No Nap! Yes Nap!

NO NAP! YES NAP! by Margie Palatini with illustrations by Dan Yaccarino. Little Brown, 2014.

Baby or Mama?
Which one will win the battle?
Maybe both of them?

THIS IS A MOOSE

THIS IS A MOOSE by Richard Morris with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld. Little Brown, 2014.

He is just a moose
But his dreams are much bigger
Why can't he be more?

UNDER THE SAME SUN

UNDER THE SAME SUN by Sharon Robinson with illustrations by AG Ford. Scholastic, 2014.


The Tanzanian relatives await the arrival of Grandmother and Auntie Sharon all the way from American. All of the family will celebrate Grandmother Bibi's birthday with a safari on the Serengeti. This is a wonderful celebration of family.

A HOME FOR MR. EMERSON

A HOME FOR MR. EMERSON by Barbara Kerley with illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham. Scholastic, 2014.

Ralph Waldo Emerson loved his home in Concord. He enjoyed entertaining family and friends. When his house burns down, the neighbors rebuild it to welcome his back home. End papers include quotes from Emerson's essays, great end material as well to provide more information about the man behind the story.

What's your favorite animal?

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL? by Eric Carle and Friends. Holt, 2014.

Nick Bruehl, Mo Willems, Peter Sis and a host of other illustrators write about and draw their favorite animals in this collection. Kids will love seeing what animal was selected by their favorite authors and illustrators.

Mice Mischief

MICE MISCHIEF: MATH FACTS IN ACTION by Caroline Stills with illustrations by Judith Rossell. Holiday House, 2014.

Ten little mice can
Do lots of things. Watch them
As they add to ten.

Ed and Kip

ED AND KIP (I Like to Read) by Kay Chorao. Holiday House, 2014.

Ed and Kip can play.
Other animals join in.
Beware of danger!

FIX THIS MESS!

FIX THIS MESS (I Like to Read) by Tedd Arnold. Holiday House, 2014.



A messy room? Help!
Robug comes to the rescue.
Can he fix this mess?

Little Ducks Go

LITTLE DUCKS GO (I Like to Read) by Emily Arnold McCully. Holiday House, 2014.

Little ducks need help
When they fall in a sewer.
Who will rescue them?

Bad Dog

BAD DOG (I Like to Read) by David McPhail. Holiday House, 2014.

Tom is a bad dog.
But the kids love him so much.
And he CAN be good.

Can You See Me?

CAN YOU SEE ME (I Like to Read) by Ted Lewin. Holiday House, 2014.

Can you see me now?
I am bird, sloth, reptile, frog.
Hiding in plain sight.

Superworm

SUPERWORM by Julia Donaldson with illustrations by Axel Scheffer. Arthur Levine/Scholastic, 2014.

Superworm comes to the rescue of his fellow creatures until an evil Lizard Witch captures him. Can he escape to fight evil another day?

It's Raining

IT'S RAINING by Gail Gibbons. Holiday House, 2014.

Clouds, thunder, lightning, the water cycle: Gail Gibbons gives young readers lots of good information about rain and how it fits into our environment. Tie this to the Ms. Frizzle books by Cole and Degen.

Swamp Chomp

SWAMP CHOMP by Lola Schaffer with illustrations by Paul Meisel. Holiday House, 2014.

Crawfish, turtles, alligators, and other inhabitants of the wet lands parade across the double page spreads of this book that sows the ecosystem. End notes provide more science information for curious readers.

Wing Wing Brothers

THE WING WING BROTHERS: GEOMETRY PALOOZA by Ethan Long. Holiday House, 2014.


The Wing Wing Brothers are back in time to teach some lessons about geometry. Triangles, rectangles, trapezoids and more are the subject for this humorous and informative picture book. Here is a great way to introduce readers of all ages to some important math concepts. Tie to books by Greg Tang including MATH POTATOES, MATH FABLES, and THE GRAPES OF MATH.

Two Tough Crocs

TWO TOUGH CROCS by David Bedford with illustrations by Tom Jellett. Holiday House, 2014.

Two tough crocs come face to face with the biggest bully croc of them all in the form of Betty. As they try to escape from the swamp without her notice, they manage to turn the tables on Betty who is no longer a threat to all who live in and near the swamp. Sylvester and Arnold Croc learn an important lesson about bullying.

Toe Shoe Mouse

TOE SHOE MOUSE by Jan Carr with illustrations by Jennifer Bell. Holiday House, 2014.

Ballerina shoe
Becomes a home for a mouse
Perhaps a career?

Tie to THE MOUSE IWTH THE QUESTION MARK TAIL by Richard Peck and Julie Andrew's THE GREAT AMERICAN MOUSICAL and THE TALE OF DESPERAUX by Kate DiCamillo and Ed Young's SEVEN BLIND MICE for an interesting compare text set.

