Books for younger readers

Penny and her doll is another lovely book for beginning readers written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. Penny receives a doll from Gram. She loves her doll and wants to choose the best name for her. Click HERE to learn more about Kevin Henkes and his books. 

____________________________________________________________________

Rabbit & Robot - the sleepover by Cece Bell is a 2013 Geisel Award honor book. Click HERE if you would like a peek inside the book. 

Information about the award & summary of the book is from ALA - "The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.

In “Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover,” Rabbit and Robot disagree on everything on rabbit’s “To Do” list at their sleepover, including Robot’s insistence of pizza toppings of nuts, bolts, and screws. Everything comes to a halt when Robot’s batteries run low. Humorous cartoon-style illustrations accompany four episodes, perfect for readers transitioning to easy chapter books."

____________________________________________________________________

Super Amoeba (Squish No. 1) is the first book of another great graphic novel series written & illustrated by Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm, the same brother & sister team who wrote the Babymouse series. Squish is a super amoeba who is just trying to make it through the school day.  

____________________________________________________________________

Captain Awesome to the rescue by Stan Kirby - Summary from Goodreads: 

"Introducing an awesome new superhero series for readers ages 5 to 7. Eugene McGillicudy is Captain Awesome! He is an imaginative eight year old boy who loves comic books and superheroes. Eugene also has his very own supersecret, superhero alter ego named Captain Awesome." Click HERE to learn more about this series. 

__________________________________________________________________

Fiction - picture books

A wumber is what you get when you combine a word and number. Wumbers us wri10 by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustr8ed by Tom Lichtenhel. They are the cre8ors of the another great book Duck! Rabbit!. Click HERE if you would like to read more about Wumbers.  

_______________________________________________________________

It's Mr Wolf's birthday. He is busy & being bothered by recognizable fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters who ask him for the time. The illustrations are charming, full of different kinds of time pieces and lots of other details. Below is the video of Debi Gliori reading What's the time, Mr Wolf?

_______________________________________________________________

Mousterpiece by Jane Breskin Zalben introduces readers to modern art & encourages young artists to develop their own style. To look inside the book, click HERE. 

_______________________________________________________________

Question Boy meets Little Miss Know-it-all by Peter Catalanotto is the perfect book for children who ask lots of questions and the ones who have all the answers or for the children who don't do either. The unusual superheroes and silly facts make this a fun read.  

_______________________________________________________________

Marshall Armstrong is new to our school by David Mackintosh is a book that celebrates being accepted for being different and that old message about never judging a book by it's cover. 

_______________________________________________________________

Peter Brown wrote the popular picture book Children make terrible pets. Now Lucy is back in You will  be my friend. In this book, Lucy really wants to make a friend but is finding it much harder than she expects. Watch the video below to find out about the book & Peter Brown. 

_______________________________________________________________

A home for bird by Philip C. Stead is an absolutely lovely book about friendship and finding a home.  

_______________________________________________________________

Curious you on your way is a good graduation book alternative to Dr Seuss's Oh, the place you'll go! It features iconic scenes from many of the Curious George books.

Some fabulous nonfiction books

You are stardust by Elin Kelsey shows children how they are connected to the natural world. It also is a great book to start conversations about some big ideas. Soyeon Kim's dioramas enhance the lyrical text. Click HERE for more. 

_______________________________________________________________________

If you lived here: Houses of the world by Giles Laroche describes 15 houses from around the world. There is a short a paragraph describing what it would be like if you lived there.  Also accompanying each incredible relief paper collage illustration are facts about the type of home, materials, location time period and a fascinating fact.

_______________________________________________________________________

Island: A story of Galapagos is a celebration of the wonders of the Galapagos Islands and how they came to be. It is based on science & careful research but there is an imaginative element to interest readers. Jason Chin is the author & illustrator. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Helen Frost & Rick Lieder have created a gorgeous poetry book with stunning close-up photography. Step Gently Out invites readers to look closely at the natural world. Click HERE for a book trailer & more information. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Go, go, grapes: A fruit chant is by April Pulley Sayre. If you loved Rah, rah, radishes, then you will love this book. April Pulley Sayre is great nonfiction author. Click HERE to learn more about her books. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Looking for Lincoln by Maira Kalman is a great biography about the 16th president of the United States of America. Told using a child'a voice, it's full of interesting and unusual facts about Lincoln that will keep children interested. However, be aware that his assassination is in the book (see below to see what has been included about it.) 

_______________________________________________________________________

The introduction of Images of God for young children states - "Even though we cannot see or touch God, the Bible does describe many ways that we can still discover God in our world. This volume offers a collection of these images, presented here in language that is appropriate for children while remaining faithful to the spirit of the biblical texts." It's a lovely book written by Marie-Helene Delval, who also wrote Psalms for Young Children.

_______________________________________________________________________

A new ReadMe! series Fierce Fighters introduces readers to warriors. Learn about who they are, how they fought and why they are so fierce. Different titles include Aztec Warriors, Gladiators & Roman Soldiers, Greek Warriors, Medieval Knights, Ninja, Samurai & Vikings. 

Wonder by R J Palacio

A must read!

The following information is from GoodReads:

"I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.
August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?
R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels."