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Everybody Books
He's a very smart cat, the Cat in the Hat. He knows good books so come join the Cat in the Hat as you look for a book in the everybody book nook.
Caldecott Books
Caldecott Gold Medal
Aardem, Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears. Illustrated
by Leo and Diane Dillon. New York. The Dial Press. 1975.
When he bothers Iguana, Mosquito sets up a chain of events that leads to the
death of a baby owl. When Mother Owl refuses to hoot to tell the sun to rise,
the animals of the jungle know they have to find out who was responsible for
the death of the baby owl so Mother Owl will make the sun rise once again.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Bunting, Eve. Smoky Night. Illustrated by David Diaz. New York.
Harcourt Brace & Company. 1994.
The LA riots of 1993 are the backdrop for this story of tolerance and friendship.
Young Daniel and his mother watch in horror as their neighborhood is looted
and set afire. The neighborhood grocery store, Kim’s, is one of the businesses
attacked. Daniel and his mother never go there, choosing instead to buy from
their own people. When they have to vacate their apartment building, Daniel
loses his cat Jasmine. Mrs. Kim, the owner of the grocery store, also loses
her cat. When Daniel and Mrs. Kim are reunited with their pets at the shelter,
everyone learns the lesson that getting to know people is the way to friendship
and community.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Emberly, Barbara Drummer Hoff. Illustrated by Ed Emberely. New
Jersey. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1967.
Drummer Hoff is a story told in repeated rhyme. The characters are setting
off a cannon to be fired at an unknown enemy. Each character contributes
one action to the process, but is Drummer Hoff who fired it off.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Keats, Ezra Jack. The Snowy Day. New York. The Viking Press.
1962.
Peter awakes one morning to a world of white. He spends the day exploring his
neighborhood, making tracks in the snow, watching a snowball fight, making
a snowman, and stuffing his pockets with snow to save for later. In bed that
night he dreams warmth returns and melts all the snow. Happily, his dream has
not come true and Peter awakes to spend another day romping in the snowy world.
Caldecott Silver Medal
Kerley, Barbara. The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins.
Illustrated by Brian Selznick. New York. Scholastic Press.
2001.
1853, Victorian London, a time before people thought about dinosaurs let alone
knew what they looked like. In this time lived Waterhouse Hawkins, artist,
sculptor, and dinosaur enthusiast. Waterhouse worked with paleontologists and
anatomists to draw and sculpt some of the first pictures and statues of dinosaurs.
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins tells the story of the first statues the
world saw of some of the most fantastic creatures the world has ever seen.
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Caldecott Gold Medal
Lobel, Arnold. Fables. New York. Harper & Row. 1980.
Arnold Lobel builds upon the works of Aesop with these new fables. Each fable
is only one page long and told with a familiar animal as the main character.
The lesson of each tale is summed up in one sentence, the moral. In The Hen
and the Apple Tree a wolf tries to fool a hen that he’s a tree, but
the hen isn’t fooled for an instant. The moral: It is always difficult
to pose as something that one is not.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Say, Allen. Grandfather’s Journey. New York. Houghton Mifflin.
1993.
Allan Say narrates this tale about his grandfather’s coming to America.
His grandfather falls in love with America and decides to make it his home.
Eventually, he longs for the country of his birth, Japan, and returns with
his family to live there. After living in Japan for many years, Grandfather
longs to return to California, but WWII intervenes. Sadly, Grandfather never
returns to his adopted country. Eventually his grandson, whom he told many wondrous
stories of America, makes America his home. And, just like his
grandfather, he too loves, and lives his life in, two countries.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. New York. Simon
and Schuster Books for Young Readers. 1969.
Rock collector Sylvester Duncan discovers an unusual red pebble. During a
rainstorm Sylvester discovers the magic of the pebble. When a lion appears,
Sylvester makes an unfortunate wish and is turned into a rock. Will Sylvester
once again be the person he was or will he remain a rock forever?
Caldecott Silver Medal
Steptoe, John. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. New York. Scholastic
Inc. 1987.
