Book picks similar to
Sleepover at the Museum by Karen LeFrak


picture-books
picture-book
museums
childrens

Into the Outdoors


Susan Gal - 2011
    Beside a lake! Next to a waterfall! On top of a mountain! Then after the sun slips behind the hills, they'll snuggle alongside each other and dream sweet dreams inside their tent among the trees.Gal's pictures capture all the beauty of the natural world. And she's included a humorous cast of animal characters on a parallel journey of their own, so the art is full of funny things to spot.This is a gem of a story for parents and teachers to share with their happy campers.

Tadpole Rex


Kurt Cyrus - 2008
    Unfortunately for Rex, he lives in a prehistoric swamp . . . and everybody else is a gigantic dinosaur.           With a little time--and a lot of patience--Rex does grow, gaining arms and legs and, most importantly, a personality big enough to take on even the mightiest of his neighbors.            Includes a note from the author about metamorphosis, prehistoric frogs, and the environmental challenges frogs face today.

Round


Joyce Sidman - 2017
    If you look closely, you will find that the world is bursting, swelling, budding, and ripening with round things awaiting discovery—like eggs about to hatch, sunflowers stretching toward the sun, or planets slowly spinning together for billions of years.Whimsical and imaginative, this poetic ode to all that is round and full of wonder by the Newbery Honor–winning author and poet Joyce Sidman, with illustrations by the two-time New York Best Illustrated Book award recipient Taeeun Yoo, inspires curiosity and wonder for this (round) little earth we call home.

How to Care for Your T-Rex


Ken Baker - 2019
    Where will it have space to exercise? Your T-Rex can cover fifteen feet in a single step. How do you brush its many teeth? Especially when those teeth are nine inches long.And, most of all, how do you show your T-Rex that you love it? Get ready for a day full of giant adventures in dinosaur care!Christy Ottaviano Books

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum


Jessie Hartland - 2011
    Acclaimed author/illustrator Jessie Hartland presents the fascinating 145-million-year journey of a dinsoaur: a Diplodocus longus, from its discovery in 1923 in Utah to its arrival in the hallowed halls of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth


Nicola Davies - 2017
    The planet is full of millions of species of plants, birds, animals, and microbes, and every single one -- including us -- is part of a big, beautiful, complicated pattern. When humans interfere with parts of the pattern, by polluting the air and oceans, taking too much from the sea, and cutting down too many forests, animals and plants begin to disappear. What sort of world would it be if it went from having many types of living things to having just one? In a beautiful follow-up, the creators of the award-winning Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes deliver an inspiring look at the extraordinary diversity of Earth's inhabitants -- and the importance of their preservation.

Take Your Octopus to School Day


Audrey Vernick - 2018
    But no matter how hard he tries, one of his classmates is always showing him up with a slightly better costume or a slightly cooler object to share. His teacher says it’s not a competition, but just once Sam would like to be the best—which is why he’s so excited when Take Your Octopus to School Day is announced. Sam is pretty sure he’s the only kid with a real live pet octopus to bring, and Thurgood, his eight-tentacled best friend, is excited too. Together, they prepare Thurgood’s travel tank and get ready for a school day like no other…. What could possibly go wrong?Sprinkled with sly humor and scientific facts about the class Cephalopoda, readers who loved Flora and the Flamingo or Sparky! will want to get their tentacles on Take Your Octopus to School Day.

The Luckiest Snowball


Elliot Kreloff - 2019
    . . Let's do something else." So the boy and the snowball make a snow angel, build a snow fort, and make a snowman instead. The boy decides to take the snowball home. When the snowball starts to melt, the boy rescues it by putting it in the freezer, where the snowball meets some very nice frozen foods and a tray of ice cubes too. The snowball meets flowers and butterflies in spring, sea and sand in summer, and apples and colorful leaves in fall.This is a great read-aloud. Children will enjoy shouting the refrain "Help! I'm melting!"There is back matter about the seasons and the three states of water.

Birds


Carme Lemniscates - 2019
    . .and then fly away. Birds come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They like to chat with one another as they fly high and low in the sky. Birds make music, with songs that are like the loving words of a friend, and we are lucky enough to enjoy those sweet melodies. But best of all, birds are capable of flying wherever they please -- they just let their hearts guide them. And we can do that, too, if we use our imaginations.

Little Bot and Sparrow


Jake Parker - 2016
    Fortunately, Sparrow is there to take him under her wing. Together, they explore the forest, share adventures, and learn what it means to be forever friends.

Rodzilla


Rob Sanders - 2017
    Rodzilla is the mightiest toddler to ever roam the streets of the city. Marvel at the sight of his chubby monstrosity. Gaze at his toothless grin. Take a whiff of his...no don't do that. Only a mother could love such a creature. Rodzilla is taking over the city (that is really his playpen) and causing all sorts of chaos for its inhabitants (um, his parents). Can he be stopped before he toddles one step too far? Told as an action-packed news report kids will love following Rodzilla on his mighty tear through the city, and ultimately back to his parents' arms. Because sometimes even monsters need a little help.

A Whale of a Mistake


Ioana Hobai - 2020
    When the girl pauses to stare at the night sky, she realizes something important: there are as many mistakes in the world as stars in the sky, and maybe she can handle it after all. As the seemingly huge whale begins to shrink, the girl embraces her mistake and finds her way back to solid ground.

Maybe Tomorrow?


Charlotte Agell - 2019
    She's been dragging it around for a long time. Norris dances everywhere he goes, even uphill. He is always surrounded by a happy cloud of butterflies. Can Norris and his butterflies help ease Elba's sadness and convince her to join them on a trip to the ocean? This tender exploration of loss illuminates how kindness, empathy, and friendship can lift our spirits and see us through many tomorrows. It will resonate with anyone who has experienced hardship or grief, from the death of a loved one or a pet, to a friend moving away, or the transition to a new home or family situation.

The Moon Keeper


Zosienka - 2020
    He spends his evenings making sure the moon has everything it needs to shine its light over the night creatures. Night after night he keeps watch over the moon—clearing away the clouds and telling the fruit bats to move along when they play too close. Emile finds the moon nice to talk to in the stillness of the night.But what happens when the moon starts to change and slowly disappears?From debut author and illustrator Zosienka, The Moon Keeper is a perfect bedtime story with gentle messages about friendship, impermanence, and nature.

Summer Color!


Diana Murray - 2018
    In each new scene they discover the wondrous details--and beautiful colors--of nature. Even when a little summer rain threatens to dampen their grand adventure, the fun continues as woodland scenes come to life in a whole new way. Diana Murray's spirited verse paired with Zoe Persico's charming illustrations hits a wonderful balance of sophisticated and sweet, with details that young children will immediately relate to and layered verse that will enchant readers of all ages.