Annotations for Materials for Young Children Spring 2010

 

1. Category: Books for Infants Title:  Peek-a-Baby Author:  Karen Katz Illustrator:  same as the author Publisher/Date:  Little Simon/2007 Annotation:  This is a lift the flap book that describes a game of peek-a-boo.  One page of text asks who is under the flap and the next page is a lift the flap page.  When the flap is lifted a baby is revealed.  This is repeated throughout the book. Artwork: The illustrations ate bright, colorful and seem to be done in a collage style.  The illustrations of the babies concentrate on the baby’s faces.  The facial expressions of the babies are priceless.  The book and the flaps are sturdy for little hands to manipulate. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great book to share with infants.  They would enjoy seeing the pictures of the babies.  They would also enjoy the peek-a-boo theme of the story.  The book is small and made for small hands to help with the flaps and turning the pages.  This would be a great story to read one on one to a baby in your lap.

2. Category: Books for Infants Title:  Baby Faces Author:  Begin Smart Illustrator: Begin Smart Publisher/Date: Sterling Publishing/2008 Annotation:  This is a fold out board book showing pictures of baby’s faces.  Each page shows a different child.  They each have different facial expression.  Some of the photos are in color and some are in black and white.  Both sides of the book have baby pictures on them. Artwork:  The photographs focus in the baby’s faces.  Their facial expressions vary and are very expressive.  There are also a wide range of cultures represented. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a fun book to share with an infant one on one.  They would enjoy how the book folds out.  They would also enjoy looking at the photos of the babies and their expressions.  The adult can point to the pictures and talk about them with the infant.

3. Category: Books for Infants Title:  Black & White Author:  Tana Hoban Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Greenwillow Books/2007 Annotation:  This is a fold out board book.  On one side the illustration is a white item on a black background.  On the other side the illustration is a black item on a white background.  The illustrations are of simple items such as a baby bottle, a chair, and a cat. Artwork:  The black and white illustrations stand out.  The items shown are simple items that many babies will be familiar with. Developmentally Appropriate:  This is another fun book to share with infants.  They would be drawn to the black and white illustrations.  The book is made for little hands to manipulate.  Adults can point to the items shown in the illustrations and talk about them to the infant.  Older infants may be able to point to the items as the adult names them.

4. Category: Books for Infants Title: My fuzzy farm babies Author:  Tad Hills Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date:  Little Simon/2001 Annotation:  This is a touch and feel board book.  Each set of two pages contains text on the left and a farm animal on the right.  The text introduces the name of the animal, asks the child to feel the texture and to make the sound of the animal.  There are five animals included in the book. Artwork:  The illustrations are bright and colorful.  They are simple illustrations of farm animals with a texture to feel.  Each set of two pages has a different background color.  The colors used on the pages work well together.  The animal illustrations are done large enough that small eyes will be able to focus on the animals. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great book to share with babies.  Older babies could try to make the animal sounds, while the reader can make the animal sounds for the younger babies.  Babies will enjoy the colors and illustrations of the farm animals.  Babies will also enjoy the sensory experience of feeling the different textures of the animals.

5. Category: Books for Infants Title:  Just like Mommy Author:  Cecelia Johansson Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Little Simon/2006 Annotation:  This is a touch and feel board book.  Each set of two pages introduces a new animal.  The reader is instructed to feel a part of the animal.  There is one more sentence about each animal and then the phrase, “Just like Mommy!” is on every page.   The baby and Mommy animal both look similar and have textures to feel.  The last page of the book shows a human baby and mommy.  There are six animals included in the story. Artwork:  The illustrations are colorful and bright.  There are a lot of pastel colors used in the illustrations.  The animal illustrations are very simple with just the right amount of detail.  You can see the action taking place on each page. Developmentally Appropriate:  Babies would enjoy having this book read to them.  They would enjoy the pictures of the animals and the textures to feel on each page.  Older babies would like the use of the familiar word-Mommy.  The text flows smoothly on each page and would be easy to read to a baby on your lap.

