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Cool Clicks : A Good Read
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WELCOME TO "A GOOD READ" - the Book Review section brought to you by CT Kids & FamilyA GOOD READ is our Book Review section and is provided to you as a helpful guide to current and classic books for children that we think are worthwhile reading for you and your children. Most of our reviews are completed by Jessica Henson of KidzTales, a unique book boutique in Kansas City.
We believe in enhancing the child/parent relationship through reading time. Time spent reading aloud with our little ones significantly develops their speech, vocabulary, memory, listening and imagination skills. Reading to your child is a gift that a parent can give that lasts a lifetime.
Parents often get frustrated "striking out" on books that they pickup from mega stores that offer you little guidance or even pre-selection. At Kidz Tales, years of experience and much thoughtfulness has been awarded to each book on their shelves. We appreciate Jessica's time and expertise in choosing and recommending books for children of all ages. Please visit Jessica at her website.
http://kidztales.com |
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M.O.M Mom Operating Manual (For Moms of all ages)M.O.M. is written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Laura Cornell and is a great gift from one mom to another. This book is hysterical and hits the spot with new and seasoned mothers. Moms will find themselves laughing out loud throughout the book because we have all found ourselves in these situations from time to time. M.O.M is narrated by giving tips and instructions to the child, however this is a book for moms!
Some of the Cronin’s best lines are:
“Your mom is likely not getting enough sleep if... she is trying to lick the bottom of her coffee cup... you must insist that your mother take a nap, or find someone tall enough to pour her another cup of coffee."
"Moms are the most adaptable human models on the planet... They can function with little or no sleep, little or no food, and little or no cooperation from the rest of us.”
Highly amusing illustrations perfectly accompany the fun verbiage and make for a great treat for moms!
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Baby Animals Black & White by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes (Ages Newborn through Infancy)Tildes creates a world for newborns to love in this wonderful board book. The black and white imagery allows a new baby to focus on highly contrasting pictures of faces that they instinctively recognize and love to look at. The wordless book also stimulates natural conversation between parent and child about the animals. Infants will recall this book as one of their first favorites and enjoy it for months to come.
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Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (6 months- 3 years)Dear Zoo is a classic board book that infants and toddlers have loved for nearly thirty years. With sturdy flaps to lift open, this book is engaging, surprising, and a treat for all. The story starts with “I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet. They sent me an… (lift the flap and see/say elephant). He was too big! So I sent him back.” and goes through many zoo animals each with reasons of why they would not be a good pet. The story concludes with “So they thought very hard, and sent me a… (lift the flap and see/say puppy). He was perfect! I kept him.” This is a great way to teach children about the animals that live at the zoo. Dear Zoo is a book that is your baby will want to read again and again.
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I Udderly Love You! by Kate Toms (6 months- 4 years)I Udderly Love You! is a playful and silly book that expresses the many ways to say “I love you” from a cow’s perspective. Your baby or toddler will giggle at the adorable pictures and clever use of “moo” such as “I love your every moo-vement, the way you skip about, and how your hooves point inwards, while all your knees stick out!” Toms exemplifies unconditional love in this delightful book.
Babies and toddlers
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Meet Me at the Moon by Gianna Marino (Ages 1-5)Meet Me at the Moon is newly published story about the unbreakable bond between mother and child. Beautifully illustrated, Marino depicts elephants, zebras, and giraffes at play in the African plains. Mama elephant has to go away for a while, but she reassures her little elephant of her love by giving advice of how to cope with her absence while she is gone. After a long while, mother and child are reunited. This is a tender and reassuring story of love and trust. Meet Me at the Moon would make a touching gift for Mother’s Day.
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Butterfly Butterfly: A Book of Colors by Peter Horacek (Ages 1-5)Butterfly Butterfly strikes a balance between concept and story as Horacek teaches colors through a beautifully illustrated yet simple plot. Lucy sees a butterfly in the garden but the next day it is gone. While trying to find it, Lucy discovers a many other colorful creatures. Little ones will be captivated with the vibrant colors and die cut pages and will love the stunning pop up butterfly on the last page.
