Children's Books for Parents and Teachers

Swimmy

admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:11:25 +0000

Deep in the sea there lives a happy school of little fish. Their watery world is full of wonders, but there is also danger, and the little fish are afraid to come out of hiding . . . until Swimmy comes along. Swimmy shows his friends how—with ingenuity and team work—they can overcome any danger. With its graceful text and stunning artwork, this Caldecott Honor Book deserves a place on every child’s shelf.

Stephanie’s Ponytail

admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:09:37 +0000

Stephanie likes to have her own look. So when her classmates begin copying her ponytail, she finds increasingly outrageous ways to wear her hair until she outsmarts the copycats.

No, David!

admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:05:50 +0000

Named a 1999 Caldecott Medal honor book. When author and artist David Shannon was five years old, he wrote a semi-autobiographical story of a little kid who broke all his mother’s rules. He chewed with his mouth open, jumped on the furniture, and he broke his mother’s vase. As a result, all David ever heard his mother say was “No, David!”

The Dark Is Rising: The Complete Sequence

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:40:43 +0000

Will Stanton’s ordinary life is shattered with the dreadful revelation that the Dark — the source of all evil — is rising in its last and greatest bid to control the world. He finds that he is no ordinary boy, bit the last born of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping mankind free from the Dark. Soon Will is swept up in the great battle, along with his ageless master, Merriman; the three Drew children, who are mortal but have their own vital part to play; and a strange albino boy named Bran. These six fight fear and death in a quest through time and space interwoven with the most ancient myths of the islands of Britain — until, at last, Will and Bran find the weapon that will ultimately vanquish the Dark.

One of the most celebrated fantasy sequences of all time, The Dark Is Rising is a searing, epic rendering of the eternal conflict between good and evil.

The Empty Pot

admin — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:48:27 +0000

When the Chinese emperor proclaims that his successor will be the child who grows the most beautiful flowers from the seeds the emperor distributes, Ping is overjoyed. Like the emperor, he loves flowers and anything he plants bursts into bloom. But the emperor’s seed will not grow, despite months of loving care, and Ping goes before the emperor carrying only his empty pot. The emperor ignores the beautiful blossoms brought by the other children and chooses Ping, revealing that the seeds he handed out had been cooked and could not grow.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:37:22 +0000

Any kid who’s dealt with an exasperated adult is sure to appreciate Laura Joffe Numeroff’s If You Give a… series, where children take on semi-parental roles with unexpected, demanding animal guests. Numeroff is an expert at silly situations, catchy verses and stories that absorb and engage.

Clifford’s First Valentine’s Day

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:32:58 +0000

Clifford has always gotten into a little innocent trouble, even as a puppy. This time, he’s helping Emily Elizabeth make a special Valentine for her grandma. When it comes time to mail it, Clifford gets an unexpected behind-the-scenes tour of the Post Office!

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion

cindy — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:56:37 +0000

Trixie and her family are off on a fantastic trip to visit her grandparents all the way in Holland! But does Knuffle Bunny have different travel plans?

An emotional tour de force, Knuffle Bunny Free concludes one of the most beloved picture-book series in recent memory, with pitchperfect text and art, photos from around the world, and a stunning foldout spread, culminating in a hilarious and moving surprise that no child or parent will be able to resist.

Bestselling, award-winning author Mo Willems has created an epic love story as only he can, filled with the joys and sadness of growing up and the unconditional love that binds a father, mother, daughter, and a stuffed bunny.

The Lion and the Mouse

cindy — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:43:59 +0000

In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney’s wordless adaptation of one of Aesop’s most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he’d planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher’s trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes.

Biscuit Is Thankful

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:20:24 +0000

Biscuit is thankful for his bone, his biscuits, and lots more, too. Sweet puppy! Woof!

Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit!

admin — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:16:06 +0000

Biscuit has so much to be thankful for on his first Thanksgiving. How will he and the little girl spend this special day?Pull back the flaps to find out!