6. Category: Books for Toddlers Title:  Here Are My Hands Author:  Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault Illustrator:  Ted Rand Publisher/Date:  Henry Holt and Company/1998 Annotation:  This is a rhyming book about various body parts and what we can do with them.  For example, eyes are for seeing and crying.  Each page introduces one more body part.  A different illustration of a child is also included on each page.  The children represent a wide range of cultures. Artwork:  I believe the illustrations are done with a mixture of colored pencils and watercolor.  The facial expressions are very expressive on each child.  Each page contains an illustration of a child showing the body part in action.  The illustrations are also simple and very colorful. Developmentally Appropriate:  This is a great book to share with toddlers, as they are becoming more interested in their own bodies and what they can do.  Toddlers are also learning to name their body parts and would enjoy naming the parts highlighted in the story.  I feel that toddlers would also enjoy the simple, colorful illustrations of the children.

7. Category: Books for Toddlers Title:  This Little Chick Author:  John Lawrence Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/2002 Annotation:  A little chick goes visiting other types of animals to play.  He keeps making the noise of the animals he is playing with.  At the end of the story he goes home to his Mom and she hears him say all the sounds of the animals he has visited.  There is a lot of repetition and rhyming throughout the story.  On the pages where the little chick is making the new animal sound, the text is spread out on the page in a very unique manner. Artwork:  The information from the book states “The illustrations in this book were made from vinyl engravings, watercolor washes, and printed wood textures.  The words were made from an original alphabet engraved in vinyl. Computer technology was used to bring these hand-crafted elements together.”  These techniques make for some very unique and eye-catching illustrations.  The illustrations show simple images of various animals.  The action on the page seems to go to the right, making the reader want to turn the page. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great book to share with toddlers because they will enjoy the animals in the story.  Toddlers will also enjoy making the various animal sounds.  Toddlers may also enjoy the rhyming throughout the story.  Some toddlers will even be able to say the repetitive parts of the book along with the reader.

8. Category: Books for Toddlers Title:  Hands Can Author:  Cheryl Willis Hudson Illustrator:  John-Francis Bourke (photographs) Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/2003 Annotation:  This is simple book about the many things our hands can do.  Each page contains a photograph of a child doing something with their hands.  Rhyme is used throughout the storyline. Artwork:  The photographs of the children in this book are wonderful.  They capture the action of the hands in a great manner.  The use of close up images of the children’s hands helps in the understanding of the text. Developmentally Appropriate:  This is a great book to share with toddlers to encourage them to do positive things with their own hands.  Toddlers will enjoy the simple words and rhyming pattern of the story.  Toddlers will also enjoy looking at the photographs of the other children like them.

9. Category: Books for Toddlers Title:  Freight Train Author:  Donald Crews Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Greenwillow Books/1978 Annotation: This is the story of a multi-colored freight train moving along its track.  Each train car is a different color and is used for a different purpose.  The train moves through tunnels and in the dark, etc.  The train looks like it is moving on the page. Artwork: The illustrations are simple and very colorful.  They make the train stand out on the page.  On the pages where the train is moving, the illustrations are done in a way that makes the train appear to be moving on the page.  Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great book to share with toddlers.  Toddlers may be able to name the colors of the train cars on the pages.  Toddlers would enjoy seeing the train travel around through the pages as well.  The text is simple and tells the story well.

10. Category: Books for Toddlers Title:  Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Author: An illustrated version of a traditional rhyme Illustrator:  Timothy Bush Publisher/Date:  Greenwillow Books/2005 Annotation:  This is the story of the traditional rhyme about Teddy Bear doing things such as: touch the ground, say hello, and turn out the light.  The text is simple and well placed on the pages.  The placement of the text helps to tell the story.  The actions for the rhyme are included at the back of the book. Artwork:  The watercolor illustrations show teddy bear doing all the actions of the rhyme.  They are very colorful and some are very detailed.  Most pages show one big illustrations with several smaller ones.  The facial expressions of the bear and the boy bring the story to life.  The action on the page goes to the right making the reader want to turn the page. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great story to share with toddlers.  They would enjoy the repetition and sing song pattern of the story.  Toddlers would also enjoy doing the motions to the rhyme.  Toddlers would also enjoy the illustrations of things they know about, such as the boy, teddy bear, mother, etc.  The toddlers could have fun naming the items throughout the illustrations of the rhyme.