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A Good Day by Kevin Henkes (Ages 1 and up)Four animals—a sun-yellow bird, a white terrier, an orange fox and a brown squirrel—face small disappointments that threaten to ruin their moods. The bird loses a prized tail feather, the dog tangles his leash around the fence, the fox has lost sight of his mother, and a meaty acorn plummets out of squirrel's grasp. But before even a hint of gloom can settle over an otherwise sunny day, Henkes briskly reverses gears and reveals these momentary losses—of self, freedom, love and food—as gains. The skillful circularity of this simple tale is capped by a nameless barefoot girl who finds the bird's "perfect yellow feather" and jauntily tucks it behind one ear. "Mama! What a good day!" she cries, running into the house in a wide angle shot that shows each of the story's other creatures at home in her front yard. A perfectly pleasing parable for the lap-reading crowd, who will find reassurance in the way each animal conquers an obstacle and finds his or her reward.
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Don’t Copy Me By Jonathon Allen (Ages 2-4)
Hardcover, 32 pages.
Ages 2 to 4
The plot of this children’s book revolves around the notorious phrase, “Stop copying me!” From a young age, more specifically when they first learn to use their words, children find it oh so entertaining to mimic others… and we all know where it goes from there.
The main character, Little Puffin, is continuously followed by the three baby chicks, Small Gull, Tiny Gull, and Baby Gull, while peacefully on a walk in the fresh air. “How annoying!” Little Puffin thought to himself and shouted out loud to the young chicks. Now his mission on this beautiful day was to stop them from copying his every move. From yelling at them in belief he would scare them away to running as fast as he could, Little Puffin struggled to outsmart these annoying, copying kids. At last, he thought, maybe if they had nothing to copy, they would go away and I would beat them at their own silly game. But after all of his grueling effort to make them flee… “He had company”.
England author, Jonathon Allen, is the creator of a series of international best sellers since 2004 and continues to impress families and young children today. His other children’s books include "I’m Not Cute!" which is recommended by many.
The pages are compiled of bright, glossy pages of Little Puffin, an older penguin, and the three baby gulls. The illustrations are not jumping with imagination, but the viewer is exposed to the mimicking journey of the annoyed penguin and annoying copy cats, or should I say copy gulls.
Overall, I would recommend this story primarily because it is entertaining page after page, as you are left in suspense waiting to read what Little Puffin will do next! On the contrary, I did find the writing choice to be quite negative because of Little Puffin constantly complaining “how annoying!” his day was.
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Bounce by Doreen Cronin and Scott Menchin (Ages 2-5)Bounce is a book to have fun with! Cronin & Menchin use rhyming splendor and silliness to captivate little ones’ attention. “If you bounce into a puddle, it’s best to bounce in boots, if you must bounce in the market, it’s best not to bounce in fruits!” This book is great for a child who is reluctant to read or listen to books. The action and imagination are non-stop and the story is fairly short. Wiggle by Cronin & Menchin is the prequel to Bounce and is just as delightful!
Toddler through Preschool
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In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming (Ages 2-6)This is an easy read for children with a very amusing collection of illustrations to view as well. Every page is full of color and decorated with a bold font that jumps out at the reader.
The story revolves around a fuzzy caterpillar adventuring in the tall, tall grass discovering the many sights it sees on the way. From sunrise, ending at sundown, each page introduces a new creature living in the grass.
“Hip, hop, ears flop”
“Crack, snap, wings flap”
These are just some examples of who is introduced in the story, a friendly bunny rabbit, and a bright, feathery bird. Children learn to associate and become familiar with the sounds animals/insects make as they read.
Perfect story time read aloud for preschoolers!
*1994 Caldecott Honor Book
*Also recommend the sequel, In the Small, Small Pond
* I recommend this.
* Ages 2-6
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Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors by Lisa McCue (Ages 2-7)Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors is a celebration of springtime. The illustrations are simply gorgeous featuring bright and vivid colors. The amazing detail on each page will stimulate conversation between you and your child. McCue writes a wonderful story that children will wish to read again and again. Quiet Bunny discovers the colors of springtime and no longer wishes to be the winter colors of white and brown. Quiet Bunny thinks of clever ways to make his fur resemble beautiful spring colors. Unfortunately the new spring color doesn’t last long. For example, he puts golden honey on himself and rolls in yellow dandelions only to fall in a stream and wash away all the yellow. Quiet Bunny makes multiple efforts such as draping green lily pads over himself, covering himself with blueberry juice, and rolling in red clay. However all his efforts end fruitless leaving him with his winter white and brown fur. Finally a wise owl helps Quiet Bunny see that the beauty of spring lies in the diversity of color. As the last line of the book states, “We are all different colors, and we are all beautiful!”
