The Definitive List of the Best Children's Fiction Picture Books of 2011: Thankfully Reading and Reviewing the Best of 266 Books Published This Year

I'm thankfully reading this weekend.

Thank you, Jenn, for this fun event!

And, now, here's the list I promised you,

The Best Children's

Fiction Picture Books

of 2011

FRIENDSHIP STORIES

Bug and Bear: A Story of True Friendship by Ann Bonwill
Bug wants Bear to play but Bear doesn’t feel like it. Bug tries every trick to talk Bear into playing, but Bug only succeeds in making Bear angry...more




Ella May and the Wishing Stone by Cary Fagan
Ella May discovers a special wishing stone. When her friends want to use her stone, Ella May says it is too special. When they find stones of their ow...more 




I Like You the Best by Carol Thompson
Dolly the pig and Jack Rabbit are best friends. They like to play together. One day, when they are painting each other’s picture, the friends quarrel....more




Library Lily by Gillian Shields
Lily loves to read. Milly does not like to read at all. Lily does not like to do anything except read. Milly loves to explore outside. The two girls...more




I'm Here by Peter H. Reynolds
A boy is here, yet no one notices. He’s in his own little world. He likes that. But he is a little lonely, too. Just in time a paper airplane glides...more




The Little Bitty Bakery by Leslie Muir
The pastry chef is exhausted after a long day at work. She goes to bed, sadly, realizing that, although the day was her birthday, she had had no cake...more




Mr. Duck Means Business by Tammi Sauer
Mr. Duck has a routine and he is not a happy camper when his animal friends attempt to disrupt it. All the animals want to play in Mr. Duck’s pond, but...more




Perfect Soup by Lisa Moser
It’s a very cold day and Murray the mouse wants to make a perfect soup. Everybody knows that Perfect Soup has potatoes and corn and tomatoes and carrots. But Murray doesn’t have a carrot. ...more 




Ribbit Rabbit by Candace Ryan
A frog and a rabbit are best friends, until they begin to fight. First they fight over small things and then they fight over big things and then they ...more

Scritch-Scratch a Perfect Match by Kimberly Marcus

A flea lands on a stray dog. The dog falls into an old man and they both race for relief to a general store. They discover flea powder and off goes...more

The Sniffles for Bear by Bonny Becker

Bear isn’t just sick; he thinks he is on his last leg. Why, then, isn’t Mouse properly appreciative of the severity of the situation?...more

Willow and the Snow Day Dance by Denise Brennan-Nelson

Willow moves in a new neighborhood and helps create a new spirit of neighborliness with her presence. Even the stoic Mr. Larch can’t resist getting in...more

YOU WILL BE MY FRIEND! by Peter Brown
Lucy wants to find a new friend today. In her enthusiasm, she scares off many potential friends. Finally, just as Lucy is about to give up, a flamingo...more

*You’re Finally Here! by Melanie Watt

The bunny has been waiting for you. (Yes, that’s YOU. You, the reader.) She is very glad you have finally appeared, but she wonders where you have been...more


GOODNIGHT STORIES

Are You Awake? by Sophie Blackall

Edward is awake. It is nighttime. He wakes his mother up and engages her in conversation for a long time...more

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters by Jane Yolen

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters is the story of monsters going home from school, eating their supper, taking a bath, even saying their prayers, and...more

 

Good Night, Chickie by Emile Jadoul

It’s time for bed. Chickie has a hard time going to sleep. His mother hen reassures him. That’s the whole story. A gentle story about...more

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Rinker
One by one, the big machines of the construction site wrap up their work for the day and head for home...more

DISOBEDIENT BUT LOVEABLE

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael Kaplan

Betty Bunny discovers the wonders of chocolate cake. Sadly, there is no chocolate cake at school and she cannot, she finds, get chocolate cake until...more

Chicken Butt's Back! by Erica S. Perl

A boy and his mom go shopping. Mom warns her son that she will put up with no more Chicken Butt jokes. Nevertheless, the boy manages to engage his mom...more

Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas

Three cows are ready for some fun on Chicken’s sofa. They are ready to have fun jumping on Chicken’s sofa. Until Chicken intervenes, They are ready to...more

Merci Mister Dash! by Monica Kulling

Madame Croissant lived a quiet life with her well-mannered dog, Mister Dash, working in her gift shop, and admiring her stamp collection. Until Sunday...more

My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer

My Side of the Car is the story of a girl finally going to the zoo with her father. On the way, it starts to rain, but the girl refuses to admit that ...more

No Dogs Allowed! by Linda Ashman

A waiter in a Parisian bistro adamantly refuses to serve dogs. Or cats. Or any other animals his human patrons attempt to sneak in. Until finally...more

