Book picks similar to
The Cello of Mr. O by Jane Cutler


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Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans


Phil Bildner - 2015
    He danced up one avenue and down another and everyone danced along. The old ladies whistled and whirled. The old men hooted and hollered. The barbers, bead twirlers, and beignet bakers bounded behind that one-man parade. But then came the rising Mississippi—and a storm greater than anyone had seen before. In this heartwarming book about a real garbage man, Phil Bildner and John Parra tell the inspiring story of a humble man and the heroic difference he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Plus, this is a fixed-format version of the book, which looks nearly identical to the print version.

Vivaldi and the Invisible Orchestra


Stephen Costanza - 2012
    Nobody notices Candida or appreciates her hard work.But one day Candida accidentally slips a poem she wrote into the sheet music and the girl so often behind the shadows gets recognized for her own talents. Vivaldi really did have an Invisible Orchestra made up of orphan girls he taught to play. This beautiful book pays tribute to their inspiration.

Robomop


Sean Taylor - 2013
    But it's not all mopping, slopping, rubbing, and scrubbing. Robomop also does a wicked honky-tonk dance to the window washer's radio, and he dreams of seeing the sun and sky. So when he's carried outside one day, Robomop believes his wish has come true at last. Has it? Well one thing is for certain: for this little robot, finding his place in the world means never giving up trying.

Knots on a Counting Rope


Bill Martin Jr. - 1987
    In this poignant story, the counting rope is a metaphor for the passage of time and for a boy's emerging confidence in facing his blindness.

The Really Awful Musicians


John Manders - 2011
    Pipe and drum player Piffaro heads for the border, collecting other refugee musicians on the way. Their jam session on the road is so bad that the horse pulling the wagon figures out a way to make them all play the same music at the same time—a system of lines and hoofprints. (In fact, there was a time before musical notation was devised, but that’s the only part of this story that is true!) Includes afterword.

Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody


Michael Rex - 2008
    Goodnight goon. Goodnight Martians taking over the moon."It's bedtime in the cold gray tomb with a black lagoon, and two slimy claws, and a couple of jaws, and a skull and a shoe and a pot full of goo. But as a little werewolf settles down, in comes the Goon determined at all costs to run amok and not let any monster have his rest.A beloved classic gets a kind-hearted send up in this utterly monsterized parody; energetic art and a hilarious text will have kids begging to read this again and again.

Roller Coaster


Marla Frazee - 2003
    . . with at least one person who has never done this before. Zooming, swerving, dipping, and diving, this delightful story featuring a breathtaking ride and a hilarious range of reactions, will help readers lose their roller coaster anxiety. Marla Frazee’s witty narrative and slyly building of tension delivers an experience unlike any other and will have readers begging to take another ride.

Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble


Judy Schachner - 2006
    . . and finds himself in ancient Egypt. His doggy pals, Los Chimichangos, want to visit the Under Mundo—the underworld— where mummitos rest in peas. But they need El Skippito's brains and courage to answer the riddle of theFinx and enter the mummy's tomb. Our hero is up to the task, and he's in for another grand and whirlwind adventure. Full of Judy Schachner's rollicking wordplay and bold, imaginative illustrations, Skippy's latest outsize outing will tickle the funny bones and warm the hearts of his many amigos.

We March


Shane W. Evans - 2012
    The march began at the Washington Monument and ended with a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech, advocating racial harmony. Many words have been written about that day, but few so delicate and powerful as those presented here by award-winning author and illustrator Shane W. Evans. When combined with his simple yet compelling illustrations, the thrill of the day is brought to life for even the youngest reader to experience.We March is one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012

Oh No! Not Again!: (Or How I Built a Time Machine to Save History)


Mac Barnett - 2012
    The overly ambitious little girl from Oh No! is back for more. But this time, she doesn't have a humongous problem, she has an EPIC crisis on her hands: a mere A on her history test! There's only one solution: travel back in time to 33,000 B.C. to make her wrong answer right! Mac Barnett and Dan Santat's laugh-out-loud sequel to the critically acclaimed Oh No! will be sure to tickle a prehistoric funny bone for fans new and neanderthal alike.

Change Sings: a Children's Anthem


Amanda Gorman - 2021
    As a young girl leads a cast of characters on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to make changes—big or small—in the world, in their communities, and in most importantly, in themselves.

God Bless the Child


Billie Holiday - 2003
    In this picture book interpretation, renowned illustrator Jerry Pinkney has created images of a family moving from the rural South to the urban North during the Great Migration that reached its peak in the 1930s. The song's message of self-reliance still speaks to us today but resonates even stronger in its historical context. This extraordinary book stands as a tribute to all those who dared so much to get their own.

My Pet Book


Bob Staake - 2014
    . . books! Books make the perfect pets, the boy decides, and chooses a bright red one. When it goes missing, a lively adventure is in store for readers who love a happy ending. Soon kids everywhere will wish for a pet book of their very own.

Bringing the Outside In


Mary McKenna Siddals - 2016
    . . .”  Nothing takes the place of splashing in a puddle or jumping into a pile of autumn leaves. Along with the mud and sand that gets tracked indoors come memories that live forever! Mary McKenna Siddals has written a joyous anthem that encourages children to play in the dirt. It will surely resonate with today’s overscheduled as well as sedentary kids, and their parents.

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water


Nikole Hannah-Jones - 2021
    A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders. But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.