11. Category: Books for preschoolers Title: Find Anthony Ant Author: Lorna and Graham Philpot Illustrator: same as authors Publisher/Date: Boxer Books/2006 Annotation: This is a counting book from 1-10 based on the Ants go Marching song.  On each page is a number that the ants are marching by (one by one, two by two, etc.).  Anthony stops to do one of three things, listed in the form of a question such as (to eat a plum? To buy bubble gum? Or To beat a drum?).  At the bottom of the pages are the ant mazes.  The reader is to find Anthony Ant on each of the pages.  At the end Anthony Ant asks the reader if they found him. Artwork:  The artwork is very detailed and the yellow of the ant mazes stands out on the page.  There is text incorporated into the ant maze to label the different sections.  The layout of text and illustrations remains the same on each page, making the book tie together.  The illustrations of Anthony Ant are very detailed and expressive. Developmentally Appropriate:  Preschoolers will love to search the pages for Anthony Ant and be the first to find him.  They will enjoy the colorful and detailed illustrations.  I also think they will enjoy the familiarity and repetition of the text.  They should be able to read along with the repeated phrases.  This would be a very interactive book.

12. Category: Books for preschoolers Title:  Five for a little one Author: Chris Raschka Illustrator: same as the author Publisher/Date:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers/2006 Annotation: This is the story of a bunny exploring the five senses.  Each of the five senses are explored over several pages.  The text flows like poetry.  Some pages have several sentences, while others have just a couple words.  The senses are reviewed at the end of the book as 1-5. Artwork: The illustrations are done in watercolor, ink and potato prints according to the information in the book.  I found the illustrations in this book to very unique.  I have never seen this combination of techniques used before.  They blend well together and give the book a sense of smooth flow throughout the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  Preschoolers would enjoy listening to the smooth flow of the language of this story while learning about the five senses.  The children will be able to discuss the five senses and well as review the numerals 1-5.  I also think that preschoolers would appreciate the rabbit character and the style of illustrations.

13. Category: Books for preschoolers Title:  Silly Suzy Goose Author:  Petr Horacek Illustrator:  same as the author Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/2006 Annotation:  Suzy Goose is not enjoying being like all the other geese.  She imagines what it would be like to be a variety of animals that she sees.  When she comes to the lion, she rrooarhonks at him, making him angry.  The lion chases Suzy Goose back to the other geese.  Now she feels it is good to look like all the other geese, as the lion cannot tell which one is Suzy. Artwork:  The illustrations seem to be a combination of pencil drawings, paintings, and collage.  The illustrations on the geese are very bland and colorless.  The illustrations of the other animals are more colorful and vibrant, making them seem more exciting.  The illustrations show the actions of the animals well.  The tension of Suzy Goose when being chased by the lion in clear in the illustrations.  The illustrations definitely add to the understanding of the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  Preschoolers would enjoy the plot of this simple story.  They could easily understand how Suzy Goose is feeling throughout the story.  I think they would find Suzy Goose to be humorous, especially her encounter with the lion.  I also feel that preschoolers would be drawn to the illustrations used in this book.

14. Category: Books for preschoolers Title:  Old Black Fly Author:  Jim Aylesworth Illustrator:  Stephen Gammell Publisher/Date:  Henry Holt and Company/1992 Annotation:  This is an alphabet books describing the mischievous adventures of a black fly.  Some of his misadventures involve getting honey stuck on his back, nibbling the noodles of a casserole, and rode the red ribbon in Grandma’s hair.  At the end of the story, he lands on Mama’s table and the book ends with a Swat.  The text of the story is repetitive and flows much like a poem or even a rap song. Artwork:  The illustrations appear to be done in watercolor and are very colorful.  The illustrations show the action of the fly on each page.  The illustrations portray the feeling of chaos throughout the story.  The expressions of the characters in the book really come through to show their emotions. Developmentally Appropriate:  Preschool children would appreciate the humor of the fly’s adventures.  They also would enjoy the ABC part of the book.  The children could guess which letter is coming next and what trouble the fly may get into on the next page.  I also think that preschoolers would enjoy the ending of the story.