Not Inside This House! by Kevin Lewis

Livingstone Columbus Magellan Crouse brings home a bug, but his mother orders him to take the bug out of the house. Livingstone goes outside and...more

Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman

Samantha gets some roller skates, but her mother cautions her not to put them on until her mom has time to go with Samantha. Of course, Samantha does...more

OLD STORIES AND SONGS

Aesop's Fables by Beverley Naidoo
As Naidoo notes in her introductory letter to the reader, Aesop’s fables aren’t like European fairy tales, with endings where everyone lives happily e...more

The Boy in the Garden by Allen Say

The Boy in the Garden is really two stories. One is an old folktale about a man who saved a struggling crane from a trap, met and married a young...more


 

Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson offers a revised version of the old prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Sun, Sister Moon with beautiful cut-paper...more




The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos

The farm maiden stirs up a big pot of arroz con leche with the help of the cabra and the vaca and the pato and the burro in this new version of the...more



Cinderella: An Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani

The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale by Lucine Kasbarian
A sparrow with a thorn in his foot tricks a baker into giving him some bread, and then exchanges the bread for grander and grander things. But the...more

I Am Tama, Lucky Cat: A Japanese Legend by Wendy Henrichs
I Am Tama tells the ancient story of Tama the lucky cat. Tama was alone in the cold world when he came upon a monastery. Tama sat in the doorway and...more





Light Up the Night by Jean Reidy

A quiet little rhyming story, with the rhythm of This is the House That Jack Built that explains a boy’s spot in the big universe as the boy prepares...more

Mrs. Noah’s Vegetable Ark by Elena Pasquali

When her husband begins herding all the animals in the world into the ark, two by two, Mrs. Noah decides to save the plants in the world from...more

Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Naamah is Noah’s wife and the ark is underway. Every night, Naamah sings to the animals on the ark to keep them calm. The author wrote the text of...more

One Love  by Cedella Marley

Yes, it’s that song and it’s been reworked by that songwriter’s daughter (take a second look at her last name if you think I joke.) Like some of...more

Over in the Meadow by Jill McDonald

The classic song about mothers in the meadow with their little ones...more

Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have you Been? by Dan Bar-El

In this version of an old nursery rhyme, Pussycat doesn’t stop with visiting the Queen in London. He travels to many exotic locations and sees many...more

Rapunzel: Based on the Original Story by the Brothers Grimm by Sarah Gibb

Sarah Gibb retells the old story of Rapunzel yet another time, this time with illustrations in which all the highlights, flowers, curtains, clothes...more

The Red Hen by Rebecca Emberley

You know this one. The hen isn’t little and she’s baking a cake, not bread, and it’s the cat and the rat and the frog who aren’t helping her, but you ...more

Seriously, Cinderella Is SO Annoying! The Story of Cinderella as Told by the Wicked Stepmother by Trisha Speed Shaskan
Review coming soon





Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Jerry Pinkney
A little chipmunk goes on a journey, guided by the light of a star. Using the words of the traditional children’s song, Pinkney tells a dreamy...more

The Wise Fool by Shahrukh Husain
Finally, a beautiful brightly illustrated collection of thoughtful stories from the Islamic world for children. This book tells stories about Mulla...more

TOO LITTLE

Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld

Cloudette is a little itty-bitty cloud. Generally, Cloudette saw the advantages of being small, like everyone calling her cute names and always being ...more

Little Shepherd's Christmas by Carol Heyer



 

Little Pig Joins the Band by David Hyde Costello
Little Pig didn’t like being little when his family got out their instruments and marched in a band. He is too little to play the instruments. When he...more




 

Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen
A tiny little fly lights on several African animals, provoking them to try to catch him. None of them succeed and off he flies. A little...more

FICTION THAT IS QUASI-NONFICTION

All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel by Dan Yaccarino
Dan Yaccarino tells the story of his family’s move from Italy to the United States. Everywhere the family goes, they carry their shovel along, and the...more

The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss
Ida Lewis grows up in a lighthouse and her father, the lighthouse keeper, teaches her how to do all the things those manning a lighthouse must know...more




The Crossing by Donna Napoli
The story of Lewis and Clark’s trip across the country is told by a small baby carried by the team’s guide, Sacagawea...more




Do You Have a Dog? by Eileen Spinelli
This book, the latest combined effort of Spinelli and Valerio, takes a look at famous dogs in history, a topic that has been little studied or written...more

Doggy Whys? by Lila Prap
Lila Prap has written another wonderful informational picture book, this time about dogs. Like she often does, Prap begins each double page with a...more





