Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

New this year!

Willow finds a way by Lana Button (author), Tania Howells (illustrator) Willow is thrilled the whole class -- including her! -- is invited to classmate

Kristabelle's fantastic birthday party, until the bossy birthday girl starts

crossing guests off the list when they dare cross her. There are many books

on bullying, but Willow's story offers a unique look at how to handle the

situation as a bystander.

Discover the Lana Button’s other book: Willow’s whispers (Title image & summary retrieved March 25, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen; retold by Brian Alderson; illustrated by Bagram

Ibatoulline

A childless woman visits a witch who gives her a barleycorn -- and hidden in its bloom is a

tiny girl. For one so small, Thumbelina's life is full of misadventures as she floats through

the pages like a wisp on the wind, encountering kind and unkind creatures in succession.

But old Mrs. Toad with her "rek-kek-kek" and the alarming Man in Gray cannot crush her

spirits, and Thumbelina's gentle concern for a winged soul in need paves the way to her

freedom and happiness.

Discover other books illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, including: The matchbox diary (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

The tortoise & the hare by Jerry Pinkney (author & illustrator)

This companion to the Caldecott Medal-winning The Lion & the Mouse is Jerry

Pinkney's most stunning masterpiece yet. Even the slowest tortoise can defeat the

quickest hare, and even the proudest hare can learn a timeless lesson from the most

humble tortoise: Slow and steady wins the race! Here is a superbly rendered journey

from starting line to finish that embodies the bravery, perseverance, and humility we

can all find inside ourselves.

Discover the Jerry Pinkney’s other books, including: The lion & the mouse (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publishers’ website)

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner (author & illustrator) In a near wordless masterpiece that could only have been devised by David Wiesner, a cat named Mr. Wuffles doesn't care about toy mice or toy goldfish. He's much more interested in playing with a little spaceship full of actual aliens-but the ship wasn't designed for this kind of rough treatment. Between motion sickness and damaged equipment, the aliens are in deep trouble. When the space visitors dodge the cat and take shelter behind the radiator to repair

the damage, they make a host of insect friends. The result? A humorous exploration

of cooperation between aliens and insects, and of the universal nature of

communication involving symbols, "cave" paintings, and gestures of friendship.

Discover the David Wiesner other books, including: The three pigs and Flotsam (Title image & summary retrieved March 25, 2014 from the author’s website)

The first drawing by Mordicai Gerstein (author & illustrator)

Imagine you were born before the invention of drawing, more than thirty thousand years ago.

You would live with your whole family in a cave and see woolly mammoths walk by! You

might even see images of animals hidden in the shapes of clouds and rocks. You would

want to share these pictures with your family, but wouldn't know how. Who would have

made the world's first drawing? Would it have been you?

Discover Mordicai Gerstein’s other books, including: The man who walked between the

towers (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Henri’s scissors by Jeanette Winter (author & illustrator)

Step into the colorful world of Henri Matisse and his magnificent paper cutouts! In a

small weaving town in France, a young boy named Henri-Emile Matisse drew

pictures everywhere, and when he grew up, he moved to Paris and became a

famous artist who created paintings that were adored around the world. But late in

life a serious illness confined him to a wheelchair, and amazingly, it was from there

that he created among his most beloved works-enormous and breathtaking paper

cutouts. Based on the life of Henri Matisse, this moving and inspirational picture book

biography includes a note from the author, dynamic quotes from Matisse himself,

and an illuminating look at a little-known part of a great artist's creative process. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

New this year!

Mr. Tiger goes wild by Peter Brown (author & illustrator) Mr. Tiger lived a perfectly proper life in a perfectly proper city and everything

was perfectly fine . . . until the day he had a wonderfully wild idea! Why choose

to stay in the stuffy city when there is a whole wide world of wilderness and

wildness to explore? So Mr. Tiger bounds off on an adventure to discover where

he really belongs. (Title image & summary retrieved March 25, 2014 from the author’s website)

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

Picture a tree by Barbara Reid (author & illustrator)

From bare branches tracing the sky to an explosion of colour, a place for adventure or a

friend to shelter us from the sun-a tree can be so many things. With lyrical text and her

signature Plasticine magic, Barbara Reid captures these majestic beings: in every

season, growing and changing, interacting with the people and animals around them.

Discover Barbara Reid’s other books, including: Two by two, The subway mouse, and

The golden goose (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)

Locomotive by Brian Floca (author & illustrator)

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding

America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details

of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that

keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.

Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race

by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

Discover Brian Floca’s other books, including: Moonshot: the flight of Apollo 11 (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publisher’s website)

Brush of the gods by Lenore Look

Who wants to learn calligraphy when your brush is meant for so much more?

