Last updated: Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Armstrong, Jennifer. MAGNUS AT THE FIRE. Illustrated by Owen Smith. Simon & Schuster, 2005. Grades K-3

Magnus pulled the fire wagon until a motorized fire truck arrives but refuses to be put out to pasture. Dramatic illustrations and an exciting tale.

Arnosky, Jim. COYOTE RAID IN CACTUS CANYON. Putnam, 2005. Illustrated K-3

A gang of rowdy coyotes disturb life in the canyon until a rattlesnake shows who is boss.

Ashman, Linda. STARRY SAFARI. Illustrated by Jeff Mack. Harcourt, 2005. Illustrated K-3

A wonderful rhyming predictable book about a little girl who meets animals of Africa on a safari in a jeep.

Beaumont, Karen. I AIN'T GONNA PAINT NO MORE. Illustrated by David Catrow. Harcourt, 2005. Illustrated K-3.

One child floods his world with color..predictable rhyming words and repeating pattern.

Choi, Yangsook. PEACH HEAVEN.Farraro, 2005. Illustrated K-2

On a day when the sky rains peaches, a little girl finds herself in peach heaven.

Crum, Shutta. THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE. Illustrated by Tim Bowers. Knopf, 2005 K-3

A young skunk makes his way home through the forest. Is he brave enough to keep robbers, pirates and ghosts away?

Cushman, Doug. MYSTERY AT THE CLUB SANDWICH. Clarion, 2005. Grades 2-4

Here is a mystery sure to tickle the funnybone. Lola Gale, the foxy singer at Club Sandwich has lost her marbles. It is up to Nick Trunk, private detective to find them.

DiPucchio, Kelly. LIBERTY'S JOURNEY. Illustrated by Richard Egielski. Hyperion, 2004. Grades 2-4.

What if Lady Liberty stepped down off her pedestal to explore the country? She receives such a warm welcome eveywhere she goes that New Yorkers are afraid she won't return. A delightful fantasy tale.

Esbaum, Jill. Steeeeeamboat A-Comin! Farrar, 2005.

Good writing model shows the excitement of the arrival of a steamboat in a sleepy river village. Great introduction to Mark Twain.

George, Lindsay Barrett. THE SECRET.Greenwillow, 2005. Illustrated K-2

The forest animals have a secret they whisper to one another. Guess what it is! Bright, bold illustrations and simple test for the youngest.

Johnson, D.B. HENRY WORKS. Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Grades 2-4

Another beautifully illustrated account of the nature-loving Henry Thoreau that reveals his most important work!

Kirk, Connie Ann. SKY DANCERS. Illustrated by Christy Hale. Lee & Low, 2004. Grades 1-3

The story of a Mohawk boy who sees his father as a builder of the Empire State building. Based on the history of the Mohawk steelworkers in 1930.

Krupinski, Loretta. THE ROYAL MICE: THE SWORD AND THE HORN. Hyperion, Grades 2-4

Max, the royal cat attemps to chase the mice from the castle but the clever mice have ideas of their own. A delightful tale with magnificent illustrations.

Lester, Helen. HURTY FEELINGS. Illustrated by Lynn Mussinger. Houghton-Mifflin, 2005. Illustrated K-3

Fragility, the hippo, had her feelings so easily hurt that other animals avoided her until she meets Rudy the elephant..a big bully.

Nolen, Jerdine. HEWITT ANDERSON'S GREAT BIG LIFE. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Simon & Schuster, 2005. Grades 2-4.

Hewitt is sweet, smart and polite but is very tiny and his parents are giants. How can he manage to live in a world of big things?

O'Connell, Kristine. ONE MITTEN. Illustrated by Maggie Smith. Clarion Books, 2005. Illustrated K-3

Find out all the things you can do with one mitten in this clever book.

Priest, Robet. PIRATE'S EYE.Houghton-Mifflin, 2005. K-6

What would it be like to see through another's eyes? An exceptionally fine picture book that can be shared on many levels.

Robbins, Maria P. MOTHER, MOTHER I WANT ANOTHER. Knopf, 2005. Illustrated K-2

Mother Mouse thinks her baby wants another mother and goes searching for one. A delightful story with a surprise ending.

Shannon, George. WHITE IS FOR BLUEBERRY. Illustrated by Laura Dronzek.. Greenwillow, 2005. Illustrated K-2

"White is for blueberry when still too young to pick." A book about objects that change color depending on when we look, how near and how far.

Sweet, Melissa. CARMINE A LITTLE MORE RED. Houghton-Mifflin,2005. Grades 1-2

An ABC book that tells an up-dated Red Riding Hood story of a little girl seeking just the right hue for her drawings.

Thompson, Lauren. MOUSE'S FIRST SPRING. Illustrated by Burket Erdogan. Simon & Schuster, 2005. Illustrated K-2

A fun guessing book as mouse discovers signs of spring.

Thompson, Sarah L. IMAGINE A DAY. Paintings by Rob Gonsalves. Atheneum 2004. Grades 2-6

Imagine a day when...The imaginative paintings can inspire creative writing.

Willis, Jean. MISEREY MOO. Illustrated by Tony Ross. Holt, 2005. Grades PreK-2

A great read aloud about an old cow who finds nothing to be happy about until her friend, lamb, gets miserable, too.

Zalben, Jane. HEY, MAMA GOOSE. Illustrated by Emile Chollat. Dutton, 2005. Illustrated K-3

When the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe runs out of room this starts a game of musical houses for fairy tale and Mother Goose characters. A fun introduction to fairy tales and Mother Goose.