Two sisters, Manyara and Nyasha, are as different as night and day. Manyara
is as vain and selfish as Nyasha is humble and kind. One day, an edict comes
from the king for all young maidens come to his palace in the city for he
is in search of a wife. Manyara, who has always believed she is destined
to be queen, sneaks off during the night to get to the king’s palace
before her sister. On her way she encounters a young boy, an old woman, and
a poor man, treating each of them with anger and meanness. When Nyasha encounters
the same people she treats them with kindness and warmth. When they finally
arrive at the city, each girl has to appear before the king. One of them
sees a monster, the other the king. Which sister deserves to be the king’s
bride?
Caldecott Silver Medal
Stevens, Janet. Tops & Bottoms. New York. Harcourt Brace & Company.
1995.
Bear is too lazy to farm his wonderful land. The rabbits are starving, so
Father Rabbit devises a plan to feed his family by using Bear’s land.
Father Rabbit makes a deal with Bear to give Bear all of what grows above
the ground and the Rabbits will take what grows below the ground. The Rabbits
plant root crops, keeping the vegetables and giving Bear only the leafy tops.
The Rabbits trick Bear twice more until the Rabbits have enough to eat and
Bear decides to farm his land himself.
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Caldecott Silver Medal
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Garden of Abdul Gazazi.
Fritz, Chris Van Allsburg’s dog that he always includes in his books,
is one of the main characters in this story of mystery and magic. Fritz escapes
while Allan is watching him and runs into the garden of a famous magician.
Abdul Gazazi hates dogs and any who enter his garden is turned into a duck.
This is also Fritz’s fate. While taking him back home, Fritz steals
Allan’s hat and flies off. Allan is worried about how he’ll break
the news to Miss Marple that he’s lost her dog. Much to his amazement,
when he gets to Miss Marple’s house, there sits Fritz. Is Abdul Gazazi
the greatest magician ever, or did he just play a trick on Allan?
Caldecott Gold Medal
Van Allsburg, Chris. Jumanji. Boston. Houghton Mifflin. 1981.
Peter and Judy, bored at having to stay home and keep the house neat, decide
to take out all their toys and make a mess. When they tire of this they go
for a walk in the park. There they find a most unusual game – Jumanji.
What Peter and Judy discover is that finishing what you start is sometimes
the difference between winning and losing.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Polar Express. Boston. Houghton Mifflin
Company. 1985.
One snowy Christmas Eve, David is whisked away on the Polar Express. Through
the night he, along with other children, travel until they reach the North
Pole and Santa Claus. Once there, Santa picks one lucky child to receive the
first gift of Christmas. This year, David is the special child chosen. His
gift, small and simple, continues to be special for him and all true believers.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Ward, Lynd. The Biggest Bear. New York. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1952.
Johnny Orchard is ashamed of the fact no man in his family has ever returned
from a hunting trip with a bear skin. He decides this is not going to continue
and sets off on his own hunting trip. Rather than shooting a bear, he finds
an orphaned bear cub and brings it home. Quickly he discovers that living
among people is not beneficial to either people or bears. Can he find a place
for the bear before he has to do the one thing he doesn’t want to do,
shoot him?
Caldecott Gold Medal
Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon. Illustrated by John Schoenherr. New York.
Philomel Books. 1987.
On the night of the full moon, sometime deep in winter, with her father a
young girl takes her first trip “owling”. While waiting for the
appearance of a great horned owl, she learns the value of patience and silence.
Caldecott Gold Medal
Zelinsky, Paul O. Rapunzel. New York. Dutton Children’s Books.
1997.
This beautifully illustrated book retells this classic story. While waiting
for her baby to be born, a woman looks out from her window at the neighbor’s garden. She begins to crave the rapunzel that
grows in the garden and swears she will die if she doesn’t get any. While
trying to fulfill his wife’s wish, the husband is caught by the owner
of the garden, a witch. She agrees to spare the man’s life if he agrees
to give her the baby. Sadly he agrees and when the baby is born he gives it
to the witch, who names her Rapunzel. Rapunzel is eventually locked in a tower
with only her long hair as the ladder the witch climbs to enter to tower. One
day the prince her Rapunzel singing, finds a way into the tower, and eventually
marries Rapunzel. The witch finds out and Rapunzel and the Prince both suffer
terrible punishments before they live “happily ever after”.