Wu Daozi (689-758), known as China’s greatest painter and alive during the

T’ang Dynasty, is the subject of this stunning picture book. When an old monk

attempts to teach young Daozi about the ancient art of calligraphy, his brush

doesn’t want to cooperate. Instead of characters, Daozi’s brush drips dancing

peonies and flying Buddhas! Soon others are admiring his unbelievable

creations on walls around the city, and one day his art comes to life! (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s blog)

Parrots over Puerto Rico by Cindy Trumbore (author), Susan L. Roth (illustrator)

A picture book telling the intertwined histories of the Puerto Rican parrot and the island

of Puerto Rico, culminating with current efforts to save the parrots from extinction.

Puerto Rican parrots, once abundant, came perilously close to extinction in the 1960s

due to centuries of foreign exploration and occupation, development, and habitat

destruction. In this compelling book, Roth and Trumbore recount the efforts of the

scientists of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program to save the parrots and ensure

their future. Woven into the parrots' story is a brief history of Puerto Rico itself, from

before the first human settlers to the present day. (Title image & summary retrieved March 25, 2014 from TitlePeek)

New this year!

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

On a beam of light: a story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne; illustrated by

Vladimir Radunsky

The true story of a curious little boy who wanted to understand the mysterious magic

behind things, the hidden secrets of our world... and who, by wondering, imagining

and figuring, grew up to discover amazing things about our universe that no one had

ever known before. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)

If you want to see a whale by Julie Fogliano (author), Erin. E. Stead

(illustrator)

Sometimes all you need is to know what not to look for...If you want to see a

whale, you will need to know what not to look at. Pink roses, pelicans, possible

pirates . . . If you want to see a whale, you have to keep your eyes on the sea,

and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . . (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Water in the park by Emily Jenkins (author), Stephanie Graegin (illustrator)

From the first orange glow on the water in the pond, to the last humans and

animals running home from an evening rain shower, here is a day-in-the-life of a

city park, and the playground within it.

Discover Emily Jenkin’s author books, including: Five creatures, Toys go out,

and Toy dance party (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)

Year of the jungle by Suzanne Collins (author), James Proimos (illustrator)

When young Suzy's father leaves for Vietnam, she struggles to understand

what this means for her and her family. What is the jungle like? Will her

father be safe? When will he return? The months slip by, marked by the

passing of the familiar holidays and the postcards that her father sends. With

each one, he feels more and more distant, until Suzy isn't sure she'd even

recognize her father anymore. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

New this year!

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett (author), Jon Klassen (illustrator)

Extra Yarn, winner of a Caldecott Honor and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award,

as well as a New York Times bestseller, is the story of how a young girl and her

box of magical yarn transform a community. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Black Dog by Levi Pinfold (author & illustrator)

A black dog appears outside the Hope family's home. As each member of the

household sees it and hides, the dog grows bigger and bigger. Only Small, the

youngest Hope, has the courage to face the Black Dog. When it chases her through

the forest she shows no fear, so it grows smaller and smaller. Finally, back to the size

of a normal hound, the Black Dog is welcomed into the Hope household as their

newest addition. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publisher’s website)

Sophie’s squash by Pat Zietlow Miller; illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

On a trip to the farmers' market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead

of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice

everywhere, despite her parents' gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter

nears, Sophie does start to notice changes.... What's a girl to do when the squash she

loves is in trouble? (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publisher’s website)

Mr. Zinger’s Hat by Cary Fagan (author), Dusan Petricic (illustrator)

This is the story of a bored little boy, who meets a man, and together they build a story.

This story within a story is charming and changes both their lives... and quite possibly

the readers as well.

Discover Cary Fagan’s other books: Ella May and the Wishing Stone, Thing-Thing,

and Banjo of Destiny (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

Bailey by Harry Bliss (author & illustrator)

Follow Bailey the dog as he gets ready and goes to school. Should he wear the

red or blue collar? Both are so fashionable! Will he be late? That squirrel is a

distraction! And what about Bailey's homework? Would you believe he ate it? That

is what dogs do, after all. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Mouse& Lion by Aesop (author), (retold by) Rand Burkert, Nancy Ekholm Burkert

(illustrator)

On a ridge above the Kalihari,

Lion naps, until Mouse bumbles into him,

willy-nilly, startling him awake.

After a show of teeth, Lion is softened

by Mouse's pledge of loyalty and sets him free.

