Sunday, December 25, 2011

The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer


We read every truck book we can find at our house and this was a recent find on the new book shelf at the library!! Short text, mostly rhyming though some was forced.

Tons if dirt
And Lots of muck
What do we need?
Dump truck!

A great, simple introduction to the world of trucks for kids, and adults like me still learning all the names and functions!!

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves (Bright, colorful, kid friendly)
Endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves (We spent lots of time studying this page and discussing our favorite trucks!!)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

It's a small world by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

The very popular song is illustrated in this adorable book with illustrations by Joey Chou. Each page features words from the song with corresponding illustrations. Many cultures are illustrated throughout the book. A cd comes with the book allowing readers to listen and read.
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves - adorable!! Very colorful!!

Is everyone ready for FUN? by Jan Thomas

Yahoo!! Was so excited to see this on the NEW BOOK SHELF this morning at the library! Jan Thomas' books are always fun and this is no exception. I can't wait to share this with my kinders when I get back in January (so hands off Kinder teachers if you are reading this :) The three cows decide they want to have fun on chicken's sofa. Chicken does not agree. Each "fun" activity is something safe that a classroom of kids could do without trips to the clinic. Love it...get those kiddos up and moving!!

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Grizzly Bear with the Frizzly Hair by Sean Taylor

The grizzly bear with the frizzly hair is hungry and there is nothing left because he has eaten it all. He comes upon a itzy-bitzy rabbit which he has decided will be his dinner. The rabbit may be small but what he is lacking in size, he makes up for in smarts. He convinces the bear to come look in the river for a much bigger dinner. Bear arrives at the river and is not the least bit disappointed and sees dinner. The bear decides to jump in after the mocking creature and quickly learns that it is not quite what he hoped for. Clever story. Readers will slowly unravel rabbit's plan. Fun!!

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Home For Christmas by Jan Brett


Rollo a little troll, who still has his tail since he has not performed good deeds required for it to fall off, decides he will run away rather than help his parents and sister. Rollo lives with an owl family, family of bears, some otters, a lynx and finally a family of moose before he decides he misses his family and needs to return home. On Christmas Eve, the family gathers to enjoy the holiday and realize Rollo has finally lost his tail. Another enjoyable story with incredible illustrations, that you really must look at more than once. Great story that falls in the categories of family and responsibility.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Jeanette Claus Saves Christmas by Douglas Rees


Apparently Santa has a daughter named Jeanette....who knew!?!? But thank goodness he does because on Christmas Eve Santa comes down with a nasty cold and Jeanette must step in to drive the sleigh and deliver toys. Of course Santa is very worried, especially since those reindeer of his can some times be a little difficult to deal with, especially Dasher. Jeanette is up to the challenge and takes off with the reluctant reindeer. Jeanette is feeling pretty good and thinking her job may be finished early when the pin connecting the harness to the sleigh fell out and the reindeer take off, leaving Jeanette stranded. Jeanette does not know what to do. Luckily she soon makes some new friends, animal friends, and is able to return to the North Pole. Santa is quite happy with her performance as well as the new friends she brought home. A new spin on Christmas. Not sure how some reindeer fans may take the reindeer not being so easy to get along with. The illustrations are very cute, bright and cheery. Warning: There is a word on my list of words not approved to be spoken by the younger crowd in our house used in the book - "stupid" - so be forewarned.

Text: 3 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen


I found this book to be quite funny....and when you hear what happens, you might wonder about me :) Mrs. Boggins has a "good little wolf" named Rolf. He does everything you would not expect a wolf to do: eats vegetables, nice to friends, etc. Rolf does not know anything about those "other" wolves - the kind that are NOT nice. One day Rolf meets one of those wolves. The Big bad wolf tries to get Rolf to be more like him. Rolf snaps. He realizes he can not be that way - and ties up the big bad wolf until he agrees to be "bad". And then......

well I can't give away the ending....check public library!!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Just a Little Luck by Mercer Mayer


