What If...? Then We...: Short, Very Short, Shorter-than-Ever Possibilities


Rebecca Kai Dotlich - 2019
    "What if . . . we got lost far, far, far away, and couldn't find our way home? Then we would become the bravest explorers in the world." So begin the adventures of two intrepid polar bears. Traveling on a ship imagined from an iceberg, the bears encounter magnificent sights and scary situations. When a city made of crayons melts, the bears use pencils to create a beautiful gray world. When all the words in the universe disappear, the bears invent their own language. When something really big and really scary happens, they whistle and hold hands until it's not as big or scary anymore. And when they find their way back home, they're ready to imagine a thousand more possibilities. This companion title to the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book One Day, The End. is ultimately a book about imagination, friendship, and finding possibilities in the smallest moments.

Hello


Fiona Woodcock - 2019
    The spare, engaging text works as an interactive read-aloud, and the stunning illustrations invite repeated readings. A great choice for language arts teachers, emerging readers, and storytime fun!Hello! Are you ready for a brilliant day? There are plenty of spills and thrills as a brother and a sister collide in bumper cars, ride roller coasters, toss beach balls, and act silly in the chilly ocean water, where they meet a jellyfish! This playful concept-and-story book is ideal for new readers, who will love following along as a brother and sister enjoy a day full of adventure and unexpected surprises. Author-illustrator Fiona Woodcock’s spare text uses only words with double L’s, an important concept for early literacy. Parents and educators will appreciate the way each word is cleverly woven into eye-catching illustrations, from rabbit ears to a child’s boots. Fans of Kevin Henkes’s Egg, Mike Twohy’s Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!, and the author’s own Look will love the playful tone and pace. And it all ends with a bedtime lullaby, of course!

Olive & Pekoe: In Four Short Walks


Jacky Davis - 2019
    Olive is an older dog who likes to take her time; Pekoe is a bouncy puppy with a nose for exploration. Together they make the perfect team. Pekoe fetches sticks for Olive, and Olive protects Pekoe from bigger, meaner dogs. They go on walks, encounter a chipmunk, and get caught in a rainstorm, among other adventures. Their escapades may be small but are nevertheless filled with excitement and love.In four short and easy-to-read chapters (or walks), New York Times–bestselling author Jacky Davis explores the nature of friendship in all its humor and drama. Giselle Potter’s lively and engaging watercolors are the perfect match to the story.Ideal for emerging readers, fans of Kelly DiPucchio’s Gaston, and anyone who loves dogs of all shapes and sizes!

Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic


Monica Carnesi - 2012
    Many people tried to help, but the dog could not be reached. Finally, after two nights and seventy-five miles, the little dog was saved by a ship out in the Baltic Sea. The gallant rescue of the little dog nicknamed Baltic made international news. Mônica Carnesi's simple text and charming watercolor illustrations convey all the drama of Baltic's journey. His story, with its happy ending, will warm readers' hearts. An author's note and map are included.

Good Morning to Me!


Lita Judge - 2015
    Rise and shine—ready or not!It’s a sleepy morning in the cottage, but Beatrix the parrot is wide AWAKE…and she can’t wait to start the day with her friends.

I Am a Cat


Galia Bernstein - 2018
    Each of the big cats has something to say about Simon not being “cat” enough. According to them, he just doesn’t measure up. He doesn’t have Lion’s mane or Cheetah’s spots. He doesn’t sleep in trees like Panther or climb mountains like Puma. He’s small and fuzzy, not big and strong. But ultimately, Simon shows the big cats that he’s just like them . . . only smaller.   A celebration of both individuality and community, I Am a Cat is a strong debut that shows we’re all more alike than we think . . . if we look closely enough.

Yes & No


Elisha Cooper - 2021
    It's time to wake up!Join a cat and puppy pair through their day—the ups of being fed and romping through grass, and the downs of days that are too short and things that don't go as planned—as they realize that sometimes the very best thing that can happen is just being together.

