Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool by Teri Sloat, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott 2000
Follow Farmer Brown and his shivering sheep through the complete process of turning wool into yarn. The sheep are perturbed by the loss of their wool, and even a little embarrassed. They trail after Farmer Brown to see what will become of their lovely white wool. In the end, they are wearing their wool again, in a more fashionable and colorful way.
Appropriate for ages 3-6
Food Fight! By Carol Diggory Shields, illustrated by Doreen Gay-Kassel 2002
This story reveals the antics of the inhabitants of our refrigerators when the lights go out. The play on words are absolutely hilarious so you won’t mind reading it over and over, which is the request you will get from your child. The evening in the kitchen starts out jovial enough, but then takes a turn for the worse when the tuna fish have the nerve to tell the garlic “You stink!” The dramatic expression on each food or container really begins to take shape, and the puns come at a fast pace.
“The rice got steamed and popped the corn, “Chill out, you guys,” The ice cubes warned. But the punch kept punching, and the cream got whipped, the chips threw the crackers in the guacamole dip.”
The clay artwork by Kassel adds to the humor of the text perfectly. After reading this story you may be opening you refrigerator at lightning speed in the morning to see if any food is scurrying back to it’s place.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
Firefighters in the Dark by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli 2006
Hearing the fire truck sirens at night causes a young girl to imagine the adventures of the firefighters. She imagines their rescue of fifteen little princesses in a huge castle, a girl in Mexico whose mouth is on fire, and a boy who bounces into the starlit sky. In between these daring feats she recalls the day-to-day activities of the firefighters as they wait for a call back at the fire station.
My child was enamored with the illustrations by Ceccoli. They are saturated with wonderful colors, and the almost angelic expression on the faces of the firefighters is serene.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
Don’t Grown-Ups Ever Have Fun? By Jamie Harper 2003
The young girl who narrates this story is flabbergasted by the choices her parents make on a day-to-day basis. Why would they want to sleep in when there is so much to do? Why don’t they want to have fun while they clean? She thinks that her Mom and Dad should be more like she and her siblings. This exuberant story reminds us that being a parent can be exhausting, but that being childlike can reenergize us. The dynamics of family are illustrated in a humorous, and rambunctious way.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
Oliver Finds His Way by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Christopher Denise 2002
Oliver’s world is cozy and safe until he decides to chase a yellow leaf floating by. The illustrations become darker as Oliver wanders away from his parents and deeper into the woods. His distracted thoughts turn into downright fear. He begins to cry, but decides that a bear “Roar” would be much more effective. The voice, and love, of his parents guides him back home.
The endpapers cradle artwork from Denise that is so warm and inviting I want to be transported immediately. This story deals with safety and fear in a sweet, and memorable way.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
Little Farm by the Sea by Kay Chorao 1998
The busyness and importance of small farms is rendered here with clarity. It takes daily hard work to run a farm, and the jobs of each season are explored. Animals are born, produce is shared, and the community is enriched because of this small farm by the sea. There are fun details to discover on each beautifully illustrated page. A trip to a small farm or farmer’s market in your town is sure to follow.
Appropriate for ages 3-8
Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell 2008
The preparations for a festive meal begin at the grocery store. The shopping cart fills up fast with contributions from each child in the family. Ingredients for a delicious feast multiply in this counting book with rhyming text. The children help during each step of the process, except the baby who fell asleep on the ride home.
The importance of every family member is apparent as ten hands work together. There is a feeling of cozy warmth in the cut-paper illustrations by Falwell. This book reminds us that being together as a family brings much joy.
Appropriate for ages 3-6
Fairy Houses by Tracy Kane 2001
Kristen’s family is on vacation and they surprise her by revealing a human made village for fairies. She becomes the architect of her own magical home for the fairies, and wishes more than anything to meet them. She finally gets what she wishes for, because she respected and cared for the forest and it's occupants.
Kane’s illustrations are dreamlike and magical which is just what the storyline warrants. The natural world will be viewed differently after reading this story, and a fairy village will most likely appear in your backyard very soon.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
How Are You Peeling?: Foods with Moods By Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers 2004
This amazingly creative and original story is full of thought provoking questions. Vegetables and fruit emoting every kind of expression roll across each page. Your child may relate to a jovial lemon, a flabbergasted pepper, or a jealous tomato. The expressive black-eyed peas used for the eyes are genius. You will never look at a display of produce the same again.
Appropriate for ages 3-8
Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog by Tim Beiser, illustrated by Rachel Berman 2009
Bradley awakens one morning, in his home in the bog, to find that his cupboards are bare. He decides to ask his neighbors for a bite to eat, and sets out gleefully. He soon discovers that all animals do not eat alike. Why would any creature want to eat something as disgusting as cheese, or as sticky as honey? He politely refuses, and arrives home to find his favorite food creeping and crawling all over the place.
This book illustrates, in a fun and whimsical way, that not all creatures (or humans for that matter) have the same customs or habits. Differences aren’t bad, and they certainly make the world around us a more interesting place.
Appropriate for ages 2-6
Being Friends by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Joy Allen 2002
The rewards of friendship are joyfully shown in this simple story. Two girls discover that their friendship is special despite, and because of, their differences.
“You are you and I am me. You’re a princess sipping tea. I’m a swinging chimpanzee.”
Both girls realize that the ‘being friends’ part is the only thing they need to concern themselves with.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies by Ammi-Joan Paquette, illustrated by Christa Unzner 2009
This magical guide reveals the hiding places of fairies in an adventuresome way. Gardens and parks all around us can hold evidence of fairies; such as dandelion fluff used as a pillow, or an abundance of acorn shells scattered about. The book mixes artwork and photography, showing the human children narrowly missing the fairies at each turn.
A celebration of nature takes place in the pages, and your child may never look at the garden the same way again.
Appropriate for ages 3-8
Trout, Trout, Trout!: A Fish Chant by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Trip Park 2004
This chant about fish is hilarious, and memorable. Bold illustrations introduce freshwater fish in a wacky, creative way. Digitally created caricatures of the fish will induce many giggles. The Bigmouth Buffalo fish sports a cowboy hat, while the Pupfish is wearing a leash and being walked underwater. A wonderful choice for story time, it also includes fact filled pages at the back that provide more detailed information about each fish.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
A Friend for Little Bear by Harry Horse 1996
A lonely teddy bear is thrilled when a wooden horse floats by the desert island where he lives. They become great friends. Paraphernalia floating in the sea interrupts the lovely time they spend together. Bear begins to grab items out of the water saying, “I don’t know what these things are but I need them, all the same.”
As the pile of junk gets higher, wooden horse looks more and more sad, until he is crowded off the island and back into the sea. When Bear realizes his friend is missing he begins to cry and throw all the worthless things back into the ocean. When wooden horse floats by once more, they are reunited, and realize that silly treasures could never replace the happiness that a friend brings.
The moral to this story was a great reminder for my child, but also for me as well.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
Frog Goes to Dinner by Mercer Mayer 1974
Pretty Pru: A Tilly and Friends Book by Polly Dunbar 2009
No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons) by Jean Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault 1999
The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder by Peter Brown 2007