Everybody Books
Allard, Harry. Miss Nelson Has a Field Day. Illustrated by James
Marshall. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1985.
When the Horace B. Smedley School football team gets out of hand, Miss Nelson
makes a phone call for help. Miss Viola Swamp, the meanest substitute teacher
in the whole world, shows up the next day and whips the Smedley Tornadoes into
shape in time for them to play against the Central Werewolves.
Brett, Jan. Berlioz the Bear.
New York. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 1991.
While on their way to play for the
town festival, Berlioz and the members of his orchestra get stuck. The
donkey pulling the wagon refuses to move forward.
Many
other
animals
come by and try to
help them, but are of no use. What finally makes the donkey move and gets
Berlioz and his orchestra to the town on time is not brute strength but
something much smaller and more powerful.
Brett, Jan. The Christmas Trolls.
New York. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 1993.
Treva again encounters troublesome trolls, this time during the week before
Christmas. The trolls don’t know what Christmas is about, but they
like all the sparkling decorations and presents. They like them so much
that they have their pet hedgehog start stealing Treva’s family’s
Christmas. Treva goes in search of all their holiday items and in the process
teaches the trolls the true meaning of Christmas.
Brett, Jan. Daisy Comes Home. New York. G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
2002.
Poor little Daisy. Smaller than all the other hens in the coop, they
always pick on her. One night, when Daisy can’t take their treatment
anymore, she goes outside to sleep in the egg basket. As she sleeps, the river
rises and carries the basket downstream. On her adventures away from home,
Daisy learns from each and returns home with some surprises for the other chickens
who picked on her.
Brett, Jan. The Gingerbread Baby.
New York. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 1999.
Jan Brett retells this well-known folktale in her trademark illustrative
style. Martin opens the oven too soon while the gingerbread baby is cooking.
The cookie wasn’t fully cooked, so out it jumps from the oven. Everyone
chases after the gingerbread baby, except Martin. He comes up with a plan
to capture the runaway cookie. This telling of the tale has a different
ending than most people are familiar with.
Brett, Jan. Hedgie’s Surprise. New York. G. P. Putnam’s
Sons. 2000.
Little Tomten, the troll, no longer wants porridge for breakfast, he wants
eggs. This was a problem for Henny, whose eggs Tomten steals. Henny want
a family of her own, but if her eggs are always stolen, she’ll never
have one. Her friend Hedgie the Hedgehog comes up with a plan that will make
Tomten go back to having porridge for breakfast.
Brett, Jan. The Twelve Days of
Christmas. New York. G. P. Putnam’s
Sons. 2000.
This lovely and familiar Christmas carol is beautifully illustrated with
detailed drawings and brilliant colors. The borders contain a young couple
celebrating Christmas and the words “Merry Christmas” in many
different languages.
Brett, Jan. Who’s Knocking on Christmas Eve. New York. G.
P.
Putnam’s Sons. 2002.
A skier, traveling to town with his pet polar bear, helps save Christmas for
Kyri. It seems that every year the trolls have been stealing her Christmas
Eve dinner. This year the trolls get an unexpected surprise in the form of
a slumbering polar bear.
Brown, Marc. Arthur’s Sleep
Over. New York. Little, Brown and Company. 1994.
In this continuing adventure of aardvark Arthur, he is planning his first
sleep over. He invites his friends Buster and the Brain to sleep over in
his tent. DW sets the mood for them by harping on the fact that aliens have
been
recently seen. When DW shines a light on them while they are telling stories
and scares them, the boys hatch a plan to teach DW a lesson.
Bunting, Eve. The Mother’s
Day Mice. Illustrated by Jan Brett. New York. Clarion Books. 1986.
The three little mice go off in search of gifts for their mother for Mother’s
Day. Each one knows what they want. Biggest Little Mouse and Middle Mouse
have no trouble getting their gifts. But Little Mouse wants honeysuckle and
the only place to get honeysuckle is guarded by a cat. Little Mouse gives
up on the honeysuckle and decides on a gift that means even more.