When a cold moon brings a humbling lesson,

Lion comes to recognize

Mouse's keen skill, and deeper kindness. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publisher’s website)

Oh No! by Candace Fleming (author), Eric Rohmann (illustrator)

Young children will delight in repeating the refrain "OH, NO!" as one animal

after another falls into a deep, deep hole in this lively read-aloud. Fans of

Rohmann's Caldecott Medal-winning My Friend Rabbit, will be thrilled to see a

new book created in the same expressive and comical style. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers (author & illustrator)

"Wilfred owned a moose. He hadn't always owned a moose. The moose came to

him a while ago and he knew, just KNEW that it was meant to be his. He called it

Marcel."Most of the time Marcel is very obedient, abiding by Wilbur's book of

extensive rules on how to be a good pet. But sometimes he doesn't quite seem to

be listening, plus he has a tendency to wander off wherever he pleases when they

go out walking. But Wilfred is still very proud to have a pet like Marcel. Until one

day, deep in the woods, someone else seems to recognise Marcel! Is Marcel

really Wilfred's pet after all?

Discover Oliver Jeffers’ other books, including: The day the crayons quit, Lost

and Found, How to Catch a Star, and The Hueys: The New Jumper (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes (author & illustrator)

When Penny receives a surprise box in the mail from Gram, she is thrilled. The

surprise is a doll, and she is absolutely perfect, from her head to her toes. Penny

loves her immediately. She introduces her new doll to Mama and to the babies and to

Papa. But then Papa asks what the doll’s name is, and Penny realizes that she

doesn’t know.

What do you think will happen?

Discover Kevin Henkes’ other books, including: Chrysanthemum, Lilly’s Purple

Plastic Purse, and Owen (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)

Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills (author & illustrator)

Rocket loves books and he wants to make his own, but he can’t think of a story.

Encouraged by the little yellow bird to look closely at the world around him for

inspiration, Rocket sets out on a journey. Along the way he discovers small details

that he has never noticed before, a timid baby owl who becomes his friend, and an

idea for a story.

Discover the first book: How Rocket Learned to Read (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

E-Mergency! by Tom Lichtenheld (author & illustrator)

When the letter E falls down the stairs the only way to get her back on her feet

is for everyone to stop using her. But who will take her place while she's

recuperating? Z is too sleepy and Y asks way too many questions. Maybe O is

the best letter for the job, because he's so well-rounded? After the alphabet

alerts the media about E's replacement, communications chaos ensues, as

every newspaper, sign and school lunch menu is hilariously mangled. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (author & illustrator)

When a tiny fish shoots into view wearing a round blue topper (which happens

to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. So it's a good thing

that enormous fish won't wake up. And even if he does, it's not like he'll ever

know what happened. . . . Visual humor swims to the fore as the best-selling

Jon Klassen follows his breakout debut with another deadpan-funny tale.

Discover Jon Klassen’s other book: I Want My Hat Back

(Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from TitlePeek)

Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue (author), Pamela Zagarenski (illustrator)

In this magical bedtime story, the lyrical narrative echoes a Runaway Bunny -

like cadence: "Does everything in the world go to sleep?" the little girl asks. In

sincere and imaginative dialogue between a not-at-all sleepy child and

understanding parents, the little girl decides "in a cocoon of sheets, a nest of

blankets," she is ready to sleep, warm and strong, just like a tiger. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publisher’s website)

Kate & Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story by Martin Springett (author), Isobel

Springett (photographer)

Pippin, a helpless baby fawn was abandoned by her mother on the property of

Isobel Springett. Isobel's Great Dane, Kate, adopted Pippin immediately and

they have been best friends ever since.

The story of Kate's and Pippin's loving relationship is charmingly chronicled in

a handsome book featuring the beautiful photography of Isobel Springett. (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the book’s website)

Recommended Summer Reads 2014

Picture Books

Bear in Love by Daniel Pinkwater (author), Will Hillenbrand (illustrator)

One morning, the bear finds something just outside his cave. It is orange and

long and pointy and has bushy green leaves at one end. And it's sweet and

crunchy! Where did it come from? Did someone leave it for him? Then there

are two more of the sweet crunchy things the next morning! The bear knows

that someone nice is leaving him these treats. If only he could discover who it

is! Should he leave something tasty in return? (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publisher’s website)

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems (author & illustrator)

Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama

Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway.

One day—for no particular reason—they decided to tidy up their house, make the

beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then—for no particular

reason—they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting

a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl.

Definitely not!

Discover Mo Willems’ other books, including: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the

Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and the Elephant & Piggie series (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the publisher’s website)

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson (author), E.B. Lewis (illustrator)

A new girl comes to school and tries to make friends. When Chloe, the

narrator, is unkind, the girl keeps trying. And then the girl is gone and Chloe is

left only with the memory of her unkindness.

Discover Jacqueline Woodson’s new book This is the rope (Title image & summary retrieved April 4, 2014 from the author’s website)