A story about Jane Addams, the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Ever since she was a little girl, Jane Addams hoped to help people in need. She wanted to create a place where people could find food, work and community. In 1889, she chose a house in a run-down neighborhood and turned it into Hull House--a settlement home--soon adding playground, kindergarten, and a public bath. By 1907, Hull House included thirteen buildings. And by the early 1920's, more than nine thousand people visited Hull House each week. The dreams of a smart, caring girl had become a reality. And the lives of hundreds of thousands of people were transformed when they stepped into the house that Jane Addams built.
"In a moving portrayal of empathy and innovation in action, Stone and Brown convey both the significance of Addams's contributions, as well as the physical transformations of those she helped." --Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Curious Eeny Mole emerges from her dark hole hole home to discover the world up above...
Eeny, Meeny and Miney Mole live at the bottom of a deep , dark hole. In that hole, dark is light, day is night, and summer and winter seem the same. Meeny and Miney are perfectly content to stay down in the deep, dark hole all by themselves, safe and warm. But Eeny has heard there's something wonderful Up Above. She wants to know what it is. So she goes to find it.
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THE LITTLEST MATRYOSHKA by Corinne Demas Bliss
Disney-Hyperion
"Good-bye, Anna," said Nikolai, and he kissed her forehead. "Keep your sisters safe inside you and may you find a happy home."
So begins the journey of matryoshka sisters Nina, Nadia, Vanda, Varka, Olga, and Anna, from a village in Russia to a toy store in America. But once there, the littlest sister, Nina is swept off the edge of the shelf. While her older sisters find their way into the hands of a caring new owner, Nina begins a perilous journey that takes her from the street in front of the toy store, down waterfalls and rivers and streams. How will Nina ever be reunited with her sisters?
This tender, old-fashioned story is a testament to the power of sisterly love and a celebration of matryoshkas, the cherished Russian nesting dolls.
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TOUGH BORIS by Mem Fox
HMH Books for Young Readers
Boris von der Borch is a mean, greedy old pirate--tough as nails, through and through, like all pirates. Or is he? When a young boy sneaks onto Boris's ship, he discovers that Boris and his mates aren't quite what he expected.
An American Library Association Notable Children's Book
A PARENTING Outstanding Children's Book Of The Year
A Joan Fassler Memorial Book Award Winner
A Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award Winner
"Resisting the temptation to reveal everything, author and illustrator instead give imaginative children something much better - a picture book that luxuriates in pure possibility." --New York Times Book Review
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MY LITTLE GRANDMOTHER OFTEN FORGETSby Reeve Lindbergh
Candlewick Press
My little grandmother
can't find a thing.
She can't find her glasses and
she can't find her ring...
Tom's grandmother is very forgetful. But Tom does't mind. He loves to help her and spend time with her, playing checkers or just sitting quietly.
The special bond between a beloved grandmother affected by memory loss and her patient, devoted grandson is described in Reeve Lindbergh's most personal book for children, one that is based on her own and her son's relationship with her mother in the last years of her life. Kathryn Brown's watercolor illustrations tenderly capture the unique characters--and the love that is universal.
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NORA'S CHICKS by Patricia MacLachlan
Candlewick Press
Nora and her family have just arrived from Russia and are making a new home on the American frontier. The prairie is very different from the forested hills Nora is used to. Most of all, it’s lonely. Papa has the cows he sings to as he milks them. Baby brother Milo has a dog to follow him wherever he goes. But Nora has no one and nothing to call her own until Papa brings home a dozen chicks and two geese. Nora names each one, and they follow her everywhere — even to church! But what will happen when one of her beloved chicks goes missing?
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"Newbery Medalist MacLachlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall) revisits the prairie in this tender story of a family that emigrates from Russia to the American frontier. Though Nora’s parents are aware of their daughter’s sense of isolation on her new turf, they can provide little solace. A stray dog becomes devoted to Nora’s baby brother, and her father has his horses and cows for company. “I need something all my own,” laments Nora; her father inadvertently provides that very thing when he brings home 10 chicks and two geese “for eating.” Nora decides they are too beautiful to eat, and he agrees, conceding, “They are yours.” With her usual taut and penetrating style, MacLachlan reveals the reawakening of Nora’s spirit as she bonds with her chicks, which also bring her closer to a neighboring girl. Brightened by the festive patterns of Nora’s Old World fashions, Brown’s (Kisses on the Wind) smudgy, windswept watercolors capture the starkness and beauty of the prairie and the simplicity of the life there. This is a lovely, affecting package."---Publishers Weekly
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THE OLD WOMAN WHO NAMED THINGS by Cynthia Rylant
HMH Books for Young Readers
How does an old woman who has out lived all her friends keep from being lonely? By naming the things in her life she knows she will never outlive. Like her house, Franklin. And her bed, Roxanne. And Bud, the new ceramic pig in her garden.