15. Category: Books for preschoolers Title:  How do dinosaurs get well soon? Author:  Jane Yolen Illustrator:  Mark Teague Publisher/Date:  The Blue Sky Press/2003 Annotation:  This is the story of how a dinosaur should behave when he is sick.  The story starts out by asking if the dinosaur should do negative things like throw his tissues on the floor.  Then it describes what the dinosaur will actually do to feel better, such as take his medicine. Artwork:  The colorful illustrations show lots of details on each page.  The actions of the dinosaur are well depicted.  The facial expressions of the dinosaur are wonderful. Developmentally Appropriate:  Children would enjoy reading this book about a dinosaur.  They would enjoy knowing what the dinosaur should and should not to do feel better.  This would be a great story to share at the beginning of the cold and flu season.

16. Category: Books for Kindergarten children Title:  If you give a cat a cupcake Author:  Laura Numeroff Illustrator:  Felicia Bond Publisher/Date: Laura Geringer Books/2008 Annotation:  This is another picture book in the mouse a cookie series.  This time the story shows all the things that will happen if you give a cat a cupcake.  Some events that occur are: a trip to the beach, a museum tour, going rowing, and riding a merry go round. Artwork:  The end papers remind me of strawberry icing on a cupcake.  The illustrations and the text pair well together on the page.  The illustrations are detailed enough to show what is happening at each turn of events.  The illustrations also show the facial expressions very well, adding humor to the story.  My favorite illustration is of the cat at karate class. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great story to share with Kindergarten aged children.  They would probably be familiar with the other books in the series.  They may have even seen the cat in a previous story.  Children of this age would appreciate the humor of the story and would have fun seeing what else the cat will want on each page.  This would make a great story for retelling.

17. Category: Books for Kindergarten children Title:  Diary of a Spider Author:  Doreen Cronin Illustrator:  Harry Bliss Publisher/Date:  Joanna Cotler Books/2005 Annotation:  This is the diary of a spider.  It is written in journal form with snapshots.  Each page tells of a different entry.  The entries are quite humorous and the spider has some fun adventures.  An underlying message of the book is that spiders and ants can get along with each other and that spiders do many positive things in our world.  Grandpa Spider plays an important role in the diary entries. Artwork:  The illustrations are very detailed and help to tell the story on each page. Text is incorporated in various ways, such as dialogue, newspapers, and labels. The illustrations add to the humor displayed throughout the story.  I also enjoyed the illustrations that were supposed to be photographs from Spider’s life. Developmentally Appropriate:  Children in Kindergarten would enjoy the humor of this book.  They would also understand the concept of keeping a diary with text and pictures.  Children of this age would also like reading about spiders and insects.  The video of this book is also great to share with children.

18. Category: Books for Kindergarten children Title:  Zelda and Ivy Author:  Laura McGee Kvasnosky Illustrator:  Same as author Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/1998 Annotation:  This picture book style book is broken down into 3 mini chapters.  Each one features the fox sisters.  Zelda is always getting her younger sister Ivy into interesting circumstances.  In the first chapter, Zelda convinces Ivy to perform dangerous tricks on the swing set.  In chapter 2, Zelda convinces Ivy to decorate her tail with sparkles and other decorations.  When it is Zelda’s turn to decorate her own tail, she suddenly has other things to do.  In the third and final chapter, Zelda gets a baton and Ivy wants one too.  Zelda convinces Ivy that her baton makes magic fairy dust.  Ivy wishes on the magic fairy dust for a baton of her own.  Zelda secretly gives Ivy her baton during the night when she feels bad for lying to her sister.  Ivy is happy with her new baton, but when she realizes what her sister has done she suggests they share the baton. Artwork:  The artwork and text blend well in the book.  The pictures help to tell the story.  Most of the pages have one framed illustration.  Some of the pages have several framed illustrations.  This mixture makes the story more interesting.  The facial expressions of the fox sisters help to explain what is happening on each page. Developmentally Appropriate:  Kindergarten children would enjoy reading this story about the fox sisters.  They can appreciate the ups and downs of having a sibling.  They will also appreciate the humor used throughout the story.  The mini chapters of the book make this a great book for beginning readers.

