Book picks similar to
Uncle James by Marc Harshman


el-ed-445
elementary-books
picture-books

The Snow Family


Daniel Kirk - 1999
    But when he realizes that the snow children don't have any snow parents to take care of them, he devises a way to make their snow family complete. Daniel Kirk's lush illustrations and tender verses will have children building their own snow friends to play with.

Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph


Lucy Margaret Rozier - 2015
    So of course, everyone in the town of Windy Flats always counts on his speed when a message has to get out fast. Then something new comes to town: the telegraph, which can send Morse code messages with the speed of electricity. At first, no one believes the newfangled contraption can deliver a message quicker than Jackrabbit. . . . But in a race between man and machine, who will be left in the dust?   An author's note includes information about the invention of the telegraph, a Morse code key, and a riddle written in Morse code for kids to transcribe."A strikingly accomplished debut.... A terrific tall tale about the costs and opportunities of technology." —Publishers Weekly, Starred"Good, quick-moving fun. Kids may marvel that communication existed before the telephone and Internet." —Kirkus ReviewsFrom the Hardcover edition.

Rube Goldberg's Simple Normal Humdrum School Day


Jennifer George - 2017
    For Rube, up is down, in is out, and the simplest path to accomplishing an everyday task—like brushing his teeth or getting dressed—is a humorously complicated one. Follow Rube as he sets out on a typical school day, overcomplicating each and every step from the time he wakes up in the morning until the time he goes to bed at night. This book features fourteen inventions, each depicting an interactive sequence whose purpose is to help Rube accomplish mundane daily tasks: a simple way to get ready for school, to make breakfast, to do his homework, and so much more.

Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day!


Abby Levine - 1998
    Poor Gretchen Groundhog is too shy to come out of her hole on February 2, but her great-uncle Gus, too old for the job, offers her plenty of encouragement. Full-color illustrations. (Available now)

The Bobbin Girl


Emily Arnold McCully - 1996
    Working conditions at the mill are poor, and there is talk of lowering the workers' wages. Rebecca's friend Judith wants to protest the pay cut--but troublemakers at the mill are dismissed. Does Rebecca have the courage to join the protest?

The Secret Rhino Society


Jonathan E. Jacobs - 2020
    Fran, an earthworm. And Jean, a lightbulb. They have one thing in common: a profound appreciation for rhinos. So, they form a Secret Rhino Appreciation Society, in which a key activity it wearing paper horns. (Sometimes this results in a fire. That’s what happens when a lightbulb wears a paper horn.) But when they meet their first real, live rhino and ask her to do rhino-y things, she doesn’t want to charge or snort—she’s a gardener! She is not what the society expected, but can they learn to appreciate her for who she is? This funny, character-driven story explores themes of friendship, expectations, and prejudice.

Slow Down for Manatees


Jim Arnosky - 2010
    An endangered species, their biggest threat is humans, who unwittingly hit them with their boats in shallow waters. Jim Arnosky's conversational narrative tells the story of one such accident, which leads the manatee to be taken to a rescue and rehabilitation facility. There they discover that the manatee is pregnant. And while she recovers and gives birth to a healthy baby, she longs to be free. Ultimately, both manatees are released into the wild?a huge success for the people who intervened in saving the animal.Arnosky's intimate storytelling and brilliant art will draw children right into the subject, and makes for an important addition to conservation units.

Bone Soup: A Spooky, Tasty Tale


Alyssa Satin Capucilli - 2018
    This just-scary-enough picture book comes with a recipe for Bone Soup—perfect for Halloween eating.Trick-or-treat? Trick-or-treat! We’ve something usually good to eat! One Halloween morning three witches are looking for a tasty treat and they find only a small bone in their cupboard. So they decide to go from door to door in their village to find just the right ingredients for their Bone Soup. No one in the village is convinced that soup can be made from a bone, until the littlest monster reveals just what the special ingredient should be.

The Dunderheads Behind Bars


Paul Fleischman - 2012
    Or so they thought! Teen star Ashley Throbb-Hart is shooting a movie nearby, and who should show up as an extra but their formidable former teacher! She's not the only Breakbone on the scene, either; after a string of burglaries strikes town, Miss Breakbone steers her barrel-chested brother, Police Chief Breakbone, toward those meddling, good-for-nothing Dunderheads. And when Spider ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, the blowhard chief has all the evidence he needs to lock him up. Can Einstein, Wheels, Nails, Spitball, Google-Eyes, Clips, Junkyard, Pencil, and Hollywood combine their talents to catch the real criminal before they join their friend behind bars? Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman and illustrator David Roberts reunite for a delightfully triumphant sequel to The Dunderheads.

Food Truck Fest!


Alexandra Penfold - 2018
    And as they get ready, the workers on the food trucks get ready, too--preparing, tasting, and traveling across the bridge to join all the other kitchens-on-wheels. With delicious free samples and cuisines from around the world, it's a day of trying new things and having fun together!

Bunnies on Ice


Johanna Wright - 2013
    You have to wait through summer. You have to wait through autumn until . . .Finally, as the snow begins to fall, you can show the world just how good you really are!From the author/illustrator of The Secret Circus and Bandits comes one very self-assured young rabbit's first-hand account of the trials and tribulations of being a skating star, with illustrations that will melt your heart on even the coldest winter day.

When Cloud Became a Cloud


Rob Hodgson - 2021
    Young readers will immediately fall for this wide-eyed puff, and welcome facts along with humor and personality as they bask in the accomplishment of breezing through each chapter.