Bunting, Eve. St. Patrick’s
Day in the Morning. Illustrated by Jan Brett. New York. Clarion Books.
1980.
Jamie is too little to march in the town’s annual St. Patrick’s
Day parade. Early on St. Patrick’s Day, before the sun is up, Jamie,
with his dog Nell, sets out to march up to Acorn Hill and prove to everyone
he is big enough to be in the parade.
Carle, Eric. The Grouchy Ladybug. Hong Kong. HarperCollins
Publishers. 1977.
A grouchy ladybug wants all
the aphids to herself and challenges another ladybug to fight for them. When
the grouchy ladybug is challenged she decides her opponent is too small and
sets off in search of something bigger to fight.
Cazet, Denys. Never Spit on Your Shoes. New York. Orchard Books. 1990.
Arnie returns from his first day of first grade with stories to tell. His
class helped the teacher make-up class rules (never spit on your shoes),
took a tour of the school, learned how to spell B-o-y-s, colored, counted,
went to PE, and fell asleep during the read-aloud. A great book to read
to kindergarteners at the end of the year as they transition to first grade.
Clement, Rod. Grandpa’s
Teeth. Sydney. HarperCollins Publishers. 1997.
With characters looking like they just stepped out of Mad magazine, Clement
tells the story of Grandpa’s missing false teeth. One morning Grandpa
awakens to discover his false teeth are missing. Everyone in town is a
suspect. To prove he or she is not the thief, each person takes to smiling
unnaturally wide. The smiling gets so out of hand that the townsfolk get
together and buy Grandpa two new sets of teeth. Grandpa is happy, the town
is relieved to stop smiling, and the final page reveals the culprit who
started it all.
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type. Illustrated by
Betsy Lewin. New York. Simon & Schuster Books For
Young Readers. 2000.
Farmer Brown’s cows discover the old typewriter in the barn and begin
to write him notes. They want blankets because the barn is cold. Farmer Brown
refuses so the cows stop giving milk. The chickens agree with the cows and
also demand blankets. Again, Farmer Brown refuses. Farmer Brown can’t
run a farm without milk and eggs. Using the duck as a go-between the cows,
chickens, and Farmer Brown come to a compromise. But now, the ducks have the
typewriter!
Cronin, Doreen. Giggle, Giggle, Quack Ducks That Type.
Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. New York. Simon & Schuster
Books For Young Readers. 2001.
This is the sequel to Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type. Farmer Brown is going
on vacation and leaves his brother Bob in charge. Farmer Brown has left notes
for his brother of what to do with the animals. He does warn his brother to “keep
an eye on the duck, he’s trouble”. Brother Bob diligently follows
his brother’s instructions, even though they seem strange to him. How
many farmers feed their animals pizza with anchovies? But, as strange as the
notes seem, Bob does what his brother wants. Bob never suspects which wily
critter is really writing all these notes.
Caldecott Author
dePaola, Tomie. Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs. New York.
G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 1973.
Tommy lives in a house with his parents, his grandmother, and his great-grandmother.
While he loved everyone, he
was most attached to his great-grandmother, Nana Upstairs. One day Tommy woke
up to discover Nana Upstairs had died during the night. A special night sky
helps Tommy deal with his loss. A wonderful book to help children who have
lost a grandparent.
Caldecott Author
dePaola, Tomie. A New Barker in the House. New York. G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
2002.
The Barker’s are adopting a new member into their family. His name is
Marcos. Muffie and Morgie are so excited. They can’t wait to meet their
new little brother. They make all sorts of plans of things he can do with them.
After he arrives, they discover that he doesn’t speak English and doesn’t
like doing everything they do. Muffie, Morgie, and Marcos learn how to get
along, even if they can’t yet speak to each other. They also discover
how nice it is to be a part of a familia.
Henkes, Kevin. Wemberly Worried.
Hong Kong. Green Willow Books. 2000.
Five-year-old Wemberly worries about everything. She worries all day and night.
But her biggest worry is about going to school. Will everyone like her, will
she make friends, what if her teacher is mean? Wemberly discovers someone just
like her and discovers sometimes there is nothing to worry about.