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World Champion of Staying Awake by Sean Taylor & illustrated by Jimmy Liao (Ages 2-8)World Champion of Staying Awake is a delight for the eyes, ears, and imagination. Taylor delivers a story that will captivate your little one’s attention and soothe the soul before bedtime. Stella is a little girl that needs to go to bed but first has to get Bean Bag Frog, Cherry Pig, and Thunderbolt Puppet Mouse to sleep first. Each animal character comes to life with a comical persona as Stella thinks of ways to get them to sleep. She uses her imagination to turn a pillow into a ship that sails over the seas, a shoebox into a midnight train, and a toy basket into a starship hot air balloon. While the narrative is written as fun dialogue between Stella and her animal friends, the imagination scenes are written in beautiful rhyming poetry accompanied by luminous illustrations. This story is one that parent and child will enjoy reading at bedtime again and again.
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Incredible Me! by Kathi Appelt (Ages 3-6)Join a rambunctious child as she exuberantly celebrates all the wonderful qualities that make her special -- her nose, her toes, her ears, herself!
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The Boy Who Cried Wolf by B.G. Hennessy (Ages 3-7)Retold By B.G. Hennessy
Illustrated By Boris Kulikov
Although we teach children not to judge a book by its cover, this hardcover book will not only WOW them on the shelf, but onto the very last page. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a retold story of the original fable with the addition of Boris Kulikov’s witty illustrations.
“I am the most bored boy in the world,” complained the shepherd, until his boredom evolved into a scheming idea. With the sole purpose of entertaining himself, the boy cried wolf and ran into town, not knowing his fun would soon come to an end. His mockery of the townsfolk and their help leaves him alone and in trouble.
This story teaches young children a moral lesson without them feeling the dullness of being lectured. Moral of the story: Those who do not tell the truth will not be believed, even in cases when they are telling the truth. In other words, one’s credibility is destroyed if learned to be lying.
Author B.G. Hennessy incorporates engaging figurative language including onomatopoeias, appealing to children of young ages, as well as the obvious metaphor of the wolf. Similar to the original fable, the wolf represents any negative aspect of life that leaves you in need of help from others. Just as if you repeatedly claim you are sick and play hooky from school, when the real wolf appears (or illness in this case), you are less likely to be believed.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf is filled with humorous illustrations from cover to close. These detailed and colorful visuals will leave you and your children giggling from page to page.
* I recommend this.
* Ages 3-7
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Book of Big Brothers by Cary Fagan (Ages 3-7)“Sometimes we get along and sometimes we don’t. But there are still a lot of things we want to do together.” Never sentimental, the warm, wry scenarios in this picture book explore sibling relationships from a younger child’s viewpoint that speaks about the shared fun and the friction, the rivalry, the protection, and the love. Each double-page spread is a stand-alone story, with detailed words and lots of action and emotion in the digital art. The big brothers comfort the narrator after he accidentally kills his pet lizard, but they also play tricks on him. They get in trouble together after they throw firecrackers into a hollow tree in a neighbor’s yard, and the boy loves it when he and his brothers share secrets. But sometimes the youngest brother isn’t ready to join his older siblings in activities and conversations: he does not want to listen when his parents explain where babies come from, for example; he would rather build a robot out of blocks. The familiar family scenes will grab brothers and sisters, older and younger.
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DOGS by Emily Gravett (Ages 3-7)DOGS is for every dog lover! The soft detailed illustrations depict many hilarious dog personalities and breeds. Throughout this book, Gravett teaches the concept of opposites, such as “I love hairy dogs and bald dogs. Stripy dogs and spotty dogs”. DOGS is a book that young and old will enjoy reading again and again!
Toddler through Grade 1
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A Home For Bird By Philip C. Stead (Ages 3-8) *Hardcover, 32 pages.
