Book Finder

A vacationing family sees many different types of boats and ships as well as what they carry. Young readers will find lots to explore as they travel over the waters in this large, highly pictorial journey.

Take a trip to New York’s Grand Central Station to glimpse the range of people who go through it. This distinctive look at a celebrated station is sure to encourage readers to observe the lively world around them while traveling or at home.

A child travels to visit her grandmother, “practically on the other side of the world” on a lime green train with orange doors. The scenes from urban to rural to imagined are depicted in delicate black and white line drawings narrated by a confident, perceptive child.

Whenever an emergency happens, there are vehicles staffed by trained people to help. Photographs and brief information are presented for both familiar and unique vehicles and situations. Additional material includes access to a digital book.

Jesse wants a book from the floating library/bookstore that visits his town. Though he has worked and saved money, Jesse wonders if it will be sufficient. Art evokes the story’s 19th century setting, inspired by an article about early barges from the author’s hometown.

Dinosaurs of many colors zoom, splash, chug, and more in different kinds of vehicle in order to get to a special birthday celebration for the smallest dinosaur in this lively, fresh adventure.

Cats don their hard hats and go to the site where they use big trucks to build a playground. Simple illustrations and language are sure to appeal to construction and truck aficionados!

Silly rhymes about silly activities make the words jump off the page, complemented by humorous illustrations.

Molly was a cook at a firehouse but a snowstorm and influenza in 19th century New York turned Molly into a firefighter. Her quick thinking and moxie made her volunteer service as good as any man’s. Animated language and lively illustrations bring the person and her time into focus. Endnotes separate fact and fiction and provide additional resources and information.

Little Tug isn’t the tallest, fastest or biggest boat in the harbor but he is able to push, pull and guide each of his larger friends to safety. And they respond with affection. Little Tug’s day is presented in simple language and carefully crafted, expressive illustrations.

A red sports car with an attitude challenges a train to see who can get to Chicago first. Even loaded with freight, the train handily wins but graciously offers the car a ride home. Train lovers of all ages will enjoy the humorous portraits of the vehicles’ personalities and the staccato text.

Zephyr’s imagination takes off when her family is too busy to play or watch her fly her model plane do spectacular feats. Through a hidden door, Zephyr finds friends, flying ships, returning home in time for breakfast. Comfortable, old-fashioned illustrations complement the telling.

Oliver is a curious child with lots of questions and a penchant for exploration. During quiet time at home, Oliver builds a contraption to find out if there’s a monster in the tub drain. His imaginative jaunt is presented with droll, naïve drawings, filled with Oliver’s child-like ideas.

In Seussian rhyme and lively illustrations, Jack imagines and describes the car he will build — much better than the clunky family car!

From Alcatraz to the Mission District, join an enthusiastic little girl and her dad as they tour highlights of San Francisco (CA). Bright illustrations and brief, rhyming text give a whirlwind tour of the city. A companion book presents another family on equally jaunty and animated tour in New York, Baby! (opens in a new window).

Join Buzz, his pet fly Fly Guy, and Buzz’s dad on a car ride that turns into an exciting adventure when Fly Guy is swept out of an open window and into the mouth of a passing truck driver. Can Fly Guy survive? Will he be reunited with Buzz? This installment of the funny saga is presented in short, easier to read chapters, and signature illustrations of bug-eyed characters.

Each type of train makes a slightly different sound from the “clang, ting” and “bing” of a freight train to the “zooosh” of the diesel. The long format is reminiscent of a track to support the colorful trains rushing by as well as their onomatopoeic sounds in varied typeface.

The city is filled with trucks, trains, and more things that go and “vroom”, “beep”, “honk” and more. Young machine aficionados are sure to appreciate them as presented in deeply colored illustrations and alliterative text. Questions asked are answered with a flap lift.

Little Llama zips and zooms, swishes and slides on the playground with his friends seen in uncluttered illustrations and limited text. In Llama Llama Hoppity-Hop, Llama hops, jumps, thumps right into Llama Mama’s embrace.

Letters and words are all around as even the youngest child will see as they travel in a car (or on a bus). There are signs for every letter of the alphabet, from Airport to Z-z-z-z, shown in arresting, high contrast graphic art and crisp letters.

Join Miss Pym’s students as they take a memorable train trip across the U.S. to a time and place where dinosaurs roamed. Humor and adventure combine as Miss Pym is horrified but her students delight in getting to know the huge creatures firsthand.

The Great Depression changed everything for 11-year-old Oscar and his widowed dad. Oscar’s prized model trains are sold, his dad leaves Illinois to find work in California, and Oscar begins an adventure through time and places after he jumps onto a model train.

A family watches as an old building is torn down to build their new house. Children will likely join the repeated refrain in this colorful, lively, and straightforward story.

As a girl leaves her sandcastle on the beach, a wordless nautical fantasy begins in this handsomely illustrated, surprisingly complex tale.