Book Finder

When a jazz-loving rooster sets his sights on winning a barnyard talent show, he realizes he can’t do it as a solo act. He’s up against the talents of Mules Davis’s cool duo and Ella Finchgerald’s singing group. Acoustic Rooster calls on friends like pianist Duck Ellington, singer Bee Holiday, and percussionist piggy Pepe Ernesto Cruz. Together, the foursome makes beautiful music as they rock the barnyard. And while they may not win first prize, Acoustic Rooster realizes he has the world’s best jazz band and that’s all that matters.

What do these 17 animals — from tarantulas to blobfish to seahorse and with lots in between — share in common? Each one is pink! An amazing array of pink animals is presented in image and text to inform, intrigue, and inspire. Additional information is included.

What is your family like? Is your big brother as big and respected or your little brother “flighty and a dreamer”? How would you describe your cousins or even your best friend? The narrator characterizes each member of her “Wild Family” in descriptive language that is accompanied by a bold, energetic illustration which includes an animal that meets the description.

Lots of eggs all “Round and spotted/polka-dotted” are in the pond. Readers will soon see tadpoles “Wiggle tails!/Squiggle tales!” emerge in this light, rhyming journey from egg to frog. Delightful wordplay combines with comic illustrations, many on pages that open to double the size, sure to engage young readers or listeners.

Silly rhymes abound as a cat informs a frog that it must sit on a log, a hare on a chair, goats on coats, cows on plows, etc. All’s well until a dog —of course — sits on the frog! Comic illustrations accompany the lively language to enhance the spirited wordplay.

Each issue is packed with amazing facts, stunning photos and outdoor adventures that help kids sharpen reading skills and develop a deeper appreciation for nature.

Filled with fun activities, simple stories and wild animals that the little ones love. Ranger Rick Jr. draws preschoolers closer to nature and gets them ready to read. Youngsters will enjoy the seasonal crafts, simple cooking recipes, fun games, and more. Published monthly.

Simple shapes and few words are used in this sturdy and sophisticated board book that focuses on rhyming words. The author’s Hippopposites (2012) is equally appealing (and sophisticated).

Whimsy abounds in the gentle colors and playful pigs from A to Z. Alliterative sentences describe the activities and suggest other things that begin with the letter.

Jack wants to join the child’s tea party but so does a chipmunk. The adventure unfolds wordlessly in soft illustrations.

A mother bear teaches her cubs what they’ll need to know as they grow. Lyrical language and gentle illustrations follow the bears over a year.

Music can be magical as Bear discovers when music inspires him to dance – to glide across the wintery landscape. (Part of the Goose and Bear series)

Many animals, like people, live in groups. Many of these groups have special words to describe them — from a colony of koalas, to a scurry of squirrels, and even a flamboyance of flamingos. Stunning collage and line illustration of each group march across each double page spread. A bit of information about the animals’ behavior is included in this memorable book.

Two plush toys, Stingray and a buffalo named Lumphy, and Plastic, a red ball, want to play in the snow. And so they do! Lush illustrations and rich language come together in the toys’ first picture book adventure. (The characters were first introduced in longer novels; all are ideal as read-alouds for younger children.)

How young Sadie manages to deliver the elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine makes for a laugh inducing romp. The silly story is told through comic illustration and an unassuming text with lots of sound effects.

The charming black and white pup, Rocket, and other familiar characters from the author are back for an alliterative excursion through the alphabet. Each letter gets its own double page spread on which the letter is highlighted.

Bob is a very talented pup who lives with the young narrator and his family. Bob, however, is not a showoff, demonstrating his talent for his family only. The understated, easy-to-read text and lightly colored cartoon line drawings emphasize the humor of Bob’s humility and his family’s affection for him.

Two mice visit each other: the country dweller visits his urban cousin followed by the urban mouse going country after which each decides their own home is best. Handsome illustrations and contemporary language distinguish this retelling of a traditional fable. 

An economy of words and animated line drawings with a dash of red combines to tell the story of a bear that loses a scarf but finds companionship. Two words describe the satisfying action on each page: Lost. Found

Highly realistic portraits for familiar animals from one to 10 are presented with a tidbit of information about where and how they live. But this is more than a simple (and gorgeous) counting book. Each animal is either endangered or threatened; additional information at the end brings readers up to date with each animal’s status.

A bear finds his way to the city where a sandwich is left unattended. Does the bear eat it before returning to the forest – or could it be someone else? Careful examination of the illustrations makes one wonder in this charming narration with slyly humorous and elucidating illustrations.

Playing with words is fun in this spirited combination of word and image as both hold the answer to the questions asked. For example, the double page spread on which “Who bought the apple?” is asked, the arm of an ape can be seen. The letters in the answer are in a different color as well for the more text-oriented in this fresh and fun book.

What and how many creatures make their home in one almendro tree? Count the animals and insects that reside in one single Latin American rainforest tree in lush illustrations and straightforward text.

Sharks have not five but six senses —; all used to help them survive and even thrive. “Electroreception” is the sixth sense that allows sharks to detect electric fields emitted by other animals. This introduction to sharks is effectively illustrated with collage and will likely inform as well as dispel shark myths.