1st grade

In 1775, the British Army had settled in Boston, and General Washington had no way of getting them to leave.  Bookstore owner Henry Knox had the idea to retrieve 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga...in the middle of the winter.  This involved traveling over ice, snow, mountains, woods, lakes, and once in a while there was a road to follow.  After fifty days of traveling from Fort Ticonderoga, Henry arrived in Boston with all 59 cannons. 

  “Line up every kind of plant and animal on Earth…and one of every four will be a beetle.”  So begins the Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins, a treasure trove of fascinating facts about beetles the world over, including information about body structure, life cycles, communication, defenses, and other beetle behaviors.

This bilingual poem by the late author of the famous Brown Bear, Brown Bear series, Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson tells some of the very descriptive reasons our Earth is so beautiful.  Dan Lipow's photographs are lush and bright with color.  The children featured in the pictures are from multiple cultures, although the photos do not identify them.  This book was recently successfully shared in a Spanish/English bilingual storytime.  For all ages.

Meet Wendell, Wilmer, Willy Woody and Walter—5 bird-like juggler brothers who perform together in a hilarious stage show, while demonstrating basic math concepts such as counting, addition, subtraction and comparison.  The reader audience will learn as they laugh at the Wing Wing Brothers’ antics and comic appearance.  Parents and teachers will appreciate that the book meets the Common Core Standards for kindergarten mathematics; kids will appreciate the goofiness and fun.

Recommended for kids ages 3-7.

In this fun Level 1 Starting to Read reader published by Stone Arch (Guided Reading Level E), Fire Truck and Tractor are getting ready for the big parade with the help of their friends Train and School Bus. They get clean and decorated, but they are missing something.  What could it be?  There are several early readers about these characters, which are just right for the child who is getting ready to read, plus loves transportation vehicles. 

“Why do it?” I asked myself.  “Just months ago, you reviewed a book about a dog with a second chance at a happy life (Saving Audie by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent), so why do another so soon?”  “I can’t help it!” was my reply.  “I’ve fallen in love, and people in love can do foolish things.  So there!”

On August 28, 1963, almost 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his powerful and iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.  The “Dream” portion of the stirring speech provides the narrative for this picture book, illustrated with inspired and inspiring paintings by Caldecott Honor Award-winning artist Kadir Nelson.  Nelson includes portraits of Dr.

This early chapter book is an abridged version of the 1964 collection, “The Adventures of Spider: West African Folktales” written by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst and illustrated by Caldecott and Coretta Scott King award winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney.  It’s part of the level 4 Passport to Reading series.  According to the i

Roger, a long sausage dog, is looking for more meaning from life.  When life hands him potatoes, he creates a French fry stand, and his French fries become famous around the world.  But Roger worries that people only love him for his fries, and he looks for even more from his life.  When Roger meets Charlotte the Corn Cob Queen, a whole new adventure begins.  The illustrations are charming, and this book has been a hit with every school age group I've read it with.  A recipe is included at the back of the book.

While not a ghost or Halloween story, Ballywhinney Girl is nevertheless haunting.  Maeve, a fair-haired Irish girl living in Ballywhinney Ireland, is in a bog with her grandfather as he cuts turf.

This is a goofy book, a fast and fun read for young graphic novel fans.  Ace and Bub are beaver brothers, who enjoy life on Beaver Island.  While Ace prepares for the Beaver Island Surfboard Competition, his board is suddenly stolen by strange penguins, who escape to the deep waters offshore.  In hot pursuit, Ace gets only a glimpse of their underwater hideout, but he knows that the penguins are up to something, and it doesn’t look good.   Without his surfboard, he can’t hope to beat the island’s brawny hot shot, Bruce.  So Ace and Bub decide to do some deep-se

Young children will delight in this charming story of the famous American cook Julia Child living in Paris with her husband Paul and her mischievous tortoiseshell cat, Minette. Julia Child learns to cook with passion and endless energy. Minette inhales the delicious aromas and dines on the most scrumptious meals, yet being a cat, still prefers a good fresh mouse.

Tony Sarg (1880 – 1942) was the master puppeteer who invented the first huge animal puppets that floated in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. This is the story of a creative little boy who wondered at how things moved and worked, and who grew up to become the puppeteer of Macy’s parade.

It’s Christmas Eve and Santa is on his way to deliver toys around the world. Suddenly his reindeer harness breaks, sending him downward “like a BIG, FAT, JOLLY RED SKYROCKET!” Santa crashes into a barn and recruits the barnyard animals. A magical journey ensues with an old dog, cows, sheep, a goat, a horse, and a pig pulling his sleigh. Bright, colorful, luminous pictures draw young children into this riotous tale.

Uh-oh! Little Owl has fallen from the nest and cannot find Mommy! With the help of a dizzy but well-meaning squirrel, Little Owl sees many animals with some of the same traits as Mommy Owl, but that are definitely not her. Whooo--I mean, who-- knows where she is? Originally published in Europe with the title A Bit Lost, this book features gentle humor, charming animal characters and simple landscapes in bright colors with contrasting earth tones. It's great for reading aloud, with enough of a pattern to make it good for beginning readers as well.

This picture book surely lives up to its name. Not only is its story about a square, it is square! The book's shape is just one of many creative details that make this book so delightful. And it is just about perfect, too, with a clever but simple story, a good message, and colorful, playful, beautiful illustrations by artist and author Michael Hall. A perfect square is happy being just that, square and perfect.

Heart-warming story of eight year old Johnny’s love for his grandparents’ Connecticut tree farm and a very special antique toy horse. He dreams of giving the toy horse to his little brother, Liam, but the horse is lost. Wishing for a Christmas miracle, Johnny realizes that no gift will equal that little white horse, but he searches for another just in case. A loving, family story to share during the Christmas season.

A delightful story about two mice, Pip and Squeak, who build a snowman on Christmas Day. When it's time to come inside, they worry about leaving their snowman all alone outside in the cold. They quietly sneak him inside and hide him behind the Christmas tree. When this doesn't work out, the whole family go outside and keep Mr. Snowman company. Soon the whole neighborhood is outside singing and playing in the snow.

Gooney Bird Greene loves to be the center of attention (just like most second graders) and only tells absolutely true stories. Gooney Bird is an excellent storyteller and tells a new story to her classroom every day. What's interesting is how Gooney Bird shows that words can mean different things than you might expect, for example, how Gooney Bird moved to her new home from China in a minivan.
A good book for second grade students who are ready for short chapter books.

In A Very Babymouse Christmas, the latest in the graphic novel series by Jennifer L.