| The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates with Juniper BatesWhat it is: a sweet story about a rainy day and a smiling red umbrella that offers limitless shelter to anyone and everyone who needs it.
Who it's for: With gentle watercolor art and a "boundlessly inclusive spirit" (Booklist), The Big Umbrella is for everyone.
Author alert: Illustrator Amy June Bates makes her writing debut alongside her 11-year-old daughter, Juniper. |
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| The Rabbit Listened by Cori DoerrfeldWhat it's about: After Taylor's masterful block tower is toppled, the child's animal friends try to help: bear suggests shouting, hyena urges laughter, snake proposes further destruction…but only rabbit's patient listening leaves room for all of Taylor's emotions.
Why kids might like it: With soft-lined cartoon illustrations to match the understated message, this story will both comfort and validate kids who long to be understood. |
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The new liBEARian
by Alison Donald
"When the children discover a bear at the librarian's desk at story time, they think he's the new librarian. He's not!"
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Bird builds a nest : A First Science Storybook
by Martin Jenkins
A gentle introduction to physical forces depicts a hardworking Bird who pulls a tasty worm out of the ground, lifts just-right twigs and pushes them into place to build a nest, dropping and adjusting her materials along the way in accordance with elementary scientific principles. By the author of Can We Save the Tiger?
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The digger and the flower by Joseph KueflerThe creator of Beyond the Pond presents an environmental-awareness story that traces the experiences of a lonely digger in an industrial world where his entire perspective is changed by his discovery of a flower.
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| Jinx and the Doom Fight Crime! by Lisa Mantchev; illustrated by Samantha CotterillWhat it is: the adventures of Jinx and her little brother the Doom, a costumed crime-fighting duo who take on villains (imaginary) and missions (real -- the dog needs a bath!) with cooperation and infectious enthusiasm.
Read it for: high-energy storytelling and theatrical, mixed-media dioramas. |
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| Kate, Who Tamed the Wind by Liz Garton Scanlon; illustrated by Lee WhiteWhat it's about: After a man living on a windswept hilltop calls out for help, his clever young neighbor Kate arrives with a wagon full of tree seedlings to plant around his home. As time passes, the trees grow into a protective barrier, and friendship grows between the two neighbors.
Who it's for: Winsome illustrations and cumulative text make this picture book a great choice for reading aloud, either one-on-one or with a group. |
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| Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David SerlinStarring: Baby Monkey, a private detective who's far from hard-boiled -- he begins each case with a struggle to put on his pants -- but who excels at finding missing objects, from a chef's stolen pizza to an astronaut's lost spaceship.
Why kids might like it: Don't let the lengthy page count fool you: beginner-friendly vocabulary and charmingly detailed pencil illustrations make this easy reader/graphic novel just right for emerging readers. |
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Can you find my robot's arm? by Chihiro TakeuchiWaking up to discover that he has lost an arm, a robot teams up with his pint-sized robot buddy on a search that takes them inside and outside a house, through a garden, an amusement park, a library and a candy shop, where they look for the missing arm and consider whimsical replacements, in a first picture book featuring the work of the renowned Japanese cut-paper artist.
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How does your garden grow?
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| The Night Gardener by The Fan BrothersWhat it's about: William's life is glum and gray until the morning he awakes to discover a tree trimmed into the shape of a majestic owl. It's the first of many enchanting animal topiaries to appear in the night, leaving William to wonder: who's behind this arboreal art?
Why kids might like it: Muted twilight colors and intricate illustrations add to the air of mystery in this quiet, inspiring picture book.
Kids might also like: Peter Brown's The Curious Garden. |
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| Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner; illustrated by Christopher Silas NealWhat it is: an attention-grabbing, earth-toned look at a single growing season with a girl and her grandmother, offering cutaway views to show not only the surface ecosystem of their garden, but also the teeming plant and animal life within the soil itself.
Series alert: For more nature nonfiction with a similar perspective, try Over and Under the Pond and Over and Under the Snow, also from author Kate Messner and illustrator Christopher Silas Neal. |
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| Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root; illustrated by G. Brian KarasWhat it's about: Soil, sunshine, water, and a seed -- that's all you need to start a farm or a garden. An urban alley provides a venue for the diverse community gardeners in this picture book, which also contains facts about gardening, suggestions for alternative containers (how about a bucket, a shoe, or a pot?), and an upbeat, empowering tone.
Kids might also like: Michael Foreman's The Seeds of Friendship or Anna Walker's Florette. |
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| Grandpa Green by Lane SmithWhat it's about: A boy gives a tour of his great-grandfather's topiary garden, which tells the story of the old man's life and, now that he's losing his memory, reminds him of its important events.
Who it's for: Elegant and understated, Grandpa Green is "a wonderful bridge to exploring family history with the very young" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Pandora by Victoria TurnbullStarring: Pandora, a fox whose lonely life in a wasteland of trash and "broken things" is transformed by the friendship of an injured bird. As the bird heals and flies further afield, it brings Pandora flowers and seeds, transforming the dingy landscape into a verdant wonderland.
Why kids might like it: Bittersweet yet ultimately uplifting, this friendship story also features fanciful artwork that invites readers to take a closer look. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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