We have a BIG FAN of Little Critters books at our house so when I saw this at the library, I knew we have to check it out. Little Critter finds a penny on the ground but can not remember whether it was heads up or tails up. Little Critter thinks it must be tails up as he has a sting of bad luck: dropping ice cream, flat tire, falling off bike, school project ruined, etc. Little critter starts feeling pretty sorry for himself. On Saturday Grandpa takes him to the fair, and things improve and the string of bad luck has ended. I think there is a message that adults could benefit from as well. A good book to start a classroom discussion.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr


Pip and Squeak (2 mice) are headed to celebrate Gus's birthday day! Of course it is snowing so they will need a "sled", also known as an envelope. They are well on their way when they realize they forgot the "gift", also known as cheese! Rather than going home they decide to look along the way. Finally they come upon a snowman with an orange nose....cheese? They finally arrive at Gus's party but will he like the "cheese"? First look at this book may lead one to think this is a book for the very young - the text is short and simple. However the shortness of the text requires lots of "filling in" by the reader. Adam and I had a great laugh at the end of the story as well - Gus very much likes his "cheese".....because he is a rabbit!! Illustrations are super cute!!

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves (Adorable)

The Christmas Song:Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire


Mel Torme and Robert Wells famous Christmas Song is adorably illustrated in this book published in 2007. We enjoy "reading" song books at our house...mainly because I rarely know the REAL words. I will admit that I have been told to "stop" singing....and apparently the 3 1/2 year old has some high standards!! I love the pictures - very cute and compliment the words perfectly. Great book to follow along while listening to one of the most popular Christmas songs!

Illustrations: 5 Buckeye Leaves

Friday, December 9, 2011

Sana's Stuck by Rhonda Gowler Greene


I had great intentions BUT a 3 1/2 year old that continues to fight going to sleep and a little thing call Pinterest has gotten in the way of my good intentions to blog more this week. BUT this book I actually found off a website that I came across thanks to Pinterest. Unfortunately now I can't find the link to the activity for this book. As you might guess from the title, Santa is out doing this job one Christmas Eve, doing as he always does, when he gets stuck in the chimney. The family dog comes to help him but he is not successful. Next the cat and her kittens try to help out. Soon the mouse joins the task and of course POP out comes Santa. The book is older but I think kids will enjoy it for the rhyming as well as the funny content with matching illustrations!

Illustrations: 3 Buckeye leaves
Text: 4 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer

Found this one on the bargain table at Barnes and Noble today! 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with a new spin! Santa's reindeer have decided they have some demands that need to be met.

They said, "We are finished!
We've had quite enough
of pulling your sleigh with
such big, heavy stuff!"

Being under a time crunch, Santa decides to interview other animals for the job. The dogs did a great job until they started sniffing and smelling. The cats were on a roll until a sneaky mouse runs in front of the team of cats and the felines shake out of the harness. Seems no animals can replace the reindeer. In an effort to bring the reindeer back Santa agrees to

"A whirlpool and sauna
would make us quite able.
And real beds, not grass, AND
a heater - and cable."

Santa agrees, the contract is signed, and Santa heads off with his trusty eight. A great addition to any Christmas collection of books. Fun pictures and fun text = enjoyable reading for Christmas time!

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Saturday, December 3, 2011

When Santa Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho! by Laura Rader

Christmas is just a few days away and the North Pole is a busy place with final preparations being made for the big day. Oh no...there is a problem!! Santa has lost his HO HO HO!!! Everyone is eager to help but even the funniest jokes, pies in the face, reindeer kick line, and cocoa do not work to bring back Santa's HO HO HO!! Soon news spreads throughout the world (as is often the case with the media) and ever one is quite concerned. Letters start pouring in from people all over the globe trying to bring back Santa's HO HO HO. Mrs. Claus and the elves find one that they all agree will do the trick....will it work? I thought this was a cute, fun book. Adam and I really enjoyed it BUT....on the back end page there is a picture of the drawing that apparently brought back Santa's HO HO HO.....and the first thing Adam said was, "That is scary not funny." And honestly, I agree with him. I really wish the picture was funny....it is not. WHY?? I would love to hear other kid's reaction to "Holly's picture" because my kid does not honestly scare real easily.....BUT other than that....ADORABLE and FUN book!!

