Book picks similar to
Pop Pop and Me and a Recipe by Irene Smalls


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A Pattern for Pepper


Julie Kraulis - 2017
    It's the first dress that has ever been made just for her, and she wants it to be perfect. But what pattern is right for her? Pepper is particular, and nothing works at first. Dotted Swiss? Too plain. Houndstooth? Not enough color. Pinstripe? Too glum. As Pepper learns about each fabric, she finds a reason why it's just not the one. Will Pepper ever be able to find the perfect pattern? Julie Kraulis takes readers on a journey through gorgeous patterns and their origins--from the mountains of Switzerland to the green grass of Scotland--in search of Pepper's ideal pattern. The incredible illustrations make for a dress, a character and a book that are impossible to forget.

Robert and the World's Best Cake


Anne-Kathrin Behl - 2021
    Robert wants to bake a gigantic cake—the best in the world! But when Robert’s freshly created invitations blow out the window, Robert, his dad, and Mopsi the dog get an even bigger surprise. Just when they sit down to eat the cake, the doorbell rings again, and again, and again! With humor and a keen sense of the absurd, Anne-Kathrin Behl tells a delightful story about the big and little wonders of everyday life. Praise for Help, I Don’t Want a Babysitter, illustrated by Anne-Kathrin Behl: “The pencil drawing illustrations . . . [are] hilarious . . . and complement the text perfectly.”—School Library Journal

Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar?


George Shannon - 2013
    But how does it get in there in the first place? It’s more complicated than you might think. Someone has to milk the cow, grow the wheat, harvest the sugar cane—everyone has a special job to do to make that cookie possible.George Shannon and Julie Paschkis take us on a delicious cookie journey, showing how many hands work together so that one hand can take the cookie out—and so that you can take a huge yummy bite!

Rosa Parks


Lisbeth Kaiser - 2017
    All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.Rosa Parks grew up during segregation in Alabama, but she was taught to respect herself and stand up for her rights. In 1955, Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.Her decision had a huge impact on civil rights, eventually leading to the end of segregation on public transport. Rosa was described as “the mother of the freedom movement”. This inspiring story of Rosa’s life is moving, and approachable for young readers.

Momma, Where Are You From?


Marie Bradby - 2000
    Her mother's reply is filled with rich details as she recounts memories from her childhood. She recalls the cries of the ragman looking to buy worn-out clothes, the tunes of Ellington and Basie, and of the warm family gatherings that took place every Friday night.

Grandma Z


Daniel Gray-Barnett - 2018
    Life may never be the same again!This glorious debut from Daniel Gray-Barnett is filled with wonder, imagination, and a wild, magical spirit that will thrill young and old.

I Don't Like to Eat Ants


J.T.K. Belle - 2019
    He'll try anything else - a grilled cheese sandwich, a cinnamon bun, or a chocolate cake - but he's eaten his last ant. Anteater Two only wants ants to eat. And so they enter into a lively debate about the best food for an anteater, until (at the urging of two very relieved ants) they finally agree to go together to Anteater Three's Peanut Butter & Jelly Deli to try something new - a world-famous peanut butter-&-jelly sandwich. Sabine Mielke's beautiful, stylized illustrations accompany JTK Belle's rhyming, laugh-out-loud text, in this charming, relatable, story. A perfect read-aloud for picky-eaters and adventurous eaters alike.

Mama Loves You Always


Lindsey Coker Luckey - 2020
    Take your child on a journey about a mother’s love in this sweet, touching children’s picture book filled with beautiful watercolor illustrations and warm and engaging rhymes that speak to the power of a mother’s love and explain to children in terms that they understand just how immense that love is.Written for children of any age, this beautifully illustrated book will inspire, comfort, and make a young heart sing with joy and love.

