Big Fat Hen


Keith Baker - 1994
    Three, four, shut the door . . . . Nine, ten, big fat hen! Now young children can enjoy a popular nursery rhyme and learn to count, too. Keith Baker's delightful illustrations filled with eggs and chicks (and bugs) are sure to tickle little ones for hours of read-aloud fun.

Bear Feels Scared


Karma Wilson - 2008
    When Bear’s friends discover that he is not at home in his lair, they march out into the cold to find their pal. Friends don’t let friends stay lost! Wren, Owl, and Raven take to the skies while Badger, Mole, and Mouse search on the ground. Pretty soon Bear is found, and once he’s back in his cave, he feels quite safe with his friends all around.

One Duck Stuck


Phyllis Root - 1998
    Can two fish, tails going swish, help? What about three moose, munching on spruce? Will four crickets, chirping in the thickets, be able to pull the unlucky duck out of the muck? With bright, spirited illustrations by Jane Chapman, this counting tale by Phyllis Root is a feast of sounds and numbers that will have young listeners scrambling to join the slippy, sloppy fun.

Silly Sally


Audrey Wood - 1994
    Play leapfrog with a silly dog. And that's just the beginning of all the fun! Come along and join Silly Sally and her outrageous friends as they parade into town in a most unusual way.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons


Eric Litwin - 2012
    An award-winning and bestselling Pete the Cat hardcover picture book!Count down with Pete in this rocking story that makes counting fun! Pete the Cat is wearing his favorite shirt—the one with the four totally groovy buttons.But when one falls off, does Pete cry? Goodness, no! He just keeps on singing his song—after all, what could be groovier than three groovy buttons? The winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award.The fun never stops—download the free groovin’ song!

My Heart Is Like a Zoo


Michael Hall - 2009
    Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick says, "Starting with one simple shape, Michael Hall shows us a nearly infinite number of ways to make a menagerie of love."This award-winning picture book is a must-have for every young reader, who will learn that a heart can be hopeful, silly, happy, rugged, snappy, or lonely. A heart holds every different feeling, and author-artist Michael Hall captures each one with his bold, graphic artwork. An ideal springboard for conversations about emotions, and for introducing concepts, math, and art projects in the classroom and at home. School Library Journal called it an "outstanding choice for one-on-one sharing."

The Pout-Pout Fish


Deborah Diesen - 2008
    Fish swims aboutWith his fish face stuckIn a permanent pout.Can his pals cheer him up?Will his pout ever end?Is there something he can learnFrom an unexpected friend?Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.The Pout-Pout Fish is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Xander's Panda Party


Linda Sue Park - 2013
    Yes, a dandy whoop-de-do!But Xander was the only panda. Just one panda at the zoo.The zoo’s paucity of pandas doesn’t impede Xander’s party planning for long. He decides to invite all the bears. But Koala protests. She’s not a bear—she's a marsupial! Does that mean she can’t come? Xander rethinks his decision to invite only bears, and “Calling all bears” evolves into “Calling all creatures.” The Newbery Medal author Linda Sue Park introduces animal taxonomy in a wonderfully engaging way, and the celebrated artist Matt Phelan’s charming ink and watercolor paintings are the icing on the cake. A read-aloud whoop-de-do!

Llama Llama and the Bully Goat


Anna Dewdney - 2013
    Gilroy laughs at everything.Llama sings out just the same.Gilroy says a not-nice name.Teacher has some things to say:calling names is not OK.Llama Llama is learning lots of new things at school and making many friends. But when Gilroy Goat starts teasing him and some of their classmates, Llama Llama isn't sure what to do. And then he remembers what his teacher told him—walk away and tell someone. It works! But then Llama Llama feels badly. Can he and Gilroy try to be friends again?Taking on a difficult but important part of children's lives, Anna Dewdney gives readers a way to experience and discuss bullying in a safe and comforting way.

Ten on the Sled


Kim Norman - 2010
    But as they go faster and faster, Seal, Hare, Walrus, and the others all fall off…until just Caribous left, only and lonely. Now, a reindeer likes flying-but never alone, so…one through ten, all leap on again!An ideal picture book for reading-and singing along with—over and over.

The Seals on the Bus


Lenny Hort - 2000
    At the next stop, who should get on but a group of seals, who holler "errp, errp, errp" at the top of their lungs. Each time the bus stops a new kind of animal joins the passengers and adds to the din, to the children's delight and the parents' annoyance. But when several hissing skunks want to come aboard, even the children cry "help! help! help!"

Clip-Clop


Nicola Smee - 2006
    Again! Again, they squeal. That’s the rapturous joy Nicola Smee captures, in simple rhythmic text and charming pictures. One after the other, a group of barnyard friends climb aboard Mr. Horse for a ride. Faster, they beg…, faster! But will faster lead to disaster? No…--just a satisfying ending that toddlers will love!

Cats' Night Out


Caroline Stutson - 2010
    The short rhyming text makes it a perfect read-aloud treat, and with vivid illustrations from a breakout DreamWorks animator, readers and listeners alike will be thrilled to see what happens one night on Easy Street when a pair of cats start to groove to the beat.

The Hiccupotamus


Aaron Zenz - 2005
    . . he'd fall upon his bottomus!Calamity ensues when an elephant, a centipede, and a rhinoceros try finding a cure for hippo's colossal case of hiccups. Zenz's creativity shines through with his use of colored pencil in this off-the-wall read-aloud. HIC! HIC! HIC!

Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!


David McPhail - 1993
    The next minute, pigs descend upon his house in every imaginable getup, by every available means, from every possible place--even "Pigs from France" and "Pigs just in their underpants." What results is lovable porcine mayhem and a pizza pig-out!* "A must for all picture-book collection."--School Library Journal, starred review* "McPhail presents a magnificent group of porkers, whose capacity for costumes and capers is truly wondrous . . . Kids will find this a very good book indeed."--Booklist, starred review* "This is McPhail at his whimsical best."--Publishers Weekly, starred reviewA Booklist Children's Editors' Choice