Book picks similar to
The Crane by Reiner Zimnik
fiction
favorites
nyrb
read-with-kids
Adventures with Waffles
Maria Parr - 2005
And there is never an ordinary day when you've got a best friend like Lena. Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it's coaxing a cow onto a boat or sledding down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill--and sometimes an injury--to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny's waffles. But when Lena has to move away and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems like nothing will ever be right again. The warmth of friendship and the support of family suffuse this lightly illustrated novel, proving that when times are tough, a little taste of sweetness can make all the difference.
A House for a Mouse
Lisette Starr - 2019
Oscar the mouse wants somewhere warm to stay for the night!"One thundery night I was cosy and warm,under the covers and safe from the storm.I was lying awake counting sheep in my headWhen I heard something moving under my bed.Suddenly I was trembling with fear.Could there be a monster about to appear?Then I heard it again, that scuttling sound.It was so scary it made my heart pound!"A delightful story with bright, fun illustrations and a great positive message!"A House for a Mouse" is a bright, fun way for younger children to learn about friendship, kindness and generosity.When a young boy hears a noise under his bed, he fears there may be a monster about to appear. But it isn't a monster, it is a little mouse looking for somewhere warm and dry to spend the night. Combining wonderfully vibrant illustrations with the power of rhythm and rhyme,"A House for a Mouse" is a perfect bedtime story and a must read for kids starting their reading journey."RED BEETLE BOOKS"Following in the great tradition of moral tales, Red Beetle Books are designed to teach important life lessons in a fun and entertaining way.Exploring subjects like sharing, kindness, friendship, understanding differences, facing challenges and adapting to change, Red Beetle Books will help your child develop their emotional intelligence, while fostering a life long love of books and reading.
Horseradish
Lemony Snicket - 2007
Witty and irreverent, Horseradish is a book with universal appeal, a delightful vehicle to introduce Snicket's uproariously unhappy observations to a crowd not yet familiar with the Baudelaires' misadventures.
My Crazy Pet Frog
Scott Gordon - 2011
It is approximately 30 pages in length and best viewed in color.Find out what happens to the crazy frog when he runs into one of his loved ones!
Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures
Jackson Pearce - 2015
Her aunt is a vet for magical creatures. And her new friend Tomas is allergic to most magical creatures. When things go amok—and they often go amok—Pip consults Jeffrey Higgleston’s Guide to Magical Creatures, a reference work that Pip finds herself constantly amending. Because dealing with magical creatures like unicorns, griffins, and fuzzles doesn’t just require book knowledge—it requires hands-on experience and thinking on your feet. For example, when fuzzles (which have an awful habit of bursting into flame when they’re agitated) invade your town, it’s not enough to know what the fuzzles are—Pip and Tomas also must trace the fuzzles’ agitation to its source, and in doing so, save the whole town.
Big Pumpkin
Erica Silverman - 1992
The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to make herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween. But the pumpkin is so big she can't get it off the vine. It’s so big the ghost can’t move it, either. Neither can the vampire, nor the mummy. It looks as if there’ll be no pumpkin pie for Halloween, until along comes the bat with an idea to save the day. How can the tiny bat succeed where bigger and strong spooky creatures have failed? You'll be surprised!
Star Wars: Jedi Academy
Jeffrey Brown - 2013
The setting? A galaxy far, far away...Roan's one dream is to leave home and attend Pilot Academy like his older brother, father, and grandfather. But just as Roan is mysteriously denied entrance to Pilot School, he is invited to attend Jedi Academy--a school that he didn't apply to and only recruits children when they are just a few years old. That is, until now...This inventive novel follows Roan's first year at Jedi Academy where, under the tutelage of Master Yoda, he learns that he possesses more strength and potential than he could have ever dreamed. Oh, and he learns other important things too--like how to make a baking soda volcano, fence with a lightsaber, slow dance with a girl, and lift boulders with the Force.
The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition
Carol V. Aebersold - 2007
Based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed childrens book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game.The Elf on the Shelf gift set INCLUDES A SCOUT ELF from the North Pole, a hardbound CHILDRENS BOOK and a KEEPSAKE BOX for easy storage. In addition, each shipment is marked for special delivery from Santas workshop. ALL PRODUCTS ARE BRAND NEW!
The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip
George Saunders - 2000
In the seaside village of Frip live three families: the Romos, the Ronsens, and a little girl named Capable and her father. The economy of Frip is based solely on goat’s milk, and this is a problem because the village is plagued by gappers: bright orange, many-eyed creatures the size of softballs that love to attach themselves to goats. When a gapper gets near a goat, it lets out a high-pitched shriek of joy that puts the goats off giving milk, which means that every few hours the children of Frip have to go outside, brush the gappers off their goats, and toss them into the sea. The gappers have always been everyone’s problem, until one day they get a little smarter, and instead of spreading out, they gang up: on Capable’s goats. Free at last of the tyranny of the gappers, will her neighbors rally to help her? Or will they turn their backs, forcing Capable to bear the misfortune alone? Featuring fifty-two haunting and hilarious illustrations by Lane Smith and a brilliant story by George Saunders that explores universal themes of community and kindness, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip is a rich and resonant story for those that have all and those that have not.
Abel's Island
William Steig - 1976
But one stormy August day, furious flood water carry him off and dump him on an uninhabited island. Despite his determination and stubborn resourcefulness--he tried crossing the river with boats and ropes and even on stepping-stones--Abel can't find a way to get back home. Days, then weeks and months, pass. Slowly, his soft habits disappear as he forages for food, fashions a warm nest in a hollow log, models clay statues of his family for company, and continues to brood on the problem of how to get across the river--and home. Abel's time on the island brings him a new understanding of the world he's separated from. Faced with the daily adventure of survival in his solitary, somewhat hostile domain, he is moved to reexamine the easy way of life he had always accepted and discovers skills and talents in himself that hold promise of a more meaningful life, if and when he should finally return to Mossville and his dear Amanda again.
Castaway Cats
Lisa Wheeler - 2006
. . . Safety -- but wait! The fifteen swimmers braving the waves are, after all . . . kitties. They are not into cooperating until, until on this desert isle they must. Here, from the creators of the witty Old Cricket, comes a wily, wise saga of sogginess, a feline fantasy about drying off (elegantly), shaping up (grumpily), getting along (at last), and loving it.
The Borrowers
Mary Norton - 1952
In their tiny home, matchboxes double as roomy dressers and postage stamps hang on the walls like paintings. Whatever the Clocks need they simply "borrow" from the "human beans" who live above them. It's a comfortable life, but boring if you're a kid. Only Pod is allowed to venture into the house above, because the danger of being seen by a human is too great. Borrowers who are seen by humans are never seen again. Yet Arrietty won't listen. There is a human boy up there, and Arrietty is desperate for a friend.
Elsie Dinsmore
Martha Finley - 1868
She has never known her mother, and her relationship with her father is filled with misunderstanding and tears. The young girl learns to depend wholly upon her faith in her heavenly father.