*Ages 3-8
Vernon, a very friendly, yellow toad comes across Bird on his stroll rummaging around the neighborhood. Bird, a blue bird with big button eyes, never said a peep but Vernon never gave up on him. Vernon introduced Bird to his friends, showed him the river, and even brought him cloud watching, but Bird did not say a word. Worried that Bird was unhappy from being away from his own home, Vernon planned a journey dedicated to search for Bird’s home and family. Join Vernon and Bird on their adventure to locate Birds home. An adventure with a twist!
“Bird is shy,” says Vernon, “but also a very good listener.”
This is an adorable tale about the friendship of a warm, friendly toad and a shy bird. The characters give off such a compassionate vibe that it is hard not to love them. Though Bird never says a word, Vernon continues to strive for Bird’s happiness, always seeing the best in him, making this story such a pleasant read for children to relate to.
The illustrations are made of mesmerizing pastel and charcoal abstract drawings. Each page is perfected with unique patterns creating the background scene for the pristine detailed animals. A slight touch of water color is added to the pages highlighting the creativity of author and illustrator Philip C. Stead.
*2011 Caldecott winner
* I recommend this
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All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman (Ages 3-8)With irresistible, rollicking rhyme, beloved picture book author Mary Ann Hoberman shows readers that families, large and small, are all around us. From celery stalks to bottle caps, buttons, and rings, the objects we group together form families, just like the ones we are a part of. And, as we grow up, our families grow, too.Mary Ann Hoberman gives readers a sense of belonging in this all-inclusive celebration of families and our role in them.
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Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood, Illustrated by Don Wood (Ages 3 and up)Quick as a Cricket immediately captivates a child’s imagination with beautiful illustrations and a melodic rhyme. Wood uses opposing similes to describe a child’s inner self. Each colorful page is dedicated to one of the boy’s feelings, “I’m as brave as a tiger, I’m as shy as a shrimp, I’m as tame as a poodle, I’m as wild as a chimp.” This is an excellent book that parent and toddler will enjoy again and again.
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I'm Here By Peter H. Reynolds (Ages 4-8)I'm Here By Peter H. Reynolds (Ages 4-8)
“For the world you may be one person, but for one person-you may be the world”
This quote is part of the story’s dedication which inspired me to pick up and read the book. I’m Here is a heartwarming story encouraging childhood friendships and standing up for those who do not fit in.
The story begins with a young boy sitting alone while the other school children play outside in the distance. The young boy, whose name is never mentioned, sits alone yet still enjoys his time outdoors, as you can read his thoughts written on the page. As you read, you notice the littlest things make this little boy happy until the day he is greeted by a new friend.
As for the illustrations, although the pages are all fully white with small drawings, the children and various objects drawn on each page have immaculate detail and vivid color schemes. As for the writing, it is an easy read for young readers with a font made up of BIG and small letters scattered along the pages emphasizing certain words for the audience.
This story teaches children to welcome others and appreciate all people, even those who may be different from us. I’m Here is specifically dedicated to children in the autism spectrum and simply everyone and their unique traits.
Two of the pages teach the reader how to make a paper airplane, just like the one the young boy creates. This would make an enjoyable story time activity that only requires one piece of paper for each child. Simple yet fun for the little ones!
Peter H. Reynolds is also the bestselling author and illustrator of The Dot and Ish.
• Ages 4-8
• I recommend this
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Cat Jumped In! By Tess Weaver (Ages 4-8)When someone leaves the kitchen window open, Cat jumps in! So begins the tale of an outdoor cat who finds his way into a tidy house, wreaking havoc at every turn. That is, until he finds his way in once more--this time into someone's heart. Beautiful, bright watercolors from Caldecott-winning illustrator Emily Arnold McCully nearly spring off the page, buoyed by a playful text that highlights simple prepositions. Preschoolers will delight in Cat's unintended disasters and mess, and the heartwarming story, the product of a pairing of exceptional author and illustrator talents, will charm cat people of any age.
