Book Finder

Baseball and a boy named Georgie Radbourn are the reason that America’s perpetual winter came to an end. It was his perseverance and love of baseball that finally cracked failed player Boss Swaggert’s hold on the game. Dark hued illustrations evoke a time past and celebrate the triumph of innocence over evil

Though Jamaica wonders who lost the stuffed dog and struggles with the decision to try and find its owner, she ultimately returns it to the playground where she found it. When the dog is reunited with its rightful and very relieved young owner, Jamaica finds a new friend.

Joey is out of control. He knows it, his mom knows it, and the school knows it. Nothing seems to remedy his behavior until Joey runs away from a class field trip, hurts a classmate, and is sent to a special education program. There, his medications are regulated and Joey achieves a level of control.

In this book by Newbery Medal-winning author Karen Hesse, the highly skilled Juice, who can handle everything from power tools to her Pa’s depression, is plagued by an inability to understand letters and reading.

Introduce young readers to a kindergarten filled with activities and great fun, from making a museum of treasured objects to celebrating holidays. Current kindergarteners will draw connections to their own experience in school, and younger children will look forward to their turn.

This tender novel describes a loving Japanese-American family from the point of view of the younger sister. Personal challenges and family tragedy, particularly the older sister’s struggle with lymphoma, are set against the oppressive social climate of the South during the 1950s and early 1960s. (2005 Newbery Medal Winner)

When Little Bear draws a picture for Grandma, she likes it so much that she sends him a kiss in gratitude and asks him to pass it on. Astute readers will recognize Little Bear’s “Wild Thing” drawing by illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Trixie enjoys errands with her dad until her beloved stuffed toy, Knuffle Bunny, is left at the Laundromat. It takes her mom’s insight to figure out what made Trixie go “boneless.” Only then is the beloved toy recovered and Trixie utters her first real words! Cartoon characters are imposed on a background of monochromatic photographs portraying a New York neighborhood. The book was awarded a Caldecott Honor.

Lily’s mother has travelled all over he world, and has planted a magical garden for her daughter, full of exotic and beautiful flowers. In her first adventure, Lily visits the Indian garden where the plants and flowers take turns to tell stories of their homeland.

Meet Laura and her family in this first of the Little House series in their cozy Wisconsin log home. Setting and characters come alive through the vivid detail of family life and living in the 1870s. The calm narration mitigates the more explicit particulars of pioneer life.

What happened to D.W.’s blankie? Though Arthur and her dad try to help, it is D.W.’s mom who solves the mystery and saves D.W.’s day.

It’s not easy for duck parents to find a safe place to bring up their ducklings, but during a rest stop in Boston’s Public Garden, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard think they just might have found the perfect spot.

Charlie (aka Charlene) doesn’t miss her old home on Monroe Street for long once she meets the kids on Magnolia Street. Each chapter is as lively as the young protagonist in this short novel.

As Rosa Maria prepares for the family celebration of her granddaughter’s birthday, she gets unexpected help from the mice who live in the house. Spanish words are integrated into the joyful text and reflected in the energetic, vibrant illustrations.

Jackie loved to pitch baseball. Her long practices paid off when at 17-years old she pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts in a demonstration game against the New York Yankees. Jackie struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig — and forever changed baseball’s rules. The excitement of Jackie Mitchell’s story is well-paced, illustrated with slightly exaggerated and altogether winning illustrations.

After years in his home, Mitchell, a dinosaur, builds a new house and plans to move. But Margo, his friend and neighbor, just doesn’t understand. Humorous illustrations combine with a familiar theme for a rollicking story.

Through the observations of one young girl, the scents and sounds, the dazzling colors, and the breathless anticipation of a parched cityscape are vividly evoked during the final days before the welcome arrival of a monsoon in Northern India.

A hermit crab is looking for the perfect home. He does ultimately find it, though getting there is what makes the fun. The comic illustrations add to the humor in this rhyming, cumulative look at the crab’s move out and up.

The creator of this book visited the Inagua National Park in the Bahamas to tell a dramatic story of how the elegant pink flamingos live, thrive, and even survive a hurricane on their protected island home. Dramatic paintings and a vibrant narrative will inform and inspire young readers.

Something peculiar is going on in the village of Mud Flat today. Mr. Duffy has disappeared in a puff of green smoke, and Brian woke up with his head on backward. Doris is greeted by a singing tree, and poor Lila sniffs a rose that promptly squirts her in the eye. What is this strange brand of spring fever?