Great for first day of school jitters.
Kellogg, Steven. Island of the Skog. New York. Dial Books for Young
Children. 1973.
After being attacked during their party for National Rodent Day, Jenny
and her mouse friends decide to sail away to find an island where they
can live
in peace. After many days at sea, the adventurous mice reach an island labeled “The
Island of the Skog”. To show their superiority, the mice fire their
cannons on the island. Soon the mice discover huge footprints in the sand.
The mice
concoct plans to get rid of the Skog. What they all discover is talking is
a better way to get along with others than trying to scare them.
Good book to teach cooperation.
Lionni, Leo. Matthew’s Dream.
New York. Alfred A Knopf. 1991.
Poor Matthew Mouse’s parents dream of great things for his future.
Maybe Matthew would grow up to be a doctor and then they would never be hungry
again. But Matthew has other plans – he wants to be a painter. Matthew
fulfills his dream, achieving the greatness his parents dreamed of for him.
Caldecott Author
Lobel, Arnold. The Rose in My Garden. Illustrated by Anita Lobel.
New York. Greenwillow Books. 1984.
In a style similar to The House That Jack Built, Arnold Lobel tells this little
garden tale. Various familiar garden flowers are unveiled on each page, telling
the story of a sleeping bee, a skittish mouse, and an impulsive cat. The repetitive
text is appropriate for older students who are having trouble mastering reading
but are resistant to reading books designed for younger students. The lush
and colorful illustrations also assist hesitant readers master the text.
Caldecott Illustrator
Marshall, James and Sendak, Maurice. Swine Lake. New York. HarperCollins Publishers.
1999.
A mangy old wolf, looking for a meal, decides the best place to find a pork
dinner is at the Boarshoi Ballet. What the wolf discovers is that rather than
hungering for plump prancing pigs, the only thing he desires is to dance. So
much so that one day he cannot help himself and finds that he must join in
the dance.
Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Good
Times on Grandfather Mountain. Illustrated By Susan Gaber. New York.
Orchard Books. 1992.
Old Washburn, no matter what happened to him, could always find the good in
every situation. Over the course of several days Old Washburn looses all his
animals and his house. But, he still makes music. His music draws his neighbors
to his farm and they rebuild his house. His music also draws his animals back
home, so that everything is eventually back to where it started.
Nolen, Jerdine. Big Jabe. New
York. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard
Books. 2000.
Miss Addy,
a slave on the Plenty Plantation, finds Big Jabe in a wicker basket, floating
on the river. She rescues him and discovers he has magical powers. Jabe grows
quickly, so quickly in fact that by harvest time he is fully-grown. Jabe can
do the work of fifty men. Finally the slaves have some time to rest. But, not
everyone is happy with Jabe. The overseer takes his wrath out on the other
slaves. Jabe decides something must be done to protect the people he loves.
Like Moses, Jabe leads his people to a new life far from the plantation they
had never dared hope to leave.
Paraskevas, Betty. The Tangerine Bear. Illustrated by Michael
Paraskevas. HarperCollins Publishers. 1997.
When a small brown bear shows up on a store shelf, he is anxious to be purchased
and have a home of his own. Sadly, day after day, he is passed over. It is
not until he falls off a shelf does he discover the reason no one wants him – his
smile is upside down! He is finally thrown in to a trunk along with other unwanted
items and sold to a second hand store. The owner of the second hand store,
Mr. Winkle puts the bear in the front window of his store. There he sits, day
after day, the sun turning his brown fur to a warm tangerine color. His companions
in the window are a broken jack-in-the-box and a cuckoo clock bird with a crumpled
beak. One snowy Christmas Eve the Tangerine Bear learns the value of friendship
and that home is the place where people love you.
Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia’s
Family Album. Illustrated by Lynn Sweat. New York. Avon Books. 1988.
Amelia Bedlia, that most literal of persons, shares with the Rogers’ family
pictures and anecdotes about her own family. Some of her family members the
Rogers and the reader meets are her father, a telephone operator, her Cousin
Calvin the boxer, Uncle Dan who takes pictures, and Cousin Ella who works with
Clay. Children will have fun trying to guess what Amelia Bedelia really means
when she describes her family.
