My Friend Maggie


Hannah E. Harrison - 2016
    Paula thinks Maggie is the best—until mean girl Veronica says otherwise. Suddenly, Paula starts to notice that Maggie is big and clumsy, and her clothes are sort of snuggish. Rather than sticking up for Maggie, Paula ignores her old friend and plays with Veronica instead. Luckily, when Veronica turns on Paula, Maggie’s true colors shine through.      This moving friendship story has all the heart and emotion of The Giving Tree and Kevin Henkes's Chrysanthemum. The gorgeous artwork and important message make this a book to treasure. It’s truly a classic in the making.

Sam the Minuteman


Nathaniel Benchley - 1969
    Arnold Lobel's vivid pictures give a poignant reality to the famous battle that marked the beginning of the American Revolution.This is historical fiction that pulls in young readers in first and second grade, even reluctant readers. Great for home or classroom units on and discussions about colonial America and the start of the American Revolution."Benchley's expressive words and Lobel's vivid drawings portray a realistic story," Publishers Weekly wrote.Father and son rushed to the village green. Other Minutemen were already there. Through the long night they waited and waited. Then, at dawn, the soldiers came!

Ninja Boy Goes to School


N.D. Wilson - 2014
    D. Wilson, bestselling author of the 100 Cupboards series, comes this funny and adventurous picture-book debut. It’s time for kindergarten, and a young boy is prepared for the task, thanks to his unflinching ninja skills. The challenges of school are no match for a ninja, with his quick reflexes and immense patience. Featuring colorful and dynamic illustrations by J. J. Harrison, Ninja Boy Goes to School will have all little ninjas eager to learn how to balance like flamingos and gain the strength of gorillas (but without having to smell like one). Perfect for energetic free-spirits of all ages!Winner of the 2015 Children's Choice Award! "Vibrant, cartoonish illustrations . . ." - Booklist"Lots of fun details and BAM! POW! kid-appeal." - School Library Journal"Any kid who’s longed for a break in the school day to work out some energy and frustration will cheer Ninja Boy’s mission . . ." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Can a Cat Do That?/Ready-to-Read Ready-to-Go!


Eric Carle - 2018
    Can a cat do that? Find out in this Ready-to-Go! Ready-to-Read filled with Eric Carle’s iconic art style. Perfect for kids at the beginning of their reading journeys, Can a Cat Do That? was written for children who have learned the alphabet and are ready to start reading! And what better way to get kids excited than with a fun story with words they can actually read by the one and only Eric Carle? Each Ready-to-Go! Ready-to-Read includes a note to parents explaining what their child can expect, a guide at the beginning for readers to become familiar with the words they will encounter in the story, and reading comprehension questions at the end. Each Ready-to-Go! story contains about 100 words and features sight words, rhyming words, and repetition to help children reinforce their new reading skills. In this book, readers will learn twelve sight words and four words from two word families.

Fox Is Late


Corey R. Tabor - 2018
    Go, Fox, go!What is this winning trickster character doing, zooming over and under and around on his skateboard? His animal friends follow him home to find out—and get a big surprise!Fox Is Late is a My First I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for shared reading with a child. Other Fox books include: Fox the Tiger, Fox and the Jumping Contest, and Fox and the Bike Ride.

Babar's Museum of Art


Laurent de Brunhoff - 2003
    Babar and Celeste turn the Celesteville train station into a museum filled with elephant art inspired by master painters.

Dance, Dance, Dance!: A Horse and Buggy Tale


Ethan Long - 2018
    When Buggy sees Horse dancing, he asks, "What are you doing?" "I am dancing," Horse replies. "I am the best dancer. I have the best dances!" "You are not dancing. You are just moving around." Can Horse convince the reluctant Buggy to lighten up and join in? YES! In this side-splitting story about friendship, Horse and Buggy learn that doing something together makes it twice as fun.I Like to Read(R) Books for Beginning Readers- More than 70 fun-to-read books for new readers- Guided reading levels A through G, based upon Fountas and Pinnell standards- Award-winning easy reader series, created by acclaimed author-illustrators including winners of Caldecott, Theodor Seuss Geisel, and Coretta Scott King honors- Levels A though D for kindergarten readers; levels D through G for early first grade readers.

Ballet Stars


Joan Holub - 2012
    It's a natural for young readers who are learning ballet or aspire to take ballet classes.

