Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

HarperCollins, New York, 2006.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN: 978-0061123221.

Wrapped in brown cardboard paper and weighing a mere 11.5 oz. Net Wt., this item, which is clearly "not a box" needs to be handled "This Side Up".

"Why/what are you sitting (doing, squirting, wearing, standing) in/on this box?" asks an omniscient voice, page after page.

The simple line-drawn bunny accompanied by his suspiciously box-like object repeatedly disabuses the notion of boxhood by responding to the series of queries with increasing fervor, "It's NOT NOT NOT NOT a box!"

The object has, after all, been miraculously transformed by imagination into a racecar (mountain peak, burning house, robot, crow's nest, tugboat, hot air balloon, elephant howdah).

An easy beginning read with repetitive patterns, this little gem also invites small ones to create their own possibilities and visions for "outside of the box" thinking.

Provides a wonderful centerpiece for a "Bring your own Box" decorating event.

ALA Notable Children's Book Winner
Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book, 2007.

On the Farm by David Elliott

Illustrated by Holly Meade. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA, 2007.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-0-7636-3322-6.

Meade's stunning and engaging earth-toned, double-spread woodcuts create a masterful backdrop for Elliott's simple, wry poetry. Children will delight in investigating the details of life on the family farm while absorbing clever observations on resident animals.

The Barn Cat
"Mice
had better
think twice."

Horn Book Starred Review
Cybils Award in Children's Poetry Books, Nominee, 2008
Raising Reader Selection, 2009

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2000.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-06-021417-1.

Degen joyously depicts the exuberant quest of a boy and a bear for berries to make jam. All kinds of berries! Lots and lots of berries!

The simple silly rhymes grow in tempo and intensity as the story progresses from the idyllic countryside, canoeing over waterfalls, dancing with ponies, piling train cars with "billions of berries", greeting brass bands and skating elephants, and flying away in a raspberry balloon as berry rockets explode about them:

"Mountains and fountains
Rain down on me
Buried in berries
What a jam jamboree!"

The brightly-colored illustrations burst with berry hues, providing whimsical details for children to discover: tiny animals, biscuit and butter lily pads, marshmallow marsh plants, jelly roll flowers, and borders of berry-laden vines twining around it all.

Be sure to serve up some jam and bread, and an array of berries with a dollop of cream along with this celebration of color and sound inspired by Degen's family memories of berry-picking and jam-making.

ALA Booklist Editors' Choice
IRA/CBC Children's Choice
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1984.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-395-35393-9.

The detailed backstory presented by Van Allsburg concerning the origins of these drawings seems purposely a bit tongue in cheek to whet the appetite of gullible young readers. Considering that the drawings are all composed in his signature style, the story becomes increasingly difficult to swallow. According to the introduction, a man named Harris Burdick had left a portfolio of story illustrations with a children's book publisher and never returned. The mysteries of what the stories might have been about is even more intriguing than the disappearance of the man himself.

Fourteen drawings are presented in full page, black and white detail. The opposing page holds a caption followed by an intriguing sentence. The first one reads: ARCHIE SMITH, BOY WONDER, with the accompanying teaser "A tiny voice asked, 'Is he the one?'" The picture show a young boy asleep in his bedroom. The window is open and a pair of glowing orbs are hovering over him, with more orbs visible outside.

Although many schools use this book to inspire writing projects with older children, the pictures may encourage oral storytelling as well. Examination of both the illustrations and the written clues may lead to a burst of creative and imaginative works by an individual, or a less formal sharing of ideas in a small group.

Redbook's Children's Picture Books Award, 1984
New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year, 1984
Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1984
American Institute of Graphic Arts Book Show Award, 1985
Boston Globe Horn Book Award, 1985
School Library Journal Starred Review

On Earth by G. Brian Karas

G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 2005.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-399-24025-X.