Caldecott Author
Peet, Bill. No Such Things. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company.
1983.
Bill Peet tells this story in much the same way as Dr. Seuss, with fantastical
drawings and stories told in rhyme. Peet populates this book with unbelievable
character such as the backwards-walking Snoof and the bald Mopwoggins. Peet
differs from Dr. Seuss in that his drawings come closer to reality than most
Seussian creations.
Pinkney, Jerry. The Little Match Girl. New York. Phyllis Fogelman
Books. 1999.
Jerry Pinkney retells this classic Hans Christian Andersen story with lush
illustrations. A young girl leaves her run-down tenement to sell artificial
flowers and matches to those celebrating New Year’s Eve. Snow begins
to fall, but she knows she can’t return home until she sells something.
She finds shelter in an alleyway and lights a match to keep warm. While staring
at the match, she has a vision of a warm room, a New Year’s feast, and
her beloved grandmother. When she is found in the morning, burnt matches surrounding
her, she is cold, dead, and smiling.
Caldecott Author
Polacco, Patricia. Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair.
New York. Philomel Books. 1996.
Aunt Chip took to her bed 50 years
ago in protest against the television tower built in her town. Her great-nephew
Eli is her best friend and daily visitor. One day while visiting, Eli notices
things setting on her shelves and tables and asks Aunt Chip what they are.
Aunt Chip is horrified. Eli and everyone else in Triple Creek only ever
watched TV. They had all forgotten how to read or were never taught. Aunt
Chip begins
to teach Eli how to read and helps him, and the rest of Triple Creek, discover
the wonders of curling up with a good book.
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Caldecott Author
Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say. New York. Philomel Books. 1994.
Patricia Polacco tells this true story of her great-great-great-grandfather,
Sheldon Russell Curtis (Say), and Pinkus Aylee (Pink). Pink and Say, former
slave and freeman, both fighting for the North, met on the battlefield
after Say had been hurt. Pink took Say back to his mother’s home, where they
took care of him and nursed him back to health. Not only did Pink save Say’s
life, but he also taught him to read. Say, who had always lived in the
north and never had experienced the horror of slavery, learns first hand
why and
for whom the Civil War was being fought.
Caldecott Author
Polacco, Patricia. Tikvah Means Hope. New York. Delacorte Press. 1994.
Justine and her friend Duane
help their neighbor, Mr. Roth, build a Sukkah to celebrate Sukkoth. After
they finish building and decorating, Duane and Justine spend the night sleeping
in the Sukkah, staring at the stars through the palm roof. The next morning,
Mr. Roth and the children go to the market to buy foods for the feast that
day. They notice the sky turning a bright orange. The hills were burning!
Mr. Roth and children rush home to find their homes in flames from the wildfire.
Amid all the devastation, Justine and her neighbors discover a miracle and
hope for life to go on.
Caldecott Author
Polacco, Patricia. When Lightning Comes in a Jar. New York. Delacorte
Press. 2002.
Tricia had always
loved family reunions, getting to see all her cousins, aunts, and uncles.
This reunion promised to be different, though. Grandma had promised that
maybe, if conditions were right, they would be able to catch lightning in
a jar. Tricia and her cousins waited expectantly all day, wanting to know
what lightning in a jar was. They wait all day, through the food, and the
games, and the stories, until Grandma shows them what lightning in a jar
is, and how special it will always be.
Caldecott Author
Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan. Pictures
by Suçie Stevenson. New York. Simon & Schuster Books for Young
Children. 1999.
Henry and his dog Mudge see a sign advertising a snowman contest
on Saturday. Henry runs home to enlist his father’s help in the contest.
On Saturday the three of them show up to create a most unusual snowman. While
their snowman doesn’t win first place, Henry, Mudge, and his dad are
very pleased with the award they do win.
Salley, Coleen. Epossumondas. Illustrated by Janet Stevens.
New York. Harcourt, Inc. 2002.
