This clever rhyming text explores an interesting addition problem. It was delightful to read aloud, the pictures are fun to look at, and the last page is deeply satisfying as you figure out what all those preparatory addition problems were about! 100 Snowmen by Jen Arena, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. Scholastic: […]
This is a surprisingly sad story about a dog whose master is killed in World War I. The story is told mostly from Rags’ point of view in a straightforward, unsentimental way. The dialogue is invented, but the story gives a dog’s-eye-view of the ways one dog helped the war […]
This is a straight-up biography of the German Shepherd who became the first canine movie star, back in the days of silent moview. Along the way it suggests a bit about the biography of the couple who adopted him and trained him to act in the movies, but the focus […]
Some nonfiction and historical fiction titles to add to your St. Patrick’s Day storytime! For younger listeners: For older listeners: Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland. Tomie dePaola’s respectful biography of St. Patrick. Fiona’s Lace. Patricia Polacco’s unique blend of truth and whimsy in this story […]
I loved this collection of poems, each about a different species of bird. The language was vivid and evocative, the rhythms and rhymes surprising and satisfying. Plus, all the poems were short. This would be a great read-aloud, both at home and school, and a great mentor text before going […]
This lovely book gives us a child’s-eye glimpse of the process that folk artist Joseph Cornell followed in creating his assembled boxes. Winter builds the story around a special exhibition especially for children that Cornell set up at the end of his life. In addition to examining the magical boxes, […]
Tiny Creatures introduces us to the world of the microbe. What are microbes? Where are they found? What do they do? Nicola Davies’ text answers these questions in an engaging, accessible way that left me filled with wonder. She’s particularly good at finding wonderful similes to help us understand this world-under-a-microscope. […]
This astonishing book is in the same tradition as Viva Frida: a biography less concerned with biographical fact than with conveying the heart of the painter’s art. The book is three sentences long. The first sentence–in the subjunctive!–starts, “If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived in a dreary town […]