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye Leaves
Front Endpages: 5 Buckeye Leaves - LOVE!!.....
Back endpages: 1 Buckeye leaves

December 1st.....

December 1st brings....



...the 25 days of books. I saw this idea in a magazine years ago - pre-Adam - probably 6 or 7 years ago and was determined that some day I would start this tradition with my child. Adam's first Christmas we brought him home on December 14th, with some jet lag, remains of food poisoning, and an 8 month old that had just gone through over 32 hours of travel and a 12 hour time change, so I did not do it that first year. Each year a bag of 25 holiday/Christmas books arrive at our house, wrapped, and numbered. Each day Adam unwraps one. Where do the books come from? Same ones each year but for the other 11 months of the year the books are hidden away in a crate in the basement. So far, he has not caught on that they are his books and we read them the year before and when he does, that is ok. The excitement of unwrapping a "new" book each day is fun for both of us! I even wrapped them this year and it is always exciting to see which book is unwrapped each day! There are a few new ones sprinkled in each year. His reaction to some of the books are hysterical. Surely worth the 3 packages of Dollar Store tissue paper I used to wrap the books each year!!

Merry Christmas, Mr. Snowman! by Wolfram Hanel

Pip and Squeak (how cute are those names?) are anxiously waiting for the time when they can open their gifts. Since neither can sit still, they decide to go outside and build a snowman. When Mommy Mouse calls them inside, neither feel right leaving Mr. Snowman outside.

"We can't leave Mr. Snowman out here all alone. He'll be sad if he doesn't have anyone to celebrate Christmas with."

"He might catch cold, too." said Pip.

Pip and Squeak then devise a plan so that Mr. Snowman does not have to stay outside alone. After much work Pip and Squeak have moved Mr. Snowman into the house. Before long Mommy and Daddy have discovered a puddle of water by the tree. Mr. Snowman is moved outside where he can still see in to the house through the window. Pip and Squeak still do not feel right excluding Mr. Snowman and devise a NEW plan to include Mr. Snowman in their Christmas celebration. A super sweet story about the spirit of Christmas and the different meaning of "Christmas".

Text: 4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves (ADORABLE!!)

Merry Christmas, Curious George

George and the man with the yellow hat are at a Christmas tree farm picking out a Christmas tree. George can not seem to decide which tree he likes the best and swings from one tree to the next. He decides to climb the tallest one and before he knows it, the tree is being cut down and taken away in a big truck. George soon realizes he is at a children's hospital. In true Curious George fashion, George goes "exploring" and leaves no part of the hospital untouched. When George comes upon "his" tree, he decides to decorate it. A nurse discovers George's "creativity" and is not too pleased with the final product. The children in the hospital are able to convince the nurse to allow George to stay, and decorate the tree again, with real Christmas tree decorations. Fans of Curious George will enjoy this fun Christmas adventure with George.

Paul Thurlby's Alphabet by Paul Thurlby



Said it before but....I love ABC books....and this may just have topped the list!! This one is - hate to say it as it sounds pretty weak - very creative. Each letter is incorporated into the letter (as seen above). But beyond that, all the text used seems to somehow fit with letter/word choice. At the end of the book Paul Thurlby explains that this book began as individual illustrations and received such publicity thanks to the Internet/bloggers that he decided to create a book.

For more information about this author/illustrator click HERE!

Overall: 5 Buckeye Leaves - LOVE this one....!!! Do you hear me Santa??

Friday, December 2, 2011

The Twelve Days of Christmas Dogs by Carolyn Conahan


I will admit I am not an animal person....dogs are cute - from afar BUT for the dog lovers this is a cute and fun book! I also love when authors take a popular song/story and change it for a new theme - yes, I have mentioned this before too! As you can probably guess, this book is a new Twelve Days of Christmas. With each new "day" new dogs appear.

