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Cool Clicks : A Good Read
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Till the Cows Come Homeby Jodi Icenoggle Robertson
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.
Ages 4-8
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The Wheat Doll
by Alison L. Randall
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.
Ages 4-8
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Cat Jumped In!By Tess Weaver
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.
Ages 4-8
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A Good DayFour 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.
All Ages
by Kevin Henkes |
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All Kinds of Familiesby Mary Ann Hoberman
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.
Ages 3-8
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Book of Big Brothers by Cary Fagan
“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.
Ages 3-7
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The Mouse and the Motorcycleby Beverly Cleary
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!
Ages 8 - 12
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Incredible Me! by Kathi Appelt
Join a rambunctious child as she exuberantly celebrates all the wonderful qualities that make her special -- her nose, her toes, her ears, herself!
Ages 3 - 6
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Julie of the Wolves 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.
by Jean Craighead George
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.
Ages 12 and up
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Too Many Toysby David Shannon
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.
Ages 4-8
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Charlie Andersonby Barbara Abercrombie
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.
Ages 4 - 8
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May I Please Have a Cookie?by Jennifer Morris
For 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 Checkby 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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Nothingby Jon Agee
How 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-Noby Geoffrey Hayes
In 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 Lunchby Peggy Perry Anderson
When 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 Discoveryby Jeff Brown
There'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. Foxby Dahl, Roald
Wily 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 Borrowersby Mary Norton
Have 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 Numeroff
What'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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