Hannah and the Seven Dresses

Poor Hannah, she has to decide which of her seven dresses she should wear today.  Luckily, she comes up with a system for wearing a particular dress on each day of the week.  But when it's her birthday, she can't decide again, so she wears them all!

Hannah and the Seven Dresses by Marthe Jocelyn

Welcome, Precious

I love this beautiful book about a baby, Precious (but really any baby, because they are all precious) and the wonderful things we hope and dream that our babies will experience.

Welcome, Precious by Nikki Grimes

Asleep in a Heap

Asleep in a Heap by Elizabeth Winthrop is the silly of story of Julia who refuses to go to bed until she's worn her whole family out and they end up, asleep in a heap on the bathroom floor.

Moses Sees a Play

One of my nephews is deaf, so I'm always excited to see books that cater to children with special needs.  In Moses Sees a Play by Isaac Millman a troop of deaf actors comes to Moses' school and puts on a production of Cinderella. In addition to the great story, Millman shows instructions for some of the sign language.  There are other Moses books too!

Beatrice Doesn't Want To

Beatrice does not want to go to the library with her brother Henry because it is boring!  She complains, and drags her feet, until she discovers story time and then she doesn't want to leave.

Beatrice Doesn't Want to by Laura Numeroff

Ballerino Nate

Despite his brother's comments that boys can't be ballerinas, Nate is determined to dance.  After much thought and explanation, Nate's mother takes him to his first class and he loves it!  After watching a professional ballet production, Nate asks one of the dancers if he is a ballerina.  No, he's a ballerino.

 Ballerino Nate by Kimberly Bradley

Fievel's Flying Horses

Feivel's Flying Horses by Heidi Smith Hyde is a beautiful story about a man, Fievel who comes to America to create a better life for his family, who he's left behind.  He makes a living carving combs for ladies, but when the opportunity to carve horses for a carousel arises, he takes it and earns enough money to send for his family.

Chuck's Truck

 Chuck's Truck by Peggy Perry Anderson

 Poor Chuck!  After loading his truck full of his animal friends, it breaks down.  But when Handyman Hugh is on the job, Chuck's truck comes back looking brand new.

Captain Arsenio - Manuel

Captain Arsenio : Inventions and (Mis)Adventures in Flight by Pablo Bernasconi is the somewhat scientific, mostly silly, look at the "found" diary of Captain Manuel Arsenio.  Older children will find the illustrations both whimsical and fantastic.

Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace

What can I say?  I'm a sucker for a character with deli meat as a last name.  Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace by James Proimos tells of how a kid, some goodwill, and cupcakes, can achieve world peace. A lot of fun for 5-7 year old.

The Sandwich Swap - Lily & Salma

While Queen Rania's The Sandwich Swap is not one of my favorite books, I do like the unique names  and the themes of trying new things and being understanding of cultural differences.

Dance, Tanya

Dance Tanya by Patricia Lee Gauch tells the story of a preschool aged girl, Tanya who wants to be like her older sister, Elise.  But Tanya makes up her own dances and surprises everyone at the recital.

Dear Fish - Peter Alan

Dear Fish by Chris Gall is a multilayered (look for ten puns hidden in the pages) about a boy, Peter Alan who throws a message in a bottle into the sea and unwittingly invites fish to come and visit him.  After quite a bit of mayhem, Peter Alan sends another message to the sea asking the fish to return home.

Emmett's Pig

Emmett wants a pig, a real pig, but he couldn't possibly have a pig in the city.  He dreams of having a pig on a farm, and hopes that maybe for his birthday, he'll get that pig.

On Mother's Lap

On Mother's Lap by Ann Herbert Scott is the story of Michael, who loves being rocked.  There is room in his mother's lap for Dolly, a boat, and other toys, and even Michael's little sister.

Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar

Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar by Clare Jarrett

Arabella finds a tiny caterpillar and takes him home.  She feeds and cares for him until he turns into a beautiful butterfly.

The Wildest Brother - Ben, Anna

Ben is wild!  He protects his older sister from all sorts of scary, but imaginary foes.  In return, when Ben is scared at night, Anna protects him.

The Wildest Brother by Cornelia Funke

Emily's Balloon

Emily's Balloon by Konako Sakai is a sweet story of a little girl who loves her ballon so much she spends all day playing with it, until a gust of wind blows it into a tree.  She looks at it through her window as she falls asleep.

Henry in Love - Chloe

Henry is in love with Chloe.  A blueberry muffin and a seat change are enough to bring these two together in Henry in Love by Peter McCarty.

Olivia Forms a Band

My boys love Olivia.  They think she is HILARIOUS! In Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer, Olivia decides that a fireworks show is not complete without a band, but no one wants to be in her band, so she decides to make her own. 

Earl the Squirrel - Jill

I love Don Freeman's books and Earl the Squirrel does not disappoint.  Earl is supposed to go searching for his own acorns, but instead he visits his friend, Jill who not only gives him nuts, but also a nutcracker.  Earl's mother is worried because he must learn to find acorns on his own.  After a run in with a bull, Earl finally learns to fend for himself.

Eating Up Gladys - Hilda, Rose

Simply put, Eating Up Gladys by Margot Zemach is about sisters and the silly antics they can get into when the oldest is being bossy!

Prancing Dancing Lily

In Prancing Dancing Lily by Marsha Diane Arnold, Lily decides she would rather circle the globe dancing than be the "Best Bell Cow". After much traveling she finds home is the best as long as she can be herself.

Ladybug Girl - Lulu

In the delightful, Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis Lulu and her dog Bingo find great adventures when they let their imaginations run wild.

The Strange and Wonderful Tale of Robert McDoodle

Robert McDoodle wants nothing more than to be a dog, he even goes to school to learn how to be a dog.

The Strange and wonderful Tale of Robert McDoodle by Steven Bauer

The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party - Petra

The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party by Leslie Patricelli

Petra Patterson is scared of a monster.  Luckily, her brothers and sister are not willing to rest until they find a way to make Petra feel better or get rid of the monster.

Iggy Peck Architect

In Andrea Beaty's Iggy Peck Architect, Iggy's love of architecture is nurtured until 2nd grade when his teacher, Miss Lila Greer declares, "No more!"  When the class gets stuck on an island, Iggy uses his knowledge of architecture to bring the class to safety.

Sally and the Some-Thing

Sally is bored and decides to go fishing.  Something slurppy and slimy is watching her, so she takes him out of the water and the play all sorts of games.  They just don't have much in common until the decide to play some new games together.

 Sally and the Some-Thing by George O'Connor

Double Pink - Madison

From the day she spoke her first word, Madison has loved pink! She loves pink so much that she decides to only wear pink, paint her room pink, and only have pink toys.  There is so much pink that Madison practically disappears.  It was just too much!  She missed all of the colorful things in the world.

Double Pink by Kate Feiffer

Earth to Stella

The power of imagination rockets Stella into outerspace in Earth to Stella by Simon Puttock.  But, when no one responds to her calls of, "Stella to Earth" she begins to worry and comes tumbling back to earth to find her dad has fallen asleep on the couch.

The Eleventh Hour - Horace

Graeme Base's The Eleventh Hour is one of my favorite books.  Horace is celebrating his eleventh birthday and planning an extravagant affair, but one of his guests has stolen all the food and ruined the festivities.  The reader must go through the book and search for clues to solve the mystery.