Then a shy brown puppy appears at her front gate. If the old woman is too friendly, the puppy might stay, and she will have to name it. She can't risk that. So she tells it to go home.
But that puppy has other ideas...
NCTE Notable Children's Trade Book in the Language Arts
“Rylant and Brown together create with affection and lovingly humorous touches a glimpse of old age lived with relish.” —Booklist
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THE QUITE CONTRARY MAN by Patricia Rusch Hyatt
Harry N. Abrams
In early-nineteenth-century New England, folks considered a clean chin a sign of godliness. Born into this buttoned-up, strict society, Joseph Palmer stood out from childhood as someone who liked to do things his own way. Narrated with the charm of a tall tale, this true story celebrates the long American history of nonconformity and encourages children to question social rules they may take for granted.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
“She [Hyatt] cleanly lays out a morality tale that could prompt a healthy civics lesson. Brown's arch illustrations, in watercolor with pen and ink, nicely capture 19th-century New England.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Brown’s warm-hued watercolors reiterate the folk yarn feel with rustic touches. A spirited introduction to an iconoclastic 19th-century activist.” –Publishers Weekly
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KISSES ON THE WIND by Lisa Moser
Candlewick Press
The wagon is packed, and Mama and Papa are ready to begin the long journey to Oregon, but Lydia isn't ready to say good-bye to Grandma. Who will braid Lydia's hair each morning and tell her stories? Who will build boats with her made of twigs and leaves? How can you possibly say goody-bye to someone you love so very much? Set in the time of the westward expansion, this poignant story speaks to every reader who has ever been parted from someone he or she holds dear. It tells of a love that is big enough to span impossible distances -- yet small enough to be carried inside our hearts.
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MULEDRED by Kathryn Brown
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Muledred has a big problem. she is always late for school. and that means she's always in trouble with Master Skinner, the school master, much to the amusement of her class.
Can Muledred ever learn to be on time? And can she manage to turn the timetables on her teasing school chums?
"Winsome mule children and wise mule adults populate this entertaining and original first effort. The ebullient Muledred finds so many interesting things to do on the way to school that she is always late, to the annoyance of Master Skinner. Muledred's Grandpa gives her his pocket watch to help her keep track of the time, but she promptly loses it. The watch is found by her friends, who tease Muledred and promise to return it only if she gets to school on the time the next day. Clever Muledred manages to turn the tables on her friends, and earns the respect of her teacher and the appreciative "hee-haws" of the whole class. Soft-hued watercolors combine with authentic clothing and backgrounds to impart a feeling of nostalgia that works well with these unique characters. The pride Muledred feels in her ultimate punctuality and the poignant interaction between her and Grandpa is lovingly conveyed with style and empathy."-Publishers Weekly
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OLD THUNDER AND MISS RANEY by Sharon Darrow
DK Children
Miss Raney is determined to win a ribbon for her biscuits at the Washita County fair, but to no avail, until her ever-faithful horse, Old Thunder, wins the plowhorse race.