Epossumondas is a silly little possum who doesn’t “have the sense
he was born with”! When his auntie gives him a cake, he clutches it so
tight in his hand that he crumbles it. When he gets home his mother scolds
him and tells him the correct way to carry cake is to place it on his head
and then put his hat on to keep it from falling off. Epossumondas goes to visit
his aunt the next day and follows his mother’s directions. Unfortunately,
what he was given was butter, which melts all over him. This retelling of an
old Jack folktale is one most children will not have heard before and enjoy
hearing for the first time.
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Scieszka, Jon. The Frog Prince Continued. New York. Viking Penguin. 1991.
This story tells what happens after “and they lived happily ever after”.
The Frog Prince and his princess are both very unhappy. The Frog Prince leaves
and tries to find a witch who will be able to turn him back into a frog so
he can live happily ever after. What he discovers is that sometimes we already
have what makes us happy.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. Bad Day at Riverbend. Boston. Houghton
Mifflin Company. 1995.
One day Riverbend, a colorless little town, is thrown into an uproar when brilliant
color lights the sky. The first sign of trouble is the stagecoach horses. They
are covered in a shiny, greasy slime. Soon, the greasy slime is covering more
and more. Who is the fiend doing this to the fine folk of Riverbend?
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. Just a Dream. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1990.
Walter the Litterbug learns, through a series of nightmares, why it is so
important for everyone to do their part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. New York.
Houghton Mifflin. 1984.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is not a story, but illustrations from many
stories, written by an unknown author, Harris Burdick. Each illustration has
a line from a story, making the reader want to know more of the story untold.
It is up to the reader to make up the story to go with the picture.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Stranger. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1986.
On a warm fall day, Farmer Bailey hits something as he’s driving. To
his surprise, he discovers what he hit is not a deer, as he thought, but
a man! The stranger immediately jumps up, seemingly unaffected by the accident.
Farmer Bailey takes the stranger home and calls the doctor, who discovers
the only thing wrong is a loss of memory. The forest animals seem to know
who he is but he can’t remember until one day he does something simple
and his identity comes back to him.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Sweetest Fig. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company.
1993.
Monsieur Bibot, the dentist, receives as payment two very special figs.
These figs have the power to make dreams come true. Bibot doesn’t
believe this until he relives his dream of walking down the street in his
underwear.
Bibot decides to train himself to dream of being the wealthiest man before
he will eat the other fig. Marcel, his dog, beats him to the fig and instead
has his fondest dream come true.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Widow’s Broom. Boston. Houghton
Mifflin Company. 1992.
One crisp fall evening, a witch fell to earth, her broom having run out of
magic. The next morning, the Widow found the witch and took her into her home
to help her. The witch quickly recovered and left her broom with the Widow
as payment for her kindness. Not long after the Widow discovered that the broom
hadn’t lost all its magic. While the Widow finds the broom to be helpful,
her neighbors think it is evil and plot to destroy it.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Wreck of the Zephyr. Boston. Houghton Mifflin
Company. 1983.
A sailboat, wrecked high on a hill where no water can reach, arouses the
curiosity of a tourist. The tale he hears of the sailboat, its captain, and
how it came to land in this most unusual place seems unbelievable, but is
the only reasonable explanation for the sailboat’s strange final resting
place.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Wretched Stone. Boston. Houghton Mifflin
Company. 1991.
Randall Ethan Hope, Captain of the Rita Anne, tells of his unusual voyage.
The story is set sometime in the 1800’s, a time when sea travel was still
perilous and much of the world was uncharted territory. The Rita Anne stops
at an island to take on fresh water and supplies. The island holds nothing
of use to the crew, except a most unusual stone. They take the stone on board
the Rita Anne, where it begins to have a most unpleasant affect upon the crew.
It is up to the captain to save his crew and ship from the effects of this
wretched stone.
Caldecott Author
Van Allsburg, Chris. Zathura. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company.
2002.
This sequel to Jumanji is as much fun as the first. Walter and Danny Budwing
are left home alone when their parents go out. Walter can’t stand his
little brother – Danny wrecks everything! Rather than stay trapped
in the house with him, Walter takes Danny for a walk in the park. There they
discover a strange board game and take it home. The game they discover, Jumanji,
looks boring. Just as they are about to discard the game, Danny discovers
that underneath there is another game, Zathura. Zathura is a space adventure
and, just like Jumanji, once begun, has to be completed. Water and Danny
are whisked, via the game, into outer space where they must finish the game
or be lost forever.
