Why The Sky Is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale


Mary-Joan Gerson - 1974
    The sky was once so close to the Earth that people cut parts of it to eat, but their waste and greed caused the sky to move far away.

Old Mikamba Had a Farm


Rachel Isadora - 2013
    It is beautifully illustrated by Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora, with her signature collage-style artwork. Old Mikamba had a farm, E-I-E-I-O. And on this farm he had . . . a giraffe, a baboon, and an elephant! Meet Old Mikamba, who watches over a wide variety of animals on his game farm in the plains of Africa. Children will discover a whole new set of fun animal sounds as they are invited to sing along and roar with the lions, bellow with the rhino, whinny with the zebras, honk with the wildebeests, and more! A wonderful introduction to African wildlife that is great fun to read aloud, this truly irresistible rendition of a beloved song includes a list of animal fun facts and gives children a huge variety of animal sounds to imitate as they pore over the detailed animals, landscapes and patterns in the stunning illustrations.

All The Way to Lhasa: A Tale from Tibet


Barbara Helen Berger - 2002
    A young boy and his yak bravely overcome all odds to get to Lhasa, giving a wise and simple message that will inspire children of any age to dream and reach for a shining goal that may seem "very far."

You Don't Want a Unicorn!


Ame Dyckman - 2017
    Unbeknownst to him, unicorns make the absolutely worst pets: they shed, they poke holes in your ceiling, and they make a big mess. With a knowing wink from Ame Dyckman, creator of Wolfie the Bunny and cheerful illustrations from Rory the Dinosaur creator and Tumblr star Liz Climo, this rollicking story shares all of the ways a pet unicorn can ruin your life, and is sure to have readers in stitches.

Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile


Won-Ldy Paye - 2003
    Chicken has to think fast to outwit hungry Crocodile, who wants to eat her for dinner.One morning Mrs. Chicken took her bath in a puddle.“Cluck, cluck,” she said proudly. “What a pretty chicken I am!”Mrs. Chicken can’t see her wings in the puddle, so she walks down to the river where she can admire all of herself. She doesn’t know that Crocodile is there, waiting for dinner—and a tasty chicken would do nicely! To save herself, Mrs. Chicken tells Crocodile that they are sisters. But how can a speckled chicken and a green-skinned crocodile be related? Mrs. Chicken had better prove that they are, and fast, because Crocodile is getting hungrier . . .The authors and illustrator of Head, Body, Legs join together to create another lively retelling of a popular African folktale. Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile is a 2004 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Little Red Riding Hood


Trina Schart Hyman - 1983
    On her way to deliver a basket of food to her sick grandmother, Elisabeth encounters a sly wolf.Book Details: Format: Library Binding Publication Date: 6/1/1982 Pages: 32 Reading Level: Age 5 and Up

Robo-Sauce


Adam Rubin - 2015
    Here's the story of a magic potion called Robo-Sauce. It's all happy fun times until robots take over and transform this very book, right before your eyes. Get ready for a surprise ending, the likes of which humanity has never seen!

The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza


Philemon Sturges - 1999
    Kids will love following along as the hen, with no help from her friends the duck, the dog, and the cat, goes through the steps of making a pizza-shopping for supplies, making the dough, and adding the toppings. But despite their initial resistance, the hen's friends come through in the end and help out in a refreshing and surprising way.

Tomorrow Most Likely


Dave Eggers - 2019
    Rather than focusing on going to bed—and what kid wants to think about going to bed?—this book explores all of the dreamy, wonderful, strange things the next day might bring.

I Need My Monster


Amanda Noll - 2009
    One night, when Ethan checks under his bed for his monster, Gabe, he finds a note from him instead: "Gone fishing. Back in a week." Ethan knows that without Gabe’s familiar nightly scares he doesn't stand a chance of getting to sleep, so Ethan interviews potential substitutes to see if they've got the right equipment for the job—pointy teeth, sharp claws, and a long tail—but none of them proves scary enough for Ethan. When Gabe returns sooner than expected from his fishing trip, Ethan is thrilled. It turns out that Gabe didn't enjoy fishing because the fish scared too easily.

Verdi


Janell Cannon - 1997
    He likes his bright yellow skin and sporty stripes. Besides, all the green snakes he meets are lazy, boring, and rude. When Verdi finds a pale green stripe stretching along his whole body, he tries every trick he can think of to get rid of it--and ends up in a heap of trouble. Despite his efforts, Verdi turns green, but to his delight, he discovers that being green doesn’t mean he has to stop being himself. “Cannon is on a roll, her gift for creating memorable characters and scenes on glorious display in this tale of a feisty python hatchling.”--Publishers Weekly

Chicken Cheeks


Michael Ian Black - 2009
    This one recruits every animal that comes along to form, well, a stack. The result? Tail of the duck to the gluteus maximus of the duck-billed platypus (with many other rears in between). Readers will giggle with delight at the bird's eye view of some hysterical animal bottoms. Follow this back-sided journey up the tree - where the real surprise awaits. The pairing of Black's minimal text with Hawkes's visual story line will keep you chuckling from the bottom up.

Pssst!


Adam Rex - 2007
    But there’s something different about this zoo. These animals want things. Unusual things. What will they do with them?    Laughs, jokes, and surprises abound in this graphic picture book about a feisty, all-too-helpful little girl and her role in aiding and abetting zoo-animal shenanigans. Adam Rex once again reveals the hilarious hidden life of creatures we thought we knew well.

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China


Ed Young - 1989
    "Absolutely splendid." -- Kirkuse Reviews. "An extraordinary and powerful book." -- Publisher's Weekly.

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale


John Steptoe - 1987
    Who will the king choose?Award-winning artist John Steptoe’s rich cultural imagery of Africa earned him the Coretta Scott King Award for Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. The book also went on to win the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. This stunning story is a timeless treasure that readers will enjoy for generations.Coretta Scott King Award for IllustrationCaledcott HonorReading Rainbow BookBoston Globe-Horn Book