Rules of Summer


Shaun Tan - 2013
    Each spread tells of an event and the lesson learned. By turns, these events become darker and more sinister as the boys push their games further and further.

Dragons Love Tacos


Adam Rubin - 2012
    They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?


Martin Waddell - 1988
    He's frightened of the dark, the dark all around, which not even Big Bear's largest lantern can light up. Big Bear finds a way to show Little Bear that there is no need to be afraid.

Rain Before Rainbows


Smriti Prasadam-Halls - 2020
    Along the way they find friends to guide and support them, and when the new day dawns, it is full of promise. With gorgeous, richly realized illustrations and immense hope at its heart, Rain Before Rainbows holds out a ray of sunshine for anyone looking for light.

Little Blue and Little Yellow


Leo Lionni - 1959
    One day, they can't find one another. When they finally meet, they are overjoyed. They hug until they become green. But where did little blue and little yellow go? Are they lost?

Princess Smartypants


Babette Cole - 1987
    Commanded by her parents to find herself a husband, the Princess sets tasks for her horde of suitors. All of the potential husbands fail miserably as the gleeful Princess looks on — until Prince Swashbuckle appears. . . .

I Want My Hat Back


Jon Klassen - 2011
    Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor—and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke.

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.

Guess How Much I Love You


Sam McBratney - 1988
    Little Nutbrown Hare shows his daddy how much he loves him: as wide as he can reach and as far as he can hop. But Big Nutbrown Hare, who can reach farther and hop higher, loves him back just as much. Well then Little Nutbrown Hare loves him right up to the moon, but that's just halfway to Big Nutbrown Hare's love for him.

Funnybones


Janet Ahlberg - 1980
    A special edition of this classic picture book to celebrate its 40th anniversary - with a glow-in-the-dark cover!In the first ever Funnybones book, we are introduced to the wonderful humour and fun of the much-loved series.The Funnybones books are a must for children just starting to learn to read - these funny skeletons are definitely not the scary sort!Allan Ahlberg has published over 100 children's books and with his late wife Janet, created many award-winning children's picture books.The Ahlbergs' books are nursery bookshelf standards and have been the recipient of worldwide acclaim and awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal.__________ Look out for these other classics by Allan Ahlberg: Burglar Bill; Cops and Robbers; Each Peach Pear Plum; The One and Only Two Heads; Son of a Gun; The Little Worm Book; Two Wheels Two Heads; The Baby's Catalogue; A Pair of Sinners; Happy Families; Peepo!; The Ha Ha Bonk Book; Help Your Child to Read; Ten in a Bed; Please mrs Butler; Daisy Chains; Yum Yum; Playmates; Foldaways; Woof; The Cinderella Show; The Jolly Postman; The Jolly Christmas Postman; The Jolly Pocket Postman; The Clothes Horse and Other Stories; The Mighty Slide; Starting School; Heard it in the Playground; The Bear Nobody Wanted; It was a Dark and Stormy Night; The Giant Baby; Baby Sleeps; Blue Buggy; Doll and Teddy; See the Rabbit; Please Mrs Butler; The Better Brown Stories; The Boyhood of Burglar Bill

Curious George Visits the Zoo


Margret Rey - 1985
    A hungry Curious George snatches a pail of bananas from the zoo keeper. Though he shouldn't have taken the bananas, George soon changes the zookeeper's shouts to praise with his clever, helpful ways.

Ocean Meets Sky


Terry Fan - 2018
    Every time he looks out his window it’s a constant reminder of the stories his grandfather told him about the place where the ocean meets the sky. Where whales and jellyfish soar and birds and castles float.Finn’s grandfather is gone now but Finn knows the perfect way to honor him. He’ll build his own ship and sail out to find this magical place himself!And when he arrives, maybe, just maybe, he’ll find something he didn’t know he was looking for.

A Greyhound, a Groundhog


Emily Jenkins - 2017
    With very spare, incredibly lively language, this is an entertaining read-aloud, with two amazing and oh-so-adorable characters at its heart. When a greyhound meets a groundhog, wordplay and crazy antics ensue. The two animals, much like kids, work themselves into a frenzy as they whirl around and around one another. ("Around, round hound. Around, greyhound.") The pace picks up ("Around and around and astound and astound"), until they ultimately wear themselves out. Jenkins s masterful text is deceptively simple. NPR on "Toys Meet Snow" by Emily Jenkins Appelhans, whose career up to now has been in animated films such as "Coraline, " is a revelation. "Booklist, " Starred, on "Sparky!, " illustrated by Chris Appelhans Appelhans makes an auspicious picture book debut with strikingly beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations. His style, reminiscent of Jon Klassen s, incorporates a muted color palette, but with a slightly softer, rounder quality, while also weaving in visual deadpan humor. "The Horn Book""

The Barnabus Project


Eric Fan - 2020
    A stunning picture book from international bestsellers The Fan Brothers, joined by their brother Devin Fan.Deep underground beneath Perfect Pets, where children can buy genetically engineered "perfect" creatures, there is a secret lab. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab, but none of them is perfect. They are all Failed Projects. Barnabus has never been outside his tiny bell jar, yet he dreams of one day seeing the world above ground that his pal Pip the cockroach has told him about: a world with green hills and trees, and buildings that reach all the way to the sky, lit with their own stars. But Barnabus may have to reach the outside world sooner than he thought, because the Green Rubber Suits are about to recycle all Failed Projects . . . and Barnabus doesn't want to be made into a fluffier pet with bigger eyes. He just wants to be himself. So he decides it's time for he and the others to escape. With his little trunk and a lot of cooperation and courage, Barnabus sets out to find freedom -- and a place where he and his friends can finally be accepted for who they are.This suspenseful, poignant and magical story about following your dreams and finding where you truly belong will draw readers into a surreal, lushly detailed world in which perfection really means being true to yourself and your friends.

Phileas's Fortune: A Story about Self-Expression


Agnès de Lestrade - 2009
    Words are important, but what is more significant is the sincerity and character behind what is actually being said. True self-expression comes from deep inside. And, in the end, heart is always more meaningful than money.