"On the fourth day of Christmas my best friend gave to me...
four collie dogs,
three French dogs,
two turtle dogs,
and a pug puppy under the tree."

I think my favorite is on the tenth day of Christmas, "ten Labs a-leaping".

If you or someone you know is a dog lover, this would make a great book to have on the shelf!

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves (some really funny pictures)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Perfect Soup by Lisa Moser


Love this one!! PERFECT (yes, I had to do it) in every way.....any time of year!
Murray the mouse likes everything to be PERFECT including his perfect soup. Unfortunately as he sets out to make it one day, he realizes he is missing a carrot. How can he possibly make perfect soup without all the ingredients? With an ingredient missing it won't be, well, perfect. Murray goes to see farmer in hopes he will return with a carrot. The farmer needs help hauling logs and agrees to giving Murray a carrot if the mouse will help with that. Murray agrees to get the wood moved and heads out to ask Horse for help hauling the wood. Horse agrees if Murray can get him a jingle bell. This pattern continues throughout the book, while a snowman keeps showing up, trying to get Murray's attention. Finally Murray must find a way to cool down hot cocoa for Mrs. Wooley. Murray is so frustrated and about to give up hope when snowman offers to help cool down the hot cocoa. When asked what he wants in return....well, not going to tell you as that is the best part of the book (besides the ending) so you need to check it out!! Truly a PERFECT book to teach children the true meaning of Christmas or any holiday and the art of giving.

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

To visit the author's site, click HERE!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Hocus Pocus by Sylvie Desrosiers & Remy Simard

"Mister Magic" and his dog return from a trip to the grocery store and soon are both napping just as the "rabbit in the top hat" jumps out. The rabbit is ready for a snack - the carrots sitting on the kitchen counter. After repeated failed attempts, usually caused by the dog, the rabbit finally enjoys the carrot, while the dog is put outside. A great wordless picture book for middle elementary students. The book provides a great opportunity for students to laugh while using thinking skills to unlock the storyline. Hilarious and somewhat reminiscent of Tom and Jerry....

Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman


Not too early for Christmas books is it? I figured I would start with a BANG....my favorite Christmas book which I discovered last Christmas and since none of our stores here had it, I had to order a used copy (and then ordered another copy for a special little girl that I felt HAD to have a copy). Why do I love this book? Because it is a perfect combination of sweet animals that kids will be able to relate to but yet has the TRUE meaning of Christmas - without going overboard. Mortimer lives in a dark hole in the wall and is not happy about it. One day he goes out looking for a new home. He find a new place near the Christmas tree but it appears to be inhabited by a crowd of people. After attempting to talk to the people, with no response, he realizes the people are actually statues. He soon sets to work moving them out of the area. The next night he returns to find all the statues back in the places he had moved them from. He again drags the statues out of his new house. This continues day after day until one day he overhears the people reading the Christmas story about Jesus and being born in a stable. He soon realizes that the baby statue he has been moving is the statue of Jesus. Mortimer then decides to drag all the statues back to their places. Before he leaves the wood stable, he makes one plea to Jesus, to bring him a house of his own..... Truly a delightful book that kids off all ages will enjoy. The illustrations are adorable and provides a different way of looking at the story of Christmas.

Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves
Text: 5 Buckeye leaves


Red Sled by Lita Judge




Red Sled by Lita Judge is an adorable adventure on a red sled. A child returns to a cabin surrounded by snow, leaving a red sled outside. Soon a bear sees the red sled an the adventure begins. The bear is soon joined by other animals on this downhill adventure. Using limited words, which I personally love as it requires the reader to fill in the blanks and decide what is happening on their own, the adventure is filled with excitement and fun! Red Sled slightly reminds me of Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman, another fun filled animal adventure which students love. Lovely pictures with great, at times funny, animal expressions!

