Book picks similar to
Old Man of the Sea by Stella Elia


picture-book
picture-books
adventure
family

Anthony and the Gargoyle


Jo Ellen Bogart - 2021
    He doesn’t see the little face peering out from the closet. Later, he discovers the newly hatched creature and they become friends. Anthony asks his mother about the rock, and she shows him a photo album of a trip to Paris. Anthony sees that his friend resembles the gargoyles at Notre-Dame cathedral. Back in his room, he shows the photos to the baby gargoyle who looks at them with longing.News arrives that Anthony’s great aunt is in hospital. The family travel to Paris to visit, and Anthony secretly brings the baby gargoyle. When the family have a chance to climb Notre-Dame’s tower, Anthony and his friend wander from one gargoyle to the next … until the baby gargoyle sees one that looks just like him.A bittersweet story of true friendship and letting go.

Henry and the Yeti


Russell Ayto - 2017
    He has packed everything he needs, including a camera to take photos for evidence. But can he find a yeti? And will anyone believe him when he returns home?A funny story about believing in yourself (and yetis) from a bestselling illustrator who has turned author too. (Titles include The Witch's Children and Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs.) Children will love the twist ending in particular.

A Child of Books


Oliver Jeffers - 2016
    I come from a world of stories.A little girl sails her raft across a sea of words, arriving at the house of a small boy. She invites him to go away with her on an adventure into the world of stories... where, with only a little imaginaton, anything at all can happen. Irresistibly engaging characters by Oliver Jeffers set sail and chart their way through Sam Winston's fascinating typographical landscapes in this extraordinary ode to the power and promises of storytelling. Forty treasured children's classics and lullabies are featured in the pictures, providing endless opportunities for discovery, memories and sharing. Woven together by a simple story line, the one-of-a-kind illustrations in a A Child of Books provide an unforgettable reading experience that will inspire and encourage readers of all ages to explore, question, and imagine timeless stories of their own.

Lost and Found Ducklings


Valeri Gorbachev - 2018
    Everyone must help! Moose will try to call Mama and Papa Duck with his earth-shattering bellow. Moooo! Wolf will use her piercing howl. Awooo! and Bear his Grrr! What finally attracts Mama and Papa, though, are the sweet peep-peeps of their little ones. A story about cooperation, community, and noisy fun! Hooooot!Ink and watercolor paintings are masterful, charming, and joyful.Perfect for fans of Moo, Baa, La La La!

Hocus Pocus, It's Fall!


Anne Sibley O'Brien - 2016
    Fall is a season of transition: apples are picked, and animals prepare for winter. Summer days are coming to an end, and there's a hint of winter in the air. Hocus Pocus, It’s Fall! celebrates the magic of that in-between time.

No Reading Allowed: The WORST Read-Aloud Book Ever


Raj Haldar - 2020
    And sometimes two words that sound alike can be spelled completely differently. Ptolemy the pterodactyl is back to show us all how absurd and fun language can be when homophones, homonyms, and tricky punctuation are at play!No Reading Allowed allows children and their parents to laugh together while also learning something new. Perfect for baby gifts, birthday gifts, teacher gifts, and anyone who finds humor in the absurdity of the English language.

A Story about Afiya


James Berry - 2020
    Her dress records the memories of her childhood, from roses in bloom to pigeons in flight, from tigers at the zoo to October leaves falling. A joyful celebration of a young girl's childhood, written by the late Coretta Scott King Book Award-winning Jamaican poet James Berry.

A Whale of the Wild


Rosanne Parry - 2020
    This gorgeously illustrated animal adventure novel explores family bonds, survival, global warming, and a changing seascape. Includes information about orcas and their habitats.For Vega and her family, salmon is life. And Vega is learning to be a salmon finder, preparing for the day when she will be her family’s matriarch. But then she and her brother Deneb are separated from their pod when a devastating earthquake and tsunami render the seascape unrecognizable. Vega must use every skill she has to lead her brother back to their family. The young orcas face a shark attack, hunger, the deep ocean, and polluted waters on their journey. Will Vega become the leader she’s destined to be?A Whale of the Wild weaves a heart-stopping tale of survival with impeccable research on a delicate ecosystem and threats to marine life.

Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library


Julie Gassman - 2016
    Using rhyming text and a diverse cast of characters, this charming picture book will provide some important--and some not so important--library etiquette in a very entertaining way.

Zoomer


Ned Young - 2010
    Although his dad begs him to get ready, how can Zoomer make time for school with such a full schedule? He has to blow the world's biggest bubble, build a brontosaurus out of sand, launch a rocket ship—and that's just the beginning!Ned Young paints Zoomer's world with fun, detailed illustrations that showcase the silly side of everyday life. Kids and their parents will laugh out loud at the surprise ending that proves Zoomer knows best after all.

My First Day


Phùng Nguyên Quang - 2021
    The rainy season has come to the Mekong Delta, and An, a young Vietnamese boy, sets out alone in a wooden boat wearing a little backpack and armed only with a single oar. On the way, he is confronted by giant crested waves, heavy rainfall and eerie forests where fear takes hold of him. Although daunted by the dark unknown, An realizes that he is not alone and continues to paddle. He knows it will all be worth it when he reaches his destination--one familiar to children all over the world.

The Fourteenth Goldfish


Jennifer L. Holm - 2014
    Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far? Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?Lexile recommendation: 550

The Second Sky


Patrick Guest - 2017
    It is love at first sight and from that moment on Gilbert longs to fly like other birds. But Penguins don’t fly, they waddle, and so begins Gilbert's quest to find his place in the world. Great things happen when you reach for the sky.

National Parks of the U.S.A.


Kate Siber - 2018
    Explore Florida's river-laced Everglades, travel down the white water rapids of the Grand Canyon, trek across the deserts of Death Valley and scale the soaring summits of the Rocky Mountains with this book that brings you up close to nature's greatest adventures. Packed with maps and fascinating facts about the flora and fauna unique to each park, this fully-illustrated coast-to-coast journey documents the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places—and shows why they should be preserved for future generations to enjoy. With maps and information about flora and fauna found in each of the 21 icon parks portrayed, this is a fantastic celebration of the great outdoors. Parks include: Acadia, Badlands, Big Bend, Biscayne, Bryce Canyon, Channel Islands, Death Valley, Denali, Everglades, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky, Mountains, Hawaii volcanoes, Isle Royal, Mesa Verde, Olympic, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone and Yosemite.

And Then Came Hope


Stephen A. Savage - 2021
    Hope hospital ship!The boats around the harbor haven't been feeling too well lately. First, Barge got bonked. Then Submarine started shivering. Ferry came down with a fever, little Dory's nose wouldn't stop running, and even mighty Aircraft Carrier had developed a terrible cough! They sent out an S.O.S. for help, and then a ship called Hope came to the rescue.With her team of tugboats at her side, Hope set about tending to the out of sorts boats. With her help, Barge gets a bandage, Submarine is soothed with a blanket, Aircraft Carrier is cured, and little Dory's nose dries up. The boats are feeling fit again, but they know whenever they are feeling sick, Hope will always be there to take care of them.The brightly-illustrated, kid-friendly picture book includes an essay about the real S.S. Hope and its service in humanitarian aid projects. Perfect for boat lovers of all ages!