Karas does a splendid job of reducing incredibly complex concepts relating to the rotation of the earth in space to the level of a preschooler. He explains the basic reasoning behind night and day, the passage of time in months and seasons, and the northern and southern hemispheres. A simply diagrammed glossary in the back of the book explains science vocabulary terms such as equator, axis, orbit, north and south poles, and gravity.

The large format book is wonderful for sharing in a group. The double-page spreads which chart movement of the earth are interesting to share close up. Great for pairing with books about space, astronauts, and other planets.

ALA Notable Book, 2005.

Lightship by Brian Floca

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2007.
Hardcover edition, 48 pages, ISBN 978-1-4169-2436-4.

Floca has done his research in this wonderfully detailed non-fiction book for young audiences. The Author's Note contains a treasure trove of historical information regarding the now-extinct lightship branch of the Coast Guard. Meticulously labeled diagrams grace the end papers of the book.The drawings have clean lines with washes of watercolor which outline every rivet, hatch and mechanical feature of the ship. The text is almost poetic in nature as it tells of the crewmembers, the routines of their daily life on board, and how they fulfill their purpose in averting other ships from danger.

It is refreshing to find non-fiction with simple enough text to read aloud or to be readable by preschoolers. This is great material for a storytime about boats, or for poring over alone.

Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
Booklist Starred Review
School Library Journal Starred Review
Bank Street Best Books of the Year

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Hyperion Books for Children, New York, 2008.
Hardcover edition, 58 pages, ISBN 978-142311347-8.

Quiet, thoughtful Gerald the elephant and irrepressible Piggie are dear friends who are "ready to play outside." Piggie is brimming over with plans until it begins to rain, increasing in strength until there is a torrential downpour. Piggie is angry and frustrated, his text balloons becoming increasingly larger and capitalized. Suddenly Piggie is dry. Gerald has kindly extended one large ear as an umbrella over Piggie's head. Nearby some worms are exulting in the wet weather, playing and jumping around. Gerald suggests that perhaps he and Piggie can have fun as well. They begin to run, skip and jump in the rain. Piggie is disappointed when the rain stops, but Gerald has a clever solution. He uses his trunk to spray Piggie with water.

Willems packs a lot of story into very simple drawings, colored gray for Gerald and pink for Piggie. Their exuberant body language and facial expressions delightfully mirror the range of emotions expressed throughout the brief encounter. Children easily relate to the disappointment of a play day potentially ruined by poor weather. The ability of the characters to adapt and make the best of the situation, and the kindly actions of Gerald toward Piggie, model important life skills.

The easy repetitive nature of the vocabulary, short sentences, and large well-spaced fonts make this a wonderful early reader.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, 2009

Gracias-Thanks by Pat Mora

Illustrated by John Parra. Lee & Low Books, Inc., New York, 2009.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-1-60060-258-0.

Parra's rosy-cheeked boy leads us through a busy day filled with gratitude for graces large and small, crucial and zany, beginning with:  "For the sun that wakes me up so I don't sleep for years and years and grow a long white beard, thanks." The paint on wood of the illustrations, the colorful exotic flowers, and Hispanic decor give this modern story an old world feel.

Each double page spread features Spanish text on the left page and English text on the right. An author's note, also bilingual, exhorts the reader to look for things to be thankful for, and enumerates the author's own blessings. She adds, "Listing what I'm thankful for always makes me happy."

Helping children live a life looking on the bright side is of great social and personal benefit. This book reminds us that our American Thanksgiving holiday is not the only time to be grateful, but that every day we have a fresh opportunity to remember the good things.

ALA Notable Book, 2010
Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year, 2010
Texas Library Association 2X2 Reading List, 2010
CCBC Choices, 2010
Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration, 2009
Belpré Illustrator Honor Book, 2010
Booklist Starred Review

Before John Was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrated by Sean Qualls, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2008.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-0-8050-7994-4.

A Song of John Coltrane, jazz legend, saxophonist extraordinaire....

