Picture Books
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, by Julia Sarcone-Roach “By now I think you know what happened to your sandwich. But you may not know how it happened. So let me tell you. It all started with the bear.” The narrator tells of a happy bear in a forest who finds a truck with baskets of…
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Me…Jane
Me…Jane, by Patrick McDonnell How did Jane Goodall grow up to live in Africa and study chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream Game Reserve (now Gombe Stream National Park)? This is a wonderful picture book about Jane Goodall as a child — told simply, with fun, colorful illustrations. When Jane was a young girl, she had…
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Our Tree Named Steve
Our Tree Named Steve, by Alan Zweibel, illustrated by David Catrow A father writes a letter to his children, who are away visiting grandparents. The letter tells the story of a tree, and also of the family through the years. The family bought some land to build a house. When they all went to see…
Read MoreThe Secrets of Stonehenge
The Secrets of Stonehenge by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom In this non-fiction picture book, Manning and Granstrom take a close look at Stonehenge. This is an informational picture book for slightly older children, or for preschoolers and up with a strong interest and longer attention span. Manning and Granstrom begin their book in Stone…
Read MoreGravity
Gravity by Jason Chin “Gravity makes things fall to Earth. Without gravity, everything would float away.” Chin’s non-fiction picture book explains gravity in a way that everyone, even the youngest listeners, can understand. The simple text is accompanied by colorful, engaging illustrations. The illustrations follow a young boy playing with space toys on a beach,…
Read MoreVelma Gratch & The Way Cool Butterfly
Today I felt as if Monarch butterflies were fluttering everywhere in my little part of Vermont. I think this group will migrate south to overwinter, then return in the spring. So, this picture book review is timely. Velma Gratch & The Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison and Kevin Hawkes Velma was the youngest of…
Read MoreThe Magic Rabbit
The Magic Rabbit by Annette LeBlanc Cate “Ray and Bunny lived together in a tiny apartment in the city. They were business partners. Ray was a magician, and Bunny was his loyal assistant. They were also best friends. They did everything together.” So begins a fun story about two friends and a little magic. Each…
Read MoreFirst Day of School
School is back in session for many families around the country. Students starting new schools, students returning to the same school, and students starting school for the very first time…..and teachers starting school again, too. I posted this last year, so this is a post from the vault. I really just love this picture book…
Read MoreUp and Down
Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers “Once there were two friends… who always did everything together. Until the day the penguin decided there was something important he wanted to do by himself…” Jeffers funny and sweet story of the boy and the penguin is a tale of friendship, of trying new things, and finding out…
Read MoreMuddigush
Muddigush by Kimberley Knutson The snow is melting where I live. Maple sap is running and sugar houses work to turn sap into syrup. Hillsides and yards have stretches of white patches – and lots of mud. Around here, we call this mud season. Knutson captures a child’s joy in playing in mud and muddy…
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