Weitzman, Jacqueline Preiss. You
Can’t
Take a Balloon Into The Metropolitan Museum. Illustrate by Robin Preiss
Glasser. New York. Dial Books for Young Readers. 1998.
On an outing with her grandmother to the Metropolitan Museum in New York
City, a young girl tries to take her yellow balloon inside. When the security
guards tells he no and takes hold of her balloon, the adventure begins.
Told only through pictures the author and illustrator weave two stories together
- the great art contained within the museum and the adventure of the security
guard as he chases the balloon which has slipped his grasp. The author lists,
in the back of the book, facts about each of the famous paintings and artists
shown in the book.
Weitzman, Jacqueline Preiss. You
Can’t
Take a Balloon Into The Museum of Fine Arts. Illustrate by Robin Preiss
Glasser. New York. Dial Books for Young Readers. 2002.
This sequel to You Can’t Take a Balloon Into The Metropolitan Museum
moves to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Grandmother is in charge of
the balloon for this edition. When the balloon takes flight, Grandma goes
chasing after it. Her adventures mimic the artwork her husband and grandchildren
are viewing in the museum. The author lists, in the back of the book, facts
about each of the famous paintings and artists shown in the book.
Wells, Rosemary. The Little Lame Prince. New York. Dial Books for
Young Readers. 1990.
Prince Francisco is born healthy, but on his first birthday a careless chambermaid
drops him, ruining his legs. That same day, Francisco’s mother dies.
Shortly after, his father the king is also dead. Francisco’s evil uncle
Osvaldo takes over the kingdom and banishes Francisco to the outer region of
the kingdom. There, Francisco grows up never knowing he is the rightful king
of El Cordoba. Rosemary Wells uses many different fairy tale elements to create
this story of a small, weak character triumphing over evil.
Wick, Walter. Can You See What I See?. New York. Scholastic Inc. 2002.
This book is of the same type as the I Spy books. Each two pages contain
photographs of small items with an accompanying list of particular items
to find told in rhyme. Children will have fun studying the pictures to
find game pieces, stars, shells, dolls, and dominoes. These puzzles may
be easier to solve than the more challenging I Spy books, so are more appropriate
for younger readers, but older readers will also enjoy them.
Caldecott Author
Wiesner, David. June 29, 1999. New York. Clarion Books. 1992.
On May 11, 1999, third grader Holly Evans sends plant seeds into the atmosphere
as her science class project. To her and everyone else’s surprise,
giant fruit and vegetables fall to Earth on June 29, 1999. Are these the
same plants she sent aloft? If not, where did these enormous plants come
from?
Caldecott Author
Wiesner, David. Sector 7. New York. Clarion Books. 1999.
In this wordless book, a young boy takes a class field trip to the Empire
State Building. There he meets a friendly cloud who eventually takes him
to the place where clouds take shape and are given their assignments. Something
is wrong in “Cloudland”. The clouds are unhappy and bored with
being the same fluffy puffs all the time. They want different shapes. With
the paper and pencil he is carrying, the boy designs new shapes for the clouds
which makes the managers angry and the clouds very happy.
Caldecott Author
Wisniewski, David. Rain Player. New York. Clarion Books. 1991.
Chac, the god of rain, holds great importance for the Maya. Without his help,
their crops would fail and they would die of thirst. Pik, a young pok-a-tok
player, angers Chac with his boastful talk. Pik and Chac play pok-a-tok to
decide whether or not Pik’s village would get the much needed rain.
Caldecott Author
Wisniewski, David. The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups. New York. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. 1998.
David Wisniewski narrates this tale of rules parents tell children and the
real reason for these rules. Why you eat your vegetables is not because they
are good for you but done to keep these carnivorous plants from eating you!
With humor and whimsy, Wisniewski lets children know that what they always
believed about parental rules is true.
Last updated 7/9/03
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