Suddenly!


Colin McNaughton - 1994
    The wolf pursues the little pig throughout the day, but each time, quite unaware, the pig evades him until in the end the wolf gets his come-uppance in an unexpected and hilarious way. SUDDENLY is an ideal book for young children, who will love the wicked humour and child-centred repetition.

You Belong Here


M.H. Clark - 2016
    So begins this classic bedtime book, richly illustrated by award-winning artist Isabelle Arsenault. The pages journey around the world, observing plants and animals everywhere, and reminding children that they are right where they belong. A beautiful title for new babies, adoptive families, and children of all ages.You are a dream that the world once dreamt,And now you are part of its song.That's why you are here, in the place where you're meant,For this is right where you belong.

A Normal Pig


K-Fai Steele - 2019
    Suddenly she doesn’t like any of the same things she used to . . . the things that made her Pip.

House Held Up by Trees


Ted Kooser - 2012
    The children in the house trailed the scent of wild trees to neighboring lots, where thick bushes offered up secret places to play. When the children grew up and moved away, their father, alone in the house, continued his battle against blowing seeds, plucking out sprouting trees. Until one day the father, too, moved away, and as the empty house began its decline, the trees began their approach. At once wistful and exhilarating, this lovely, lyrical story evokes the inexorable passage of time — and the awe-inspiring power of nature to lift us up.

When Otis Courted Mama


Kathi Appelt - 2014
    He knows he’s loved through and through by his perfectly good mama and his perfectly good daddy. They live in different parts of the desert, but that’s okay—Cardell is mostly used to it. Then Otis comes calling, and Cardell feels a grrr form in his throat. Otis can’t make jalapeño flapjacks or play Zig-the-Zag anything like Cardell’s daddy. And so Cardell waits for Mama to say "Adiós, Otis." But what will happen if she doesn’t?

The Three Questions


Jon J. Muth - 2002
    So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo's cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too.

Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story About Gender and Friendship


Jessica Walton - 2016
    Then Thomas the Teddy finally tells Errol what Teddy has been afraid to say: 'In my heart, I've always known that I'm a girl Teddy, not a boy Teddy. I wish my name was Tilly.' And Errol says, 'I don't care if you're a girl teddy or a boy teddy! What matters is that you are my friend.'

Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse


Marcy Campbell - 2018
    Adrian Simcox lives in a tiny house. Where would he keep a horse? He has holes in his shoes. How would he pay for a horse?The more Adrian talks about his horse, the angrier Chloe gets. But when she calls him out at school and even complains about him to her mom, Chloe doesn't get the vindication she craves. She gets something far more important.

Waiting


Kevin Henkes - 2015
    The owl is waiting for the moon. The pig is waiting for the rain. The bear is waiting for the wind. The puppy is waiting for the snow. And the rabbit is just looking out the window because he likes to wait! What will happen? Will patience win in the end? Or someday will the friends stop waiting and do something unexpected?Waiting is a big part of childhood—waiting in line, waiting to grow up, waiting for something special to happen—but in this book, a child sets the stage and pulls the strings. Timeless, beautiful, and deeply heartfelt, this picture book about imaginative play, the seasons, friendship, and surprises marks a new pinnacle in Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes’s extraordinary career.“The short sentences of the text flow with the precision one would expect from a master picture-book creator like Henkes. Little ones, to whom each experience is new, will know what it’s like to dream and wait.”—ALA Booklist

The Most Magnificent Thing


Ashley Spires - 2013
    She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!? But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.

Yard Sale


Eve Bunting - 2015
    They can’t stay in this house, so they’re moving to an apartment in the city. The new place is "small but nice," Mom says, and most of their things won’t fit, so today they are having a yard sale. But it’s kind of hard to watch people buy your stuff, even if you understand why it has to happen. With sensitivity and grace, Eve Bunting and Lauren Castillo portray an event at once familiar and difficult, making clear that a home isn’t about what you have, but whom you hold close.

The Beeman


Laurie Krebs - 2002
    Written in the style of The House That Jack Built, the book touches upon all aspects of beekeeping. From how the keeper and his young helper dress, to how they care for the hive, to how they harvest (and enjoy eating) the honey. Children will discover what each type of bee does, see how honey is made, and learn lots of amazing facts in this gentle yet highly informative story.

Blue


Laura Vaccaro Seeger - 2018
    How many shades of blue are there?There’s the soft blue of a baby’s cherished blanket, the ocean blue of a romp in the waves, the chilly blue of a cold winter’s walk in the snow, and the true blue of the bond that exists between children and animals.In this simple, sumptuously illustrated companion to Caldecott Honor Book Green, award-winning artist Laura Vaccaro Seeger turns her attention to the ways in which color evokes emotion, and in doing so tells the story of one special and enduring friendship.

The Girl Who Wouldn't Brush Her Hair


Kate Bernheimer - 2013
    What happens when one little girl refuses to brush her long, beautiful hair? Well, one day a mouse comes to live in a particularly tangled lock. Soon after, more mice move in, and the girl's unruly mop is transformed into a marvelous mouse palace complete with secret passageways and a cheese cellar! She loves her new companions—they tell knock-knock jokes and are sweet to her doll, Baby—but as the girl comes to find out, living with more than a hundred mice atop your head isn't always easy. . . . Here's an fantastic tale that will have kids poring over the mice's elaborate world within the girl's wild, ever-changing hairdo.

Augustus and His Smile


Catherine Rayner - 2001
    And he had lost his smile. So he did a huge tigery stretch and set off to find it. Stunning illustrations celebrate the beauty of the world and the simple happiness it brings us when we open our eyes to it. An imaginative book for children who love to explore the world around them.