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.

Snow


Sam Usher - 2014
    . . and all the dogs . . . and all the zoo animals! Only when the two finally arrive does Granddad see why Sam was in such a hurry—and they have the best time playing with everyone in the snow.

Waiting Together


Danielle Dufayet - 2020
    Like waiting on the drip, drip, drip of rain to stop or the ding of the timer for cookies to be done baking. But there's one thing that can make waiting go a little bit faster--a friend! A perfect read aloud, this book encourages readers to enjoy every kind of wait.

Norman the Doorman


Don Freeman - 1959
    Norman, the doorman of a mouse hole in an art museum, uses his own art talent and finds a way to see the art treasures in the galleries upstairs.

I Have A Balloon


Ariel Bernstein - 2017
    Monkey desperately wants Owl's balloon and tries everything to get what he wants—this is not a book about sharing.

Dirt Cheap


Mark Hoffmann - 2020
    All she knows is that she wants a new soccer ball that costs $24.95. The fastest way to that $24.95 is going into sales, but what to sell?All her belongings? Not much of a market for those.Birdie needs something that she has in abundance and that everyone needs. So when she sees everyone in her neighborhood working on their yards, she realizes she's hit pay dirt. Literally!Soon Birdie is raking in the dough, with profits of all varieties: quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies, even dollar bills! Now she can buy that soccer ball, but does her business plan have any holes?

Who Wants a Tortoise?


Dave Keane - 2016
    From beloved author Dave Keane and acclaimed illustrator K.G. Campbell, a laugh-out-loud story of unexpected friendship!    When the spunky, loveable narrator receives a tortoise for her birthday, instead of the cuddly puppy she’s longed for her entire life, she’s more than a little disappointed.  But while her new lump of a pet isn’t what she dreamed of, it doesn’t take long—between tortoise-on-skateboard walks, sparkly shell makeovers, and a lemonade stand selling chances to hold a real life tortoise—for the little girl to change her mind—sort of.  But when her pet goes missing, all she wants is to be reunited with her new best friend.

Hugo and the Impossible Thing


Renée Felice Smith - 2021
    All animals in the forest often wondered what was beyond the Impossible Thing, but no one had ever tried because getting through it would be ...impossible. So why even bother?That's when a brave little bulldog named Hugo decides he just might be up for the challenge. With determination and some unexpected help from his friends, Hugo learns that what may seem impossible might just be possible after all.

Hello, Jimmy!


Anna Walker - 2021
    They have tacos and milkshakes, and make each other laugh. But lately Jack wonders if his dad is lonely when he isn’t there. Then Jimmy arrives. Jimmy is loud and obnoxious, but Dad thinks he’s clever and funny. Jack does not think he’s clever or funny. And he’s starting to wonder if Dad likes Jimmy better than he likes Jack. This beautifully written and illustrated book about the unconditional love a parent has for a child is both heartwarming and reassuring.

Cranberry Easter


Wende Devlin - 1990
    "I'm going to sell the General Store and head South."Mr. Whiskers can't believe his ears. He knows Seth's been feeling lonely recently, but no Easter egg hunt...suffering codfish! And besides, without Seth around, who will he beat at checkers on Saturday nights?Mr. Whiskers realizes something must be done, but what? Just when things look their worst, his young friend Maggie come up with a plan that may save the egg hunt, and convince Seth that Cranberryport is the place for him afterall!

Beach House


Deanna Caswell - 2015
    A long, long drive.It's been a yearof dreaming, waiting.Now, summer's here.A celebration of family, vacations, and the joy of the sea.

Three Squeezes


Jason Pratt - 2020
    When you could neither talk nor standlife’s hourglass still filled with sand,I gently held your tiny handand gave it three soft squeezes.When you awoke within the nightAnd cried from fear and called for light,I held you safe with all my mightand gave you three long squeezes.Follow a father and his son from babyhood to baseball games to graduation and beyond in this loving saga about the unbreakable bond between generations.A perfect gift, Three Squeezes is a tender, rhyming picture book that is an ode to the love between parent and child, no matter how old the child (or) parent is.

Joy


Corrinne Averiss - 2018
    And when Mum remarks that all the joy seems to have gone out of her life, Fern decides to fetch the joy back. With her catching-kit at the ready, she goes to the park and finds joy in all sorts of unusual places. Whooooshh! But Fern soon realises that joy doesn’t fit in a bag, or a box or a tin! How will she manage to bring some back to Nanna? Emotional, funny and uplifting, this beautiful picture book has a strong message about empathy and maintaining loving relationships with our grandparents. Guaranteed to bring a bit of joy into every reader’s life, this story is a pure delight.

Happy Springtime!


Kate McMullan - 2021
    From earmuffed crossing guards to sweater wearing dogs, from painters of flowers to planters of seeds, Happy Springtime! celebrates the burst of life following the thaw of winter.Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honoree Kate McMullan's jubilant love-letter to this exciting time of year is the perfect book to bring in the season of birth and renewal, especially when accompanied by the riotous watercolor illustrations of Sujean Rim.

The Wildest Brother


Cornelia Funke - 2005
    The third hit picture book by the best-selling Funke and award-winning Meyer.Brave as a lion, strong as an elephant, Ben is a fearless young boy. When it comes to protecting his big sister, Anna, nothing can stand in his way! Gallantly he spends his day battling moldy green ghosts, slime-belching monsters, and all sorts of ferocious beasts. But when the day is over and darkness falls, Ben suddenly doesn't feel quite so brave. Sometimes, he realizes, it's the big sister who does the protecting.Featuring Meyer's witty, whimsical artwork and Funke's deft balance of humor, emotion, and truth, this is the perfect bedtime read for rambunctious brothers and sisters.