19. Category: Books for Kindergarten children Title:  Miss Bindergarten gets ready for Kindergarten Author:  Joseph Slate Illustrator:  Ashley Wolff Publisher/Date:  Dutton Children’s Books/1996 Annotation:  This is an alphabet book featuring the popular Miss Bindergarten.  She is getting the classroom ready for her Kindergarten class.  As she prepares the classroom, it gets more and more colorful on the pages.  The alphabet is using the first names of the student’s in Miss Bindergarten’s classroom.  Each of them is doing something different to get ready for Kindergarten.  At the back of the book is a class picture naming all the classmates.  Artwork:  The colorful illustrations show what is happening on each page in detail.  The text is incorporated on the pages in creative ways.  The first letter of the student’s names is highlighted in a new color.  I enjoyed how the illustrations of the classroom got brighter as Miss Bindergarten worked on her classroom.  The endpapers showed a colorful alphabet. Developmentally Appropriate:  Kindergarten children can relate to getting ready for Kindergarten.  They may do many of the same things that the student’s in the story do to get ready to come to school.  They will relate with all the objects in the classroom.  They will also understand and enjoy the alphabet book part of the story.

20. Category: Books for Kindergarten children Title:  I Saw an Ant of the Railroad Track Author:  Joshua Prince Illustrator:  Macky Pamintuan Publisher/Date:  Sterling/2006 Annotation:  This is the story of an ant walking the wrong way on a railroad track.  The switch operator sees the ant and sees a train coming towards him.  He tries and tries to switch the train but he cannot.  At the last moment, the oblivious ant gets off the track and heads towards the switch operator’s lunch.  In the end they end of sharing his lunch. Artwork:  The illustrations in this story are fascinating.  The switch operator looks so lifelike.  The ant illustrations are very creative and humorous.  The reader can tell that he is oblivious to the oncoming train.  The sense of tension builds through the illustrations as the switch operator tries to stop the train. Developmentally Appropriate:  Kindergarten children would appreciate the illustrations in this story.  They would also see the humor of the story of the oblivious ant.  They would also enjoy the excitement of the switch operator trying and trying to stop the train.

21. Category: Caldecott books (appropriate for young children) Title:  Knuffle Bunny Too (Honor 2008) Author:  Mo Willems Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Hyperion Books for Children/2007 Annotation:  A sequel to Knuffle Bunny, also a Caldecott Honor book, this book tells the story of Trixie taking Knuffle Bunny to school.  She is so excited to show all her classmates, until she realizes that Sonja had a matching bunny.  They argue all day until the teacher takes away both bunnies.  Trixie’s day gets better when the teacher gives back Knuffle Bunny at the end of the day.  That night as Trixie can’t sleep, she realizes that the teacher gave her the wrong bunny.  With some encouragement, Trixie’s father and Sonja’s father exchange the bunnies in the middle of the night.  The girls are now best friends and are playing with each other’s bunnies. Artwork:  The unique combination of illustrations with photographs makes the story much more interesting.  The photographs serve as the background, while the illustrations show the characters.  I enjoy how the number of illustrations varies per page throughout the book. Developmentally Appropriate:  This story would be appropriate for older toddlers, preschool and young school age children.  They can relate to having a special item such as Knuffle Bunny.  They can also relate to being disappointed to learn that a classmate has the same one.  Young children could understand Trixie’s predicament when she realizes that she got the wrong bunny back.  I also feel that the children would enjoy the style of illustrations with photographs.