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The Wheat Doll by Alison L. Randall (Ages 4-8)Based on events that took place in rural nineteenth-century Utah, this story should resonate with twenty-first-century children who have grown deeply attached to a doll or stuffed animal. In her picture-book debut, Randall tells of Mary Ann, a little girl whose prize companion is a cloth doll filled with wheat; she carries Betty in her apron pocket and talks to her as she goes about her chores. When the doll gets lost outside in a storm, Mary Ann is bereft, calling and hunting, the garden blurred by her tears. The melodrama of these pages may seem overcooked to an adult, but Randall soon rewards young readers with the recovery of the lost friend: during planting season, Mary Ann spots a patch of green shoots sprouting from the mud, harvests the kernels of grain, and restores Betty to her former self. Farnsworth’s oil paintings and the overall book design possess an unhurried, old-fashioned quality; and they complement Randall’s simple, heartfelt story.
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Till the Cows Come Home by Jodi Icenoggle Robertson (Ages 4-8)Icenoggle lassos a traditional Jewish folktale ("The Button Story"), sets it in the American West, and rigs it up with tongue-tingling cowboy language to create an engaging story. A young cowboy, gifted in making saddles and bridles, receives a sturdy, soft-as-silk piece of leather from a grateful cowpuncher and stitches it into a pair of "whoopi-ti-yi-yo chaps." When the chaps become worn out, the cowboy uses the leather to make, successively, a "trail-blazin' vest"; a "rootin', tootin' pair of gloves"; a "rip-snortin' hatband"; and, finally, a "jim-dandy button." All of these objects reflect the aging of the leather as well as the context of the cowboy's life, as he grows older, gets married, and has a child. Finally, nothing remains of the original material, but the man has a story to share with his daughter. Chartier's action-packed watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the author's Western colloquialisms. The full-spread paintings are filled with soft-hued details of a rough-and-tumble life with ranch animals, the rising vista of mountains and prairies, and the cowhand's devotion to his family. Pair this book with Simms Taback's Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Viking, 1999) for a striking look at contrasting cultures.
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Charlie Anderson by Barbara (Ages 4-8)One day out of the woods a cat, named Charlie came into Elizabeth and Sara lives. He played with them, slept with them, and ate with them. One night Charlie didn’t come home. The girls search for him to no avail; then one day they discovered him at another house. The children find out he had two houses, two beds, and two families who love to care for him as they do. This is a great book for helping children understand and relate to what families can look like in today’s world of divorce and blended families.
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Too Many Toys by David Shannon (Ages 4-8)Spencer is a young man who is flush with toys. Armies of soldiers, convoys of cars, a zoo's worth of animals and a bonanza of weapons are just the front ranks of all the toys that populate his house inside and out. And every single toy is declared his favorite, especially when his mother reaches her clutter limit and tries to reduce the overflow. Spencer's eloquent defense against the toy culling and the following dramatic negotiations per item will be at once familiar and hilarious to children and parents who repeat these moments in their own lives. A must-read for every parent who has ever stepped on a Lego (or ten) in bare feet and for the child who left them on the floor, Shannon's Too Many Toys is a charming nudge to clean out the toy box.
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Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis (Ages 4-8)Fall in love with Lulu (Ladybug Girl) as she and Sam (Bumblebee Boy) use their imaginations to find common ground, fun, and most of all adventure! This book was so popular with both girls and boys that Sam now has his own series! Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy delivers a sweet story about making friends and compromising.
Preschool through Grade 2
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Take Me Out to the Ball Game performed by Carly Simon, illustrated by Amiko Hirao, and written by Jack Norworth (Ages 4-8)Grab your baseball cap, cracker jacks, and your glove! This book will make you feel as if you are in the stands at the ballpark. Charismatic illustrations woven throughout verses of the age-old song capture the magic of our national pastime. “Katie Casey was baseball mad. She had the fever and she had it bad.” Katie is a huge baseball fan and loves her hometown team, the Sluggers. Each two-page spread depicts the last inning of a championship game. Hirao has created vibrant illustrations that jump from the page. Your child will laugh in delight watching the lanky giraffe pitch to the slugging rhino. This version of Take Me Out to the Ball Game by Norworth is a home run!
