Little Bear


Else Holmelund Minarik - 1957
    Children will be entranced by Little Bear's trip to the moon, his birthday party, and his wishes and adventures.This is the first of the five classic books about Little Bear, introducing the funny and strikingly childlike bear cub and his friends. The combination of Else Holmelund Minarik's simple, yet eloquent, stories and Maurice Sendak's warm, tender illustrations have made this beloved character an enduring favorite among beginning readers.

Library Lion


Michelle Knudsen - 2006
    No running allowed. And you must be quiet. But when a lion comes to the library one day, no one is sure what to do. There aren't any rules about lions in the library. And, as it turns out, this lion seems very well suited to library visiting. His big feet are quiet on the library floor. He makes a comfy backrest for the children at story hour. And he never roars in the library, at least not anymore. But when something terrible happens, the lion quickly comes to the rescue in the only way he knows how. Michelle Knudsen's disarming story, illustrated by the matchless Kevin Hawkes in an expressive timeless style, will win over even the most ardent of rule keepers.

Stuck


Oliver Jeffers - 2011
    But how? Well, by knocking it down with his shoe, of course. But strangely enough, it too gets stuck. And the only logical course of action . . . is to throw his other shoe. Only now it's stuck! Surely there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. An orangutan? A boat? His front door? Yes, yes, and yes. And that's only the beginning. Stuck is Oliver Jeffers' most absurdly funny story since The Incredible Book-Eating Boy. Childlike in concept and vibrantly illustrated as only Oliver Jeffers could, here is a picture book worth rescuing from any tree.

This Is Sadie


Sara O'Leary - 2015
    She has been a girl who lived under the sea and a boy raised by wolves. She has had adventures in wonderland and visited the world of fairytales. She whispers to the dresses in her closet and talks to birds in the treetops. She has wings that take her anywhere she wants to go, but that always bring her home again. She likes to make things -- boats out of boxes and castles out of cushions. But more than anything Sadie likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all. For Sadie, the world is so full of wonderful possibilities ... This is Sadie, and this is her story.

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (Giant Little Golden Book)


Richard Scarry - 1974
    Every manner of machinery that moves is riotously depicted in this classic favorite. As the pig family head to the beach for a picnic, they encounter every vehicle known, from the forklift to the locomotive, and many vehicles that are not as common, from the pumpkin car to the broom-o-cycle. Each detailed spread provides tremendous opportunity to make up stories and describe situations. Will Officer Flossy catch Dingo? Will Rollo Rabbit catch his runaway steamroller? And with literally hundreds of things to look at, youngsters will spend hours trying to find Goldbug on every page.

The Magic Finger


Roald Dahl - 1966
    To the girl who lives next door, it's just plain horrible. She tries to be polite. She tries to talk them out of it, but the Greggs only laugh at her. Then one day the Greggs go too far, and the little girl turns her Magic Finger on them. When she's very, very angry, the little girl's Magic Finger takes over. She really can’t control it, and now it's turned the Greggs into birds! Before they know it, the Greggs are living in a nest, and that's just the beginning of their problems…

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day


Judith Viorst - 1972
    There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV!This handsome new edition of Judith Viorst's classic picture book is sure to charm readers of all ages.

I Am a Bunny


Ole Risom - 1963
    My name is Nicholas. I live in a hollow tree. This classic Golden Book, illustrated by Richard Scarry, celebrates its 50th anniversary with the story of Nicholas, a bunny clad in red overalls. In the spring, he picks flowers, and in the summer, watches the frogs in the pond. In the fall, he sees the animals getting ready for winter. And when winter comes, he watches the snow falling from the sky...then curls up in his hollow tree to dream about Spring. No child's library is complete without this gentle story of the seasons.

The Wump World


Bill Peet - 1970
    The Pollutians invade the Wump World and turn the green meadows into a concrete jungle.

Stone Soup


Ann McGovern - 1971
    As the pot of water boils with the stone in it, he urges her to add more and more ingredients until the soup is a feast "fit for a king".

How I Became a Pirate


Melinda Long - 2003
    I know about pirates, because one day, when I was at the beach building a sand castle and minding my own business, a pirate ship sailed into view.So proclaims Jeremy Jacob, a boy who joins Captain Braid Beard and his crew in this witty look at the finer points of pirate life by the Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator David Shannon and the storyteller Melinda Long. Jeremy learns how to say “scurvy dog,” sing sea chanteys, and throw food . . . but he also learns that there are no books or good night kisses on board: “Pirates don’t tuck.” A swashbuckling adventure with fantastically silly, richly textured illustrations that suit the story to a T.

Danny and the Dinosaur


Syd Hoff - 1958
    When he sees one at the museum and says, "It would be nice to play with a dinosaur," a voice answers, "And I think it would be nice to play with you." So begins Danny's and the dinosaur's wonderful adventure together!This edition contains altered illustrations, but not the later recolored ones.

Inside, Outside, Upside Down


Stan Berenstain - 1968
    Papa Bear turns the box upside down, takes it outside, and puts it on a truck. The simple art and rhyming text make this a perfect choice for teaching spatial concepts.

Angelina Ballerina


Katharine Holabird - 1983
    Her parents are in despair until they send her to ballet school.

Billy and Blaze: A Boy and His Pony


C.W. Anderson - 1936
    Anderson.Billy was a little boy who “loved horses more than anything else in the world.” Imagine how happy he was when he got his very own pony for his birthday! From that day on, Billy was seldom seen without his new friend, Blaze. Riding through fields and woods, Billy and Blaze learned to trust and understand one another—and to jump over fences and fallen trees with ease. They were a great team, but were they good enough to win the gleaming silver cup at the Mason Horse Show? This is the first book in the classic Billy and Blaze series. Sensitive drawings and easy-to-read words capture the warmth and gentle understanding between a boy and his horse.