A Greyhound, a Groundhog


Emily Jenkins - 2017
    With very spare, incredibly lively language, this is an entertaining read-aloud, with two amazing and oh-so-adorable characters at its heart. When a greyhound meets a groundhog, wordplay and crazy antics ensue. The two animals, much like kids, work themselves into a frenzy as they whirl around and around one another. ("Around, round hound. Around, greyhound.") The pace picks up ("Around and around and astound and astound"), until they ultimately wear themselves out. Jenkins s masterful text is deceptively simple. NPR on "Toys Meet Snow" by Emily Jenkins Appelhans, whose career up to now has been in animated films such as "Coraline, " is a revelation. "Booklist, " Starred, on "Sparky!, " illustrated by Chris Appelhans Appelhans makes an auspicious picture book debut with strikingly beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations. His style, reminiscent of Jon Klassen s, incorporates a muted color palette, but with a slightly softer, rounder quality, while also weaving in visual deadpan humor. "The Horn Book""

Clara: The (Mostly) True Story of the Rhinoceros who Dazzled Kings, Inspired Artists, and Won the Hearts of Everyone . . . While She Ate Her Way Up and Down a


Emily Arnold McCully - 2016
    Her owner, a Dutch sea captain, keeps Clara fed (she eats 100 pounds of hay and 30 loaves of bread a day!) and watered (she drinks 14 buckets of water and beer) and takes loving care of her until her death 17 years later.

What About Harry?


Derek Anderson - 2019
    Like build castles. Jump into ponds. And swing on swings.But when Harry realizes that Sam can build bigger, jump higher, and swing better than he can, he decides he’d be happier without Sam. All by himself, Harry can be the greatest! All by himself, Harry is…Well, Harry is…Alone. Is being the best at everything worth it if you don’t have a friend to share the fun with?

Lucky Ducklings


Eva Moore - 2013
    They follow safely behind her as they leave their pond, waddle through the park, and stop in the little sunlit town's parking lot for yummy breakfast. But one by one, Mama's little ducklings get separated when they disappear into the slats of the town's storm drain. How three firemen and a pickup truck rush to their rescue makes for a vivid and exciting drama that children will return to over and over again. Award-winning artist Nancy Carpenter and veteran author Eva Moore have created a delightful new classic with an inspiring environmental message.

The Cat Man of Aleppo


Irene Latham - 2020
    His neighborhood is empty--except for the many cats left behind.Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay--he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.

The Princess and the Pony


Kate Beaton - 2015
    A BIG horse. A STRONG horse. A horse fit for a WARRIOR PRINCESS! But when the day arrives, she doesn't quite get the horse of her dreams...From the artist behind the comic phenomenon Hark! A Vagrant, The Princess and the Pony is a laugh-out-loud story of brave warriors, big surprises, and falling in love with one unforgettable little pony.

Charlie Piechart and the Case of the Missing Pizza Slice


Marilyn Sadler - 2015
    In his first mystery, perfect for little math enthusiasts, it’s pizza night at the Piecharts’ house.How about veggies on top? “NO VEGGIES!” yell 4/6 of the pizza eaters. No one wants anchovies, either. They like Charlie’s idea best: pepperoni.But with 6 pizza eaters, 3 sizes of pizza on the delivery menu, and 2 slices allotted for each person, it is no surprise when there’s a mystery! A scream from Charlie’s sisters reveals the issue: 1 out of 12 slices has gone missing. So who did it? Charlie counts the suspects and questions each one (except Mom!). But could he be forgetting someone?This colorful, hysterical mystery adventure is perfect for both reluctant and enthusiastic math learners. Great for fans of G Is for Googol, Sir Cumference and the First Round Table, and Math Curse.Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts

Cats Are a Liquid


Rebecca Donnelly - 2019
    Inspired by an Ig Nobel Prize–winning investigation of how cats behave like liquids, it introduces some of the physical properties of liquids—they adapt to fit a container, they flow like fluids—and is just pure fun. Like its inspiration, it makes you laugh, then think. Back matter includes a brief introduction to the different physical states: solid, liquid, gas.

Happy Birthday Hamster


Cynthia Lord - 2011
    Join them as they plan the best surprise birthday party ever!

This Book Just Ate My Dog!


Richard Byrne - 2014
    But when the helpers disappear too, Bella realizes it will take more than a tug on the leash to put things right. Cleverly using the physicality of the book, This book just ate my dog! is inventive, ingenious, and just pure kid-friendly fun!

D.W.'s Library Card


Marc Brown - 2001
    can't wait to get a library card, but she has to learn how to write her full name first. She practices and practices, and is finally rewarded with a library card of her very own. But when she tries to find the book she wants, it's gone! Somehow D.W. manages to wait a whole week for the book to be returned, only to hear that she can't damage it or her library card will be taken away--forever!

I Love You, Fred


Mick Inkpen - 2019
    From the father-daughter team behind I Will Love You Anyway comes another heartwarming tale about a sweatband-wearing pug.Fetch! and Sit! and Stay! and Ball! and Walk! and Bed! I know those words… …but what is Fred? Little ones will laugh out loud as you read Mick and Chloë Inkpen’s delightful second story all about a troublesome little dog who finally discovers his own name.

Odd Dog


Claudia Boldt - 2012
    He doesn't like bones, he likes apples. In fact, he LOVES apples, and he can't bear the thought that his next-door neighbour Igor might be stealing them from his tree. Helmut lies awake at night, thinking of how he can protect his favourite food, but he has a big lesson to learn about Igor, and about himself...

Little Oink


Amy Krouse Rosenthal - 2009
    Little Oink is a neat little fellow. Clean, clean, clean, that's all he wants to do. But Mama and Papa won't have it! They say in order to be a proper pig, he has to learn to make a proper mess. "Don't come out until your room is a pigsty," says Papa Pig. "I won't have any child of mine going out looking so neat and clean. It's just not acceptable," says Mama Pig. Readers who hate to clean up will love this humorous twist on a universal dilemma.

The Most Magnificent Thing


Ashley Spires - 2013
    She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!? But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.