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The Book of Shadow Boxes, A Story of the ABC's written and illustrated by Laura L. Seeley (Ages 4 and up)Poetry, mystery, and pure fun are at play in this educational book. The Book of Shadow Boxes transcends childhood stages because it can be read simply as a whimsical poem about the ABC’s, or it can be used to build vocabulary and identify objects, and lastly each page is loaded with riddles to be solved. The illustrations weave so much clever detail throughout each shadow box, that the reader is bound to discover more clues with each read. This book will stand up to long road trips!
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Juggling for the Complete Klutz by John Cassidy and B. C. Rimbeaux (Ages 8 and up)This flagship title by Klutz has been a classic for 30 years. This book includes not only step-by-step instructions with illustrations of how to juggle, but also three “square” juggling bean balls. This great gift for tween boys and girls gets kids away from the TV and provides an activity that parent and child can enjoy together. This book allows kids to develop a pastime that they might one day pass on to their own children!
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Who Was Steve Jobs? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, Illustrated by John O’Brien (ages 7-12)The latest book from an incredible bibliographical series for 3rd to 6th graders, Who Was Steve Jobs?, gives insight into the greatest visionary of our time. Revealing fascinating personal facts about Steve Jobs and providing a historical perspective of his role in the creation of the home computer industry, this biography delivers it all. The book goes into detail about his challenges of balancing his career and family, struggles trying relating to his employees and even his last words before he passed away. This is an extremely relevant and well-written book for every tween reader. The bibliographical series is called the “Who Was Series”. Many notable figures throughout history have been featured with their own book. Each book in the series is only $4.99 and makes for a great collection!
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The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (Ages 8-12)Ralph the mouse ventures out from behind the piney knothole in the wall of his hotel-room home, scrambles up the telephone wire to the end table, and climbs aboard the toy motorcycle left there by a young guest. His thrill ride does not last long. The ringing telephone startles Ralph, and he and the motorcycle take a terrible fall - right to the bottom of a metal wastebasket. Luckily, Keith, the owner of the motorcycle, returns to find his toy. Keith rescues Ralph and teaches him how to ride the bike. Thus begins a great friendship and many awesome adventures. Once a mouse can ride a motorcyle ... almost anything can happen!
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Kid’s Book of Chess and Chess Set by Harvey Kidder and Kimberly Bulcken Root (Ages 8-14)The Kid’s Book of Chess comes with a full chess set and board. However this is not just any old board. The board contains printed instructions describing how many squares and which direction each piece can move. The accompanied illustrated book teaches chess origins, history and strategy. This is an excellent gift for the beginner chess player that will last a lifetime!
Grades 3 through 7
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Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Ages 12 and up)To her small Eskimo village, she is known as Miyax; to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When the village is no longer safe for her, Miyax runs away. But she soon finds herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness, without food, without even a compass to guide her.
Slowly she is accepted by a pack of Arctic wolves, Mid she grows to love them as though they were family. With their help, and drawing on her father's teachings, Miyax struggles day by clay to survive. But the time comes when she must leave the wilderness and choose between the old ways an(] the new. Which will she choose? For she is Miyax of the Eskimos--but Julie of the Wolves.
Faced with the prospect of a disagreeable arranged marriage or a journey acoss the barren Alaskan tundra, 13-year-old Miyax chooses the tundra. She finds herself caught between the traditional Eskimo ways and the modern ways of the whites. Miyax, or Julie as her pen pal Amy calls her, sets out alone to visit Amy in San Francisco, a world far away from Eskimo culture and the frozen land of Alaska.
During her long and arduous journey, Miyax comes to appreciate the value of her Eskimo heritage, learns about herself, and wins the friednship of a pack of wolves. After learning the language of the wolves and slowly earning their trust, Julie becomes a member of the pack.
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May I Please Have a Cookie? by Jennifer MorrisFor kids just starting to read, this cheerful title in the Scholastic Reader series is a combination of very simple sentences and bright, clear, colorful illustrations. Alligator Mommy is baking cookies. Alfie loves cookies, but when he tries to grab one, Mommy tells him to "think of a better way to get a cookie." He comes up with three funny tricks to get his treat, but it isn't until he asks politely that Mommy gives him what he wants--along with a big hug.
