My Favorite Pets, by Gus W. for Ms. Smolinski's Class


Jeanne Birdsall - 2016
      Things to know about sheep: Sheep live outside. Sheep have wool. Sheep will not learn to ride a skateboard. Sheep will not climb a tree. Sheep will come into the house...but this will get you into trouble.   Seventeen sheep plus one Gus means that life is never dull on the farm! From National Book Award winning author Jeanne Birdsall and New York Times Bestselling illustrator Harry Bliss comes a hilarious tale about man's other best friend.

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale


Marcus Pfister - 1998
    When a big blue whale comes to live near their reef, there is a misunderstanding between him and Rainbow Fish and his friends that leaves everyone very unhappy and hungry.

Sam, Bangs & Moonshine


Evaline Ness - 1966
    But when her tall stories bring disaster to her friend Thomas and her cat Bangs, Sam learns to distinguish between moonshine and reality.Sam, Bangs & Moonshine is the winner of the 1967 Caldecott Medal.

A Crazy Day at the Critter Cafe


Barbara Odanaka - 2009
    Clickety-clack! When a bus full of critters breaks down, a sleepy roadside café suddenly wakes up! Raccoons, elephants, zebras, and rams are only a few of the many animals demanding grub, and it is all that a cook and a waiter can do to keep up. But when Skateboard Cow swerves her way through the crowd, more than a few feathers are guaranteed to be ruffled! Rhythmic text and energetic illustrations combine for a romp of pure fun and entertainment.

Is Your Mama a Llama?


Deborah Guarino - 1989
    Rhyming questions and answers will charm and amuse children. Full-color illustrations.

Please Take Me for a Walk


Susan Gal - 2010
    The book stars a very persuasive pup pleading with his best friend--the reader!--to take him for a walk. He recounts all the fun things they can see and do: chase squirrels in the yard, greet neighbors on their block, visit the shopkeepers downtown, swing by the schoolyard, and then run and play in the park. The dog run at the park is filled with all kinds of amazing purebreds and mutts, and our puppy wants them all to see my best friend and me. Susan Gal uses this story of a dog's best walk ever to catalog all the favorite places in a child's world. She starts in the house and the yard, then widens her scope to the block, the neighborhood, downtown, and the park. And she captures the magical way the people of a community can be brought together through their pets. The dog's enthusiastic voice and eagerness to go out walking will resonate with any dog owner. And Susan Gal's artwork is so enticing and adorable it will have even confirmed cat lovers heading for the pound! Happy walking, everyone!

Flubby Is Not a Good Pet!


Jennifer E. Morris - 2019
    He won't sing, catch, or even jump! But when a scary situation brings Flubby and his owner together, they realize they really do need each other--and that makes Flubby a good pet after all.

How to Be a Good Dog


Gail Page - 2006
    It's just that being good takes so much effort. When his owner finally has enough and sends him packing, it's silent Cat who misses him the most. Armed with a how-to book and quiet determination, Cat begins to instruct Bobo in proper dog etiquette. Shake, fetch, and roll over all go well. But can Cat really turn this incorrigible canine around? Drenched in cotton-candy colors and brimming with whimsical details, Bobo proves a fact all dog lovers know: nobody can resist a good dog, even when he's bad! Reviews Bobo, the great galumphing hound in Gail Page's How to Be a Good Dog is the canine Oscar Madison. . . .Pale and plump with a single black spot, Bobo has a Thurber-esque squishiness in Page's cartoonlike acrylics. His eyes are never more than two tiny dots, but they're endlessly expressive. How the author accomplishes this I can't say. But it seems to be an unwritten law that in the world of children's books, the larger the dog, the smaller the eyes, and vise versa. -New York Times Book Review, children's feature issue The pictures [in this book] are pleasing and, to my eye, beautiful. At the same time, they're genuinely funny. This, to me, is the best thing possible. And it's hard to do.---Daniel Pinkwater on NPR's Weekend Edition, Saturday, Feb 11th. To read more on the How to Be a Good Dog feature, click here. The quirky humor in the brief text is matched by the funny antics of the floppy canine in the illustrations as he tries to be a good dog, but always in his own way. -Kirkus Reviews This lively tale of a good-hearted canine and his kindly cat friend gets its charm from its bold and colorful illustrations...But it is the story, told in plain, simple, unembellished words that any child can understand, that grabs your heart and won't let go. -Curled Up With A Good Book The large acrylic paintings with cartoon figures and the simp

Little Quack's New Friend


Lauren Thompson - 2006
    But one day a new creature splunks into their pond. HE RIBBITS, HE LEAPS, AND HE'S GREEN! At first Little Quack is shy. But pretty soon he just might be quacking AND ribbiting a new tune: MAKING NEW FRIENDS RULES! With rhythm and spirit, acclaimed author Lauren Thompson sails a key lesson about growing up, in Derek Anderson's splendidly illustrated pond.

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship


Jessica Kensky - 2018
    When he gets the news that he's better suited to being a service dog, he's worried that he's not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she'd imagined it, too. Now Jessica needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. And it turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time. An endnote from the authors tells more about the training and extraordinary abilities of service dogs, particularly their real-life best friend and black lab, Rescue.

Angus and the Ducks


Marjorie Flack - 1930
    Little does he know what neighbors await him!Farrar, Straus and Giroux is proud to reintroduce Angus and the Ducks, along with its companion books, Angus and the Cat and Angus Lost. These classic tales of the feisty, lovable Angus will once again delight children everywhere.

My Pencil and Me


Sara Varon - 2020
    What if she doesn't have any good ideas or her drawings turn out terrible?!Lucky for Sara, she has a friend who is always by her side—her pencil. With a little help from Pencil, Sara learns it's okay if her story isn't perfect, as long as she's using her imagination and having fun.

Bear Island


Matthew Cordell - 2021
    "Life will not be the same," Louise says, as she visits a little island that Charlie loved.But on a visit to the island after Charlie's death, something strange happens: She meets a bear. At first, she's afraid, but soon she realizes that the bear is sad, too. As Louise visits more often, she realizes that getting over loss takes time. And just when she starts to feel better, it's time for Bear to bed down for the winter. Once again, Louise believes that life will not be the same. But sometimes, things can change for the better, and on the first warm day of spring, her family welcomes a new member. Here is a lovely, poignant story about loss and healing that will bring comfort to even the youngest readers.

SumoKitty


David Biedrzycki - 2019
    But when eating like a sumo wrestler slows our feline hero down, he realizes he must train like a wrestler, too. Through hard work and perseverance--and with a little help from a big buddy--SumoKitty is born!

Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep


Eric Barclay - 2019
    “I watch the sheep.”Holy begonia! Sheep knows this can’t be right. After all, she’s the pro! So Sheep goes off to get everything Sheep Dog needs to get the job done, but each time she goes, something almost happens to Sheep…And it's Sheep Dog who saves the day!For fans of Goodnight Already! by Jory John, You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown, and Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, this hilarious and tender friendship story proves that even the best watchers must look out for one another.