Tibet: Through the Red Box


Peter Sís - 1998
    We weren't allowed to touch the box. The stories I heard as a little boy faded to a hazy dream, and my drawings from that time make no sense. I cannot decipher them. It was not until I myself had gone far, far away and received the message from my father that I became interested in the red box again . . .In New York, Peter Sis receives a letter from his father. "The Red Box is now yours," it says. The brief note worries him and pulls him back to Prague, where the contents of the red box explain the mystery of his father's long absence during the 1950s.Czechoslovakia was behind the iron curtain; Vladimir Sis, a documentary filmmaker of considerable talent, was drafted into the army and sent to China to teach filmmaking. He left his wife, daughter, and young son, Peter, thinking he would be home for Christmas. Two Christmases would pass before he was heard from again: Vladimir Sis was lost in Tibet. He met with the Dalai Lama; he witnessed China's invasion of Tibet. When he returned to Prague, he dared not talk to his friends about all he had seen and experienced. But over and over again he told Peter about his Tibetan adventures. Weaving their two stories together - that of the father lost in Tibet and that of the small boy in Prague, lost without his father - Sis draws from his father's diary and from his own recollections of his father's incredible tales to reach a spiritual homecoming between father and son. With his sublime pictures, inspired by Tibetan Buddhist art and linking history to memory, Peter Sis gives us an extraordinary book - a work of singular artistry and rare imagination. This title has Common Core connections.Tibet Through the Red Box is a 1999 Caldecott Honor Book and the winner of the 1999 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Special Citation.

The One and Only Shrek!


William Steig - 2007
    Ordinarily, that is, if a foul and hideous being who ends up marrying the most stunningly ugly princess on the surface of the planet is what you consider ordinary. SHREK! can be found in this collection of six modern picture-book classics by Steig, along with stories concerning creatures ordinary and extraordinary—from Irene, a brave and loving little girl who must battle a howling blizzard, to Spinky, a boy who is so completely annoyed by his family that he no longer has any use for the human race. Gathered together for the first time, these entertaining stories will delight fans of Steig, both old and new.

The Girl Who Spun Gold


Virginia Hamilton - 2000
    A tiny creature comes to save her under the condition that she has three chances to guess his name right.West Indian

Another Monster at the End of This Book


Jon Stone - 1996
    In this sequel, furry old Grover is still fearful of monsters--and he learns that there's another one at the end of this book! Just who is the monster at the end of this book?

In Plain Sight


Richard Jackson - 2016
    Every day after school, it's Grandpa whom Sophie runs to."Here I am, Grandpa!""Ah, Sophie, how was your day?"As Sophie and her grandpa talk, he asks her to find items he's "lost" throughout the day, guiding Sophie on a tour through his daily life and connecting their generations in this sweet, playful picture book illustrated by Caldecott Medalist and Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner Jerry Pinkney.

Abiyoyo


Pete Seeger - 1963
    The tale of how a father with his magic wand and a boy with his music triumph over the giant Abiyoyo is based on a South African lullaby and folk story.

I Love You Through Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall


Junia Wonders - 2020
    A beautiful reminder to return to again and again for the cherished occasion of simply being loved.Praise for I Love You Through Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall:“With endearing rhymes and breathtaking illustrations of adorable animal families, this heartwarming read celebrates the affection parents have for their children—an unconditional love that grows throughout all seasons of life!” –BookBub“More evolved than your average children’s storybook, Junia Wonders has written a simple yet elegant poem that guides young readers through the passage of time. […] With staggeringly beautiful artwork and an easy, purposefully repetitive theme, I Love You Through Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall makes the perfect gift, bedtime story or opportunity to express your love for your child.” –Morgan Justice, Indies Today“A perfect book for young children, I Love You Through Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall is a must-read with the most vibrant and detailed illustrations. […] This would be a great story to read together as a family. […] It is such an amazing book that children are sure to love!” –Rylanne Burdette, Readers’ Favorite

Family Trip


Scholastic Inc. - 2018
    They pack their bags, fly on an airplane, meet a new friend, and even learn how pizza is made! But what will happen when Peppa keeps leaving her teddy bear behind everywhere they go? Find out in this storybook based on the hit Nick Jr. TV show -- including two exclusive Peppa Pig postcards, perfect for Peppa fans to send while on their own family trips!