Ages 4-8
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Reality Check by Peter Abrahams QB of the varsity football team. Passing grades in all his classes. Dating the hottest—and smartest—girl at school. Summer job paying more than minimum wage. Things in Cody's world seem to be going pretty well. Until, that is, his girlfriend, Clea, is sent off to boarding school across the country, and a torn ACL ends his high school football career. But bad things come in threes—or in Cody's case, sixes and twelves—and the worst is yet to come. While limping through town one day, Cody sees a newspaper heading: "Local Girl Missing." Clea, now his ex, has disappeared from her boarding school in Vermont, and the only clue is a letter she sent to Cody the morning of her disappearance. With that as his guide, Cody sets out to find out what happened. Once in Vermont, he unearths the town's secrets—and finds out that football isn't the only thing he's good at.
Ages 12 and above
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Nothing by Jon AgeeHow can you buy ‘Nothing’? Well, that is exactly what Suzie Gump does when she enters Otis’s store. She buys nothing and sets-off on a town wide frenzy of buying nothing. Her lavish spending sparks the town’s interest and soon everybody is buying and selling nothing until they realize they need something. Jon Agee does a great job translating to children the value of a dollar and how important something really is when money is involved.
Ages 4-8
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The Big No-No by Geoffrey HayesIn this delightful sequel to Benny and Penny in Just Pretend (2008), the mouse siblings have a new neighbor whom they suspect might be a thief, because Benny’s pail is missing. When they look over the fence into the backyard, they see strange footprints. Then Benny falls into the yard, Penny follows, and they find a pail, mudpies, and a hedgehog girl wearing swim goggles and fins on her feet. They accuse each other, the hedgehog girl flings mud at the others, and the two mice go back to their yard—where Penny finds Benny’s pail in their sandbox. Now they have to go back and apologize. Young readers will recognize the misunderstanding and the bad first impressions people will sometimes make as Benny and Penny—and Melina—learn a lesson about making friends. Hayes draws charming little animal children with highly expressive faces, and he uses great dialogue, easy-to-follow panels, and fun sound effects; children will repeat his muddy “splop!” with gusto.
Ages 4-8
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Out to Lunch by Peggy Perry AndersonWhen the babysitter calls out sick; Mom and Dad frog are in a pickle and decide to take their preschool son, Joe out to Lunch. However, like a typical little preschooler he can’t sit still in the fancy restaurant and tries his parent’s patients. Especially, when he catches the fly and licks it off his plate. Any parent with a preschooler can certainly relate to this book. It’s great for beginning readers. Kids and Parents will laugh together as they read and look at the wonderful illustrations of Joe’s adventure at the restaurant.
Ages 4 - 8
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Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #6: The African Safari Discovery by Jeff BrownThere's no place on Earth a flat kid can't go!
Stanley's not the only flat one!
When a flat skull is discovered in Africa, Stanley Lambchop decides to travel there with his brother, Arthur, and their father, George. Maybe studying the skull will give them clues to Stanley's flatness. But once in Africa, the Lambchops are in for more adventure than they bargained for. From lions to zebras to elephants, it's the safari of a lifetime!
Ages 7 - 10
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Fantastic Mr. Fox by Dahl, RoaldWily Mr. Fox outwits a trio of nasty farmers who want to be rid of him and his family. Roald Dahl's wild way with story is well known from Charlie and the Chocolate factory and others. Mr. Fox offers a gentler, but equally whimsical kind of humour. Readers may also enjoy Danny, the Champion of the World.
Ages 9-12
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The Borrowers by Mary NortonHave you ever wondered where your needles and thread vanish to? What happened to that last potato you thought was in the cupboard? Or the postage stamps you know you left in the drawer? Perhaps you did use them, or lose them, but perhaps the borrowers took them. Imagine tiny families living within the walls of your house, raiding your kitchen and toy box for the things they need. Life is good for the borrowers until the "human beans" discover them!
Ages 9-12
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If You Take a Mouse to the Movies: A Special Christmas Edition by Laura NumeroffWhat's more fun than spending Christmas with your family? Well, spending Christmas with your family and Mouse, of course! The creators of the #1 New York Times best-selling If You Give . . . Book™ series have brought their stories, recipes, songs, games, and activities to this deluxe edition of If You Take a Mouse to the Movies—a perfect way for families to celebrate the holidays together.
Ages 3-8
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