Dogs Don't Eat Jam and Other Things Big Kids Know by Sarah Tsiang and Qin Leng




Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Me…Jane is a short biography of the childhood of Jane Goodall, who loved animals as a child and grew up to study chimpanzees as an adult. The bio...more

Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite by Anna Harwell Celenza

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont by Victoria Griffith

Following My Paint Brush Gita Wolf

Dulari Devi worked as a domestic until she discovered the joy of traditional folk painting in eastern India. It was she who illustrated this book, the...more





The Great Moon Hoax by Stephen Krensky
Two young newsboys depend on their day-to-day survival by selling newspapers. The two boys are overjoyed when the paper they sell, The Sun, begins a...more

Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King by Richard Michelson
It seemed like everyone in Brooklyn was playing Base, a wonderful ball game. The Pike family wanted their son, Lipman to succeed in school and so...more

The Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi
Fred takes care of his bees in Brooklyn. This little picture book is filled with facts about those who care for honeybees and honeybees themselves...more

Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston
Gloria Houston tells the true story of one of her personal heroes, Dorothy Thomas. Dorothy wanted to be a librarian in a big brick library, but...more

The Ocean Story by John Seven

As a boy and his grandfather walk along the beach, the grandfather tells the little boy the story of the ocean and the water cycle. The grandfather...more

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

 Snowfall changes everything. Animals go underground to keep warm. But what does it look like down there? And what do the animals do?

This l...more

 

Passing the Music Down by Sarah Sullivan

A boy with a gift for the fiddle is taken many miles away to an old time fiddler for lessons. The boy learns many things from the old fiddler...more

Play Ball, Jackie!  by Stephen Krensky
Matty’s father gets free tickets to the baseball game. It’s the first game of the Dodgers’ new first baseman, Jackie Robinson. Many white people don’t...more

Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist by Gina Capaldi

In this paraphrase of original texts by Red Bird, author Gina Capaldi retells the stories of this Native American girl who grew up between the world...more

Running With the Horses by Alison Lester

Running with Horses is a fictional story about the rescue of the Lipizzaner stallions from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna during World War II. In...more

Soccer Dreams: Playing the Seattle Sounders FC Way by Clare Hodgson Meeker

Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown

Ana only has one book. She has read it so many times that she knows it word for word. She wishes she had another book, but, since her teacher has left...more

Walking Home to Rosie Lee by A. LaFaye
“War’s over. Government say we free. Folks be on the move. Getting the feel for freedom. Not me. I’m looking for my mama, Rosie Lee.”...more

Wallie Exercises by Steve Ettinger

We're Off to Make 'Umrah by Sana Munshey
A boy and his sister and parents head off to spend time engaging in their spiritual practices. This little thin book outlines the key events in a...more

What to Expect When You're Expecting Larvae: A Guide for Insect Parents (And Curious Kids) by Bridget Heos
The author of this informational text has cleverly fashioned her book into an information guide for new insect parents. The writing is child-friendly...more





Wagons Ho! by George Hallowell

The story of a family moving from Missouri to Oregon in 1846 and now, is told in two parallel journals that invite comparison and contrast. The ways...more

DRESSES AND SHOES AND PINK THINGS

Birdie’s Big-Girl Dress by Sujean Rim
Birdie’s birthday is coming and she wants to have a special dress to wear for her party. But, though she tries on many, many dresses, Birdie doesn’t...more

Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley
Dog sees the impressive Puss in Boots and decides that boots are the thing he is missing in his life. He heads off to the shoemaker, but what kind of ...more

Penny Loves Pink by Cori Doerrfeld
Penny loves pink. But she’s worried when she thinks about her new baby brother because she knows that boys are blue. She’s tickled pink to learn that ...more

Shoe-La-La! by Karen Beaumont

Four girls are looking for new party shoes. They go to the shoe store and try on shoe after shoe. Finally, it is time for the store to close. The girl...more

Shoes for Me! by Sue Fliess

Hippo needs new shoes. Her mom lets her choose the ones she wants. After she tries on every pair in the store, Hippo finally finds the shoes she likes...more

The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage by Julie Andrews
“Hi! I’m Geraldine. I’m a fairy princess. I know that I’m a fairy princess
because I FEEL it inside---a sparkly feel...more

BOOKS WITH INTERESTING FORMATS

11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill
The author of 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do comes up with another list book. This time, our main character shows all the experiments she tried that ...more





Dear Tabby by Carolyn Crimi
A letter from Stanky Skunque: “Dear Tabby, I’ve been lonely for so long. Something about the white stripes down my back puts everyone off. It’s sort...more

Love, Mouserella by David Ezra Stein
Mouserella writes a letter to her grandmouse about all the things she is doing now that she has returned home from Grandmouse’s house. She includes...more

