What Grew in Larry's Garden


Laura Alary - 2020
    In his tiny backyard next door to hers, Larry grows the most extraordinary vegetables. Grace loves helping him - watering and weeding, planting and pruning, hoeing and harvesting. And whenever there's a problem - like bugs burrowing into the carrots or slugs chewing the lettuce - Grace and Larry solve it together. Grace soon learns that Larry has big plans for the vegetables in his special garden. And when that garden faces its biggest problem yet, Grace follows Larry's example to find the perfect solution.Inspired by a real person, author Laura Alary has written a heartwarming story about how amazing things can grow when you tend your garden with kindness. In this case, Larry, a teacher, is helping to grow community. He has his students grow tomato plants that they then give away to their neighbors with personal notes. It offers a powerful lesson on the influence of generosity, while encouraging young children to become community activists in their own neighborhoods. This uplifting story fosters an appreciation for neighborhood and community at a time when that sentiment seems to be eroding. The book also contains an environmental message about harvesting your own vegetables and, with Kass Reich's colorful illustrations, works beautifully for a life science exploration of growth and changes in plants. There are character education connections to caring, cooperation, empathy, kindness, perseverance and teamwork.

The Sandwich Thief


André Marois - 2014
    One morning, someone dares to steal his favorite sandwich: ham-cheddar-kale. Furious, Marin begins a fevered and famished investigation to unmask the thief. The days go by, the suspects multiply, and Marin's sandwiches continue to disappear. This droll, graphic caper is a funny school mystery exploring the high stakes of low blood sugar. The first in a series, the book's witty text and graphic illustrations make this funny school mystery perfect for early and advanced readers alike—and for anyone who's been the victim of lunchtime crime.André Marois writes crime novels for adults and detective stories for children, in addition to running workshops in schools and regularly contributing to journals and magazines. He lives in Montréal, Canada.Patrick Doyon is an Academy Award nominated director and a book and magazine illustrator. The Sandwich Thief is his first book. He lives in Montréal, Canada.

Too Many Carrots


Katy Hudson - 2016
    When he tries to move in with friends, more chaos ensues. Will Rabbit learn to change his selfish ways?

Daft Bat


Jeanne Willis - 2006
    How can she say a tree has the trunk at the top and the leaves at the bottom? Until, that is, they consult wise Owl who suggests that if they just try looking at things from Bat's point of view, they might see thing very differently.

That Fruit Is Mine!


Anuska Allepuz - 2018
    When five fruit-loving elephants spot a scrumptious hard-to-reach fruit high up in a tree, it's a race to see who can claim it first! But after one too many fumbles, the elephants begin to lose their cool, and the highly coveted fruit is whisked away by the teeny-tiniest of all jungle creatures—mice! The elephants soon realize they have a lot to learn from this cooperative little bunch.

Captain Small Pig


Martin Waddell - 2009
    "I'm Captain Commander!" Small Pig said. "Aye aye, Captain Small Pig!" yawned Old Goat. "You are in charge of this boat!" But Small Pig soon tires of rowing and falls asleep. Before they know it, the boat is drifting across the lake, and grumpy Turkey is in for a soaking!Martin Waddell's quirky tale, coupled with Susan Varley's evocative illustrations, makes for a gentle bedtime story filled with quiet adventure.

The Runaway Dinner


Allan Ahlberg - 2006
    Will the famished boy ever catch them? And what (gulp) happens to Melvin if he does? Allan Ahlberg is in his element with this fast and funny tale, while Bruce Ingman's kid-friendly illustrations add visual comedy to the chase.

Mini Rabbit Not Lost (Mini Rabbit)


John Bond - 2018
    A deliciously funny debut from a major new talent!MiniRabbit is making a cake.Cake, cake, cake!But he’s run out of berries.No berries, no cake.No cake? No way!So off he goes to look for some…He’s not cold, not too small.And, no, no, definitely NOT LOST…or is he?

Steve, Raised by Wolves


Jared Chapman - 2015
    After all, wolves are great at HOWLING in class, SHREDDING homework, and POUNCING on new friends! But Steve's classmates are not happy. Why can't he behave like everyone else? When the classroom pet goes missing, it's up to Steve to save the day--by showing everyone what wolves do best.

Moomin's Lift-The-Flap Hide and Seek


Tove Jansson - 2010
    Along the way, they will meet Moomintroll's family and many friends. The funny names--from Snufkin to Fillyjonk--beg to be sounded out and repeated again and again.Based on characters and artwork created by Tove Jansson, whose original Moomin books have been translated from the original Swedish into more than thirty languages.

Hello, Door


Alastair Heim - 2018
    He collects fine art and jewelry, practices his golf swing, and devours a tasty snack along the way. But just when he thinks he’s in the clear to leave with all the goods, the owners of the house—a mama bear, papa bear, and baby bear—come home. They chase him through the house, and when the mama bear catches him, she promptly throws him out. But she throws him so far that he ends up in a much nicer neighborhood—in front of a mansion, in fact—where he can begin his mischievous adventure again!

Bullfrog Pops!


Rick Walton - 1999
    . . (coach) and finding his hop in Once There was a Bull . . . (frog), our hero is now on an eye-popping eating binge trying to cure his insatiable appetite. Woven through the western town of Ravenous Gulch, the story leaves a cast of many hopping mad. However, just as things look bleak, transitive and intransitive verbs turn the tables and take Bullfrog on another adventure. Part of Rick Walton's tremendously successful Language Arts series.

A Christmas Sweater for Nina


Cecilia Heikkilä - 2016
    She lives in the middle of a big city in a house made of cardboard. When it gets cold, Nina puts on her warm, woolly, red sweater. But one day when she's out for a walk, the sweater starts unraveling. Without her sweater, the windy winter weather is unbearably hard! Nina follows the yarn as it winds through alleys, up walls, and over rooftops and towers. Luckily for her, this race ends in an unexpected place, where Nina receives her first Christmas present.

Horton and the Kwuggerbug and more Lost Stories


Dr. Seuss - 2014
    Seuss!  A new Dr. Seuss book! This follow-up to The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories features familiar Seussian faces and places—including Horton the Elephant, Marco, Mulberry Street, and a Grinch—as well as an introduction by renowned Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen. Seuss fans will learn more about Horton’s integrity, Marco’s amazing imagination, a narrowly avoided disaster on Mullbery Street, and a devious Grinch. With a color palette enhanced beyond that of the magazines in which the stories originally appeared, this new volume of “lost” tales is a perfect gift for young readers and a must-have for Seuss collectors of all ages!

This Is a Taco!


Andrew Cangelose - 2018
    . . "Hey, I may be a squirrel, but my name is Taco! And I don't eat nuts and tree bark—blech—I prefer tacos!" The natural predator of squirrels is . . . "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who is writing this book? I do not like where this is going." This hilarious send-up of a children's nature primer teaches kids that the most important story is the one you write yourself.