Ollie and Augustus


Gabriel Evans - 2020
    So as Ollie is getting ready to start school, he’s a little worried. Won’t Augustus be lonely during the day? Ollie has just the idea: a sign that reads Wanted: Friend for Augustus. But good friends, as it turns out, are hard to find. Luckily, Ollie and Augustus aren’t just any kind of friends — they’re best friends, and nothing will ever change that. Endearingly illustrated with scratch-scratchy appeal, this is a tale for animal lovers and new school-goers alike.

A Little Bit of Winter


Paul Stewart - 1998
    But every winter, Hedgehog has to burrow info a cozy spot and sleep while Rabbit plays in the snow. Rabbit is sad because he knows he will miss Hedgehog. Hedgehog is more interested in what winter is like. So he asks Rabbit to save him a little bit of winter. He even writes it on a free for his forgetful pal. But if's a long, cold winter and Rabbit has a hard enough time just finding food. He even cats some of the bark that Hedgehog's note is written on. Will Rabbit remember his best friend's request?

Pax and Blue


Lori Richmond - 2017
    Pax is the littlest everywhere he goes. In school. At playtime. On the train. Then Pax meets a pigeon at the park—he names him Blue and makes a friend who knows what it’s like to be small. And understanding each other can lead to the best friendships.

Hello Hello


Brendan Wenzel - 2018
    Beginning with two cats, one black and one white, a chain of animals appears before the reader, linked together by at least one common trait. From simple colors and shapes to more complex and abstract associations, each unexpected encounter celebrates the magnificent diversity of our world—and ultimately paints a story of connection. Brendan Wenzel's joyous, rhythmic text and exuberant art encourage readers to delight in nature's infinite differences and to look for—and marvel at—its gorgeous similarities. It all starts with a simple "Hello."

Black? White! Day? Night! - A Book of Opposites (Neal Porter Books)


Laura Vaccaro Seeger - 2006
    Through a  series of ingenious die-cut pages, the reader discovers things that are the opposite of what they seem: A black bat transformed into a white ghost, a sunny day that becomes a starry night. Posed as a series of 18 questions and answers, Black? White! Day? Night! is sure to be a big success with small children everywhere.

I Don't Want to Be a Pea!


Ann Bonwill - 2011
    Bella Bird has a best hippo. They make a perfect pair, and they are going to the Fairy Tale Dress-Up party together, of course: Hugo will be the princess, and Bella will be the pea. No, wait: Bella will be the princess, and Hugo will be the pea….No, the first way. No, the second way. Wait, now, which way? If these two pals can’t agree on who will be the pea, their party plan will fall to pieces. But when a couple of surprise compromises lead to a new costume solution, Hugo and Bella learn that sometimes it feels better to make someone else happy than to get your own way—and that when it comes to friendship, they’re two peas in a pod. Hugo and Bella mirror real-life give-and-take: Hippos and birds have symbiotic relationships in nature!

Good Rosie


Kate DiCamillo - 2018
    She likes taking walks with George and looking at the clouds together, but the closest she comes to another dog is when she encounters her reflection in her empty dog bowl, and sometimes that makes Rosie feel lonely. One day George takes Rosie to the dog park, but the park is full of dogs that Rosie doesn’t know, which makes her feel lonelier than ever. When big, loud Maurice and small, yippy Fifi bound over and want to play, Rosie’s not sure how to respond. Is there a trick to making friends? And if so, can they all figure it out together?

Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg


Lori Mortensen - 2013
    The chase that follows—with page-turn surprises—makes for a hilarious shaggy-dog story involving fleas, a hog, bribery, cats, deception, and a mule. The rhyming stanzas are pitch-perfect, Texas-style, and plumb near cry out to be read aloud. Austin’s expressive acrylic and colored-pencil caricatures of Cowpoke Clyde and his menagerie are priceless. A storytime shoo-in!