An Outlaw Thanksgiving


Emily Arnold McCully - 1998
    In November 1896, Clara Maher and her mother are traveling by train across the United States when snow blocks the tracks in Wyoming. A fellow passenger invites them to celebrate Thanksgiving with his friends in Utah -- but Clara is shocked to discover that the glorious feast's host is Butch Cassidy, the most notorious outlaw of all! An Outlaw Thanksgiving provides an enthralling look at the Wild West as it reminds us that hospitality can be found in the most unexpected places.

Loud Emily


Alexis O'Neill - 1998
    But whenever she says anything in her Emily voice, windows crack, plates shatter, and the neighbors can't believe their ears. Emily tries and tries but she just can't be quiet. It seems like there's nowhere she fits in...until the day she sees a ship with a sign that says:LOUD HELP NEEDED.NOW.Nobody's louder than Emily! So she sets sail for an adventure on the high seas, looking for a place where she can be herself. Loud Emily.Climb aboard for a memorable tall tale of ships, whales, and a little girl with a very BIG voice.

John, Paul, George & Ben


Lane Smith - 2006
    . . John [Hancock], Paul [Revere], George [Washington], and Ben [Franklin]. Oh yes, there was also Tom [Jefferson], but he was annoyingly independent and hardly ever around. These lads were always getting into trouble for one reason or another. In other words, they took a few . . . liberties. And to be honest, they were not always appreciated. Until one day, they all played a part in securing America's freedom."Deftly drawn, witty, and instantly appealing, the illustrations creatively blend period elements such as wood-grain and crackle-glaze texturing, woodcut lines, and formal compositions typical of the era, with gaping mouths and stylized, spiraling eyes typical of modern cartoons," wrote Booklist, and School Library Journal declared, "Exercise your freedom to scoop up this one."

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah


Emily Jenkins - 2018
    Zelinsky (Rapunzel) bring the beloved All-of-a-Kind Family to life in a new format. Fans, along with those just meeting the five girls ("all of a kind," as their parents say), will join them back in 1912, on the Lower East Side of NYC, and watch as preparations for Hanukkah are made. When Gertie, the youngest, is not allowed to help prepare latkes, she throws a tantrum. Banished to the girls' bedroom, she can still hear the sounds and smell the smells of a family getting ready to celebrate. But then Papa comes home and she is allowed out--and given the best job of all: lighting the first candle on the menorah.First published in 1951, Taylor's chapter books have become time-honored favorites, selling over a million copies and touching generations of readers. In this time when immigrants often do not feel accepted, the All-of-a-Kind Family gives a heartwarming glimpse of a Jewish immigrant family and their customs that is as relevant--and necessary--today as when it was first written. Jenkins and Zelinsky's charming compliment to Taylor's series perfectly captures the warmth and family values that made the original titles classics.

The Mighty Lalouche


Matthew Olshan - 2013
    He was small, but his hands were nimble, his legs were fast, and his arms were strong. When his job was replaced by an electric car, he turned to boxing to support himself and his pet finch, Genevieve. But--"You? A boxer?" the fighters asked. "I could sneeze and knock you down!" Still, Lalouche refused to give up. And perhaps small Lalouche was just nimble . . . just fast . . . and just strong enough to beat his fierce competitors. This is a marvelous story, full of humor and heart, and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, winner of a New York Times Best Illustrated Award.

Maybe God Is Like That Too


Jennifer Grant - 2017
    In Maybe God Is Like That Too, a young boy asks his grandma where God is in their city. She invites him to pay attention to where he sees the fruit of the Spirit. Where love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are, there too is God. The boy sees God in the kindness of a doorman holding the door for a man using a wheelchair, in the patience of his teacher helping him tie his shoes, and in the love, faithfulness, and gentleness of his grandma. An ordinary day in his city opens this young boy's eyes to God's Spirit at work all around him. For ages four to eight.

The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas


Madeleine L'Engle - 1984
    This year, they're also preparing for the birth of a new brother or sister, due after the New Year. Vicky is worried that the baby will come early―what kind of Christmas Eve would it be without Mother to help them hang up stockings and sing everyone to sleep with carols?