Carpenter's Helper


Sybil Rosen - 2021
    Renata and her Papi are hard at work at renovating their bathroom. Renata can't wait to build castles of bubbles in the deep, old-fashioned bathtub. But one morning, she finds dried leaves and pine needles heaped on a shelf in the corner. How did they get there? She soon realizes that a bird has built a nest on the shelf, and inside it are four rosy eggs! Weeks pass, and Renata watches as the wrens come and go, building a home in her bathroom... until, one day, with a little help from Renata, the birds are ready to fly.

A Girl Like You


Frank Murphy - 2020
    In an age when girls can be whatever they want, this books reminds them of all the ways to be beautiful, brilliant, and uniquely themselves.

The Magician's Secret


Zachary Hyman - 2018
    Grandpa was a magician who knows the most amazing tricks; he can pull a rabbit from a hat and make a coin disappear. But what Charlie loves most are his wonderful adventure stories, and they all begin with something his grandfather has saved in his Magic Story Chest. An hourglass is a reminder of how he defended the treasure in King Tut's tomb from raiders. A long white scarf inspires the story about Grandpa's dogfight with the notorious Red Baron, the great First World War fighter pilot. A coconut shell heralds the story about his encounter with a nasty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Charlie's parents, though, aren't too sure they like Grandpa's stories and warn Charlie that they're just "tall tales." What is Charlie to believe? How can his grandpa convince him that all you need to do is believe and a dream can be turned into something real?

Good Night, Sleep Tight


Esther Van Den Berg - 2020
    

Goodnight Soccer


Michael Dahl - 2018
    From the opening kickoff to the final goal, a young girl says goodnight to her most beloved sport: soccer. With delightful, rhyming text and energetic art, acclaimed author Michael Dahl (Goodnight Baseball, Goodnight Football, Goodnight Hockey), along with illustrator Christina E. Forshay, captures the thrill and excitement of the world's most popular sport. This Sports Illustrated Kids picture book will have soccer fans young and old cheering for bedtime!

Eat, Leo! Eat!


Caroline Adderson - 2015
    "I'm not hungry," he insists. Not hungry? Hmm. Clever Nonna gets an idea. She'll use a story to lure Leo to her table. And since the pasta in her soup, called stelline (little stars), is woven into the story about a boy who journeys to his grandmother's at night, it works. But again on the following Sunday, Leo doesn't want to eat. So Nonna expands her story, this time adding some chiancaredde (paving stones), the name of the pasta she's serving that day, to create a path for her character to follow. Now Leo's hooked. So much that he begins to badger Nonna every Sunday to reveal more pasta-based details of the story. And week by week, as Leo's relatives crowd around listening to Nonna and teasing Leo to get him to mangia (eat), he slowly comes to realize just how happy he is to have a place at this table. In this heartwarming picture book, award-winning author Caroline Adderson beautifully captures the love and tenderness Leo feels from his grandmother and the rest of his close-knit family through lively, true-to-life dialogue. The playful, detailed artwork by Jos?e Bisaillon helps bring all of them to life. This book offers a perfect framework for lessons exploring the heritage, customs and relationships of families. The unique story-within-a-story concept, along with the idea that Nonna's tale is being told cumulatively, could easily launch a storytelling assignment. Additionally, the section on pasta and the list of Italian vocabulary words make a great introduction to foreign cultures through food and language.

Anna at the Art Museum


Hazel Hutchins - 2018
    Everything is old and boring and there are so many rules: Don’t Touch! Do Not Enter! Quiet! A vigilant guard keeps a close eye on the energetic little girl, but even so, Anna manages to set off an alarm and almost tip over a vase.A half-open door draws Anna’s attention, but the No Entry sign means yet again that it’s off-limits. This time, however, the guard surprises her by inviting her to go in. Here she finds a “secret workshop” where paintings are being cleaned and repaired. Staring out from one of the canvases is a girl who looks grumpy and bored—just like Anna herself. With the realization that art often imitates life, Anna discovers the sheer joy to be had from the paintings on the wall, especially those that reflect what is happening all around her.Filled with representations of paintings from many world-class galleries, this charming book is the perfect prelude to a child’s first visit to an art museum.