Kids are in for Jurassic-size laughs as they follow a boy in his quest to bring a pterodactyl to school. And not just any pterodactyl: this one wards off bullies, loves to read stories, and makes an excellent science display. Hilarious illustrations capture the madcap imagination of the determined hero and his creative pleas to his teacher.
Two worms who are best friends have fun together as they tunnel their way through a garden. Includes facts on how worms help plants grow.
Joe Dumpty, Humpty's brother and private detective, thinks Humpty Dumpty's fall was no accident. But who would have pushed him? Was it Little Miss Muffet? Old Mother Hubbard? Chicken Little? Joe has until five o'clock to question characters and catch the culprit.
It's easy to appreciate a garden exploding with colorful flowers and fragrances, but what do you do with a patch of ugly vegetables? Author/illustrator Grace Lin recalls such a garden in this charming and eloquent story. The neighbors' gardens look so much prettier and so much more inviting to the young gardener than the garden of "black-purple-green vines, fuzzy wrinkled leaves, prickly stems, and a few little yellow flowers" that she and her mother grow. Nevertheless, mother assures her that "these are better than flowers." Come harvest time, everyone agrees as those ugly Chinese vegetables become the tastiest, most aromatic soup they have ever known. As the neighborhood comes together to share flowers and ugly vegetable soup, the young gardener learns that regardless of appearances, everything has its own beauty and purpose.
Sam is a super brother. He can run. He can leap. He can climb tall cliffs! But when his baby brother gets hurt, Super Sam must try his hardest to save the day. This simple, charming story and its bold, energetic illustrations are just right for lap sharing and story hour.
Told in the first person, the narrator describes the ocean as she experiences it through her five senses.
Petey wants to make something wonderful, but he can't help making a mess along the way. It's a good thing his big brother Sam is always there to fix his mistakes.
Strap on your safety harness, because this tall tale is the wildest ride in the lower 48! Readers will experience the adventure of a lifetime as they follow Rose from Sitka Sound to Nome to the Northern Lights over the peaks of Denali.
Down, down, down. Step down below to see the world. A fantastical journey introduces young readers to subway travel. Five children pay the fare, pass through the gates, and zip through the tunnels of subway stations in ten cities around the globe. The trip around the world underscores how travel and cultural connections create community. Back matter includes information about the ten stations mentioned: Atlanta, Cairo, Chicago, London, Mexico City, Moscow, New York City, Stockholm, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. This book is good for your brain because: Early childhood literacy, Multiculturalism, Transportation
Piggies plot a peculiar path. Two little piggies run amok on the farm, as they travel from the pumpkin patch, through the garden, into the black bull's pen, and back to mama pig in time for a nap. The piggies' antics introduce young readers to prepositions of direction. Alliteration, assonance, and rhyme in each of the three stanzas make for a great read-aloud. Young and old alike will laugh out loud at the antics of these mischievous, fun-loving piggies. This book is good for your brain because: Strong picture/text support, Vocabulary development, Directional words, Mapping skills, Figurative language, Life Science, Organisms and their environments
The kids at school want to know why Becca is wearing glasses and a patch. Instead of telling them she has amblyopia, Becca leads her friends imaginative adventures to explain her new fashion accessory. Mitch Vane's illustrations capture the spunky exuberance of this resourceful heroine.
It's time to color outside the lines. Max's teacher wants the class to color-in pictures for Mother's Day presents, but Max knows that his mother would not want a dumb flower picture drawn by someone else. Determined to express his creativity, Max runs off to draw his own picture. Max's drawing not only inspires the rest of the class to create their own original artwork but also enlightens the teacher. This book is good for your brain because: Early Childhood Literacy, Self-Expression
Mrs. Hartwell is preparing her class to take the Big Test. Knowing they have studied and are well-prepared, she helps the students practice how to sit quietly, fill in the bubbles, and follow the directions. She even instructs them on proper morning-of-the-test nutrition. As her students grow increasingly anxious about the Big Test, Mrs. Hartwell realizes she has to teach the most valuable test-taking skill of all: learning to relax!
Acclaimed author Kathryn Lasky explores the nature of friendship in three delightful stories for beginning readers. Creative, impulsive Poodle and loyal, dependable Hound are an unexpected pair. Together they star gaze, plant a garden and prove that two very different individuals can not only be compatible, they can complement and help one another. This book is good for your brain because: Friendship, Helpfulness, Language Arts
Amiqqaq is excited when his family catches a bowhead whale. As his family prepares to celebrate the traditional Iñupiaq whaling feast, Amiqqaq learns about the spirit-of-the-whale.