Mirror by Jeannie Baker
Jeannie Baker does it again. She creates two worlds, side by side, one that of a family living in a city in Australia, and the other that of a family ...more

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett
Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the world of children’s picture books, you run into The Rabbit Problem. No one would say that this is just a...more


FEELINGS

Dream by Adam Montierth

I Believe in You by Marianne Richmond

“Whether it’s
sunny or stormy,
whether you’re
happy or blue,
I’m here to say,
without a doubt,
that I believe in...more

The I'M NOT SCARED Book by Todd Parr

Another in the Todd Parr feelings books. With simple text and simple illustrations, Todd Parr talks about common fears children have and how to not be...more



 

Rain Brings Frogs: A Little Book of Hope by Maryann Cocca-Leffl
When other people say, “I hate rain,” Nate says, “Rain brings frogs!”
Nate is the eternal optimist. Everyone else bemoans their fate, but N...more

Too Shy for Show-and-Tell by Beth Bracken
“Sam was a quiet boy.
Nobody knew much about him.”

Sam was shy. He did not like to speak up. He was very worried when he knew he would...more

FOR THE YOUNGEST

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle
Eric Carle draws animals in crazy and unexpected colors, all beautiful and bright and magnificent. He is right when he says, “I am a good artist.”...more

Baby Says “Moo!” by Joann Early Macken

Poor baby seems to think that everything says “Moo!” Baby’s parents show Baby people and horses and dogs and cats and ask Baby what the animals say...more

Little Chicken's Big Day by Jerry Davis
It’s a new day for Little Chicken. He gets up and follows his mama all over until it is finally time to go to sleep. “Wash your face!...more

Mine! by Shutta Crum
The toddler picks up toys scattered around the feet of the two children and announces firmly, “Mine.” The baby grabs one remaining toy and tosses it...more





Mitchell's License by Hallie Durand
Mitchell doesn’t like to go to bed until his dad lets him start driving. Mitchell drives his car (his dad) to bed, sitting in the driver’s seat...more

HILARIOUS





The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer

Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond
Charlie the ranch dog must be some kin to my favorite “head of ranch security”, Hank the cowdog. Charlie is in charge and he must be constantly on alert...more




Doodleday by Ross Collins
Harvey’s mother has a fit when, as she is leaving the house for the store, she finds her son drawing. She grabs the pencil from Harvey’s hand, warning...more

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
A bear has lost his hat. He questions animal passersby about his hat. He suddenly remember that the rabbit is wearing his hat. The end of the story...more

More Bears! by Kenn Nesbitt
An author is quite busy writing a book when, out of nowhere, his audience petitions him, “More Bears!” He reluctantly complies, adding more and more b...more



BOOKS WITH SPECIAL APPEAL FOR GRANDPARENTS, TEACHERS,
AND OTHER GROWNUPS




Back to School Tortoise by Lucy M. George
A little story taken from a joke that’s been widely circulated among teachers. Tortoise gets up. It’s the first day of school. But on the way to school...more




Butterfly Tree by Sandra Markle
A girl, her dog, and her mom see what looks like an orange cloud in the distance, so they set out to find out what it is. When they arrive at the...more




Cinnamon Baby by Nicola Winstanley
Miriam is a wonderful baker and her favorite bread to make is cinnamon bread. Sebastian comes every day to Miriam’s bakery for a year and they marry. ...more




Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Lane Smith tells the story of Grandpa Green through the topiary Grandpa made to commemorate all the events of his life. Lovely story depicted with...more




Grandpa, I Want to Be a Conductor Someday! by Andrew Aiton

Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji by F. Zia

Aneel loves to hear the stories his grandfather, Dada-ji, tells. When Dada-ji was young, he ate hot, hot roti and he became powerful, strong enough to...more

I Remember When... by Dawn Wynne

I only review the self-published books that are worth checking out. This one just might be.
A little girl asks her grandmother, “Grandma...more

Substitute Creature by Chris Gall 
Ms. Jenkins’s class is acting up. To get his kids straightened out, Ms. Jenkins sends in the substitute teacher of all substitute teachers, Mr. Creach...more

Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale by Karen Henry Clark
A family in China barely has enough food to feed themselves so they send their new baby girl off in a basket on the river. The moon guides the baby’s ...more





These Hands by Margaret H. Mason
Joseph’s grandpa tells the young grandson all the things his hands used to be able to do when he was younger, including tying shoes and playing the piano...more

Your Mommy Was Just Like You by Kelly Bennett
Grandma tells baby all the many ways her mother was like her, the way she looked and the way she acted. “Your mommy was bouncy and...more

