What Does Bunny See: A Book of Colors

Written by Linda Sue Park

Illustrated by Maggie Smith

Most enjoyed by Preschoolers and Kindergartners

As garden centers put out more and more colorful flowers to plant this spring, 'What Does Bunny See' is the perfect book to read together before a shopping trip to choose flowers for your yard.

Bunny hops down the cottage garden path and sees color everywhere. There's the pink of the water lilies, the purple of the violets and the brilliant orange of the tiger lilies. Exploring his colorful home is just right to tire him out, ready for a little nap.

Each color is introduced in a simple rhyme that will enable readers to guess the color before it is revealed with the turn of a page. Colors are represented by common flowers that could grow most anywhere. Why not read the story then create your own rainbow garden using some of the flowers Bunny finds?

Little Blue Truck

Written by Alice Schertle

Illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Most enjoyed by Preschoolers through 1st Graders

Little Blue Truck is loved by all of the farm animals. When he drives by with his cheery 'Beep!', they answer in return in their own unique way. Along comes Big Yellow Dump Truck pushing his way through. He has no time for niceties and lets everyone know it. But when he gets stuck in the mud, who comes to his rescue but the little truck with the big heart. As he pushes Big Yellow with all his might, Little Blue Truck finds himself stuck in the mud, too. At the sound of his 'Beep!', the animals come to his rescue.

'Little Blue Truck' is a sunny little truck who loves helping anyone. Young readers will cheer for his animal friends as they help their buddy, especially when it's the littlest friend who provides the most help. A great read-aloud, 'Little Blue Truck' is one you don't want to miss.

Extreme Animals:The Toughest Creatures on Earth

Written by Nicola Davies

Illustrated by Neal Layton

Most enjoyed by 4th through 8th graders

Did you know that wood frogs use sugar as a type of antifreeze? This lowers the point at which their bodies freeze to below zero, allowing them to survive in very cold temperatures.

How about this tidbit - bacteria that live near volcanoes are called thermophiles. They love temperatures that range from 176F to 230F. Now, we humans might like it hot but we sure can't stand that kind of heat!

'Extreme Animals' is full of interesting information about the creatures in the world around us that survive and even thrive in conditions too extreme for people, from Arctic cold to bottom-of-the-ocean heat plumes. Cartoon-like illustrations help emphasize the extremes found in the text. While the text is difficult for younger readers, it's certainly a book that could be read aloud to them. In fact, they'd find that the animals that survive in extreme climates in our world make reality TV show survivors look like wimpy kids!

All Kinds of Heinies at the Zoo

Written by Ayun Halliday

Illustrated by Dan Santat

Most enjoyed by zoo lovers of all ages!

Face it - when you go to the zoo, you can't miss them. As a matter of fact, some of them can be quite eye-catching. We cover ours but the animals don't. What am I talking about? Bottoms! Yep, this book is full of them. And if you need a laugh, check this book out. From the mandrill to the newt, there's a picture and name for every posterior in the zoo. But there's only one species that hides their back side and that's us! Ms. Halliday points out that our social customs require us to cover ours while the animals don't have to. What other customs do we have that animals don't? Probably none quite as funny as the one detailed in this book!

Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly

Written by Alan Madison

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Most enjoyed by Kindergartners through 3rd Graders

Velma is starting first grade and she wants to make her mark. Everyone remembers her two big sisters for all of the special things they did, like singing beautifully and running very fast. Velma tries to draw attention to herself but her choices get her into a little trouble. Velma is thrilled when Mr. Plexipuss begins a science unit on butterflies. Could learning about butterflies be the very thing to make Velma special? When the class takes a field trip to the Butterfly Conservatory, Velma is able to put her butterfly knowledge to work in a way everyone is sure to remember.

I love Velma's spunk. Here's a first grader who has such enthusiasm it could be contagious. She plunges into learning about butterflies with gusto. You almost get the feeling that she'd have the same excitement even if she were studying slugs. Author Alan Madison has perfectly captured that single-mindedness many youngsters have about their favorite subjects.

Add 'Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly' to a science unit on butterflies or as a family read-aloud before going to a butterfly conservatory. The various caterpillars and butterflies depicted on the book's end papers will give you lots of species to watch for. How many of them can be found here where we live?

Baa-Choo!

Written by Sarah Weeks

Illustrated by Jane Manning

Most enjoyed by Preschoolers through 2nd Graders

Allergy season is around the corner, if yours haven't flared up yet. When little ones get tired of the sneezing and runny noses, check out 'Baa-Choo!' to read aloud together.

Sam the lamb has to sneeze. He can get the 'Baa' out and the 'aaahh' but he just can't get to 'choo!'. It seems to get stuck. His farmyard friends try to help out by tickling his nose with a feather and blowing pepper in his direction. And when Sam finally get his sneeze out? Well, pick up this book and read it out loud. You'll need to read it twice, then once more, and even one more time after that. Why? Because who doesn't love a read aloud with lots of pretend sneezes!

Birds

Written by Kevin Henkes

Illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Most enjoyed by Preschoolers and Kindergartners

One of the most loved aspects of spring is the return of birds. Many don't leave during the winter, giving us a reason to fill our bird feeders and toss out breadcrumbs. But the return of spring is heralded by a robin and bird song. Because we're so aware of birds now, it's a perfect time to savor 'Birds', the newest book from Kevin Henkes.

Birds come in many colors and sizes. They can be very beautiful in the winter when one red bird sits in a leafless tree. They can be fun to watch, like when they all fly away from a tree all at once. We enjoy birds for lots of reasons, but especially for their songs.

