Book Finder

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?

Mirandy wants to win the cakewalk dance but to do so, can she capture Brother Wind? Inspired by a family photograph, the author and illustrator richly imagine a time past and what a clever girl can achieve. Realistic watercolor illustrations increase the story’s sense of time, place, and its drama.

How would you get to Mars? What would you find once you’re there? In understandable and informative text, this book presents a journey to the Red Planet. Line and wash illustrations and a few photographs help readers imagine the trip.

Look at the moon and what do you see? Could it be Fox? Fox convinced Mole to accompany him to the moon by suggesting that huge worms were there. Mole comes back down to Earth, but Fox may still be up there. This myth from Peru is told in both English and Spanish and is illustrated with shining collages inspired by Peruvian artwork and artifacts.

More than anything else, young Booker T. Washington wanted to read. This fictionalized account of Washington’s early life working in a West Virginia salt mine, and his quest to reach his goal despite great obstacles, is eloquently depicted in text and luminous, dramatic watercolors.

Mufaro had two beautiful daughters but each had very different personalities. Manyara was as haughty Nyasha was kind — and the behavior of one led to a royal wedding. Lush illustrations set in Zimbabwe and a straightforward telling make this a memorable book sometimes likened to a “Cinderella” story.

Nergal and the other first grade Martians from Ms. Vortex’s pod participate in a running competition during health week. Nergal is nervous; he’s not a good runner. But he learns about healthy eating and that doing one’s Martian best is more important than winning. Zany illustrations and text convey a down to earth message in this book from the First Graders from Mars series.

When others ran from trouble, eight foot tall Mose Humphreys ran toward it as an extraordinary New York City firefighter. This larger-than-life story is actually a tall tale, an urban legend based on a real firefighter who lived in the 1840s. Text and illustration combine to create a fast-paced celebration of heroism and the man who earned the gratitude of an entire city.

On most nights, Alex stays in bed while Papa goes off to work. But on this special night, Alex puts on a small red hard hat as his father puts on his big yellow one, and together they go out to the construction site where Papa works and bedtime is put off until morning. Richly hued paintings evoke the nighttime setting of this loving story.

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.

While you’re on the beach, you can count from 1 to 10 by feet — combining numbers of feet and then multiplying them all the way to 100, which is ten crabs … or 100 snails if you really count slowly! Colorful, bug-eyed, cartoon-like critters further enliven this jaunty approach to numbers.

Jack wakes up to the rooster’s crow and decides he wants pancakes for breakfast. Readers follow Jack’s breakfast from wheat to plate since these pancakes are made from scratch. This informative and engaging culinary romp, done in Carle’s signature style, is sure to make mouths water at any time of the day.

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.

When Monica asks her father for the moon, he literally sets out to get it for her. But because the moon is too big, he must wait until it wanes. As the pages unfold, the journey expands with textured, richly colored paintings that are complemented by a straightforward text. Lunar cycles are introduced in this loving story.

Flowers on many plants develop into edible fruit. From early spring to late summer, children and adults grow plants that produce flowers that turn into pea pods, raspberries, corn, peaches, peanuts, and finally pumpkins. Information and carefully crafted illustrations on fold out pages create an informative and attractive book.

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.

Recommended by Jessica – Benjamin’s mother sends Benjamin and Elephant to the grocery store to buy bread, cheese, and a pickle. But by the time they get there, they’ve had so much fun making up rhymes that they can’t remember what they’re supposed to buy. I loved the rhythm and rhyme in this boisterous, exuberant adventure.

Realistic, colored pencil drawings and a straightforward text tell how Jamie plants a seed, watches a pumpkin grow, harvests it, and is sure to save a seed for the following year. The large format and bold typeface create a memorable book that can be read independently.