Weatherford and Qualls create a seamless stream of music with lyrical text and visual sound pictures which flow from page to page. Qualls' imaginative evocation of sound using bubbles, ribbons, and streaming shapes depicts both the audible and the moving transitory aspects of music. John is shown as a child, listening, considering, absorbing, remembering, internalizing the melodious, rhythmic harmonies of the world around him.

"Before John was a jazz giant,
he picked up that horn,
blew into the mouthpiece, pressed his fingers on the keys, and breathed every sound
he'd ever known into a bold new song.
Before John was a jazz giant,
he was all ears."

A full page biography of John Coltrane is provided in an Author's Note, with a facing page containing a limited discography, and a short bibliography of further reading materials both in print and online.

This book begs to be read with Coltrane's music playing softly in the background. It would be a terrific centerpiece for a program on music or sounds for preschoolers, and lends itself to discussion of sounds around us.

Coretta Scott King Award, Honor Book
ALA Notable Children's
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
CCBC Choice Book
NCSS-CBC: Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Golden Kite Honor Book for Picture Book Text
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
Michigan Great Lakes Great Books Award Master List

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Greenwillow Books, New York, 2004.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-06-058828-4.

Poor little kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk. Her persistent attempts to reach it result in a taste of firefly, an ouchy tumble, an fruitless exhausting run, a scary tree perch and a dunk in the pond. After each failed exertion, "Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting." Kitten finally ambles home, "wet and sad and tired and hungry," to find a real bowl of milk on the porch.

Henkes uses black pencils and goache to recreate the nighttime setting with heavy outlines delineating the gray, shadowed forms illuminated by the moon. Reminiscent of Frank Asch's Moonbear series.

Perfect for toddler / preschool story hour. The format is large and the illustrations clearly outlined with large black text. Predictably repetitive and simple enough vocabulary for use as an early reader.

• Caldecott Medal Winner
• Bulletin Blue Ribbon
• Charlotte Zolotow Award
• ALA Notable Children’s Book
• Texas 2X2 Reading List
• Book Sense Pick

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, 1995.
Hardcover edition, 40 pages, ISBN 0-15-292851-0.

Stevens has created a freshly minted trickster tale a la Uncle Remus contrasting a hilariously lazy bear and an extremely enterprising hare. Hare has a large family to feed, but no land to grow a garden. Bear has all sorts of land, but no inclination to work. They enter into a sloppily defined pact crafted cleverly Hare, whereby Bear will receive the top half of all produce, and Hare will take the bottom half. Hare tricks Bear by planting all root vegetables such as radishes, carrots, and beets. When the sleepy Bear realizes he has been duped, he reverses the deal, but the cunning Hare plants lettuce, broccoli and celery. The angry Bear alters the contract so that he gets tops and bottoms while Hare gets only the middles. Hare slyly plants corn.

Bear learns from these episodes to become more attentive and industrious, while Hare profits by selling the vegetables to buy property to feed his family and perpetuate his business.

The story is best for the more mature end of the preschool spectrum, due to both the length and complexity of the text. The format of the book, which appropriately opens top to bottom, is perfect for group reading.

ABC Children's Booksellers' Choice
ALA Notable Children's Book
Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award
Booklist Editors' Choice
Caldecott Honor Book
Colorado Children's Book Award
Instructor Magazine's Best Picture Book of the Twentieth Century
IRA Teachers' Choice
IRA-CBC Children's Choice
Maryland Children's Book Award
National Parenting Publications Gold Award
Parents' Choice Silver Honor Book
Show Me Readers Award
SSLI Honor Book
Storytelling World Award Honor Book

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges

Illustrated by Amy Walrod, Dutton Children's Books, New York, 1999.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-525-45953-7.

In this preferred retelling of the classic tale, the Little Red Hen graciously shares her humongous pizza with her neighbors, the duck, the dog, and the cat. Although the other animals selfishly refused to assist with all of the myriad steps in creating the giant pie, they all have a change of heart after partaking and cheerfully help with the cleanup.

