We Became Jaguars


Dave Eggers - 2021
    After a day of playing, running, and climbing through sumptuous landscapes, the ending will leave you wondering what's real and what's imagined.

Home for a While


Lauren Kerstein - 2021
    He has lived in a lot of houses, but he still hasn't found his home. When he moves in with Maggie, she shows him respect, offers him kindness, and makes him see things in himself that he's never noticed before. Maybe this isn't just another house, maybe this is a place Calvin can call home, for a while.

Once Upon a Northern Night


Jean E. Pendziwol - 2013
    The poem describes the forest of snow-covered pines, where a deer and fawn nibble a frozen apple, and a great gray owl swoops down with its feathers trailing through the snow. Two snowshoe hares scamper and play under the watchful eyes of a little fox, and a tiny mouse scurries in search of a midnight feast. When the snow clouds disappear, stars light up the sky, followed by the mystical shimmering of northern lights - all framed by the frost on the window.Jean E. Pendziwol's lyrical poem reflects a deep appreciation of the magic of a northern winter night where, even as a child slumbers, the world outside does not rest but continues its own natural rhythms.Isabelle Arsenault's spare, beautifully rendered illustrations, with their subtle but striking use of color, make us feel that we too are experiencing the enchantment of that northern night. They simultaneously evoke winter's nighttime life and the cozy warmth and security of a beloved child's sleep.

Too Many Moose


Lisa Bakos - 2016
    If one moose is this marvelous, then more moose must be even better! Pretty soon, Martha has more moose than she can handle in this playful pet story.

School for Bandits


Hannah Shaw - 2011
    But he doesn't act normal at all. He's disturbingly well behaved, clean and tidy, shockingly polite, and he even brushes his teeth!  Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon are worried—how will Ralph ever become a great raccoon bandit like Grandpa Cutlass or Uncle Whiskers?  It's time Ralph learned some bad manners . . . at Bandit School.Ralph has no chance of winning the "Best Bandit in School" competition—he's not very bandit-like at all. But sometimes good manners can be useful, and Ralph just might surprise everyone--including himself.

Julius and Macy: A Very Brave Night


Annelouise Mahoney - 2021
    Julius pretends he’s the defender of the forest, while Macy has a quieter strength. When their snack disappears one night, they decide to track down the only one who could have taken it—the Night Goblin. They both have to be brave in their own ways, and they ultimately discover that the real thief isn’t anything like they imagined.

You Are Home with Me


Sarah Asper-Smith - 2019
    A tufted puffin digs out a burrow to shelter its young on a cliff near the sea. A lynx makes a shelter under a fallen tree to snuggle with its kitten. Young children will learn all about these animals and more, as each spread also includes a short piece of nonfiction about each creature.Lovingly illustrated and lyrically written, this is the second children's book written and illustrated by the husband-and-wife artist and author team Mitchell Watley and Sarah Asper-Smith.

The Silver Button


Bob Graham - 2000
    As her pen hovers in the air, ready to add a silver button to the duck’s boot, her little brother Jonathan pushes to his feet, sways, and takes his first step. At the exact same moment, their mom plays a pennywhistle in the kitchen, a man buys fresh bread at the bakery, a baby is born, a soldier says good-bye to his mom, a granddad and granddaughter play with leaves in the park, a blackbird finds a worm. . . . From an ordinary scene of an apartment strewn with child’s artwork and toys to a bird’s-eye view of a city morning pulsing with life, Bob Graham celebrates a whole world-vision in a single moment, encouraging readers to stop, observe, and savor the world around them.

The Three Billy Goats Buenos


Susan Middleton Elya - 2020
    But then one of the billy goats wonders: Why is that gigante so grumpy, anyway?This thoughtful question sends their plan in a new direction, and the results are better than they ever imagined.Dashes of humor, empathy, and kindness make this modern twist on a classic tale a charming delight.

Poor Doreen: A Fishy Tale


Sally Lloyd-Jones - 2014
    Doreen Randolph-Potts is on a mission: to visit her second cousin twice removed who's just welcomed 157 babies. But when she spies what she thinks is a yummy dragonfly—and is actually bait—poor Doreen is lifted out of the water on a fishing pole. Luckily, Doreen is, shall we say, a wee bit clueless about the dire situation. Kids will love being in on the joke as our oblivious heroine arrives, in a roundabout way, at her final destination. Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of the New York Times bestseller How to Be A Baby, and acclaimed illustrator Alexandra Boiger bring the world of a fish to vibrant, funny life.

Tree of Cranes


Allen Say - 1991
    As a young Japanese boy recovers from a bad chill, his mother busily folds origami paper into delicate silver cranes in preparation for the boy's very first Christmas.

Gaston


Kelly DiPucchio - 2014
    Gaston works the hardest at his lessons on how to be a proper pooch. He sips - never slobbers! He yips - never yaps! And he walks with grace - never races! Gaston fits right in with his poodle sisters.But a chance encounter with a bulldog family in the park-Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette-reveals there's been a mix-up, and so Gaston and Antoinette switch places. The new families look right...but they don't feel right. Can these puppies follow their noses-and their hearts-to find where they belong?

An Annoying ABC


Barbara Bottner - 2011
    It only takes one small annoying act from Adelaide to set off a chain reaction of bad behavior. Dexter is drooling, Flora is fuming, Jasper is jeering, Kirby is kicking . . . and before you know it, Stella is stumbling, Todd is tumbling, and Winthrop is weeping. Oh, oh, oh! What will it take to turn this annoying day around? Readers will be amazed and amused to see what happens when Adelaide . . . apologizes.Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley follow up their bestselling Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't) with this outrageously funny alphabet book that shows that kindness can be contagious, too.

No Fuzzball!


Isabella Kung - 2020
    Her subjects just LOVE how she scales the tallest shelves and drags their belongings across the floor. Hear how they shout her name everywhere she goes . . . "NOFUZZBALL!" But when they leave her queendom for the weekend, she questions whether she should be a more benevolent ruler.

Under a Pig Tree: A History of the Noble Fruit (A Mixed-Up Book)


Margie Palatini - 2015
    The author has written a clear, no-nonsense history of figs. But the publisher is sure she meant pigs. After all, what’s the difference between two measly letters? What results is a hilarious illustrated history of pigs, from the earliest times (“Pigs were presented as ‘medals’ to the winners of the first Olympics”) to the present day (“There is nothing better than enjoying a cup of tea or glass of milk with one of those famous Pig Newtons”). The author, needless to say, is not happy about this “little mix-up” and makes her feelings very clearly known—by scrawling all over the book! With sticky notes from the publisher, angry scribbles from the author, wrinkles, and pages askew, Under a Pig Tree is a playful peek into a book in “midproduction” and a humorous look at the consequences of small mistakes, by industry pro Margie Palatini and up-and-coming talent Chuck Groenink.