Rub a dub in the tub

WASHDAY by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Brad Sneed. Holiday House, 2014.

It's wash day at Grandma's even though Lizzie had hoped to have a party with her best friend and their dolls. But there is work to be done, and Lizzie helps Grandma boil and wash and wring and hang the laundry. Then, Grandma has a surprise for Lizzie!

Fun with Math

TRIANGLES by David Adler with illustrations by Edward Miller.

Geometry fun
With triangle facts and more
Answer the questions.

Row the Boat

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT by Jane Cabrera. Holiday House, 2014.

Row down a river
What animals can you spot?
Join the adventure.

Look and See

LOOK AND SEE: A WHAT'S-NOT-THE-SAME GAME by Bill Kontzias. Holiday House, 2014.


Two pages facing
Difference and changes
Can you spot them all?

Borrowing and paying back

THE RUNAWAY HUG by Nick Bland with illustrations by Freya Blackwood. Wendy Lamb Books, 2013.


Mama loans her hug
Now Lucy must pay it back
And pay it forward.

I love you

HOW DO LIONS SAY I LOVE YOU? by Diane Muldrow with illustrations by David Walker. Little Golden Books, 2013.

How do animals
Let their young know they love them?
The answer is here.

Ethical Dilemmas

HEARTBEAT by Elizabeth Scott. Harlequin Teen, 2014.

Emma's life seemed about perfect. Her mother and stepfather are planning the arrival of Emma's sibling. Emma loves her stepfather. And then the unthinkable happens. Emma's mother collapses. She is being kept alive (though she is officially brain dead) so that perhaps the child she is bearing might have a chance outside her womb. Emma spends each afternoon visiting her mother, telling her about her day at school, denying the cold hard fact of her mother's death. Perhaps Caleb, a fellow student with a bad boy reputation, is just what Emma needs.

Mister Max sets out

MISTER MAX: THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by Cynthia Voigt. Knopf, 2013.

A mysterious message offers to take Max and his family to a faraway land where riches await them. However, circumstances end up with Max left behind while his parents seem to have disappeared. And so the mystery, actually the mysteries, begin. As Max and his grandmother search for clues about his parents, Max stumbles into some mysteries of his own. Before long, he is better known as Mister Max, a solutioneer. Will Max be able to find his parents? Can he survive on his own? An amiable cast of eccentric characters will draw readers in and have them guessing along with Max.

Feelings

HURTY FEELINGS by Helen Lester with illustrations by Lynn Munsinger. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1996.

PRINCESS PENELOPE'S PARROT by Helen Lester with illustrations by Lynn Munsinger. HMH, 1996.

These reissues of books about emotions come with a downloadable audio link inside. HURTY FEELINGS deals with bullying amnd PRINCESS PENELOPE'S PARROTS with minding manners and words.

Run, Dog!

RUN, DOG! by Cecile Boyer. Chronicle, 2014.

Form and format are key in this book which combines double page spreads with partical flip pages (a la VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR) to tell the story of a dog chasing a red ball. Combine with DAISY AND THE BALL for an interesting comparison.

sound book

CAT SAYS MEOW AND OTHER AN-I-MAL-O-POE-IA by Michael Arndt. Chronicle, 2014.

This visually stunning picture book presents animals and their sounds (which are onomatopoeia sounds). So, the illustrateion of the chck has cluck within its design. The cat's face shows the word "meow" and so on.

firsts

THE GREAT DAY by Taro Gomi. Chronicle, 2014.

First to wake, get dressed, eat, and head out for the day is a good thing in the life of a young boy. He is also the first to go home, eat dinner, and grow sleepy. Simple text and illustrations make this a perfect read aloud for young kids.

Excuses, excuses

I DID NOT DO MY HOMEWORK BECAUSE....by Davide Cole with illustrations by Benjamin Chaud. Chronicle, 2014.

Add this to your list of great books to read aloud at the start of a semester or school year. An inventive child tries all manner of excuses only to find his teacher has read the book on homework excuses. Pair with "Homework, O Homework" by Jack Prelutsky or FORGIVE ME, I MEANT TO DO IT by Gail Carson Levine, a book of false apology poems.

Hot or Cold?

TOO HOT? TOO COLD? KEEPING BODY TEMPERATURE JUST RIGHT by Caroline Arnold with illustrations by Annie Patterson. Charlesbridge, 2013.

This nonfiction book explores warm blooded and cold blooded animals and how they regulate their body temperatures. This book would be a great addition to any unit studying this aspect of animals and insects and also units on habitats, the science of the body, and extremes.

If you were...

IF YOU WERE A PANDA BEAR by Wendell and Florence Minor. Katherine Tegen, 2013.

Using the same stlye as IF YOU WERE A PENGUIN, the Minors explore the different types of bears focusing oin their color, size, and habitat. Rhyming text provides plenty of facts for young readers.