After flipping a pancake atop Henry’s head, Grandpa spurred to tell his grandkids a story about the town of Chewandswallow. "The only thing that was really different about Chewandswallow was its weather. It came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner." In the ensuing illustrations, the citizens of… Read More

If you think Cesar Millan, TV’s Dog Whisperer, gives good advice, wait’ll you meet Mr. Mutt, a certified Canine Counselor. Desperate and beaten down dogs send heartfelt letters and attached photos to Mr. Mutt, a bespectacled and solemn-faced brown dog, and he responds with practical dog-centric advice. “And remember, you… Read More

Retold by a master storyteller who recalls each story from her North Carolina childhood, these five crackling traditional African American folktales about the crafty trickster Bruh Rabbit and his animal pals and rivals will get your listeners thumping their chairs with laughter. Bruh Fox believes there are roasted chicken legs… Read More

Babymouse: Queen of the World. Babymouse connives to gets herself invited to a sleepover at the house of her arch nemesis, a popular cat named Felicia Furrypaws, but ultimately realizes she far prefers to hang out with her faithful friend, Wilson Weasel.So far, there are nine un-put-down-able graphic… Read More

You think you have a problem pet that rules your roost? Get a load of this quintessential bad kitty, a sleek, black, rowdy ruffian who is none too happy about getting a bath. OK, that’s an understatement. Usually, Kitty licks herself clean, though we see her going overboard here, licking… Read More

Franny K. Stein, Little Girl Mad Scientist, the only one in her otherwise normal family interested in mad science, comes up with a winning invention for the school Science Fair project: a Time Warp Dessert Plate that allows her to have her cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, at the… Read More

Taking bits and pieces of plot and descriptions from 17 different versions of the Cinderella story worldwide, Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman (Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices; HarperCollins, 1988) offers up a composite story, a melting pot of Cinderellas. The busy paneled paintings look like folk art… Read More

Though their first encounter ends with a heated argument when Lizard accuses Snake of blocking his path with her tail, they soon realize they like each other a lot. Through 15 delightful short stories, rich with dialogue and illustrated with diminutive pen and ink and watercolors on every other page,… Read More

Inside the backpack, where it’s dark and smells like a wet bathing suit, Lumphy the buffalo feels cramped, StingRay is trying to think calming thoughts, and Plastic is humming, which she does when she’s feeling nervous. Where is the Little Girl with the blue barrette taking them? StingRay worries that… Read More

On the night of April 20, 1933, the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, entertained her friend Amelia Earhart, the celebrated aviator, at a White House dinner party. Amelia described the mystery of flying at night, and then invited Eleanor to come along on a flight to Baltimore and back so they… Read More

As the youngest of three, I put up with all sorts of teasing and tricks when I was a wee chick, so I completely identified with Henrietta, the smallest of three sisters in this satisfying tale of gullibility and chickens coming home to roost. "We have a secret to tell… Read More

For read-alouds and read-alones, this comedic easy-to-read chapter book series also deals with real life issues. The irrepressible Junie B. Jones is in first grade now, and we continue to laugh and relate to her many predicaments as a student and a real kid. Because the weekend zoomed by speedy… Read More

In a contemporary comedy with, perhaps, the most kid-friendly and irresistible book cover of the year, get ready to procrastinate big time with ten-year-old Moxy who has promised her mother she will write twelve thank-you notes today, the day after Christmas. Tomorrow, she and her twin brother Mark are supposed… Read More

Meet six-year-old Sukie as she runs through the living room with a big plastic tub of glitter in each hand. "No running in the house. This isn’t a playground." That’s what her parents would say if they saw her. And, "You have to ask before you use glitter. And only… Read More

Fans of the Judy Moody series about an outspoken and assertive third grade girl have been glad to see a whole new spin-off series about her younger brother, Stink, just as Beezus fans love books about her little sister, Ramona, in Beverly Cleary’s classic series. Shortest in his family and… Read More

Even though Emma has never thought of herself as especially brave, when Jared Matthews takes her friend EllRay’s plastic action figure and threatens to break the wings off, Emma jumps into the fray, grabbing the toy and yelling, "Quit it, you big bully." Instead of thanking Emma, now EllRay’s mad… Read More

It’s gratifying to see one of our favorite third grade book characters back in a sequel that is just as funny as her fabulous first book, Clementine. She jumps right in with her chatty narration: “I have noticed that teachers get exciting confused with boring a lot. But when my… Read More

“Mrs. Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings.” So starts the first of four magical little books about cat siblings Thelma, Roger, James, and Harriet. The four live with their mother in a terrible neighborhood, filled with rubbish, hungry dogs, fierce rats, and too… Read More