The Airport Book


Lisa Brown - 2016
    From checking bags and watching them disappear on the mysterious conveyor belt, to security clearance and a seemingly endless wait at the gate to finally being airborne.But wait! There's more! The youngest family member's sock monkey has gone missing. Follow it at the bottom of the page as it makes a journey as memorable as that of the humans above.

Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli


Kyo Maclear - 2018
    Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is the enchanting story for young readers of how a young girl used her imagination and emerged from plain to extraordinary.As a young girl in Rome, Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) felt “brutta” (ugly) and searched all around her for beauty. Seeing the colors of Rome’s flower market one day, young Elsa tried to plant seeds in her ears and nose, hoping to blossom like a flower. All she got was sick, but from that moment, she discovered her own wild imagination.In the 1920 and '30s, influenced by her friends in the surrealist art movement, Schiaparelli created a vast collection of unique fashion designs—hats shaped like shoes, a dress adorned with lobsters, gloves with fingernails, a dress with drawers and so many more. She mixed her own bold colors and invented her own signature shades, including shocking pink.Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a stunning and sophisticated picture book biography that follows Schiaparelli’s life from birth and childhood to height of success.Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad (creators of Julia, Child) have gorgeously interpreted Schiaparelli’s life. Maclear tells a lyrical story with moments both poignant and humorous and Morstad’s elegant imagery saturates the pages with Schiaparelli-inspired shapes and colors.Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.

Swamp Angel


Anne Isaacs - 1994
    She single-handedly defeats the fearsome bear known as Thundering Tarnation, wrestling him from the top of the Great Smoky Mountains to the bottom of a deep lake. Caldecott Medal-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky's stunning folk-art paintings are the perfect match for the irony, exaggeration, and sheer good humor of this original tall tale set on the American frontier.A Caldecott Honor BookAn ALA Notable BookA Time magazine Best Book of the YearA New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the YearWinner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book AwardA Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

A Different Pond


Bao Phi - 2017
    Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.

Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book


Laura Krauss Melmed - 2010
    From traditional holiday foods to the story of the Maccabees, they capture the warm sights, sounds, and tastes of this wintertime festival.

The Duchess of Whimsy


Randall de Sève - 2009
    The Duchess of Whimsy is fancy and fussy—and definitely not ordinary—surrounding herself with wild friends, fabulous foods, and fancy dress. The Earl of Norm (ho hum) is completely ordinary, but he adores the Duchess. She ignores him, until the chef gets sick, and her friends have to make a super supper—which includes tracking down truffles, spinning sugar stars, and looking for quail eggs.But the Earl is hungry! He sneaks off to an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich—and suddenly takes the Duchess’s eye. Maybe there’s something to simplicity after all. Maybe there’s something to the Earl after all . . .This deliciously told and illustrated love story by the remarkable de Sèves shows how utterly charming and extraordinary a picture book can be.

The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival


Christina Matula - 2018
    Their favorite part? Mooncakes, of course--along with Ah-ma's story of the ancient Chinese tale of Hou Yi, a brave young archer, and his wife, Chang'E. A long, long time ago, Hou Yi rescued the earth from the heat of ten suns. The Immortals rewarded him with a magic potion that could let him live in the sky with them forever. But when a thief tries to steal the potion, what will Chang'E do to keep it out of dangerous hands? The sisters are mesmerized by Ah-ma's retelling and the fact that the very mooncakes they enjoy each holiday are a symbol of this legend's bravest soul.