Walrod's colorful collages are wonderfully textured, and humorously detailed. The dog is comically dressed in a Biscuit box complete with barcode, while the Little Red Hen's clothesline hangs with a variety of neckcloths and the bunny slippers she wears later in the story. An ice cream truck, odd boxes in the street scene, magazines, and sundried objects in the Little Red Hen's cupboard and in her shopping cart are clearly labeled as to contents, assisting with print motivation.

The primary message of kindness, and sharing in work as well as rewards, is wonderfully communicated, and appropriate for toddler and preschool storytimes.

Golden Kite Award, Picture Book, 1999

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

Philomel Books, New York, 1992.
Hardcover edition, 48 pages, ISBN 0-399-22261-8.

In a splendid recreation of the old wisdom fable, Young sets each of  the seven differently colored mice to visit the unknown object on a different day of the week. The black background creates a metaphor for the mice's blindness, and acts as a foil for their brilliant hues, as well the collage textures of their imagined visions. Only on Saturday does the White Mouse finally traverse the entire "Something", and put together the ideas generated by all of the mice to finally "see" the whole as an elephant.

"The Mouse Moral: Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole."

Can be read and enjoyed by younger children learning their colors and the days of the week, but really requires a bit more philosophical savvy and discussion to help them internalize the concept conveyed by the moral.

Caldecott Honor Book
Boston Globe Hom Book Award
California Children's Media Award

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say

Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1993.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-395-57035-2.

A sense of belonging and a sense of place are very powerful in the human experience. Say's lovely, nostalgic, and poignant book captures our humanness, quite apart from country, race or culture. As a young man, Say's grandfather traveled from his home in Japan to America. He fell in love with the amazing and varied wonders of the land, the cities, and the people. He returned to Japan for his bride, but the new world called him back. His daughter was raised in California, yet again the homeland called. Throughout the years in reality and through the power of transmitted memory, his family has had feet in both worlds. "So I return now and then, when I can not still the longing in my heart. The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other."

Say's watercolors have the pastel, tintype look of the era of his grandfather, with faces sober, in posed portraits like photographs of that time. The formality of the pictures belies the emotional struggle of the sense of duality of belonging which both he and his grandfather experience.

This story will resonate with many of our patrons in this multicultural and highly mobile society. Younger children may not be able to process the full impact, but still take in a basic understanding of the journey in relation to the experience of their own families. Good for preschool storytime.

Caldecott Medal Winner, 1994
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Picture Book, 1994
Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2007

"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth by Eric Carle

Philomel Books, New York, 2002
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-399-23954-5.

Eric Carle's sloth hangs from a veritable bouquet of color in this lovely tribute, and that is pretty much all that the sloth does--hang. Any activity at all is performed "slowly, slowly, slowly". The other jungle animals accuse him of being slow, quiet, boring, and lazy. After thinking and thinking and thinking "for a long, long, long time," the sloth concedes somewhat to his detractors, but defends himself with a series of other adjectives as well. "I am also unflappable, languid, stoic, impassive, sluggish, lethargic, placid, calm, mellow, laid-back,  and well, slothful!" However... he is NOT lazy.

Jane Goodall has written an informational Forward to the book, and Carle has added his own comments on the back cover, bemoaning the hectic life of society which needs to take a lesson from the unhurried sloth. The back end papers display the exotic collection of jungle creatures from the story in characteristically Carle-painted collage.

A great read for toddler or preschool story hour.

Children may learn that there are different temperaments and attributes of people as well as animals, that everyone is not the same, and that differences are good.

Parent's Choice Silver Honor Book, 2002.
ALA Notable Children's Book, 2003.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

The Viking Press, New York. 1962.
Hardcover edition, 40 pages, ISBN 0-670-65401-9.

Peter awakes one morning to discover that a snowfall has "covered everything as far as he could see." He goes outside in his little red snowsuit with the pointed hood to explore. First he makes tracks this way and that in the crunchy snow, then he drags a stick in the snow to make a different track. Wisely not joining a snowball fight with the bigger boys, he wanders off to create a snowman and then some snow angels. He climbs a giant snow mountain and slides down the other side. He packs up a nice firm snowball to put in his pocket for tomorrow.