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant

cindy — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:17:26 +0000

Born on a Blue Day is a triumphant and uplifting story, starting from early childhood, when Daniel was incapable of making friends and prone to tantrums, to young adulthood, when he learned how to control himself and to live independently, fell in love, experienced a religious conversion to Christianity, and most recently, emerged as a celebrity. The world’s leading neuroscientists have been studying Daniel’s ability to solve complicated math problems in one fell swoop by seeing shapes rather than making step-by-step calculations. Here he explains how he does it, and how he is able to learn new languages so quickly, simply by absorbing their patterns. Fascinating and inspiring, Born on a Blue Day explores what it’s like to be special and gives us an insight into what makes us all human — our minds.

Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind

cindy — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:10:20 +0000

Tammet explains that the differences between savant and non-savant minds have been exaggerated; his astonishing capacities in memory, math and language are neither due to a cerebral supercomputer nor any genetic quirk, but are rather the results of a highly rich and complex associative form of thinking and imagination. Autistic thought, he argues, is an extreme variation of a kind that we all do, from daydreaming to the use of puns and metaphors

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

cindy — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:08:44 +0000

Thisbeautiful book directly addresses President Barack Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha throughout. It is about the potential within each of us to pursue our dreams and to follow our own paths in life.

When You Reach Me

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:51:57 +0000

Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever. By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

The Red Pyramid

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:45:47 +0000

Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a “research experiment” at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them —Set— has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe – a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

A Long Way from Chicago

admin — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:36:28 +0000

This year’s Newbery Honor book is a collection of stories about a very different kind of grandmother. Each August from 1929 through 1935, Joey and Mary Alice leave Chicago to spend a week with Grandma Dowdel in rural Illinois. The life and people there, especially Grandma, are very different from anything or anyone the children encounter in the big city. In seven funny stories, one for each summer, Grandma comes across as a tall-tale hero, surprising Joey and Mary Alice with her antics.

Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:21:32 +0000

A young city boy is sent to spend the summer on his aunt and uncle’s farm. Though he has lived many places over the years, he has never experienced anything like farm life . . . and he has never met anyone like Harris, his daredevil of a cousin. If the two of them can survive wrestling three-hundred-pound pigs and mouse-hunting with toothless old Louie’s fire-spitting pet lynx–which, unlike his master, has plenty of teeth–they just might make it through the summer!

Canoe Days

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:38:42 +0000

“Across water so quiet it becomes part of the sky, the canoe slides in green magic without a ripple.” Even readers who have never been in a canoe or visited a lake will paddle along with Paulsen as he describes a day on the water. The spare text makes a perfect read-aloud, so don’t be surprised if listeners fall under Paulsen’s spell. After all, any noise might frighten the fawn at the lake’s edge or the sunfish darting below its surface.

Freckle Juice

cindy — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 17:26:42 +0000

Nicky has freckles — they cover his face, his ears, and the whole back of his neck. Sitting behind him in class, Andrew once counted eighty-six of them, and that was just a start! If Andrew had freckles like Nicky, his mother would never know if his neck was dirty.

One day after school, Andrew works up enough courage to ask Nicky where he got his freckles. When know-it-all Sharon overhears, she offers Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe — for fifty cents. It’s a lot of money, but Andrew is desperate. At home he carefully mixes the strange combination of ingredients. Then the unexpected happens…

Floating Home

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:34:28 +0000

Eight-year-old Maxine doesn’t create a world, but gets a glimpse of her own from a new perspective–she blasts into space. Despite extensive training, she’s unprepared for the awe-inspiring moment when she sees the Earth from her capsule. As Max gazes on the planet, she observes that, unlike maps, “The Earth has no lines to divide it into states and countries . . . . It’s just one Earth.”