GOING AWAY AND COMING BACK




Along a Long Road by Frank Viva
A boy rides a bicycle up and down, around a town, into a tunnel, over a bridge, and finally around to where he starts the trip all over again...more


 

Animals Home Alone by Loes Riphagen
In this wordless picture book, the humans leave the house and the animals go wild. Before the humans have been gone for ten minutes, the dog is putting...more





A Few Blocks by Cybèle Young
Even if I’d not read the publishing information or the information about the author, one look at this book would have told me that this book was not m...more

Follow Me by Tricia Tusa
A girl swings through pink and blue and brown and yellow, and then soars into the curl of a breeze until she drifts down home. Beautiful...more

Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by Philip Stead
Jonathan’s parents trade his teddy bear for a toaster, so Jonathan must set off on a journey alone on a Big Blue Boat to find Frederick. Along the way...more




Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng
Suhaila travels with her Grandma Annie up a ladder to the moon. Grandma watches for troubles on the earth and brings the troubled to live with her in ...more




Leap Back Home to Me by Lauren Thompson
A mama frog sings a leap frog song to her little frog son, encouraging him to leap all over the place, over the creek and the hilltop and even the sun...more

Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes
Little White Rabbit often stops during his walks to pause and think about how life would be different if he were green or if he were very, very tall...more

Love Waves by Rosemary Wells

It’s hard when Mom and Dad go off to work. Children miss their parents during the long time they are separated. Did you know that parents send love wa...more 

Pirate Boy by Eve Bunting
While a boy and his mom were reading a book called Pirate Boy, the boy asked his mom, “What if I want to be a pirate and sail away on a pirate ship?”...more






The Queen of France by Tim Wadham
Rose decides she is royal when she wakes up, so she becomes the Queen of France. She seeks out Rose’s mother, but no one knows where Rose is. She...more




Singing Away the Dark by Caroline Woodward
The brave main character of this little tale tells the story of her mile-long walk to the school bus stop each morning. She meets many perils...more

Subway Story by Julia Sarcone-Roach

Jessie is a subway car placed into service for the New York World’s Fair in the sixties. She loved her work carrying people back and forth across the ...more

Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage

The zookeeper is sleeping and the walrus sees that someone has left the gate open at the zoo. Off goes the walrus! And right after him is the zookeepe...more

I-SPY AND OTHER NON-NARRATIVE BOOKS




Dot by Patricia Intriago
All sorts of dots populate these pages, all illustrated with very tiny modifications made to that basic dot. That’s the cleverness of this book, the t...more





I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs
A fun I Spy book of animals, with clues. The pages have a cutout circle that contains a color clue on the right and then fold over to become an animal...more




Look! A Book! by Bob Staake
An I Spy sort of adventure combined with an early reader and rhyming text. Fun, fun, fun.
“Look! A book! A hook! A cowboy cook! Weird ...more




Perfect Square by Michael Hall
A perfect square is transformed many times, but each time the square finds a way to find pleasure in its new shape. When it finally is left alone, it ...more

Press Here by Herve Tullet
Press Here is a quasi-interactive book. Children are asked to press on dots, to shake the page, and to rub the dots. On the following page, things...more




Questions, Questions by Marcus Pfister
A series of unanswerable questions are posed, with poetic responses and sparkling illustrations.

LIST BOOKS

Cars Galore by Peter Stein
“Cars off-roading,
jumping, thumping!
Gears all grinding!
Pistons pumping!”

In a book reminiscent of Go, Dog, Go, Peter Ste...more






I Like Cats by Anushka Ravishankar
The author uses simple text to explain the traditional paintings and drawings of cats included to illustrate this book. I’d like to know more about...more

People by Blexbolex
An enormous, 100+ page book of drawings of people. Bachelors and babies. Friends and foes. Biologists and astronomers. All kinds of people...more




Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid
A beautiful Plasticine art show and beautiful poetry reveal all that we think about trees.
“There is more than one way to picture a tree. ...more




A Primer About the Flag by Marvin Bell
The title says this is a primer about the flag, but it’s really a poem about flags, a meditation on flags, with fun illustrations. “There ...more




Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
Stars are beautiful. Stars are everywhere. Stars are special.

That’s what this book is about. Stars.