The Hat


Jan Brett - 1997
    When Lisa's red-and-white woolen stocking blows off the clothesline, Hedgie finds it and sticks his nose inside, only to discover his prickles prevent him from pulling out of it. Soon all the farm animals are coming around to chuckle at silly Hedgie's stocking cap. But in the end, nimble-witted Hedgie gets the last laugh. Now young fans of this glorious Scandinavian picture book can curl up with the illustrious Hedgie, himself! This fluffy 5-inch fellow, with long, lush, decidedly unprickly fur, sports the very sock--uh, hat--that got him in trouble. A soft body and cheerful smile guarantee many friends for this huggable guy. Packaged with the only available board book version of the award-winning The Hat, this delightful book and sweet plush toy set make a perfect gift any time of year! (Ages 3 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Little Ducks Go


Emily Arnold McCully - 2014
    Following their mother down the street, the baby ducklings are swept up in a gush of water and washed down a storm drain. Quack! says their mother. Cheep cheep! call the babies.Sailing through the sewer pipes, the little ducks go, as mother duck chases them from drain to drain, trying to keep them calm. When her quacks attract the attention of a kind-hearted man, the little ducks are rescued!With warm, nostalgic watercolor paintings, Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully takes readers on a journey, chasing the little ducklings and their mother through the streets of a small town and a busier city. Perfect for young readers, this is a satisfying story of accidental adventure-- with a happy ending.A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year!The award-winning I Like to Read(R) series focuses on guided reading levels A through G, based upon Fountas and Pinnell standards. Acclaimed author-illustrators--including winners of Caldecott, Theodor Seuss Geisel, and Coretta Scott King honors--create original, high quality illustrations that support comprehension of simple text and are fun for kids to read with parents, teachers, or on their own!For readers who've mastered basic sight words already, Level C books feature slightly longer sentences, suitable for mid-to-late kindergarten readers, and introduce a wider range of high-frequency vocabulary words. Move onto Level D once you've mastered them!

Amelia Bedelia: By the Yard


Herman Parish - 2016
    When one neighbor wishes she could buy the flowers, Amelia Bedelia fetches a shovel to dig some up. After all, a yard will always grow back!The Amelia Bedelia books are great for growing the vocabularies of newly independent readers. Amelia Bedelia by the Yard is a Level 1 I Can Read book, perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. More than 35 million Amelia Bedelia books sold since 1963!

Poop! There it is!


Xavier Finkley - 2012
    Shed a little humor on the subject by reading your child "Poop! There it is!".  Kids will giggle and laugh along with this silly book while learning the basics of potty training.

There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight


Penny Parker Klostermann - 2015
    Now meet the old dragon who swallows pretty much an entire kingdom! Will he ever learn a little moderation?! This rollicking rhyme is full to bursting with sight gags, silly characters, and plenty of burps! Parents and kids alike will delight in Ben Mantle’s precisely funny illustrations and in Penny Parker Klostermann’s wacky rhymes.In days of yore, before a certain fly's ultimately fatal encounter with an Old Lady, there was an old dragon who felt rather peckish. "There was an old dragon who swallowed a knight. / I don't know why he swallowed the knight // It's not polite!" He follows the knight with the knight's steed ("that galloped around at a terrible speed"). Then a squire, a cook, a lady, a castle, and finally a moat are each swallowed in turn. But…"With all of that water, he started to bloat. / And that's when the dragon roared, and I quote: / ‘Okay, enough! I've had enough— / More than enough of this swallowing stuff!' " So realizing that eating all those things might have been "a tad impolite," the old dragon burps them all out in reverse except the knight (which is "ahhh…just right"). Klostermann's debut is a rollicking and warped Medieval take on the well-worn cumulative rhyme. Prolific British animator and illustrator Mantle's expressive and bright cartoon illustrations of the red, horned dragon (and the contents of his stomach) are a perfect match. The antics within the dragon's stomach—every image of the steed is accompanied by a little "clippity, clippity, clippity, clop" in teeny type—and his copious burping will leave 'em laughing. No matter how many swallowed-fly titles you own, this one belongs on your shelf too. KIrkus, May 1,2015

Nini Here and There


Anita Lobel - 2007
    She loves her comfortable windowsill perch in her sunny home in the city. But the clues are clear: Nini's people are going away. Will they take her? Or will they leave her? And if they take her (and, oh, she hopes they do), will she like wherever it is they are going? Will it feel like home? Anita Lobel's masterful picture book is for anyone who adores cats and for anyone who has ever moved to a new place. But most of all, it is for anyone who loves coming home.

The Big Trip


Valeri Gorbachev - 2004
    What could be more fun than a big trip?  Pig can't wait to go, but Goat is worried.  How will Pig get there?  Bicycles are unsteady, horses can throw you off.  Cars can break down and trains get stuck in tunnels.  A trip can be no vacation at all...but leave it to Pig to send Goat's worries packing and turn tricky travel into smooth sailing!Valeri Gorbachev has brought his comic characters from Where is the Apple Pie? and One Rainy Day to another neighborly story of fun and friendship.