts to rain. So it goes — good and bad events — until mouse is overwhelmed by the bad news, hurting rabbit’s feelings. The duo reconciles, which is “very good news.” Understated text and simple illustrations enliven the series of improbable events for a comical picnic.
Good News, Bad News
![King of the Shadows](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/068984445X.jpg?itok=ZKAP8nbe)
Nat Field finds friendship and relief from the loss of his parents when acting and is thrilled when chosen to go to England to perform in the new Globe Theater. Instead, he is transported back in time to perform in the original and meet William Shakespeare. Past and present come alive for contemporary readers in this riveting look at the connections between time and place.
King of the Shadows
![Dawn of Fear](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0152061061.jpg?itok=mOkHxYDq)
Until it strikes uncomfortably close to home, three English boys are fascinated by the war and the bombing of their city, London. Derek and his friends come to understand true fear and the meaning of war in this realistic novel that explores themes of friendship, fear, and retaliation.
Dawn of Fear
![Dumpling Days](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0316531332.jpg?itok=sNPKnBus)
In this 3rd book about Pacy, she and her family plan to go to Taiwan to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday.
Dumpling Days
![Pinch and Dash Make Soup](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1580893465.jpg?itok=KPLZTGXV)
Pinch is too lazy to make his own soup so visits his friend, Dash who is making some. With ingredients from both kitchens, however, the friends make a tasty soup which turns into an inedible disaster. Short chapters and engaging illustrations create an accessible, engaging book for newly independent readers.