Tiny little word poems and...more

The Loud Book! by Deborah Underwood
Underwood illustrates various ideas of loud with plush slightly humanized animals. Some of the most interesting to me were “Burp During Quiet...more


FAMILIES WORKING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS





999 Tadpoles by Ken Kimura
Mother and Father Frog have 999 tadpole babies. Suddenly the pond is too crowded. On their way to a new pond, Father is snatched by a hawk, but the...more




Blackout by John Rocco
No one has time to play a game with a little boy. Then the lights go out and everything is changed. The family’s electronic gadgets don’t work and sud...more

Hurry Down to Derry Fair by Dori Chaconas
Dinny Brown is anxious to get to the fair, but his family is busy with work of their own. Finally, after everyone gets ready, the family makes it to...more

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn
A girl loves her favorite dress, but it is now too small for her. Her clever mother shapes it into new things the girl can wear. As the girl grows...more

The Big Snuggle-Up by Brian Patten
It’s a cold, snowy day. All the animals want to snuggle up at Scarecrow’s house. “A butterfly said, ‘Is it far too late for me to come...more




Lola’s Fandango by Anna Witte
Review coming soon



 
 

The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole
Pa brings home a little turkey baby, assuring Ma that this will save the family money in the difficult times of a nineteenth century New York tenement...more






Tia Isa Wants a Car by Meg Medina
Tia Isa wants a car but she does not have enough money. Her niece finds many ways to make money and give it to her aunt. Together the two have enough ...more


MESSY




Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman
The painting of the barnyard is almost complete. It’s a perfect day for painting the barn. Suddenly, one of the white chickens decides to help. In her...more

Hogwash! by Karma Wilson
It’s time for Farmer to wash the animals. All the animals are amenable to this, except the hogs. The hogs are openly rebellious. Full...more

Mudkin by Stephen Gammell

A little girl is named queen of the mud by Mudkin. They spend the day playing in the mud together until rain washes all the mud away...more

CONSTRUCTION





Job Site by Nathan Clement
Author/illustrator Nathan Clement depicts dramatic scenes from the work world of a construction site, zooming in on the directions of a boss and the...more




Road Work Ahead  by Anastasia Suen
A family is on its way to Grandma’s house in a car. On the way, the family comes through a construction zone. The family slows down and sees all...more



Dinosaur Dig by Penny Dale
Brilliant. Author/illustrator Penny Dale places dinosaurs at the helm of heavy equipment on a construction site. What could be a better pairing than ...more

TROUBLES

The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister by Linda Ravin Lodding
Ernestine Buckmeister is a busy little girl. On Mondays she learns to sculpt with clay. On Tuesday she has water ballet lessons. On Wednesdays she has...more

Dear Baobab by Cheryl Foggo
Maiko misses his baobab tree, back home in Africa. He misses almost everything about home in Africa, but he really misses his baobab tree. He discover...more

Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson
Gia is sick of hearing about the baby that is coming. She hates it that the baby is coming. She is afraid everything will change. Beautiful...more




Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown
Marisol is different, everyone tells her. Marisol likes to wear polka dotted shirts and striped pants. Marisol has brown skin and red hair and freckle...more






Rain School by James Rumford
It’s the first day of school. A group of children are walking to school, excited about the start of classes. They walk and walk and finally they arrive...more





The Secret River by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Calpurnia’s family is having hard times. Her father is not catching any fish. Calpurnia speaks to a friend, a fortune-teller and she tells Calpurnia...more

The Savvy Cyber Kids at Home: The Defeat of the Cyber Bully by Ben Halpert

Summer Jackson: Grown Up by Teresa E. Harris
Summer decides she is tired of being a kid; she decides she is a grownup and she wants to be treated like a grownup. But Summer’s ideas of what a grow...more

The Snow Blew Inn by Dian Regan
Emma is awaiting the arrival of her cousin, Abby. Snow starts to fall at the inn Emma’s mother runs. Quickly the inn fills with guests. Emma gives up ...more

The Twins’ Blanket by Hyewon Yum
Two twin girls have shared everything all their lives. One of their favorite things, and one of the things they shared all their lives is a blanket...more





White Water by Michael S. Bandy
Michael is a young black boy who lives in a segregated world, one world for the white people and one for black people. One day, when Michael is hot and...more

ABC BOOKS / SOUNDS / EARLY READERS / CONCEPT BOOKS




Balloon Toons: Zoe and Robot, Let's Pretend by Ryan Sias
Zoe, a young girl, asks Robot, her large robot, to go mountain climbing with her. But when she leads Robot to the mountain, all Robot can see is a pillow...more




Boy, Bird, and Dog by David McPhail
A boy, a bird, and a dog play in the boy’s treehouse. That’s the entire story. The author uses less than fifty words to tell the tale and that is the ...more

Caveman, A B.C. Story by Janee Trasler
A twenty-six word story about a caveman, a dinosaur, a bear, and an armadillo and their adventures in the Stone Age. (Cavemen, dinosaurs, bears, and a...more

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan A. Shea

 “If a calf grows and becomes a cow…
…can a shovel grow to become a plow?”

