Book Finder

Lila’s inventive play doesn’t stop as she and her mother prepare to visit Lila’s grandfather, depicted on alternating pages. What is seen as a table on one page becomes Lila fighting a fearsome sea monster on the next. Lively language and animated illustrations depict Lila’s adventures  soon joined by her granddad!

Creativity, wonder and more all starts with an open book, “a little gift from me to you.” It grows beyond walls, into the whole, wide world. Child-like watercolors accompany the text, inviting readers to celebrate the joys of imagination.

Girl and her friend Dragon long to visit Far Away. Their adventure takes them across the seas where they rescue a small cat from Bad Hats returning comfortably Home again. Imaginative, gauzy illustrations complement the rhythmic text (with echoes of Edward Lear).

Slyly humorous and boldly illustrated, the girl with the long locks is no match for the witch and not only befriends forest critters; Rapunzel puts fear in the hearts of all witches! This slightly fractured fairy tale is sure to delight young readers. 

A girl’s search for friendship becomes an adventure as she travels with her song, “la la la”, as her only company. Richly hued, radiant illustrations reveal the girl’s journey. A note from both the author and illustrator provides insight into this multilayered, memorable, nearly wordless story.

All the other kids have pirate costumes for their adventures while the narrator has one like Robinson Crusoe. When teased about it, he heads to his bedroom where he dreams he is marooned on an island, savoring the solitary adventure until his friends return. Signature illustrations are evocative, detailed, and delicate, accompanied by brief but effective narration.

A boy on a bike spies a red book by the side of the road. As he reads it in his chilly seaside village, he sees a girl in a boat in a much warmer place reading a red book, and so on. Could children be connected by a book? No words are needed in this intriguing, surprisingly sophisticated story which unfolds through illustrations in a companion volume to The Red Book.

GW, the hamster enjoys his evenings with his animal friends and is even beginning to like the second graders with whom he shares the room during the day. It is up to GW and his friends save the art show from the dastardly plot of mouse Harriet and her minions in this amusing, short graphic novel. A new story in the Pets on the Loose series.

Emily and James (first introduced in The Book Scavenger (opens in a new window)) return in this standalone companion which involves ciphers, books by Mark Twain, mystery, and dastardly plots. Sophisticated readers will appreciate the intrigue and shadowy goings-on that claim Emily’s favorite bookstore.

Prez needs a friend and he finds one in Sputnik. Sputnik looks like a dog to everyone except Prez who realizes Sputnik is an alien in disguise. It’s a good thing that Prez is a list maker, because he and Sputnik must come up with 10 reasons why Earth shouldn’t be destroyed. The physics-defying story is fast, fresh, and fun.

A fragment of an imaginative tale told by Mark Twain to his daughters has been completed and illustrated with all due respect to the original author. Readers will meet Johnny, a poor but worthy boy who helps rescue Prince Oleomargarine, communicate with animals, and find lasting friendships. Delicate illustrations combine with the Twain-esque narration for a memorable (and gorgeous) package.

Tales from the Norse are not for the fainthearted or youngest, evident in these straightforward retellings. Readers will meet “[s]ome men and women [who will] become great … [and] the gods and goddesses [who] are even stronger and greater” in these myths. Illustrations are ominous, dark, and perfectly fitting for the tone of these tales.

A bard tells the story of a lazy rabbit named Podkin, how he defeated the red-eyed Gorms to save his rabbit family in the first of a new fantasy series. Vivid storytelling includes several battles, including the one in which Podkin loses an ear as he and his allies defeat the Gorm and Scramakshank, the Gorm’s vicious leader.

Another exciting adventure with the humble rodent Ricky and his huge mechanical robot pal. The evil Victor Von Vulture and his army of Voodoo Vultures from Venus are about to take over planet Earth. Only the super-smart tricks of Ricky and his Mighty Robot can send the bad guys packing for home.

For Captain Underpants fans and newcomers to the series: a boxed collection of the first three books in hardcover and full color. Meet George and Harold, two fourth graders with BIG imaginations. The only thing they enjoy more than playing practical jokes is creating their own comic books about a silly superhero named Captain Underpants. But nothing can prepare them for what happens when their comic-book character comes to life!

Dog Man, the newest hero from the creator of Captain Underpants, hasn’t always been a paws-itive addition to the police force. This time, Petey the cat’s dragged in a tiny bit of trouble — a double in the form of a super-cute kitten. Dog Man will have to work twice as hard to bust these furballs and remain top dog!

George and Harold (from Captain Underpants) have created a new hero who digs into deception, claws after crooks, and rolls over robbers. When Greg the police dog and his cop companion are injured on the job, a life-saving surgery changes the course of history, and Dog Man is born. With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound has a real nose for justice.

Faster than a speeding waistband, more powerful than boxer shorts, it’s the first illustrated chapter book about Captain Underpants, America’s funniest superhero! (In Spanish)

Meet Ook and Gluk, the stars of this funny graphic novel from George Beard and Harold Hutchins, the best friends of Captain Underpants. It’s 500,001 BC, and Ook and Gluk’s hometown of Caveland, Ohio, is under attack by an evil corporation from the future. When they are pulled through a time portal to 2222, they discover a future world that’s even more devastated than their own. Now all they have to do is travel back in time 502,223 years and save the day!

In a gripping and powerful story-poem, the award-winning author takes readers into the heart and mind of a young soldier in an alien land who comes face-to-face with the enemy.

This realistic story of America’s war in Vietnam uses the alternating viewpoints of an army dog named Cracker and her 17-year-old handler, Rick Hanski. From their training at a base in the U.S. to their stalking the enemy, the tale explores the close bond of the scout-dog team, relating how it detects booby traps and mines, finds the enemy, rescues POWs, and returns home to a heroes’ welcome. [ALA Booklist review]

A young mouse’s bed is used to launch an imaginative trip to exotic places with a bit of this and a dash of that shared by the grownup rodent. Simple, colorful illustrations depict the silly adventures that culminate with a kiss goodnight.

The impatient young knight is tired of peeling the wizard’s turnips even if they are crucial to the magical mixture. When the wizard is away, the knight decides to create her first enchanted potion but accidentally turns the horse, Edward, into a ravenous, monstrous worm! The comic book format moves the wacky saga along to its equally silly conclusion.

Young inventor, Frank Einstein and his friend Watson along with his walking, talking robots Klink and Klank, are back. This time, Frank has invented the ‘evoblaster’ which allows the user to evolve into other forms and then back again. Real science combines with laugh-out-loud humor in the latest installment.