Rumpelstiltskin is back! This time he's making mischief with his multiplying stick. Can Peter unlock the secret of the stick in time to save the kingdom? Whimsical illustrations bring fun to multiplying whole numbers and fractions.
Thump, creaak, clink-clunk . . . MOOOOO! Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman don't know what to do. They've left city life behind and moved to the country with hopes of being farmers. But their dreams turn grim when nightly visits from Boo Cow scare the Noodlemans' hens so much, they won't lay any eggs! These first-time farmers are at a loss. Why is Boo Cow haunting them, and how can they banish this ghostly bovine visitor? Baehr's fun and accessible text make this book a great read-aloud. With unexpected twists and turns, Boo Cow keeps readers guessing as they attempt to solve the mystery on the Noodlemans' farm. This book is good for your brain because: Great read-aloud, encourages audience participation, promotes the importance of learning about others before we judge them
Get ready for an alphabet revolution! X is exasperated. Every other letter in the alphabet has so much to do and plays such important roles in making words. X expects more. He calls for a vote on a new alphabet (gasp!). According to the Alphabet Constitution, X has every right to question the status quo. But the night before the vote, X is plagued by dreams of what could happen if he were to take on another letter's job. S has to run around a lot making singular words plural, except sometimes he isn't needed at all, and sometimes he needs to bring along another letter... it was all very confusing. Then X thought he'd like to be E. E was very important and very useful. E agreed. But E was exhausted. He was in thousands of words and constantly busy. X didn't think E's job was a good idea after all. Jef Czekaj explores the order of the alphabet and the rules of spelling and grammar with hilarious consequences. His graphic-novel-style illustrations make these concepts and the story of X exciting, exhilarating, and extraordinary.
After a long night of foraging, a tired raccoons returns home to sleep in Old Tree's branches. Oblivious to the rain and wind of a raging storm, the raccoon is protected and sheltered by the tree.
"The course of true love never did run smooth." (A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare) Stand aside, Mr. Darcy. Keep walking, Rhett Butler. There's a new romantic hero in town. And, though he may not have all the ladies in the valley swooning with desire, he sure knows how to pitch the woo. Iza Trapani does it once again in this favorite song about a lovesick frog and his search for the perfect missus. Her exquisitely charming and truly funny illustrations that explore the lighter side of romance. Even Jane Austen would have to bow to this most amiable and irresistible story. After all, you might have to kiss a frog to find a prince.
Iza Trapani's retelling of this favorite nursery rhyme features a determined gardener and a lively cast of critters who eat all her plants and vegetables. Delightful art depicts the antics of the mischievous animals as they lead the gardener on a chase 'round the mulberry bush.
Spend a day in school! Rufus and his friends spend a day in school reading, writing, counting, singing--and making mischief in the library. Best-selling author/illustrator Iza Trapani extends fourteen nursery rhymes, including, "The Ants Go Marching," "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe," and "A Diller, a Dollar," in this celebration of school. This book is good for your brain because: Starting School, Poetry, Emergent Reader, Picture Text Connection
Join our irresistible young heroine as she wishes upon a mischievous, twinkling star. Granting her wish, the little star takes her on a dazzling journey through the swirling, iridescent lights of the night sky. Iza's flowing watercolors and reassuring verses make this journey a night wish for every star gazing child.
Books make everything better. Being a bookstore tiger is hard work. There's much patrolling, and a lot of sitting in laps at story hour, and then there's sleeping in the window display. But Raj is up to the task. He is fierce and proud, until Snowball comes along. The new cat in the bookstore informs Raj that he's just a marmalade kitty-cat. Times get tough then for the bookstore tiger. But bookstore and Raj owner Felicity, with the help of poet William Blake, knows how to fix things. In turn, with a very special book, Raj is able to fix things with Snowball. Paige Keiser's quirky, intimate illustrations invite readers to curl up and share a story, with their own tigers or a friend.
Brace yourself for the scariest field trip of your life! Bumbling, cowardly Eugene is forced to transfer to a new school in northern Michigan, in the middle of the year, and in the middle of a blizzard. Eugene is used to weird things happening in his life, but this new place feels really bad. He has no idea how bad it's going to get until he meets his new English teacher, "Ming the Merciless." To save his classmates from a fatal graduation from Ming's School of the Brass Monkeys, Eugene must deliver an unfinished book to a legendary teacher named McGinty, who is hiding in the underworld. With the help of some renegade teachers and his new friends, he begins an epic journey to find McGinty. Will Eugene survive the Cliffs of Notes and the Sea of Hot Lunches? Will he reach McGinty in time to expose Ming's plot? A great choice for the reluctant reader, Brass Monkeys is action-packed and full of twists and turns. It's sure to keep readers guessing until the very end.