An interactive rhyming book for our young readers that...more

If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet by Leslie McGuirk
The author of this book has collected rocks in the shape of the alphabet and objects for each letter for over ten years. This book is the result. It’s...more

Maxwell Moose’s Mountain Monster by Barbara deRubertis

NEW FAIRY TALES, SONGS, AND MUSICALS




King Hugo's Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen
Hugo was a very short king with a big ego. He made his people listen to him talk about how wonderful he was for hours. He made his people bow to him...more




The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett
A baby pig and a baby princess accidentally exchange places in this funny tale. The pig is presumed to be the princess transformed by a disgruntled...more




What Animals Really Like by Fiona Robinson
We human beings think we know, don’t we? But we don’t. And this little children’s picture book proves it. When asked to participate in a musical abou...more





ZooZical by Judy Sierra

It’s winter and it’s cold and the weather is miserable. Everyone is down in the doldrums. A group of animals at the zoo decide to put on a musical, ad...more

SPECIAL TOYS

Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! by Mo Willems

Amanda loves her stuffed alligator. But what will happen when her alligator learns his true origin was...a discount bin?...more

I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal

Willy is distraught to find that his precious Bobo is missing when he wakes in the morning. Willy knows Bobo’s presence is essential to his happiness....more

My Bear Griz by Suzanne McGinness

“My name is Billy and I love bears. My bear’s name is Griz because he is a Grizzly Bear.”
Billy and Griz do lots of things together, like...more

PETS OF ONE SORT OR ANOTHER





Melvin and the Boy by Lauren Castillo
A little boy wants a pet, but he lives in the city and his parents say no to every pet he proposes. One day, he sees a turtle with a yellow spot on his...more

My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee
A boy buys a rhinoceros without realizing what he was getting into. He is disappointed to learn that his rhinoceros won’t chase a ball or roll over or...more




Olive and Snowflake by Tammie Lyon
Olive and Snowflake, Olive’s dog, are best friends. They do everything together.

“They played together,
slept together,
and rea...more





A Pet for Petunia by Paul Schmid
Petunia wants a pet skunk. Desperately. But her parents refuse. They tell her that skunks stink. Petunia is so angry that she sets off into the woods ...more

Pig Kahuna by Jennifer Sattler
Fergus and his little brother, Dink (wearing a diaper) are collecting objects on the beach when they run across a surfboard. Because the ocean had...more

Reading to Peanut by Leda Schubert
Lucy wants to learn to read and write so she starts write notes and reading them aloud at every opportunity. Mostly her dog, Peanut, eats the notes...more




Samson's Tale by Carla Mooney

Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner
If only snowmen could be with us all year long! A boy imagines all the fun he could have with a snowman if only the snowman could last the whole year....more

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw

The whole story of a cat’s life, from his time in the animal shelter to his new home with a little boy, is in this book, all told in haiku. Wonderful ...more

DOGS THAT DIE




Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann
Gus and his dog, Ella, were longtime friends. When Ella was very old, she promised Gus that she would always be with him. Then she passed away, and Gus...more




Harry & Hopper by Margaret Wild
Harry and Hopper, Harry’s dog, adore each other. Then Hopper dies while Harry is at school. Harry misses his dog very much and wishes he could have to...more

Sammy in the Sky by Barbara Walsh
Sammy is the best hound dog in the world. When Sammy gets sick and dies, the family mourns his loss and remembers Sammy by doing things Sammy had always...more

HOLIDAYS / SEASONS

April Fool, Phyllis! by Susanna Leonard Hill
Phyllis the groundhog wakes up on April first, the day of the planned treasure hunt, feeling funny in her stomach; Phyllis knows winter is not over and...more




Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox by Susan Blackaby
Brownie Groundhog wakes up in February to discover that there are still six more weeks of winter. Who comes along but a hungry fox, eager to gobble Brownie...more





Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka
Raczka writes and draws fall that is filled with boo-boos. This book has an I Spy kind of fun, looking on every page for the mistakes...more





Haunted House, Haunted Mouse by Judy Cox
Mouse hops inside a trick-or-treat bag and before he knows it he is out celebrating Halloween. He ends up in a very scary house with weird noises and ...more




Seasons by Anne Crausaz
Author/illustrator Crausaz walks us through the seasons by letting us feel and see and hear for a few moments a few key parts of each season...more

DRAGONS, FOXES, AND OTHER SCARY CREATURES

Argus by Michelle Knudsen
All of Sally’s class was doing a science project with eggs. Sally’s egg looked different than the other children’s eggs. When the eggs hatched, Sally ...more

Boogie Monster by Josie Bissett

Foxy and Egg by Alex T. Smith
Whew! Would a kid get this? What grownup wouldn’t?! “Foxy DuBois was utterly charming and always kind to strangers, so she invited Egg in...more

