Recommended Reads
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Dancing Matilda
This rhyming story follows a gleefully energetic kangaroo through her dancing day with a rhythm so infectious, readers will want to get up and dance themselves. Full color.
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The Recess Queen
A fresh & original twist on the common issue of bullying. Kids will relate, & parents & teachers will appreciate the story's deft handling of conflict resolution (which happens w/o adult intervention)
Mean Jean was Recess Queen
and nobody said any different.
Nobody swung until Mean Jean swung.
Nobody kicked until Mean Jean kicked.
Nobody bounced until Mean Jean bounced.
If kids ever crossed her, she'd push 'em and smoosh 'em
lollapaloosh 'em, hammer 'em, slammer 'em
kitz and kajammer 'em.
Until a new kid came to school!With her irrepressible spirit, the new girl dethrones the reigning recess bully by becoming her friend in this infectious playground romp.
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Hands-On Science: Matter
Press Here meets Bill Nye the Science Guy in this interactive STEM picture book about solids, liquids, and gases, bringing science experiments to life.
Welcome to the chemistry lab! Through imagination, exploration and play, readers see that matter comes in all shapes and sizes and can change from solid to liquid to gas. Each page of this engaging book instructs the reader to smash clay to change its shape, tilt the book to pour liquid, or blow to make bubbles, bringing the science experiments to life. After predicting what will happen next, eager readers turn the page to see the results.
Educator and author Lola M. Schaefer draws on her years in the classroom to make science fun and accessible through engaging and playful text. Back matter includes a simple experiment for investigating matter in the real world. -
When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left
Instant New York Times bestseller!
From #1 New York Times bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds and talented debut author Marc Colagiovanni comes an inspirational story about optimism, overcoming adversity, and forging your own path.
"One day for no particular reason, nothing was going right. Absolutely positively, nothing was going right. So, I decided to go left..."
Told through creative language play, and with depth and whimsy, this picture book reminds readers of their own agency and the power they have to direct their own path. Marc Colagiovanni's lyrical text and Peter H. Reynolds's stunning art create an enduring message of strength and perseverance that is both universal and personal, and one that readers will be drawn to over and over again.
This first of two new picture books created in collaboration with Marc and Peter will inspire, affirm, and reassure readers at key milestone moments in every young reader's life. When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left makes an inspiring graduation gift as well as a must-have, uplifting read sure to bring positivity to all who read it and remind us that even when nothing is going right... we can always choose to go left.
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Rosie Revere, Engineer
Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she’s a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her great-great-aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal—to fly—Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt’s dream come true. But when her contraption doesn’t fly but rather hovers for a moment and then crashes, Rosie deems the invention a failure. On the contrary, Aunt Rose insists that Rosie’s contraption was a raging success: you can only truly fail, she explains, if you quit.
From the powerhouse author-illustrator team of Iggy Peck, Architect comes Rosie Revere, Engineer, another charming, witty picture book about believing in yourself and pursuing your passion.
Praise for Rosie Revere, Engineer "Comically detailed mixed-media illustrations that keep the mood light and emphasize Rosie’s creativity at every turn." —Publishers Weekly
"The detritus of Rosie’s collections is fascinating, from broken dolls and stuffed animals to nails, tools, pencils, old lamps and possibly an erector set. And cheddar-cheese spray."
—Kirkus Reviews
"This celebration of creativity and perseverance is told through rhyming text, which gives momentum and steady pacing to a story, consistent with the celebration of its heroine, Rosie. She’s an imaginative thinker who hides her light under a bushel (well, really, the bed) after being laughed at for one of her inventions."
—Booklist
Award
2013 Parents' Choice Award - GOLD
2014 Amelia Bloomer Project List
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Maybe Something Beautiful
In this exuberant picture book about transformation through art, Mira lives in a gray urban community until a muralist arrives and, along with his paints and brushes, brings color, joy, and hope to the neighborhood.
What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her neighbors discover, more than you might ever imagine!
Based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego, California, Maybe Something Beautiful reveals how art can inspire transformation--and how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big. Pick up a paintbrush and join the celebration!
"Simply superb." (Kirkus)
Tomás Rivera Book Award * ALA Notable Children's Book * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of the Year * Huffington Post Best Picture Books of the Year * Kirkus Best of the Year * School Library Journal Top 10 LatinX of the Year
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The Big Umbrella
“A subtle, deceptively simple book about inclusion, hospitality, and welcoming the ‘other.’” —Kirkus Reviews
“A boundlessly inclusive spirit...This open-ended picture book creates a natural springboard for discussion.” —Booklist
“This sweet extended metaphor uses an umbrella to demonstrate how kindness and inclusion work...A lovely addition to any library collection, for classroom use or for sharing at home.” —School Library Journal
In the tradition of Alison McGhee’s Someday, beloved illustrator Amy June Bates makes her authorial debut alongside her eleven-year-old daughter with this timely and timeless picture book about acceptance.
By the door there is an umbrella. It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have.
Don’t worry that there won’t be enough room under the umbrella. Because there will always be room.
Lush illustrations and simple, lyrical text subtly address themes of inclusion and tolerance in this sweet story that accomplished illustrator Amy June Bates cowrote with her daughter, Juniper, while walking to school together in the rain. -
Pine & Boof: Blast Off!
