The Baby in the Hat


Allan Ahlberg - 2008
    Paired with André Amstutz's charming illustrations, this is a story sure to be read over and over again. And it's all true.

If I Had A Car


Ted Summerfield - 2011
    Suitable for ages 2 to 102.

Places To Be


Mac Barnett - 2017
    We have so many places to be!Places to be loud and lovely and scared and jubilant.With an elegant simplicity reminiscent of the classics, this picture book celebrates all our wide-ranging emotions.

Birdy's Smile Book


Laurie Keller - 2010
    She says you can smile while doing just about anything--brushing your teeth, taking out the garbage, or eating broccoli. Okay, maybe not while eating broccoli. Even people with bad teeth (like our first president, George Washington) should show their toothy grins because there's no such thing as a bad smile. So heed Birdy's advice and practice your smile--you'll need it while reading this book!This title has Common Core connections

The Dragon Hunters


James Russell - 2012
    So when a dragon swoops out of the sky and nabs their beloved dog, Coco, Flynn and Paddy know it's up to them to bring her home. That night, they pack their bags, make some terrible sandwiches, and set off on an epic adventure...See the map in this book come alive! Includes BONUS Dragon Brothers map in 3D for your phone or tablet! Download the free AR Reads app on your Android--or iOS--compatible smartphone or tablet to see and hear dragons fly, geysers gush, and get a glimpse of your favorite characters in action!

Ice Cream Summer


Peter Sís - 2015
    I am very busy. But don't worry, I am not forgetting about school! I read every day. I practice my math facts. And I am even studying world history!Peter Sís's delicious tongue-in-cheek vision of summer dishes up the whole scoop on everyone's favorite frozen treat, and proves that ice cream is every bit as enriching for the mind as it is for the taste buds. Readers everywhere will be begging for seconds and thirds!

Teeny Tiny Toady


Jill Esbaum - 2016
    "Mama’s stuck inside a bucket! Help me get her out!” she begs her big, clumsy brothers. “Don’t you worry, kid. We’ll save her!” they promise, bumbling and stumbling and jumbling out the door. But as the boys rush headlong to the rescue, pushing their little sister aside, it becomes clear: brawn isn't always better than brains—and the smallest of the family may just be the smartest one of all.  Written in lilting verse.

School for Bandits


Hannah Shaw - 2011
    But he doesn't act normal at all. He's disturbingly well behaved, clean and tidy, shockingly polite, and he even brushes his teeth!  Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon are worried—how will Ralph ever become a great raccoon bandit like Grandpa Cutlass or Uncle Whiskers?  It's time Ralph learned some bad manners . . . at Bandit School.Ralph has no chance of winning the "Best Bandit in School" competition—he's not very bandit-like at all. But sometimes good manners can be useful, and Ralph just might surprise everyone--including himself.

Mouse and Hippo


Mike Twohy - 2017
    Still Hippo is delighted. In return, Hippo returns the favor for his new friend in the best way he knows how. In a surprising story sure to cause giggles, picture book readers will ask for this book over and over again!

Old MacDonald had a Farm: A Sing 'N Learn Book (Baby Genius, Sing 'n Learn)


Baby Genius - 2009
    A fun way for children to learn about farm animals and the sounds they make! Old MacDonald (played by Vinko the Bear) is having a typical day on the farm: he feeds the chickens and collects their eggs as the hens “cluck-cluck;” he milks a cow as the other cows graze in the pasture and “moo-moo;” he shears the wool off a sheep as the other sheep envy the newly shorn sheep’s haircut and “baa-baa.” The only thing that’s different about this typical day on Old MacDonald’s farm is that young readers are clucking, mooing, baaing, and oinking as they sing the familiar song and learn about life on the farm and the sounds that farm animals make.

The Big Test


Julie Danneberg - 2011
    Hartwell is preparing her class to take the Big Test. Knowing they have studied and are well-prepared, she helps the students practice how to sit quietly, fill in the bubbles, and follow the directions. She even instructs them on proper morning-of-the-test nutrition. As her students grow increasingly anxious about the Big Test, Mrs. Hartwell realizes she has to teach the most valuable test-taking skill of all: learning to relax!

One Big Pair of Underwear


Laura Gehl - 2014
    But look out—here comes a pack of twenty pigs ready to prove that sharing makes everything twice as fun! This seriously silly picture book with artwork by the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site irresistibly combines the concepts of counting and sharing.

The Happy Egg


Ruth Krauss - 1949
    All it can do is be sat on. But when the time is just right: "Pop!"—out it comes. And then a little bird can do almost anything!With the same insightful simplicity of their classic The Carrot Seed, Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson celebrate the promise and confidence of little birds (and young children) everywhere.

AAAlligator!


Judith Henderson - 2020
    . . until they get to know him (and learn what he's actually hungry for!). A timely tale about empathy, acceptance and a community's response to injustice.Though he's scared at first, a boy who encounters an alligator in the woods soon realizes that all the alligator wants is companionship --- and leftovers --- and the two become good friends. But the mayor of the boy's town simply won't allow it. He even makes an official proclamation, ?NO ALLIGATORS! Blah, blah, blah.? The townspeople agree with the mayor. At first. But once they see how kind and helpful the alligator is (and how nice it is to have someone to eat all their leftovers!), they decide the alligator should be allowed to stay. They help the alligator avoid the mayor, for a while. But it's becoming harder to find a place for him to hide. Can they all come together and find a way to keep the alligator in their town?Judith Henderson's funny, whimsical and heartwarming picture book tale offers a playful way to engage children with issues of injustice and civil disobedience. In this timely story, a boy and then an entire community move beyond their fear of the ?other? and respond with acceptance; then they movingly take it a step further to make change. It highlights the positive character education attributes of empathy, kindness, caring and courage. Andrea Stegmaier's illustrations include loads of charming details that are not in the text, making them a perfect complement to the story's warm and quirky style. This is a terrific book for lessons on communities and social justice.

Claude the Dog: A Christmas Story


Dick Gackenbach - 1974
    Claude gives away all his Christmas presents to his down-and-out friend, Bummer, but receives an even better present from his young master.