Book Finder

When Peter’s mom asks other birds to tell him to come home for dinner, the message takes on each bird’s special interest, from sports to firefighting. The variety of birds, all simply but effectively illustrated, sits on a telephone wire in this playful riff of a familiar game.

On a sunny day, a child and her mother go for a walk in the park. The rhythm the girl hears in her head is all around, bringing an entire community together. Infectious language repeats (SNAP SNAP; STOMP STOMP), accompanied by full-color double- page spreads that will surely be read — and voiced — many times.

As two children take a walk, they observe and listen to the call of familiar birds — a mourning dove, starling, woodpecker and others. But they hear nothing from the nesting bird; that is until its eggs hatch. A gently rhyming text and textured illustrations present recognizable birds, concluding with “A Word from the Bird” to answer questions about the once-silent robin.

How many types of green exist? There’s “anaconda green, electric-eel green, green-iguana-in-the-sun green” and more as presented in the fresh language and imaginative illustrations that show a seemingly simple color in a rich new way.

There are no pictures in this book. None. But it screams to be shared aloud. The deal is that everything must be read. Even words like “BLORK.’ Yup. Even that. Written by actor and director Novak, this clever, hysterical book is sure to be interpreted again and again by readers young and experienced.

Unique puppets created from stones, shells and other found objects on a Maine beach launch stories and poems. In the hands of an award-winning master storyteller, poet, author and illustrator, each poem or tale becomes a memorable experience. Bryan and his puppets are shown in vibrant, full-color photographs.

Young Amelia, the literalist who grows up to be a truly unique maid, is inspired to start her own backyard zoo. As in other Amelia Bedelia stories, the wordplay is sure to amuse as it expands readers’ language.

A jolly group of young children visit baby animals at a farm, chasing, following, feeding them — and more. Each activity includes a sound or a word sure to encourage repetition. Soft lines and gentle colors capture the diverse group of toddlers on each sturdy page!

Leonard Marcus, a nationally acclaimed writer on children’s literature, has created a richly annotated edition of this perennial favorite. Marcus’s expansive annotations include interviews with the author and illustrator, illuminating excerpts from Juster’s notes and drafts, cultural and literary commentary, and Marcus’s own insights on the book.

Walter, Wendell, Woody, and Wilmer Wing Wing, feathered siblings, share comic adventures beginning with their first amazing feat, “Describing Relative Positions” (in front, behind, etc.). They continue by composing simple shapes, and conclude by partitioning a rectangle into equal parts. While wacky, the Wing Wings’s exploits enliven basic math concepts and vocabulary.

The horizontal format of this sturdy board book is just right for images of all manner of flying machine — from a seaplane to a space shuttle. Each deft image is accompanied by a similar refrain, “The helicopter goes,…” followed by onomatopoeic sounds dramatically presented in bold typeface.

Effervescent language and lively illustrations ask readers what kind of dog, cat, fist, bird, bug, frog, or dinosaur they’d be — but since they are not, they can “arrooo! like a dog, hiss! like a cat,” or even “chomp, stomp, roar! like a dinosaur” in this playful, imaginative book.

This look at vertebrates glimpses mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians though rhyming couplets and attractive, textured woodcuts. A brief outline of characteristics and examples in each category and further resources are also included.

Growing up is not easy, even for a small seed. But with encouragement from a bespectacled worm, a frightened seed pushes on and up and develops into a handsome flower. Rhyming text and cartoon line drawings suggest the challenges of sprouting — both literally and figuratively — while presenting a saga in which many children will see themselves.

Birds craft surprisingly unique nests. Brief verses introduce different birds and how their nest is made complemented by equally engaging but concise factual information in a different typeface. Memorable illustrations are realistic, made of cut paper collages placed on uncluttered pages.

Seasons are celebrated from spring when “Rain beats down,/roots stretch up…” to a cold winter night as “A welcome mat of moonlight/on the floor…” entices a child to snuggle in a warm bed. Accessible, jewel-toned illustrations add setting and movement to a wide range of appealing and very short poems.

Rhythmic language and lively illustration invite readers to join a mother and her child as they travel on the subway.  The young girl enjoys the sights and sounds of a diverse city when they travel uptown by going “down, down, down.”

They met in the middle, the workers who built the railway across the United States. The narration speaks directly to readers which follows two unnamed children journey to California. Combined with richly detailed illustration, this dramatic, informative journey is the winner of the 2014 Caldecott Medal. (2014 Caldecott Medal Winner)

When Old MacDonald tires of cutting his large suburban lawn, he gets a goat and then a very smart little red hen. When compost and manure are added — and in spite of neighbors’ concerns — MacDonald has a thriving farm to everyone’s delight! This lively, rhyming tale with its exaggerated illustrations just may inspire suburban and perhaps urban gardening.

The travels of an independent black cat parallel that of a family of four. Both start and end in Rome but intersect as they visit landmarks in other European cities. Lyrical text and delicate, detailed illustrations evoke the wonder of travel. The trip concludes with brief information about the places visited; end pages include a rough map of the travel.

The sounds familiar animals make (such as squeak, meow, oink) are each presented in a simple sentence. The letters used in the onomatopoeic sound are embedded in a strong graphic image of the animal. Colors of the image and animal sound correspond, placed on an uncluttered white page. Some jump out, others require careful examination; all are clever.

A small ladybug loves to hide — and she does it well in each familiar scene. “Yoo-hoo, Ladybug? Where are you?” She’s hiding behind the teddy bear, tucked in a box, and other places in this brightly illustrated, rhyming hide-and-seek book for younger children.

What sound does an excavator or a forklift make? Each makes its own noise, presented here in bold, dramatic typefaces dynamically shown on sturdy horizontal pages. Children can be encouraged to repeat sounds made by the variety of equipment — likely to delight construction aficionados.

Word problems run in Robert’s family. When his grandma told him about anagrams, “different words (even phrases and sentences) that have exactly the same letters,” he just couldn’t get away from them! Playful illustrations and varied typeface add to the wordplay fun.