Frog and Toad meets Elephant & Piggie in the second installment of a humorous and heartfelt picture book series about the adventures of Boof the bear and Pine the porcupine, from the acclaimed author-illustrator of There’s a Giraffe in My Soup and I Am Not a Chair!
There’s no one Boof the bear would rather spend the day with than his best friend—Pine the porcupine. And there’s nothing he’d rather do than collect things, which is his favorite hobby of all time. So one day, when Boof is collecting rocks with Pine, he doesn’t think the day could get any better, until . . .
An egg falls on Boof’s head—all the way from outer space! Now it’s up to Pine and Boof to return the space egg to its space nest . . . before it hatches. They’ll need a rocket ship, space training, and plenty of sandwiches for the trip. But most important, they’ll need each other to complete a mission that’s out of this world!
Pine & Boof: Blast Off! tells the story of an unlikely friendship through highly original characters and vibrant illustrations that are impossible not to love.
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We Don't Eat Our Classmates
It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all. . . . Readers will gobble up this hilarious new story from award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.
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Most Magnificent Thing, The
A little girl and her canine assistant set out to make the most magnificent thing. But after much hard work, the end result is not what the girl had in mind. Frustrated, she quits. Her assistant suggests a long walk, and as they walk, it slowly becomes clear what the girl needs to do to succeed. A charming story that will give kids the most magnificent thing: perspective!
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Dragon Night
A boy and his dragon embark on a dazzling nighttime journey in this heartwarming friendship story about facing fears and helping others.
Georgie is afraid of the night. It's too dark with the lights off. Too quiet with everyone asleep. And being alone makes everything worse. The dragon is afraid of the knight. After all, the knight carries a heavy sword, and he always wants to fight. The dragon knows just what to do to help Georgie overcome his fear, and the two set off on a unforgettable magical adventure. But when the morning comes, the dragon is still afraid of the knight. How can Georgie help his friend? With kindness and empathy--and a little creativity--maybe Georgie can work some magic of his own.
J. R. Krause, an award-winning animator of The Simpsons and Futurama, has created a visually stunning story with incredible emotional depth, which addresses the needs of children to express their feelings and be received with kindness and empathy.
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
"Cozy. Well-crafted bedtime reading." --Kirkus Reviews -
I Want My Hat Back
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011!
A picture-book delight by a rising talent tells a cumulative tale with a mischievous twist.
The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear's memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor-- and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke. -
I'm Trying to Love Spiders
The Official Spider Test.
What do you do when you see a spider?a. Lay on a BIG spidey smoocheroo.
b. Smile, but back away slowly.
c. Grab the closest object, wind up, and let it fly.
d. Run away screaming.
If you chose b, c, or d, then this book is for you! (If you chose a, you might be crazy.)
I’m Trying to Love Spiders will help you see these amazing arachnids in a whole new light, from their awesomely excessive eight eyes, to the seventy-five pounds of bugs a spider can eat in a single year! And you’re sure to feel better knowing you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being fatally bit by a spider. Comforting, right? No? Either way, there’s heaps more information in here to help you forget your fears . . . or at least laugh a lot!
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Secret Pizza Party
Shhhh! Don't tell anyone about this mouth-watering book from the New York Times bestselling creators of Dragons Love Tacos and Robo-Sauce!
How does Racoon love pizza? Oh, let him count the ways. He loves the gooey cheesy-ness, salty pepperoni-ness, sweet sweet tomato-ness, and of course the crispity crunchity crust. But someone is always chasing poor Raccoon away from his favorite food with a broom! What's a hungry raccoon to do? Plan an elaborate secret pizza party, of course!
But shhh! It’s a secret! In fact, you should probably just forget I told you. Nope, no secret pizza party happening here.You didn’t already tell all your friends, did you? Uh oh . . .
Fans of Jon Klassen and Mo Willems's humor will gobble up this quirky ode to the lengths we will go to for our heart's desire.
Praise for Dragons Love Tacos:
New York Times bestseller
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2012
"Rubin and Salmieri are two of the weirdest, funniest guys working in kids’ lit today. The team lets its geek flag fly in an obsessive how-to guide for would-be dragon taco party hosts. Why a taco party? As Rubin explains, 'The only things dragons love more than parties or tacos, is taco parties.' If further proof is required, Salmieri—whose poker-faced watercolor, gouache, and color pencil drawings set a benchmark for oddball observational humor—shows one odd, scaly creature with a carryout bag from 'Taco Cave' and another beaming with anticipation as it eagerly circles the date for a taco party on its taco-themed calendar. But beware: even if all the tips and rules are followed to the letter (on quantity:'The best way to judge is to get a boat and fill the boat with tacos'), all will be for naught if spicy salsa makes its way into the taco filling. In fact, the dragons will bring a whole new meaning to 'housewarming.' Off-kilter fun for those who like their picture books (and salsa) zesty and fresh."–Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Dragons Love Tacos is a heaping helping of silly. Little kids will relate to the anti-spicy bias and chuckle over Salmieri's watercolor and gouache cartoon illustrations showing literally boatloads of tacos and all sizes of dragons enjoying their favorite food at pool parties, costume parties and, well, taco parties." –San Francisco Chronicle
"The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos." –Kirkus Reviews
"The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil cartoon illustrations are the real stars here. Regardless of, or perhaps because of, the absurdity of the story, this tale should be a big hit with anyone with an affinity for dragons." –School Library Journal