Ugly Vegetables

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:26:32 +0000

A little girl can’t help but wonder why she and her Mom are growing plants in their garden that are so different from the pretty flowers their neighbors have. Mom says they are growing something better than flowers, but the little girl is not convinced until they harvest the vegetables they have grown, and something unexpected happens …

The Big Field

admin — Sat, 29 May 2010 21:10:33 +0000

For Hutch, shortstop has always been home. It’s where his father once played professionally, before injuries relegated him to watching games on TV instead of playing them. And it’s where Hutch himself has always played and starred. Until now. The arrival of Darryl “D-Will” Williams, the top shortstop prospect from Florida since A-Rod, means Hutch is displaced, in more ways than one. Second base feels like second fiddle, and when he sees his father giving fielding tips to D-Will-the same father who can’t be bothered to show up to watch his son play-Hutch feels betrayed. With the summer league championship on the line, just how far is Hutch willing to bend to be a good teammate?

Summer

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:08:36 +0000

Hollywood actor Dayne Matthews and Katy Hart are married and living in Bloomington, Ind., where Dayne has found a solution to his on-camera love scenes-he wants Katy to star in his next film. Katy wins the part and is cast opposite her super-star husband. The story of a small town girl’s dream come true is too much for the press to resist, and in an effort to appease them, the couple agrees to a 12. It seems like the perfect compromise but by the time they finish filming the movie, they feel cracks around the edges of their marriage. Now they face an uncertain future, and possibly the end of everything that truly matters to them.

The Baxter family learns that Ashley and Kari are both pregnant, but an ultrasound reveals that something is wrong with one of the babies. As the summer progresses, the sisters pray for a miracle while trying to face the unthinkable. It’s in this trying season that they must all learn the lesson God has been trying to teach them-He is still in control, and He will be with them regardless of the outcome.

The Flanigans continue to draw closer to their only daughter, yet Bailey struggles to find her way amidst the turmoil of adolescence. She has always made good decisions, but she wants to experience more of life. Her friendship with Cody Coleman-the young border staying with the Flanigans-continues to blossom in this summer after his graduation. But when Cody decides to enlist in the Army, he’ll have to say goodbye to the family he’s come to love and the girl he’ll never forget.

The Sandwich Swap

cindy — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:48:30 +0000

Lily and Salma are best friends. They play together and stick together through thick and thin. But who would have ever thought that ordinary peanut butter or plain old hummus could come between them? Lily and Salma don’t quite understand each other’s tastes, but does that mean they can’t be friends? They understand far better than a lot of gown ups that these things hardly matter and that friendship is the most important thing of all.

The Bravest Boy I Ever Knew

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:58:46 +0000

What makes someone brave? Michael wants to introduce you to someone very important. This boy is just like you. He loves sports, puzzles, and being outside. He loves to race Michael, often beating him. This boy is a great best friend. Michael wants to be just like him because he’s the bravest boy Michael knows. But why does Michael think he’s so brave? Find out in The Bravest Boy I Ever Knew.

Firehouse Field Trip with Dick & Jane

cindy — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:14:45 +0000

We’re off! We’re off to the firehouse with Dick and Jane! It’s a very special day. Dick and Jane are taking a field trip to their local firehouse. Come meet the firemen, learn how they work, and sit in the big, red fire truck!

Party Animals

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:41:32 +0000

Lucy Goosy is carefully reviewing her list of animals to invite for her birthday party. She has to make sure to invite the right guests so that her party will be perfect. But when she focuses on everyone’s bad qualities, instead of good, she discovers that there is no one to attend! With a little help from the Wise Owl, Lucy Goosy discovers it is our special characteristics that make us unique. Written in adorable sing-song rhyme, Kathie Lee Gifford’s new picture book for children teaches us that we are all special because we are different!

Bedtime for Mommy

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:42:01 +0000

When it’s Mommy’s bedtime, she begs her little girl — Five more minutes? Ok, but then brush your teeth! But then Mommy wants another glass of water…another story…luckily this little girl is very patient! A hilarious reversal of the classic bedtime routine in which a little girl puts Mommy (and then Daddy) to bed.

Fancy Nancy: Every Day Is Earth Day

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:39:54 +0000

Being green is important to Nancy—so important that she wants her family to take care of the Earth morning, noon, and night!