I’m a Shark by Bob Shea
Shark brags about how he is not afraid of anything, but there might just be one thing he is afraid of! Clever, funny text with great...more

Jam & Honey by Melita Morales

A tale told from two points of view, that of a little girl hunting for berries and a bee hunting for nectar. Both, we are learn...more





Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan
Little Owl loves the night. Nighttime is our daytime for Little Owl. He flies through the night, stopping to visit his friends and observe the quiet a...more

Pirate vs. Pirate: The Terrific Tale of a Big, Blustery Maritime Match by Mary Quattlebaum
“Bad Bart was the biggest and the burliest pirate on this side of the Atlantic. But he wanted to be the biggest, burliest pirate in the world. And the...more

When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore
“If you build a perfect sandcastle,
a dragon will move in.
He’ll settle in all cozy
and peep at you from inside…
and you’ll...more

Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby
Wiener Dog thought life with Granny was too tame. He longed for adventure. One day, he snuck off to the state park when he made a group of new friends...more

CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOK CHARACTERS

Arthur Turns Green by Marc Brown

Arthur wants to save the planet, so he is working on a project for this purpose. Is his project actually turning him green? Another good Arthur...more




Bear's Birthday by Stella Blackstone
It’s Bear’s birthday. He is having a party and all his guests are bears. They play hide-and-seek and musical chairs and Bear opens his gift and blows ...more

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad  by Jacky Davis
Ladybug Girl and her friends, Bumblebee Boy, Butterfly Girl, and Dragonfly Girl, play delightful imaginary games together in the forest...more

LaRue Across America: Postcards From the Vacation by Mark Teague

Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Seaside Shenanigans by Chris Monroe
Chico the monkey carries with him everywhere he goes the tool box of all tool boxes on his tool belt. He is always prepared for emergencies. One day...more

Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama is sick and has to stay home from school with his mother. It doesn’t take long for him to get bored at home. Later that day, Mama Llama...more

Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat is back and he is singing all over the school. Brilliant lyrics, brilliant melodies. Right? Here’s a sample: “I’m reading in my...more

Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt

So many things frighten Scaredy Squirrel. He wants to have a birthday party, but he’s worried about all the things that could ruin his party: clownfish...more

CHAMELEONS

Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

A blue chameleon changes, sometimes with great difficulty, whenever he encounters other creatures and objects in his world...more

 

Chamelia by Ethan Long
“Most chameleons like to blend in. But not Chamelia.” Chamelia is different. And it is especially difficult to be a chameleon who...more

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT




The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon
“I can fly as high as a satellite and as straight as an arrow or through the time barrier and not get dizzy, or feel nauseous, or smash into things...more

Big Bouffant by Kate Hosford

Annabelle is bored with the boring way the girls in her class do their hair each morning. “Ponytails and braids! Ponytails and braids!” she moans...more

The Ballad of Booster Bogg by Ellen Jackson

Buglette, the Messy Sleeper by Bethanie Murguia
Buglette had big dreams at night and she tosses and turns so much that in the morning her bed is very messy. Her mother worries that such tossing and ...more




Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs
Our main character in this story wants to be like his friends; he hates being dark skinned and having poofy hair and having a wide nose and having and...more

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently
Jack makes a castle for himself and his friends and they spend the day fighting dragons and other beasts. Then night comes and, slowly, one by one...more

Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown
Review coming soon




Meena by Sine van Mol
All the children on Fly Street were scared of Meena. They called her names and talked about what they might do to hurt her and wrote WITCH on the...more





Nothing Like a Puffin by Sue Soltis
There’s nothing like a puffin.
Or is there?
“ A newspaper, to be sure, is nothing like a puffin.
A newspaper is shaped like a rectangle...more




Otto Carrotto by Chiara Carrer
Rabbits are strange, we are told. They all have their own quirks. Otto the rabbit only wants to eat carrots. He eats so many carrots that his ears turn...more

Phoebe Goes To Earth by Demetrice T Jefferson





Red Wagon by Renata Liwska
Lucy has a new red wagon. She wants to play with it, but her mother wants her to use it to pick up some groceries for her. Lucy uses her imagination to...more




Square Cat by Elizabeth Schoonmaker
It’s hard being a square cat in a round cat world. Eula doesn’t like being a square cat. The worst part was when she tipped over, it was hard to get...more





Ten for Me by Barbara Mariconda





That’s How! by Christoph Niemann
As a boy and girl walk along, the girl asks the boy how things work. The boy provides some imaginative answers. “How does a truck work...more





Willy by Geert De Kockere
Willy is an elephant and all the special and somewhat odd things (size, power, steadiness, skill at listening with two large ears, skill at painting...more

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