Book picks similar to
John Coltrane's Giant Steps by Chris Raschka
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picturebooks
The Pout-Pout Fish
Deborah Diesen - 2008
Fish swims aboutWith his fish face stuckIn a permanent pout.Can his pals cheer him up?Will his pout ever end?Is there something he can learnFrom an unexpected friend?Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.The Pout-Pout Fish is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Two Bad Ants
Chris Van Allsburg - 1988
Falling into a sizzling cup of coffee and a heated stay inside of a toaster is just the beginning for these misbehaved ants.Will they ever make it back home?Chris Van Allsburg's terrific story about the consequences of disobeying reminds us all that the comforts of home aren't so bad after all.
John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J. R. R. Tolkien
Caroline McAlister - 2017
R. R. Tolkien.John Ronald loved dragons. He liked to imagine dragons when he was alone, and with his friends, and especially when life got hard or sad. After his mother died and he had to live with a cold-hearted aunt, he looked for dragons. He searched for them at his boarding school. And when he fought in a Great War, he felt as if terrible, destructive dragons were everywhere. But he never actually found one, until one day, when he was a grown man but still very much a boy at heart, when he decided to create one of his own. John Ronald's Dragons, a picture book biography by Caroline McAlister and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, introduces the beloved creator of Middle Earth and author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to a new generation of children who see magic in the world around them.
Dragons Love Tacos
Adam Rubin - 2012
They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.
Go Away, Big Green Monster!
Ed Emberley - 1992
As kids turn the die-cut pages of this vibrantly illustrated book, they'll watch the Big Green Monster grow before their very eyes. Then, when they're ready to show him who's in charge, they'll turn the remaining pages and watch him disappear!Ed Emberley's groundbreaking book about mastering fear and emotion through play and imagination has been a bestselling favorite for decades and feels as fresh and innovative today as it did 25 years ago.
The Jazz Fly
Matthew Gollub - 2000
The book includes an audio CD, and FREE AUDIO DOWNLOAD, featuring Gollub's MUST HEAR narration set to a jazz quartet. The fly, who speaks jazz, asks different critters which way to town. "Rrribit," replies the frog. "Oink," says the hog. Although baffled, the fly hears music in their words, and that evening he uses the animal sounds to set the insect dinner club a hoppin.' The computer enhanced artwork of Karen Hanke perfectly complements the text and CD. Get ready to tap, snap, and swing to the beat as Nancy the Gnat, Willie the Worm, and Sammy the Centipede take the stage. Here's a combination of storytelling, visual art, and music for children to savor time and again. Performed by professionals and by children on three continents! Other honors include: Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book Award Winner, Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children•California Department of Education Suggested Reading•San Francisco Chronicle Editors' Picks, performed by Classics for Kids and by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Jazz Quartet.
The Composer Is Dead
Lemony Snicket - 2009
Where exactly were the violins on the night in question? Did anyone see the harp? Is the trumpet protesting a bit too boisterously?In this perplexing murder mystery, everyone seems to have a motive, everyone has an alibi, and nearly everyone is a musical instrument. But the composer is still dead.Perhaps you can solve the crime yourself. Join the Inspector as he interrogates all the unusual suspects. Then listen to the accompanying audio recording featuring Lemony Snicket and the music of Nathaniel Stookey performed by the San Francisco Symphony. Hear for yourself exactly what took place on that fateful, well-orchestrated evening.
I'm Dirty!
Kate McMullan - 2006
Now a streaming animated series!This construction vehicle with an attitude loves every second of his dirty job!For fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train comes a noisy addition to the hilarious read-aloud series from Kate and Jim McMullan, the popular creators of I'm Bad! and I Stink!Clank! Rattle! Bang!Who's making all that noise?Backhoe Loader, reporting for duty.
Windows
Julia Denos - 2017
Anything can happen on such a walk: you might pass a cat, or a friend, or even an early raccoon. And as you go down your street and around the corner, the windows around you light up one by one until you are walking through a maze of paper lanterns, each one granting you a brief, glowing snapshot of your neighbors as families come together and folks settle in for the night. With a setting that feels both specific and universal and a story full of homages to The Snowy Day, Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale have created a singular book — at once about the idea of home and the magic of curiosity, but also about how a sense of safety and belonging is something to which every child is entitled.
Lost in the Library
Josh Funk - 2018
The city is about to awake, and the lions absolutely must be in their places before the sun rises. Now, Fortitude must abandon his own post to find his best friend in the Library’s labyrinthine halls.
Outside In
Deborah Underwood - 2020
The most generous friend. The most miraculous inventor. Our connection with nature is not so easily obscured by lives spent indoors.
Tomás and the Library Lady
Pat Mora - 1997
Colon's beautiful scratchboard illustrations, in his textured, glowingly colored, rhythmic style, capture the warmth and the dreams that the boy finds in the world of books. A 1999-2000 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List Book.
Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills
Renée Watson - 2012
Born to parents who were former-slaves Florence knew early on that she loved to sing. And that people really responded to her sweet, bird-like voice. Her dancing and singing catapulted her all the way to the stages of 1920s Broadway where she inspired songs and even entire plays! Yet with all this success, she knew firsthand how bigotry shaped her world. And when she was offered the role of a lifetime from Ziegfeld himself, she chose to support all-black musicals instead.Fans of When Marian Sang and Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa will jump at the chance to discover another talented performer whose voice transcended and transformed the circumstances society placed on her.
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad
Henry Cole - 2012
When a farm girl discovers a runaway slave hiding in the barn, she is at once startled and frightened. But the stranger's fearful eyes weigh upon her conscience, and she must make a difficult choice. Will she have the courage to help him? Unspoken gifts of humanity unite the girl and the runaway as they each face a journey: one following the North Star, the other following her heart. Henry Cole's unusual and original rendering of the Underground Railroad speaks directly to our deepest sense of compassion.
The Important Book
Margaret Wise Brown - 1949
With lyrical words and vivid illustrations by Caldecott winner Leonard Weisgard, The Important Book shows children just how important everyday objects can be. What is the most important thing about a spoon? The fact that you can eat with it? What about an apple? Or a shoe? This book helps curious preschoolers notice important details about their everyday surroundings, like daisies are white, rain is wet, and a spoon is used for eating.For the important thing about The Important Book is that the book resonates long after it's closed. What's most important about many familiar things—like rain and wind, apples and daisies—is suggested in rhythmic words and vivid pictures. "A perfect book. The text establishes a word game which tiny children will accept with glee," said Kirkus.Chosen as a "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" by the American National Education Association."Rekindles the sense of wonder we were born with. True poetry about perceiving the world around us."— Mark Frauenfelder, BoingBoing magazine