"In this spunky picture book, first-time author Darrow introduces perhaps the most charming pair of tornado-tossed characters since Dorothy and Toto. The Washita County Fair is coming up, and Miss Raney Cloud is dead set on winning a blue ribbon, especially because her numerous and varied previous attempts have brought nary a win, place or show. Raney's entry this year will be her tasty Sooner Biscuits. When the first batch burns and she doesn't have the ingredients to start anew, Raney and her sorry-looking horse, Old Thunder, kick into action. Raney ignores her neighbors' warnings about impending storms and drives Old Thunder to town and backDand, with her horse, is swooped up into a tornado. The flour she has bought is now "storm sifted" and super-aerated, producing unusually light biscuits that win Raney and Old Thunder their ribbonDin a most unexpected way. Darrow stirs just the right amount of action, humor and heart into her rambunctious tale, while a healthy dollop of down-home expressions ("Oh, fiddle-dee-dee"; "I do indeedy") adds color. The loose, wispy lines of Brown's (The Littlest Matryoshka) watercolor and pen-and-ink artwork provide a fitting sense of motion and fluidity, and the dusty, creamy palette captures the feel of an Oklahoma summer. The artist's wry comic sense is a sound foil to Raney's deadpan narration." Publisher's Weekly
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A BEAR FOR ALL SEASONS by Diane Marcial Fuchs
Henry Holt
Pull up a chair, pour a mug of hot cocoa and enter the debate between easygoing Bear, who delights in each season, and his good friend Fox, who sees only the mud, the mosquitoes, or the cold winds.
"Were it not for Brown's lively pictures, this sweet friendship story might have turned saccharine. As it is, the tale is a total delight, its playful illustrations touched with seasonal colors. No sooner does Bear settle in for his long winter's nap than his cranky friend Fox knocks on the door, complaining, "Don't you just hate winter?" The question prompts reminiscences of other seasons, which the two friends recollect in very different ways. Bear finally ends the disagreement when he admits that his favorite time is "the company of a good friend . . . no matter what the season." Right on the mark for the age group, this charming story shows a friendship built with room for both sharing and disagreeing." Booklist
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WHEN MOON FELL DOWN by Linda Smith
HarperCollins
Moon fell down one night...
fell upon the farmer's lawn,
Rolled about in sheer delight
On fields he'd only shined upon.
When Moon falls down one night, he and an adventure-minded cow roam up hills and down, wander through city streets, and finally return back home at dawn. A joyous and lyrical romp, this picture book captured the magic and wonder of seeing familiar things in a whole new way.
"A celestial invitation to share happy memories." -Kirkus)
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MAMA LOVES by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
HarperCollins
These are the things a mama loves:
Dancing in slippers. Teapots of tea. Reading the paper and mornings with me!
Mama always finds ways to share life's moments big and small with all her little ones. Tenderly illustrated by award-winning artist Kathryn Brown, mama loves will strike a chord with every child who loves being loved by Mama.
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GRANDPA LOVES by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
HarperCollins
These are things a Grandpa loves:
Baseball and billboards.
Tales of he sea.
Flipping pancakes and being with me!
Grandpa always finds the time to share what he loves with his little ones. In a perfect companion book to Mama Loves, Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Kathryn Brown have once again teamed up to create a tender ode to the special times between Grandpa and Grandchild.
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CLIMB INTO MY LAP by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Climb Into My Lap is the perfect poetry book to share with young children. Here are funny poems and story poems, rhymes to go with finger games, and verses to evoke the imaginative worlds of make-believe. Here, too, are poems that speak directly to youngsters about their budding independence, as poets explore everything from the instant a child declares "See, I can do it all myself" to a range of favorite "Secret Places." Most of all, here are poems about children's special relationships with family and friends.
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FROM LULLABY TO LULLABY by Adele Geras
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
A mother sings as she knits a blanket for her daughter:
"Follow the yarns as the yarns unwind.
What do you find?
What do you find?"
And her daughter follows the yarns from the real world to a magical dream world and back again in this magnificent bedtime book. Joined by her rocking horse and her giant stuffed bunny, the girl has an unforgettable night time adventure. They rescue a bear whose plane has crashed, sail under the ocean to visit the King of the Sea and his mermaid daughter, and eventually float home to bed. Adele Geras's lyrical poem is a soothing story, and kathryn Brown's lush art adds rich, fascinating details to the tale. This is a lullaby children will want to hear again and again and one to inspire their own dreamy fantasies.
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STELLA’S DANCING DAYS by Sandy Asher
Harcourt Children's Books
A tender family story that will dance into your heart. Stella is a kitten who loves to dance. But as she grows up, Stella dances less and less. Has she lost her passion for pirouettes and pliés? Or is she just busy with other things, like stalking bugs, soaking up the sunshine--and finding a quiet place to have her kittens?
With warmth and charm that recalls the best-loved classics of children's literature, Stella's story of growing up is perfect for families to share.
