The Hidden Alphabet


Laura Vaccaro Seeger - 2003
    Lift the frame and the arrowhead will be magically transformed into the letter A. And so it goes, from Balloons, Cloud, and Door, through Leaf and Mice, to Yolk and Zipper. Bold distinctive images and a simple yet ingenious format make this a concept book, and a gift book, to treasure.

A Time to Keep


Tasha Tudor - 1977
    There were homemade valentines and Easter eggs, Fourth of July picnics and family birthdays. Thanksgiving brought visits from relatives—so many, the children had to sleep in the barn! And finally, there was Christmas, the best of all “times to keep,” with handmade presents, an Advent calendar, and a “beautiful tree in a shine of candles.” Month by month, Tasha Tudor’s delicate illustrations bring to life the holidays of an earlier time. A warm-hearted celebration of family and tradition, this treasury of “times to keep” will be cherished and enjoyed all year long.

Casper the Commuting Cat: The True Story of the Cat who Rode the Bus and Stole our Hearts


Susan Finden - 2010
    3 bus on journeys around his home town, Plymouth, in Devon. While his devoted owner Sue Finden had wondered where her elusive pet was disappearing to each day, Casper was brightening the lives of countless commuters. Bus drivers, too, were getting well-acquainted with Casper, and notices went up in their depot alerting staff that a very special passenger might board their vehicle. In fact, he became a mascot for the bus company, and pictures of him and Susan adorned No. 3 buses. When Casper was sadly killed by a car in early 2010 messages of sympathy flooded in from places as far a field as Australia and Argentina. It quickly became clear that Casper and his remarkable story had touched the lives of many people around the world. Movingly told by the owner who loved him dearly, Casper the Commuting Cat is the touching story of a very special black-and-white cat who rode the bus and stole our hearts.

Three Ladies Beside the Sea


Rhoda Levine - 2010
    Edward Gorey’s off-kilter Edwardian maidens are the perfect accompaniment to Rhoda Levine’s lilting rhymes.The place is remote:Three houses beside the sea.The Characters are Few:Laughing Edith of Ecstasy,Edith so happy and gay.Smiling Catherine of Compromise,She smiles her life away.And then there is Alice of Hazard,A dangerous life leads she.The question in the plot is quite simple:Why is Alice up in a tree?The answer can be discovered:Edith and Catherine do.

The Mousehole Cat


Antonia Barber - 1990
    Based on the wonderfully atmospheric and dramatic Cornish tale of Old Tom, the fisherman, and his cat Mowzer, who braved the wrath of the Great Storm-Cat to save their village.

Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book


Lynda Barry - 2009
    The R. R. Donnelley and Eisner Award–winning book posed, explored, and answered the question: "Do you wish you could write?" Now with Picture This, Barry asks: "Do you wish you could draw?" It features the return of Barry's most beloved character, Marlys, and introduces a new one, the Near-Sighted Monkey. LikeWhat It Is, Picture This is an inspirational, take-home extension of Barry's traveling, continually sold-out, and sought-after workshop, "Writing the Unthinkable."

Life and I: A Story about Death


Elisabeth Helland Larsen - 2015
    Rosy-cheeked and wrapped in blue, with a flower in her hair, Death rides a pink bike. Death, a greeneyed little girl in this pastel world, visits small animals with soft fur and big animals with sharp teeth. She lingers with a kindly grandmother as they knit one last scarf together. She wanders through surroundings of gentle beauty and she tells us who she is.For parents of children facing the loss of a family member, a friend, or a pet, this book finds words to express what is often so difficult to explain. It ends with such a feeling of uplift and acceptance that readers of any age will turn the last page with a smile and a tear.Author Elisabeth Helland Larsen and illustrator Marine Schneider weave a tapestry out of direct, poetic words and handdrawn pictures to give voice to emotions that are moving, real, and most of all, honest.

Into the Woods


Erin Hunter - 2008
    Life on her own is exciting at first but quickly gets lonely. Then Sasha meets Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, and wonders whether she would be better off joining the ranks of his forest Clan. But Tigerstar has many secrets, and Sasha isn’t sure she can trust him….

Homer's Odyssey


Gwen Cooper - 2009
    The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen’s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who’d been abandoned. It was love at first sight.Everyone warned that Homer would always be an "underachiever," never as playful or independent as other cats. But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo, a tiny daredevil with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease and leapt five feet into the air to catch flies in mid-buzz. He survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen’s life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night.But it was Homer’s unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that inspired Gwen daily and transformed her life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized Homer had taught her the most important lesson of all: Love isn’t something you see with your eyes.Homer’s Odyssey is the once-in-a-lifetime story of an extraordinary cat and his human companion. It celebrates the refusal to accept limits—on love, ability, or hope against overwhelming odds. By turns jubilant and moving, it’s a memoir for anybody who’s ever fallen completely and helplessly in love with a pet.

Small in the City


Sydney Smith - 2019
    

A Quieter Story


Liza Woodruff - 2019
    He wants a story for his alter-ego TIGER--one that has pep and pizzazz--so the girl creates an adventure that the kitten jumps into. Darkness surrounds him (No light, no problem! says the kitten), venomous vipers drop from the trees (Snakes? I've got this), hungry hyenas circle the tiger--and suddenly the kitten begins to wonder if there can be such a thing as too much adventure. As the story gets scarier and scarier, he realizes that what one wants and what one needs are sometimes two different things. This time, he needs a quieter story.A colorful and inventive picture book about a creative girl and her kitten.

T-Rex Trying


Hugh Murphy - 2012
    It’s hard to be the Lizard King when you can’t even change a light bulb.Drawn from Hugh Murphy’s wildly popular Tumblr feed of the same name, T-Rex Trying depicts the stubby-armed tyrant in a range of hilarious—yet pathos-inducing—activities that we humans take for granted. Murphy’s 100 drawings include: T-Rex Trying to Paint His House T-Rex Trying to Use a Drive-Through ATM T-Rex Trying to Apply Sunscreen T-Rex Trying to Break Into a Vending Machine T-Rex Trying to Ask for a New Roll of Toilet Paper from the Next Stall Looks like the ancient beast isn’t so tough after all.

Cat, You Better Come Home


Garrison Keillor - 1995
    One cold winter's night, the elegant Puff decides to run away from home. She goes to Europe, where she becomes fabulously rich as a TV cat food spokescat. It's the high life for Puff, dripping in diamonds and mink, until the day she meets disaster. Full color.

Mommy Laid An Egg: Or, Where Do Babies Come From?


Babette Cole - 1990
    Amused by their parents' silly answers, the children decide to set the adults straight. In a series of zany diagrams, the children show the adults exactly where babies come from. The offbeat illustrations are accompanied by a text that is short, simple, and anything but predictable. This is a funny book that will delight, entertain, and educate the entire family.

A Perfect Day


Lane Smith - 2017
    Dog is sitting in the wading pool, deep in the cool water. Chickadee is eating fresh seed from the birdfeeder. Squirrel is munching on his very own corncob. Today is a perfect day in Bert's backyard.Until Bear comes along, that is. Bear crushes the daffodils, drinks the pool water, and happily gobbles up the birdseed and corncob.Today was a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Now, it's just a perfect day for Bear.Lane Smith uses perfect pacing and vibrant illustrations to emphasize the power of perspective in this hilarious picture book about the goings-on in Bert's backyard.This book has Common Core connections.An NPR Best Book of 2017A 2018 ALSC Notable Children's Book