The bright, bold colors used throughout the book give it instant eye appeal. Thick black lines outline the simple pictures, making the colors used all the more vibrant. The strong simple drawings paired with the spare text make this a perfect read aloud for the youngest of listeners. Don't be surprised if the story is followed by a walk outside for some bird watching. The two go together perfectly!

Frogs

Written and photographed by Nic Bishop

Most enjoyed by 1st through 4th Graders

Frogs. Gotta love 'em. And even if you don't, check out 'Frogs' by Nic Bishop. Did you know that there is a frog whose skin is see-through? Called a glass frog, it's skin is so thin you can see it's heart pumping! There's a great picture of one on page 10. Ever heard of the strawberry dart poison frog? It lives in the rain forest and lays it's eggs on the forest floor. When the tadpoles hatch, the mother frog lets the tadpole wriggle onto it's back before climbing up a tree to deposit the tadpole safely into the wet leaves of a bromeliad. There she will care for the tadpole until it turns into a frog. Take a look at how colorful it is on page 42.

The photography in 'Frogs' is spectacular. With close-ups galore and facts about all kinds of frogs, this book will fascinate you even if you don't like frogs. It might even turn you into a frog lover!

The Penguin Story

Written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis
Most enjoyed by Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Edna Penguin is sure there is something more in the world than white, black, and blue. After all, her world is limited to those three colors, the ones she sees each night and day. She sets off to look for something and when she discovers it, that something opens up the world for Edna and the other penguins. But will Edna be content to stop at what she has found?

'A Penguin Story' isn't just about color. It's about looking at the world around us and enjoying all it has to offer. Little readers will watch with anticipation as Edna finds what she's looking for, then delight in trying to guess what it is. Edna's joy is contagious. Why not play a color guessing game with your reader? Hide something colorful but leave just a bit of it showing. Can your listener guess what that something is? Of course, if that fails to further the fun, there's always the opportunity to wear a headpiece like Edna's!

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach

Written and illustrated by Melanie Watt

Most enjoyed by squirrel lovers of all ages

I am so thankful for Scaredy Squirrel. He can make me laugh no matter how many times I've read his books. If you're not familiar with Scaredy, make sure you check one of the three Scaredy Squirrel titles out. In 'Scaredy Squirrel', we meet our hero of caution and clean living and find out that he is afraid of everything. Really. But he learns to make adjustments and finds life a little more fun with just a tiny bit of adventure. In 'Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend', making a 'safe' friend is all Scaredy wants. But he discovers that his checklist for the perfect friend needs a little adjusting when he meets a dog.

In his newest adventure, 'Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach', Scaredy Squirrel avoids the beach like he avoids door handles and bungee jumping. Beaches are too dangerous what with all the mobs of lobsters and herds of sea monsters. So he builds his own beach in the backyard. But that beach is missing something - the sound of the ocean. And that can only come from a seashell, which can only come from the beach, which means a trip to the beach, which requires an elaborate plan. Scaredy Squirrel arms himself with his best beachwear (you have got to see the picture of him suited up!) and heads to the beach, only to discover it full of people, which was not part of the plan!! Will Scaredy ever get his seashell?

In this week of giving thanks for the many blessings we have, Scaredy Squirrel is definitely on my list. As a matter of fact, he's pretty high on that list, awful close to chocolate. Once you read one of his books, you'll find yourself thankful for the little guy, too! Don't miss this one!

Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig

Written by Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Most enjoyed by Kindergartners through 2nd Graders

Mercy Watson is sunning herself on the back yard patio when she smells something wonderful. Poking her head through the hedge, she spies some freshly planted pansies in the yard of Baby and Eugenia Lincoln. Taking one bite leads to another and another and pretty soon, the pansies that Eugenia has planted to spruce up the house have disappeared. And so has Mercy. A phone call to Animal Control starts a chain of hysterical events until Mercy ends up back home, along with everyone else, enjoying her favorite snack.

Kids love Mercy Watson. Her stories are read over and over and this newest title in the series is sure to delight. The illustrations are a big reason for the fun. Chris Van Dusen has captured the characters' personalities so well that the book has to be read more than once to catch all of the expressions on their faces. 'Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig' is a delight for readers young and old.

Leaves

Written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein
Most enjoyed by Preschoolers through 2nd graders

This is a perfect story to read before you take a walk in the woods. A young bear enjoys the world around him until the first leaf falls. One by one, more leaves join the first, causing the bear to worry. He tries putting them back on the tree but it's just not the same. Feeling sleepy, he gathers the leaves and makes a den for himself. He sleeps on as the winter winds howl until spring arrives and the world welcomes him again.

Simple illustrations highlight the colors of the seasons. The short text makes 'Leaves' a great bedtime story, too. Highly recommended for the last days of fall.

Surprising Sharks

By Nicola Davies

Illustrated by James Croft

Most enjoyed by Kindergartners through 3rd graders

Sharks fascinate us, don't they? From predator killers to tiny critters that can fit in the palm of your hand, sharks thrill and terrify at the same time. 'Surprising Sharks', one of our Monarch award titles this year, is just the right book for sharing with the youngest shark lover in your house.

Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, from the littlest dwarf lantern shark (6 inches) to the whale shark (39 feet, 4 inches). Try measuring those lengths out on your living room floor to get a sense of just how big, or small, sharks can be. Bold, colorful illustrations show the variety of sharks and draw readers into a shark's world. Factual information is presented on two levels, with the simpler, more general information presented in bold letters while the more detailed information is given in paragraphs of smaller text. The two levels makes the book appealing to a wide range of readers.

Young readers will find that our copies of 'Surprising Sharks' have an extra bonus - a CD that includes music and additional facts. Pop the CD in the car stereo on a road trip and everyone can learn about sharks!