At home, he tells his mother all about his adventures in the snow, takes a warm bath and thinks about them for a long time. He discovers that his snowball is missing and is sad. In the morning, even more snow has fallen, and he calls a friend to explore the "deep, deep snow" with him.

Keats uses an interesting combination of collage and watercolor to depict the mountainous snowbanks which dwarf Peter and give the sense of being in an alien landscape. The quiet progression of the text as Peter meanders about the neighborhood alone depicts the muffled silence of a snow-covered world.

A wonderful addition to snow stories for toddlers and preschoolers. Most children in areas which are subject to snowfalls will find Peter's activities familiar. Those from southern areas will see the possibilities for play. A track making activity may be an enjoyable accompaniment to this winter tale.

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, 1963.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Illustrated by Anita Jeram. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA. 1994.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 1-56402-473-3.

In this sweetly contested protestation of who loves the most, Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare, "Guess how much I love you." When Big Nutbrown Hare declines to even attempt to guess, Little Nutbrown Hare extends his arms as wide as he can. Yet no matter what physical metaphor Little Nutbrown Hare performs to express his love, Big Nutbrown Hare can always do it wider, higher, better, and more. Even as Little Nutbrown Hare falls asleep murmuring "I love you right up to the moon," Big Nutbrown Hare whispers the last word, " I love you right up to the moon--and back."

Jeram's whimsical hares perfectly complement McBratney's tender dialogue. This book oozes affectionate appeal. Works for storytime, but absolutely delightful for bedtime or personal time with family members.

ALA Notable Children's Book, 1996.

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 1996.
Hardcover edition, 40 pages, ISBN 0-679-87597-2.

This unusual addition to Seussiana was published posthumously with a request from Seuss himself that the artwork be done by another. In more reflective verse than we accustomed to from the Doctor, he describes his daily moods and emotions in terms of different colors.

"Some days, of course, feel sort of Brown.
Then I feel slow and low, low down.

Then comes a Yellow Day. And wheeeeeeeeee
I am a busy, buzzy bee."

Johnson and Fancher have chosen broadly brushed acrylic colors to articulate the animals suggested by the text, as well as their own gingerbread man cookie cutter main character. The font types are varied to express the emotion or movement of individual words.

This has a large enough format to be used in group readaloud, but would also be a wonderful discussion starter with children about feelings on a parent-caregiver level.

Relates the learning of colors and the expression of emotions. Enhances print awareness with large text and font changes.

American Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) Award, Nominee, 1997.

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

HarperFestival, New York, 1996.
Lap Book edition, 48 pages, ISBN 978-0064433136.

"Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!" Originally published in 1938, the call of the peddlar continues to draw an enraptured young audience. From the manner in which the peddlar meticulously stacks his variously colored caps, to his hilarious encounter with the monkeys, children actively engage in the drama of cap counting and simian imitations. As the story calmly resolves back into the original rhythm, they love to cry out with the peddlar, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"

Movement activity: Kids love to act out the monkey noises and motions.

Winner of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958.

Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming

Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2002.

Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-8050-6848-1.

Fleming's handy mouse is kept busy performing 26 different operations and using a variety of tools as he airbrushes, buttons, carves, dyes, erases... his way through the entire alphabet. Her signature fabric paint collage textures are colorful and engaging. A pull-out alphabet poster lives in the back of the book.

Fun for any storyhour where a variety of occupations are featured.

Assists in enhancing letter knowledge, as well as vocabulary of great nouns and verbs related to handyman functions.

The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2003
Booklist Starred Review, 2002
Capitol Choices, 2002
The Children's Literature Choice List, 2002
ALA Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2002
ALA Notable Children's Books, 2003
Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award Nominee 2004
South Carolina Picture Book Award, Nominee, 2005-2006;