Book picks similar to
Blueberries for the Queen by John Paterson


picture-books
historical-fiction
childrens
picture-book

Freight Train


Donald Crews - 1978
    . . freight train.In simple, powerful words and vibrant illustrations, Donald Crews evokes the rolling wheels of that childhood favorite: a train. This board book features sturdy pages and is just the right size for little hands.This Calecott Honor Book features bright colors and bold shapes. Even a child not lucky enough to have counted freight cars will feel he or she has watched a freight train passing after reading Freight Train.Donald Crews used childhood memories of trains seen during his travels to his grandparents' farm in the American South as the inspiration for this timeless favorite.

The ABCs of Black History


Rio Cortez - 2020
    This is an opportunity for children to learn their ABCs to the sound of words beyond apple, boy, and cat, and an opportunity for young thinkers to prepare for big ideas.

Little Bitty Mousie


Jim Aylesworth - 2007
    She sniffs around, wiggling her nose at all she sees from A through Z. After a bite of an apple, a taste of some butter, and a nibble on a carrot, Mousie's just begun to explore. The night is young, and there's still much more to discover!Jim Aylesworth's rhythmic language and Michael Hague's intricate illustrations will lead readers on a delightful midnight adventure with a charmingly curious little mouse.

Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust


Eve Bunting - 1980
    This unique introduction to the Holocaust encourages young children to stand up for what they think is right, without waiting for others to join them.Ages 6 and up.

The Bell Rang


James E. Ransome - 2019
    Daddy gathers wood. Mama cooks. Ben and the other slaves go out to work. Each day is the same. Full of grueling work and sweltering heat. Every day, except one, when the bell rings and Ben is nowhere to be found. Because Ben ran. Yet, despite their fear and sadness, his family remains hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he made it North. That he is free.

These Hands


Margaret H. Mason - 2011
    He could play the piano, throw a curveball, and tie a triple bowline knot in three seconds flat. But in the 1950s and 60s, he could not bake bread at the Wonder Bread factory. Factory bosses said white people would not want to eat bread touched by the hands of the African Americans who worked there. In this powerful intergenerational story, Joseph learns that people joined their hands together to fight discrimination so that one day, their hands—Joseph’s hands—could do anything at all in this whole wide world.

I Loathe You


David Slonim - 2012
    Unconditional loathing is monsterly love in this sweetly humorous picture book.Just how much does Big Monster loathe Little Monster? Let it count the ways....     I loathe you more than tooth decay      More than blizzard snow in May      More than garbage in a dump      More than splinters in my rump      No matter what, through thick and thin, I loathe you there and back again!      Author and illustrator David Slonim depicts a tender, tongue-in-cheek celebration of a very special kind of loa...er, love.

I Hear a Pickle: and Smell, See, Touch, & Taste It, Too!


Rachel Isadora - 2016
    Hearing, smelling, seeing, touching, tasting--our five senses allow us to experience the world in so many ways! With our ears we hear the birds sing; with our nose we smell the stinky cheese; with our eyes we see the moon and stars (and sometimes glasses help us see even better!); with our skin we feel the rain (and learn not to touch the hot stove!); and with our tongue we can taste our favorite foods.

A Little Bit of Winter


Paul Stewart - 1998
    But every winter, Hedgehog has to burrow info a cozy spot and sleep while Rabbit plays in the snow. Rabbit is sad because he knows he will miss Hedgehog. Hedgehog is more interested in what winter is like. So he asks Rabbit to save him a little bit of winter. He even writes it on a free for his forgetful pal. But if's a long, cold winter and Rabbit has a hard enough time just finding food. He even cats some of the bark that Hedgehog's note is written on. Will Rabbit remember his best friend's request?

One


Kathryn Otoshi - 2008
    Red’s a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don’t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand—until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count. As budding young readers learn about numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors, they also learn about accepting each other's differences and how it sometimes just takes one voice to make everyone count.

Naughty Kitty


Adam Stower - 2012
    When things start to go wrong around the house, Lily is quick to blame her new furry friend, but doesn't notice the much bigger and more dangerous feline that has taken up residence - a huge tiger!

Moonday


Adam Rex - 2013
    What do you do when the tide comes in, and all the neighborhood dogs won't stop howling?You take the moon for a ride. Adam Rex creates a fantastic tale that is both imaginative and beautiful; one that blurs the line between dreams and reality.

Over the River and Through the Wood


Lydia Maria Francis Child - 1844
    In this hilarious modern spoof of a favorite holiday song, the trip to Grandfather's house is no peaceful sleigh ride!

Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales


Lucy Cousins - 2009
    In this bold, funny, and unflinching collection, the beloved author-illustrator retains all the emotion and humor of the original fairy tales: the heroes are courageous, the villains are horrible, and the children are tasty. With her sly, simple language and vibrant illustrations, even the scariest fiends become the stuff of shared hilarity and shivery thrills.

Yay, You!: Moving Up and Moving On


Sandra Boynton - 2001
    Also an occasional hippo. No wombats. What's more, Yay,You! will not overstress the weary mind. It's nice and short, with lots of pictures, no chapters, no index, no graphs, no study questions, and not a single Suggestion for Further Reading. Portable, colorful, and low in saturated fats, this is truly the perfect gift for that special onwardly-mobile someone. There are so many choices. The world is immense. Take a good look around and decide what makes sense...