Book picks similar to
Watch the Stars Come Out by Riki Levinson


historical-fiction
picture-books
reading-rainbow
picture-book

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race


Margot Lee Shetterly - 2018
    And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.In this illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.

Two Old Potatoes and Me


John Coy - 2003
    “Gross.” But before she can throw them away, her dad suggests they try to grow new potatoes from the old ones, which have sprouted eyes. Told from May to September, the potato-growing season, the story includes all the basic steps for growing potatoes while subtly dealing with the parents’ recent divorce. Just like the new potatoes that emerged from ugly old potatoes, this dad and daughter move on and make a new life together in the face of unavoidable and unpleasant change. Carolyn Fisher’s artwork will be instantly recognizable from her recent picture book debut, A Twisted Tale, and her trademark high-energy art and design infuse joy and humor into this heartwarming story.

Wild Reptiles: Snakes, Crocodiles, Lizards, and Turtles (Wild Kratts)


Chris Kratt - 2015
    PBS’s successful animated show Wild Kratts follows the adventures of zoologists Chris and Martin Kratt as they travel to animal habitats around the globe. Along the way, they encounter incredible creatures while combining science education with fun. Boys and girls ages 4 to 6 can join the Kratt brothers as they activate their Creature Power Suits to creep, crawl, and slither with amazing reptiles!Step 2 Readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. For children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat


Susanna Reich - 2012
    While Julia is in the kitchen learning to master delicious French dishes, the only feast Minette is truly interested in is that of fresh mouse! This lively story is complete with an author’s note, a bibliography, and actual quotations from Julia Child and comes just in time for the 100th anniversary of her birth. Praise for Minette's Feast �Foodie parents who love cats will love to read this delightful book to their kids.” —The Atlantic �This charming portrait...” —Publishers Weekly "A delectable tale about Julia Child discovering her culinary calling in Paris...This book is a charmer to share aloud with young people who enjoy a well-paced story and with cat lovers and food lovers of any age." —Horn Book "A charming picture book." —The New York Times Sunday Book Review "Amy Bates uses pencil and watercolor to crate artwork that is as playful as Minette the cat." —Library Media ConnectionSTARRED REVIEWS �A fine recipe for pleasure: Julia Child, the culinary arts, Paris and a lucky cat. Magnifique!” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Bates’ illustrations work marvelously well with this charming conceit." —Booklist, starred review "Reich's internal rhymes make the proceedings feel festive, while her overall prose conveys Julia's seriousness of purpose. The smooth flow of her narrative belies the impressive amount of research she undertook to relate actual conversations and events...Discover: A delectable banquet that charts Julia Child's culinary progress through the eyes of her cat, Minette." —Shelf Awareness, starred review   �...feast for the senses” —School Library Journal, starred reviewAward Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices 2013 list - Picture Book

Snow Falls


Kate Gardner - 2020
    A girl and her dog set out and make the most of every snow-filled moment: sledding, building snowmen and snowforts, making snowangels (and snowdogs), and drinking cocoa by a cozy fire as the snow continues to fall. This luminous and lively picture book celebrates the beauty, magic and excitement of snow with simple, easy-to-read text, comprised almost solely of verbs and action words, and gorgeous art that highlights the amazing colors of a snowy day. As inviting as the first snowfall, but so much warmer, Snow Falls encourages little people and big people to go outside and enjoy the snow . . . before it goes!

Three Squeezes


Jason Pratt - 2020
    When you could neither talk nor standlife’s hourglass still filled with sand,I gently held your tiny handand gave it three soft squeezes.When you awoke within the nightAnd cried from fear and called for light,I held you safe with all my mightand gave you three long squeezes.Follow a father and his son from babyhood to baseball games to graduation and beyond in this loving saga about the unbreakable bond between generations.A perfect gift, Three Squeezes is a tender, rhyming picture book that is an ode to the love between parent and child, no matter how old the child (or) parent is.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale


Verna Aardema - 1981
    A cumulative rhyme relating how Ki-pat brought rain to the drought-stricken Kapiti Plain. Verna Aardema has brought the original story closer to the English nursery rhyme by putting in a cumulative refrain and giving the tale the rhythm of “The House That Jack Built.”

Let Liberty Rise!: How America’s Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty


Chana Stiefel - 2021
    An informative must-have for all libraries." -- School Library Journal, starred review"All rise to this evocative, empowering offering." -- Kirkus Reviews"[A] true tale of cooperation among all ages." -- Publishers WeeklyOn America's 100th birthday, the people of France built a giant gift! It was one of the largest statues the world had ever seen -- and she weighed as much as 40 elephants! And when she arrived on our shores in 250 pieces, she needed a pedestal to hold her up. Few of America's millionaires were willing to foot the bill.Then, Joseph Pulitzer (a poor Hungarian immigrant-cum-newspaper mogul) appealed to his fellow citizens. He invited them to contribute whatever they could, no matter how small an amount, to raise funds to mount this statue. The next day, pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters poured in. Soon, Pulitzer's campaign raised enough money to construct the pedestal. And with the help of everyday Americans (including many thousands of schoolchildren!) the Statue of Liberty rose skyward, torch ablaze, to welcome new immigrants for a life of freedom and opportunity!Chana Stiefel's charming and immediate writing style is perfectly paired with Chuck Groenink's beautiful, slyly humorous illustrations. Back matter with photographs included.

If I Were President


Catherine Stier - 1999
    "Two desserts tonight, Madam President? No problem!"If you were president, you would work in the Oval Office, get help making decisions from people in your cabinet, and be in charge of the armed forces. The Secret Service would follow you everywhere, and Air Force One would carry you on trips, sometimes to other nations.A multicultural cast of children imagines what it would be like to be president. Readers will be so caught up in the fun they won't realize that the book is also an ingenious teaching device and discussion starter. A note about the presidency accompanies the story.

The Christmas Fox


Anik McGrory - 2016
    “A baby is coming. There’s work to be done!”   One by one, from field and forest, the animals make their way to a barn. The cow has sweet-smelling hay to offer the baby. The bluebird has the gift of song. And a lamb has soft, cozy wool. But the shy little fox has nothing to offer . . . or so he thinks.   With its gentle text and warm, expressive illustrations, this irresistible take on the Nativity story invites even the youngest child to discover the truest gifts of the Christmas season: the ones that come from the heart.

Winged Wonders: Solving the Monarch Migration Mystery


Meeg Pincus - 2020
    But who solved this mystery? Was it the scientist or the American adventurer? The citizen scientists or the teacher or his students? Winged Wonders shows that the mystery could only be solved when they all worked as a team--and reminds readers that there's another monarch mystery today, one that we all must work together to solve.

The Shy Little Kitten


Cathleen Schurr - 1946
    The Shy Little Kitten, with illustrations by the renowned Gustaf Tenggren.

Hello Lighthouse


Sophie Blackall - 2018
    Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Little Tigers


Jo Weaver - 2019
    Together, they explore different homes, but the ones they find aren't suited for tigers. Some are too wet, some are too dry, and some are just downright unwelcoming. But with their mother's help, they may be able to find one that's just right.With gentle text and stunning monochromatic illustrations, Jo Weaver reveals the wonder of nature, the excitement of discovery, and the strength of familial bonds.

Encounter


Jane Yolen - 1992
    Told from a young Taino boy’s point of view, this is a story of how the boy tried to warn his people against welcoming the strangers, who seemed more interested in golden ornaments than friendship. Years later the boy, now an old man, looks back at the destruction of his people and their culture by the colonizers.