Book Finder

Clothes on lines and a rhyming description ask readers to figure out what job the wearer might do. The first is a mail carrier who delivers to community workers until all come together for a rocket launch in a presentation with crisp illustrations on white pages and simple clues.

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.

Through original artwork by the renowned artist Tomie dePaola — a longtime aficionado of Frida Kahlo’s work — as well as beautiful reproductions of Kahlo’s paintings, this latest Smart About book explores the creative, imaginative world of Mexico’s most celebrated female artist.

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.

Melonhead and his friend Sam go undercover thinking that they have identified a notorious fugitive sought by the FBI in this contemporary and funny adventure.

All the kids have it — the cheese covered with red wax — except Ivy & Bean. How they earn the money to buy it causes funny mayhem and minor disasters.

Alicia, a member of the Ácoma Pueblo in New Mexico, learns the art of pottery from her parents in this photo essay from George Ancona. Follow Alicia throughout the entire process of making pottery, from shale collecting in the canyon to the formation and decoration of pots.

Jane watched animals. Her ability to quietly observe allowed her to learn about animals up close, from childhood to her adult life as a respected scientist watching chimpanzees in the wild. Brief text and textured illustrations chronicle Goodall’s work which “opened a window for us to the world of chimpanzees.”

Arizona Houston Hughes, an Appalachian girl who dreams of seeing the world, grows up to become a teacher who inspires generations of schoolchildren.

Yoko disobeys her mother by taking her special Japanese doll to school and is heartsick when it is broken. Her mother reassures Yoko that she loves her in spite of her mistake and takes Miki to a doll hospital for repair. Textured, evocative illustrations effectively convey feelings and Yoko’s Japanese heritage.

Billy is only eight-years old but regales Mrs. Krupp and his classmates when he shares myriad, imaginative, sometimes offbeat, career interests. Rhyming language is animated, humorous, and exaggerated, and perfectly complemented by comical illustrations.

A child and his mother go to a farmers’ market to get fresh produce and goods. On alternating pages, the person responsible for growing each kind of food is introduced, bringing to light many unknown jobs as well as food sources. The bold linear illustrations are created by handsome paper cut-outs.

Two friends are very different. Evelyn is adventurous and has an eye for fashion but is also the worst at cookie making and spelling. “I’m not!” replies the narrator after each observation providing reassurance that everyone has different talents and skills but still share friendship.

A girl is sent to live with her taciturn uncle (a baker) until her father gets a new job. How Lydia Grace brightens the drab city and her uncle’s bakery is told through a series of letters home and subtle, expressive line and wash illustrations.

The children in Ms. Iverson’s classroom pretend being firefighters, make boxes into fire trucks, and more — before the real firefighters arrive to reinforce fire safety rules. Crisp text and illustrations encourage creative play while introducing important information and key jobs.

A truck-loving child imagines that his toy construction vehicles are real and he’s driving them and will soon teach his little brother how. Large, richly colored illustrations convey the boy’s enthusiasm for diggers as well as what these machines do in real life.

From Monday through Sunday, Silly Lilly tries on a new role each day — from vampire to teacher, ending the week as candy taster. Simplified comic book panels are sure to help new readers comprehend the story as they make meaning from word and image.

Who would have thought that a child’s stuffed toy, interest in the outdoors and animals, and childhood dreams would predict her future work and life? This picture book biography of Jane Goodall’s early life does just that, effectively placing actual photographs of young Jane and her toy chimpanzee at the opening and conclusion of this simple but effective sketch.

“Wangari lives under an umbrella of green trees in the shadow of Mount Kenya in Africa.” So begins this tribute to Wangari Maathai, a young woman who saw deforestation turn the lush lands of Kenya into a barren desert. Wangari began to plant seedlings and encouraged the women around her to do the same. By 2004, 30 million trees had been planted and Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Many years ago in California, an energetic young Girl Scout named Dolores worked to raise money for soldiers fighting in World War II. A thoughtful young boy named Cesar worked in the fields to help his family put food on the table. As young adults, these two extraordinary individuals would meet and spend the rest of their lives working tirelessly on behalf of migrant workers and children through nonviolent struggle — side by side. Monica Brown and Joe Cepeda bring the story of Dolores and Cesar to life through this vibrant bilingual book, which will make an excellent addition to units on migrant farmworkers, civil rights, or women’s history.

Ever wonder who invented the first dishwasher? How about Ben Franklin’s inventions? Need and inspiration seem to be the basis of all inventions, a principle used to organize this fascinating glimpse of myriad inventions and the people who invented them.

Three books, each a sophisticated examination at how structures were built — a cathedral, castle, and mosque — have been revised, refreshed with current information, and put in one volume. The author/illustrator’s work is complex but will intrigue young readers especially if shared with an adult.

The workers at the village garage are busy all year long! They’re busy from spring clean up to fall leaf collection, keeping their town safe and clean. Cartoon-like illustrations highlight the informative, engaging text.

Trucks of all kinds that do many kinds of work are introduced in four rhyming, alliterative, onomatopoeic lines on sturdy pages. Playful language is enhanced by comic, color saturated illustrations featuring child-drivers and trucks with personalities.