Use Your Imagination by Nicola O'Byrne

Rabbit is bored, wishing something would happen.  Wolf, claiming to be a librarian, comes along and claims to know A LOT about stories.  Wolf encourages Rabbit to write a story using his imagination.  Wolf thinks a fairy tale, with a wolf as the "bad guy", is the way to go.  As the two continue to create the story, with a Rabbit as the hero and taking place in a forest, Wolf's true intent becomes clearer.  Luckily Rabbit has such a great imagination, the story goes in a different direction.  Great, fun book!  I can't wait to share it with my students!


Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk

Taking food fight to a whole new level...Pancake and French Toast are in a race to get to the last drop of syrup.  Join the adventure as the two travel through the fridge past Broccoli Forest and Orange Juice Fountain, rappelling down linguini, over a sea of soup, and up celery ladder.  Which one will win the prize, that last drop of syrup?

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Little Shop of Monsters by R. L. Stein

Goosebumps meets Arthur in this picture book from R. L. Stein and Marc Brown!  Where do you go when you want to "buy" a monster?  The Little Shop of Monsters!  At this shop you will find monsters of all types, some stinky, some that bite, some that will sneeze all over you.  Kids will love the hilarious monsters as they "shop" for the perfect pet.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Mr. Putter & Tabby Smell the Roses by Cynthia Rylant

We currently have one very BIG fan of Mr. Putter & Tabby at our house.....so we have read them all.  Many. Many. Times!  In the newest in the series, Mr. Putter is excited to celebrate Mrs. Teaberry's birthday.  But he does not want to celebrate it the same way they have in the past!  Mr. Putter decides a perfect day for Mrs. Teaberry would be spent at the conservatory.  It is a perfect day until Zeke, often the cause of trouble on their adventures, sees a banana tree and assumes it is for HIM!  

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves

Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry PInkney

The grasshopper can't understand why the ants are so busy getting ready for winter.  As the seasons pass, the grasshopper can't understand why the ants are so busy working.  When winter arrives the grasshopper sees the value of the work the ants did while he played.  Through pages including simple sentences as well as a series of wordless, powerfully illustrated pages, the story of the ants and the grasshopper is told with the same wisdom.  Jerry Pinkney never disappoints.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water by Gemma Merino

Why doesn't little crocodile like the water like his siblings?  It is lonely when everyone else is in the water all the time and you don't like the water.  He decides to give it a try but it is no help.   But a simple sneeze makes crocodile realize the real explanation to his dislike of water.

Text:  3 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Brave as Can Be by JoWitek

Everyone is afraid at some time and that is ok.  As a big sister explains to her little sister that there is lots of things she was once afraid of, are not so scary anymore.  There are lots of ways to handle scary things and situations and knowing someone else feels the same sometimes helps.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  3 Buckeye leaves

Those Pesky Rabbits by Ciara Flood

Bear likes his quiet life minus of others.  He is not happy when a family of rabbits builds a house near him.  Then the rabbits start showing up at his house wanting this, wanting that, asking of help, etc.  Bear wants the rabbits to JUST GO AWAY!  One day bear finds a basket at his door from the rabbits.  Was he wrong about those rabbits?  And suddenly bear starts to feel something he has never felt before, lonely.  Maybe he was wrong to push those rabbits out of his life.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Be sure to check out the endpages!  I LOVE when illustrators make good use of endpages!!

Fright Club by Ethan Long

Halloween is almost here which means project KIDDIE SCARE!  Vladimir is ready to scare but the others have not been practicing.  Vladimir is greatly amused when an adorable little bunny shows up to join Fright Club.  A cute little bunny?  No way!  But that cute little adorable bunny decides to get other cute adorable friends to take on the Fright Club!  Frightfully fun! (Come on!  You knew that was coming!!)

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

We're In the Wrong Book! by Richard Byrne

Bella, Ben, and Bella's dog were out one day when they were knocked off the page and into a different book full of pencils and lollipops!  Bella and Ben tried to get back to the right book when they were pumped into a comic book.  Next they ended up in a history book, puzzle book, fairy tale, and on and on.  How will they ever get back to the right book?  Cute, fun, and ingenious book that can be used to teach kids the large variety of books available!  Love this one!

*See more of Bella's adventures in This Book Just Ate My Dog!

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 buckeye leaves

Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano

Halloween has arrived and turkey and the barnyard animals want candy.  Unfortunately it seems that the farmers only give candy to the kids.  Turkey wants to come up with a plan to get candy on Halloween.  Turkey tries a variety of costumes to trick the farmers into giving him candy.  Will the costumes trick the farmers or will Turkey end up with no candy?

Companion to Turkey Trouble and Turkey Claus.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves