Pirates Love Underpants


Claire Freedman - 2012
    This laugh-out-loud Underpants adventure is full of pirates, sharks, and treasure. You’ll be yo-ho-ho-ing with hilarity until the pirates conclude their zany expedition!

We Became Jaguars


Dave Eggers - 2021
    After a day of playing, running, and climbing through sumptuous landscapes, the ending will leave you wondering what's real and what's imagined.

The Bus Ride


Marianne Dubuc - 2014
    Mom packed me a snack -- and had me bring my sweater in case I get cold." But Mom likely didn't imagine the adventure her little girl would have as she rides to her grandmother's house in this sweet picture book. While the bus is taking her down the streets, through a forest and into a pitch-black tunnel, the little girl encounters an assortment of animal characters who enliven her journey, including a goat who offers her a flower from a bouquet, a wolf child with whom she happily shares her cookies and a fox who attempts to pickpocket a bear. Adding to the fun are lots of running visual gags, such as the changing headlines on the newspaper that hides one passenger's face, a sleeping sloth who mysteriously appears in different seats without ever having woken up and a nervous-looking turtle whose head and arms pop in and out of its shell. The interior of the bus covers each two-page spread, and award-winning author-illustrator Marianne Dubuc uses subtle colors and tiny details to draw in youngsters to the activity happening there. This book offers a potentially multilayered classroom reading experience: there is the terrific main story of the girl's trip, but there are also any number of mini stories playing out at the same time with each of the other characters. It would work beautifully as a jumping-off point for children to do some imaginary storytelling of their own.

The Magician's Hat


Malcolm Mitchell - 2015
    Instead, David knows the magical power of books, which can explore dreams and develop creativity. Bring your imagination and look inside The Magician's Hat

Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon


Patty Lovell - 2012
    Molly Lou heard all about how her grandma didn't have fancy store-bought toys when she was little. She made dolls out of twigs and flowers and created her own fun in her backyard. So Molly Lou does just that, proving that the best thing to play with is a huge imagination!

Round


Joyce Sidman - 2017
    If you look closely, you will find that the world is bursting, swelling, budding, and ripening with round things awaiting discovery—like eggs about to hatch, sunflowers stretching toward the sun, or planets slowly spinning together for billions of years.Whimsical and imaginative, this poetic ode to all that is round and full of wonder by the Newbery Honor–winning author and poet Joyce Sidman, with illustrations by the two-time New York Best Illustrated Book award recipient Taeeun Yoo, inspires curiosity and wonder for this (round) little earth we call home.

Sebastian and the Balloon


Philip C. Stead - 2014
    When he launched himself into the air in his balloon made of Grandma's afghans and patchwork quilts, his journey took on a life of its own and his boring day turned into the adventure of a lifetime. From award-winning author/illustrator Philip C. Stead, comes another timeless adventure with his trademark whimsical illustrations and an unwavering spirit.A Neal Porter Book

Power Up


Seth Fishman - 2019
    Did you know there is enough energy in your pinkie finger to power an entire city? And that everything you do--running, jumping, playing, and exploring--uses that same energy inside of you?In the companion to A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars, Seth Fishman and Isabel Greenberg explore the relationship between energy and the human body, breaking down complicated concepts into small, child-friendly segments.

Sarabella's Thinking Cap


Judy Schachner - 2017
    There is so much going on in her head that it can barely be contained. But there are times when daydreaming is decidedly not a good thing—like when you’re supposed to be doing multiplication tables. Luckily, Sarabella has an understanding teacher and with his encouragement She comes up with her own idea to show everyone who she is.

Secret Tree Fort


Brianne Farley - 2016
    What will it take to get the older sister to look up? The promise of a water-balloon launcher in case of attack? A trapdoor to stargaze through? A crow’s nest from which to see how many whales pass by or to watch for pirates? Or the best part of all, which can’t be revealed, because it’s a secret?

If You Were the Moon


Laura Purdie Salas - 2017
    If you were the moon, what would you do? You'd spin like a twilight ballerina and play dodgeball with space rocks! And more.

How This Book Was Made


Mac Barnett - 2016
    Sure, the author wrote many drafts, and the illustrator took a long time creating the art, but then what? How'd it get into your hands? Well, open the cover and read through these pages to find out. Just beware of the pirates and angry tiger.New York Times best-selling creators Mac Barnett and Adam Rex reveal the nitty gritty process of making a book . . . with a few unexpected twists along the way! Budding writers and artists will laugh at the mix of reality and the absurd as the story makes its way to a shelf, and a reader.

Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book


Alice Kuipers - 2014
    Thanks to Victor's brilliant ideas, Violet is able to save the day (and the library).

City Cat


Kate Banks - 2013
    A plucky stray cat takes a Grand Tour in Kate Banks' story of a family on a European vacation. As the family travels from one city to the next, the cat finds its own means--by bus, boat, train, truck, and bike--to tag along on the trip, visiting historic landmarks like Buckingham Palace and the Cathedral of Notre Dame along the way. Readers will pore over the spreads to find  where City Cat is hiding in each city, and detailed backmatter explains the history behind the sites in each locale.

What To Do With a Box


Jane Yolen - 2016
    It could set the scene for a fairy tale or a wild expedition. The most wonderful thing is its seemingly endless capacity for magical adventure, a feature imaginatively captured in cardboardesque art by Chris Sheban and rhythmically celebrated in this poetic tribute by renowned children's author Jane Yolen.