The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree


David Rubel - 2011
    They give a Christmas tree to construction workers building Rockefeller Center and celebrate together. Through the kindness of the construction workers and neighbors, Henry gets his wish for a nice, warm home to replace his family's drafty shack. He plants a pinecone from that first Rockefeller Center Tree. As an old man, Henry repays the gift by donating the enormous tree that has grown from that pinecone. After bringing joy to thousands as the Rockefeller Center tree, its wood will be used to build a home for another family in need.Written by children's nonfiction author David Rubel in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. Gorgeous illustrations crafted by Jim LaMarche.

South


Patrick McDonnell - 2008
    This is a wordless and profoundly moving story--by the creator of the beloved comic strip Mutts--that explores being lost and found, crossing boundaries, saying goodbye, and broadening horizons.

Imogene's Last Stand


Candace Fleming - 2009
    As a baby, her first words were "Four score and seven years ago." In preschool, she finger-painted a map of the Oregon Trail. So it's not surprising that when the mayor wants to tear down the long-neglected Liddleville Historical Society to make room for a shoelace factory, Imogene is desperate to convince the town how important its history is. But even though she rides through the streets in her Paul Revere costume shouting, "The bulldozers are coming, the bulldozers are coming!" the townspeople won't budge. What's a history-loving kid to do?Filled with quotes from history's biggest players--not to mention mini-bios--and lots of humor, this is the perfect book for budding historians."This girl-power story succeeds as an energetic--and funny--against-all-odds tale." --The Horn Book Magazine, Starred

The Shy Little Angel


Ruth Brown - 1998
    Against Gabriel

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom


Carole Boston Weatherford - 2006
    Taking with her only her faith, she must creep through the woods with hounds at her feet, sleep for days in a potato hole, and trust people who could have easily turned her in. But she was never alone. In lyrical text, Carole Boston Weatherford describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back south, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one. Courageous, compassionate, and deeply religious, Harriet Tubman, with her bravery and relentless pursuit of freedom, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. This is a unique and moving portrait of one of the most inspiring figures of the Underground Railroad. Kadir Nelson's emotionally charged paintings embody strength, healing, and hope.

A Christmas Bell for Anya


Chris Stewart - 2006
    But in a small Siberian village famous for producing the finest Christmas bells in the world, the townspeople made their usual preparations for a Christmas tradition that went back many generations. For eight-year-old Anya and her widowed father, this Christmas had special significance. This Christmas, Anya was one of the girls chosen from the village to ring in Christmas morn with her very own Christmas bell. This beautifully illustrated story underscores the true reason for celebrating Christ’s birth. First presented at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s 2005 Christmas concerts by acclaimed British actress, Claire Bloom, the demand for a print version of the story has been tremendous. A CD and DVD version of the original presentation, featuring the music of Alfred Reed performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, is included with the book. 32 page hardcover book with DualDisc - with CD and DVD versions - included in the book.

Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888


Ernest Lawrence Thayer - 1888
    Its author would rather have seen it forgotten. Instead, Ernest Thayer's poem has taken a well-deserved place as an enduring icon of Americana. Christopher Bing's magnificent version of this immortal ballad of the flailing 19th-century baseball star is rendered as though it had been newly discovered in a hundred-year-old scrapbook. Bing seamlessly weaves real and trompe l'oeil reproductions of artifacts-period baseball cards, tickets, advertisements, and a host of other memorabilia into the narrative to present a rich and multifaceted panorama of a bygone era. A book to be pored over by children, treasured by aficionados of the sport-and given as a gift to all ages: a tragi-comic celebration of heroism and of a golden era of sport.

Brother Hugo and the Bear


Katy Beebe - 2014
    Augustine -- because, it turns out, the precious book has been devoured by a bear! Instructed by the abbot to borrow another monastery's copy and create a replacement, the hapless monk painstakingly crafts a new book, copying it letter by letter and line by line. But when he sets off to return the borrowed copy, he finds himself trailed by his hungry new friend. Once a bear has a taste of letters, it appears, he’s rarely satisfied!Brother Hugo and the Bear is loosely based on a note found in a twelfth-century manuscript -- and largely on the creative imaginings of author Katy Beebe. Lavishly illustrated by S. D. Schindler in the style of medieval manuscripts, this humorous tale is sure to delight readers who have acquired their own taste for books.