Overall: 5 Buckeye leaves


Author/illustrator website click HERE!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Twelve Haunted Rooms of Halloween



Yes, I know, a little late BUT I had to check this one out this week from the library. It is so cute. I LOVE Halloween books that are not scary or yucky, especially when you are reading them to some of your 1000 students, or your own 3 1/2 year old!!! You might guess from the "twelve" in the title, that the text is patterned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

"Through the fifth haunted doorway I peeked right in to see...
five jack-o-lanterns!
Four skeletons,
Three black cats,
Two wicked witches,
And a bat hanging from a bare tree."

As in the song, this book continues, adding a "new" item in each room. The illustrations are cute, kid-oriented. I will be tucking this book away in my memory until next year.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Easy Food Nonfiction! by Catherine Ipcizade

Been slacking a little this week....big election this week....that did not go entirely our way. Very discouraging BUT back to the books....
Found a nonfiction series that I can see kids really liking...ice cream? Pizza? Hot dogs? We got them all! (There is also a mac and cheese one but have not been able to get that from library!) Great illustrations, large print, lower reading level. I am always looking for good nonfiction to share with the 3.5 kid here and the younger kids at school!

"Each American eats enough ice cream to fill 96 cones a year." That is alot of ice cream!
Filled with easy to read and understand facts about ice cream: when it first arrive in the US, when a sundae was introduced, etc.


"Enough hot dogs are sold each year to feed each American 60 of them!" Everything you want to know about hot dogs and more!


Great informational nonfiction book about....PIZZA! Yum!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever


The Herdmans are back!....In picture book format! How does a family of 6 kids, the worst kids in town, that have never even heard the Christmas story, get cast as the leads in the pageant? Same way they get everything else....everyone else is too afraid to stop them. The three wise men will bring pizza. The baby Jesus may have to be stolen from the grocery store? And the Angel of the Lord is from outer space? Is there any hope for this pageant? WIll it be a disaster? Adapted from the chapter book, younger children will enjoy a shorter version of this funny Christmas story.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 3 Buckeye leaves

Saturday, November 5, 2011

No Two Alike by Keith Baker




Beautifully illustrated this book looks at of the many things in nature that are similar but not exactly the same. A pair of birds serve as a tour guides in the tour through the wilderness.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves
Endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkert


In Rand Burkert's new version of Aesop's once again the mouse promises to save the lion some day. The lion of course scoffs at that idea. Of course it is the mouse in the end that is able to save the lion. Great text that could be used to compare and contrast other versions.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee


A boy goes to the pet store looking for a new pet. He quickly learns that his new pet is not really very exciting: no frisbee or fetching a stick. HIs new pet would not roll of over or do anything really. He learns that his pet is good at popping balloons and poking holes in kites. What? The boy is very disappointed. However just like many special gifts and talents in humans, his rhino's special gifts and talents come in handy, and saves the day.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

School for Bandits by Hannah Shaw


Ralph is not like the other raccoons. Ralph says please and thank you, is clean and tidy, and brushes his teeth. His parents are so upset that they decide to send him to Bandit School in hopes he will become more like the other raccoons. Ralph hates it - he just can't be mean, messy, and sneaky like the others. As the first term ends, each raccoon is is given a bag to gather "loot" from others. Ralph still can't be unkind. How will he ever be able to fill his bag? A fun book about raccoons. Will be a perfect beginning of the year, how to treat each other, book.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett



A poor farmer is on his way home from the market with a small piglet in the back of his cart, a piglet noone wanted at market so the farmer took pity on. The farmer stops to take a break and unbeknownst to him, the new baby princess, Priscilla, and the piglet in an unimaginable series of events, switch places. The farmer arrives home and he and his wife discover the baby girl, and assume that a good fairy has done "this" just like in the story Thumbelina. At the same time, the royal family has discovered their baby girl looks very much like a pig and also assumes this is not unlike what happened in the story, Sleeping Beauty, and decide to raise their daughter as the royalty she is. As you can imagine these two "children" grow up to be much different. References to various fairy tales are made throughout the story with a surprise ending, especially for an unsuspecting princess. Another cleverly crafted story that takes a well-known story, Princess and the Pea, and makes some changes which results in a very funny story. Students may need some background information on some of the stories referenced throughout the story.


Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Whole-y Cow! Fractions Are Fun by Taryn Souders


This is a fun farmyard introduction to fraction told in rhyme. Starting with a plain cow whose friends decide to paint one half BLUE! Each time a new fraction is introduced, questions prompt readers to think about the fraction as it relates.

"One whole cow patriotic through and through, worse a swimsuit that was red, white, and blue."

The text is accompanied by an illustration which can help readers decide which fraction is the appropriate answer. Extensions, with more complicated fraction related questions, could be developed to accompany this book. Great addition to any school library and/or younger elementary classroom.

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen



Ready for a good laugh? Here it is! BUT I will warn you, you have to wait until the end....and even then it may be a bit of a "delayed reaction"!! Bear loves his red hat. Bear's red hat is missing so he sets off to look for it. He asks every animal along the way: fox, frog, rabbit, turtle, etc. Noone has seen the hat. (My personal favorite response was: "What is a hat?" tee hee hee hee!) Bear is so sad that noone has seen it....BUT WAIT!!! He has seen it....ON AN ANIMAL! He must go find it....and he does.....but what happens to THAT ANIMAL?? Tee hee hee hee! Just gotta read it to find out for yourself! Mid to older elementary kids will enjoy this one. This book lends itself to a great reader's theater - which I think will make the book that much funnier.

Book trailer click HERE!

text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves
Endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves

How Do You Hug A Porcupine? by Laurie Isop



Simple, cute, and funny. A young boy watches as other kids hug all sorts of animals: pigs, horses, cats, dogs, etc. BUT is left to wonder, "How do you hug a porcupine?"

"Can you hug some billy goats? Entice them with a bag of oats!
And surely you can hug a pig; just spread your arms out EXTRA big."

As each animal is hugged, readers will be left to wonder just how this boy will tackle the prickly job of hugging a porcupine. With a surprise ending, which will leave readers chuckling, this cute book is soon to be a read aloud favorite - as it has become at our house!

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Saturday, October 29, 2011

E-Mergency! by Tom Lichtenheld




This book is extremely....well, CLEVER!!! Adults will love it....sharp kids will enjoy it....

E has fallen down the stairs and the other letters jump into action to take care of their friend. E is whisked off to the ER by the EMTs with an IV. The other letters soon realize without their friend E there are many words that are not quite right. (After all E is the most used letter in the English language - 12.702%!) O tries to help out but it is soon very obvious that O is just not....E! What are the letters going to do and why is E taking so long to hoal, or rather heal! This book is truly laugh out funny....BUT you may find it difficult to read aloud. Adam and I read it last night and I read the man story to him. I went back and read the conversations going on among the letters and that was even funnier than the main story. If you need a good laugh, check this one out - CLEVER! Very CLEVER!

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves
Endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves

The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst


Birthday time!! Gingerbread Girl is celebrating her birthday and the old man and woman have a gift for her. She can hear the grunts and growls from the package tied with a licorice-whip ribbon. The Gingerbread GIrl carefully begins to lift the top and, as expected, out comes the rush of animal crackers and off they go. Very much like the chase involving the famous Gingerbread Boy and Gingerbread Girl, the animal crackers take off on a race with the Gingerbread Girl following behind, trying to warn the crackers about the danger in their future. Adorable follow up to the Gingerbread Girl story with a cute twist at the end. Clever, fun rhymes throughout.

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School by David Mackintosh


Marshall Armstrong in new at school. His supplies are different, his hair is different, his shoelaces are different...everything about Marshall Armstrong in different. But Marshall invites the kids over to his house to play and soon the students are not so concerned about Marshall being different. And when Elizabeth Bell arrives at their school, the kids seem more concerned about helping her adjust to her new school. Good book for discussion about differences and acceptance.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
illustrations: 3 Buckeye leaves

One Love based on the song by Bob Marley




Illustrated version of the popular Bob Marley song of the same name. Adapted by Bob Marley's oldest daughter Cedella Marley, the words of his song are set to happy, joyful pictures in this book.

To see book trailer click HERE!
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye Leaves