Chickerella


Mary Jane Auch - 2005
    Chickerella won't even be able to attend the Fowl Ball, that is, until her Fairy Goosemother appears. The unusually stylish Chickerella dazzles the prince in her eggsquisite gown, but at the stroke of midnight, she must race home before the spell is broken.

Blue Chicken


Deborah Freedman - 2011
    The innocent chicken just wants to help, but things get worse and worse-and bluer and bluer--the more she tries. Playing with colors and perspective, and using minimal text, this richly layered story reveals new things to see and laugh about with each reading.

Ira Sleeps Over


Bernard Waber - 1972
    Ira is thrilled about his first sleepover at his friend Reggie's house, until his sister makes him question taking his favorite teddy bear! Will Reggie laugh at his teddy bear? Can Ira sleep without it? A hilarious back-and-forth ensues in this classic picture book about staying true to yourself. A perfect read-aloud for every young reader with their own bedtime friends.

Yard Sale


Eve Bunting - 2015
    They can’t stay in this house, so they’re moving to an apartment in the city. The new place is "small but nice," Mom says, and most of their things won’t fit, so today they are having a yard sale. But it’s kind of hard to watch people buy your stuff, even if you understand why it has to happen. With sensitivity and grace, Eve Bunting and Lauren Castillo portray an event at once familiar and difficult, making clear that a home isn’t about what you have, but whom you hold close.

Our Favorite Day of the Year


A.E. Ali - 2020
    He’s not used to being away from home and he doesn’t know any of the other kids in his class. And when he meets classmates Moisés, Mo, and Kevin, Musa isn’t sure they’ll have much in common. But over the course of the year, the four boys learn more about each other, the holidays they celebrate, their favorite foods, and what they like about school. The more they share with each other, the closer they become, until Musa can’t imagine any better friends. In this charming story of friendship and celebrating differences, young readers can discover how entering a new friendship with an open mind and sharing parts of yourself brings people together. And the calendar of holidays at the end of the book will delight children as they identify special events they can celebrate with friends throughout the year.

The Day You Begin


Jacqueline Woodson - 2018
    There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael Lopez's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

Miss Nelson Is Missing!


Harry Allard - 1977
    Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. The students don’t proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways. James Marshall’s scritchy, cartoonish full-color ink and wash illustrations are hilarious. A back-to-school perennial!

The Perfect Nest


Catherine Friend - 2007
    Jack the cat is building the perfect nest. It' s bound to attract the perfect chicken, who will lay the perfect egg, which will make the perfect omelet. And sure enough, a chicken shows up ( Caramba ), but so do a duck ( Sacre bleu ) and a goose ( Great balls of fire ). Feathers get ruffled -- and Jack gets much more than breakfast -- in a funny tale rich in detail with a sweet final twist.

All for Pie, Pie for All


David Martin - 2006
    Grandma Mouse finds a piece of apple pie, and there's plenty for everyone — and even crumbs left over. Grandma Ant spies some crumbs of apple pie, and there's plenty for everyone. But what's left over after cats, mice, and ants have had their fill? Little readers will eat up this scrumptious, gently math-related story that's as sweet and satisfying as a fresh-baked dessert.

A Boy Like You


Frank Murphy - 2019
    A Boy Like You encourages every boy to embrace all the things that make him unique, to be brave and ask for help, to tell his own story and listen to the stories of those around him. In an age when boys are expected to fit into a particular mold, this book celebrates all the wonderful ways to be a boy.

Jane Eyre: A BabyLit Counting Primer


Jennifer Adams - 2012
    With clever, simple text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Sugar's Alison Oliver, Little Miss Brontë and Little Master Carroll are a must for every savvy parent's nursery library.A series of board books for brilliant babies

Milk Goes to School


Terry Border - 2016
    Milk's dad gave her a sparkly new backpack and told her that she was the creme de la creme, but most of the other kids don't seem to agree. In fact, some of her new classmates think Milk is just little a bit spoiled. . . .In this latest hilarious picture book from Terry Border, our food friends go to school and learn that it's not just Milk that's the creme de la creme. Some other food can be just as sweet.Praise for Terry Border's picture books:Happy Birthday, Cupcake!"As in his earlier picture book, Border's characters are skillfully crafted food items with basic wire limbs arranged in simple landscapes....Preschoolers will be delighted with the visual mayhem."--Kirkus Reviews Peanut Butter & Cupcake:"Border’s witty food comedy will lure children who are hungry for clever visual entertainment."--Publishers Weekly"[Z]any creative photographs. [A] read-aloud hit."--School Library Journal

Mailing May


Michael O. Tunnell - 1997
    But when Charlotte May Pierstorff wanted to cross seventy-five miles of Idaho mountains to see her grandma in 1914, it was a very big deal indeed. There was no highway except the railroad, and a train ticket would have cost her parents a full day's pay.Here is the true story of how May got to visit her grandma, thanks to her own spunk, her father's ingenuity, and the U.S. mail. "A heartwarming period piece based on a true incident, lovingly told, beautifully illustrated," raved The New York Times Book Review of Michael O. Tunnell's Mailing May, illustrated by Ted Rand, which was also honored as a 1998 ALA Notable Book.

A Story, a Story


Gail E. Haley - 1970
    He kept them in a box beside his throne. But Ananse, the Spider man, wanted them -- and caught three sly creatures to get them. This story of how we got our own stories to tell is adapted from an African folktale.

Pete's a Pizza


William Steig - 1998
    Next, some oil is generously applied. (It's really water.) And then some tomatoes. (They're really checkers.) When the dough gets tickled, it laughs like crazy.