22. Category: Caldecott books (appropriate for young children) Title:  Red Sings from Treetops (Honor 2010) Author:  Joyce Sidman Illustrator:  Pamela Zagarenski Publisher/Date: Houghton Mifflin/2009 Annotation:  This is a picture book written in poetry style.  The story starts with spring and then moves through the rest of the seasons.  The story tells what each color is doing in each season.  The author starts with red and ends with red. Artwork:  The book information states that the illustrations are mixed media paintings on wood and computer illustrations.  The illustrations are very colorful and detailed.  They show the different seasons very well, each page feels like its appropriate season.  The colors mentioned on the page are also highlighted with the colors.  While I appreciate the illustrations, I do feel that there were more deserving books to receive a Caldecott Honor for this year. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate for older preschool and younger school age children.  You may only want to share a season at time, as the story is quite lengthy when read all at once.  There are many extension activities that could be completed with this book, including activities about colors, the seasons, and poetry.

23. Category: Caldecott books (appropriate for young children) Title:  The House in the Night (Winner 2009) Author:  Susan Marie Swanson Illustrator:  Beth Krommes Publisher/Date:  Houghton Mifflin/2008 Annotation:  This is a story about nighttime and things in the night.  The text is cumulative in nature.  The book begins by introducing all the items in the story (key, bed, book, etc.).  In the book is a bird that sings a song about the night.  All the items that were mentioned in the beginning become part of the song. Artwork:  All of the illustrations are black and white with the yellow objects that are mentioned in the story.  There are only a handful of words on each page.  The illustrations match the story very well. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate for toddlers through young school age children.  They can relate to the theme of nighttime and going to bed.  This would be a soothing bedtime story.

24. Category: Caldecott books (appropriate for young children) Title:  All the World (Honor 2010) Author:  Liz Garton Scanlon Illustrator:  Marla Frazee Publisher/Date:  Beach Lane Books/2009 Annotation:  This is a picture book that is written in poetry style.  It describes the things that all the world have in common and things that all the world can do.  For example, all the world is a garden bed, all the world is old and new, etc.  This books send a positive message to its readers, one of “hope and peace and love and trust”. Artwork:  The book information states that the illustrations are done in black Prismacolor pencil and watercolors.  The illustrations match the text very well.  Some pages have several smaller scenes, while others have a large 2 page scene displayed.  The illustrations help to bring the story to life. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate for older preschool and younger school age children.  They can understand the overall message that the author is getting across.  They would also enjoy the illustrations and the smooth flow of the language used in the story.

25. Category: Caldecott books (appropriate for young children) Title:  Olivia (Honor 2001) Author:  Ian Falconer Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  An Anne Schwartz Book/2000 Annotation:  This story introduces Olivia to the reader.  We get to meet her family and her pets.  We get to see some of the things she does like building sand castles on the beach and looking at artwork at a museum.  She is full of energy and does not like taking naps.  After her visit to the museum, she paints a picture on the wall and gets a time out for that.  Even in her sleep, Olivia is busy dreaming of being a singer on stage. Artwork:  The illustrations are done in charcoal and gouache on paper.  The illustrations are very simple, done mostly in black and white.  The red parts of the illustrations highlight Olivia and what she is doing on each page.  There are just enough details and facial expressions to explain the story in a simple manner. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate for toddlers through young school age children.  Children would love reading about Olivia is probably a lot like them.  They can experience a trip to the beach and an art museum by reading this story.

26. Category: Song books for young children Title:  This little light of mine Author:  African American spiritual is the text Illustrator:  E.B. Lewis Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/2005 Annotation:  This is an illustrated version of the African American spiritual.  The illustrations show a young boy shining his light in the world.  He does this by waving to his neighbors, helping an older lady pick up her spilled groceries, shaking hands with some elderly gentlemen, helping another young boy join in play with a group of boys, etc.  At the end of the story are the musical score and words to play and sing the spiritual song. Artwork:  The watercolor illustrations help to bring the story to life.  The illustrations are just detailed enough to show what is happening on each page.  The story unfolds as each page is turned to a new action the young boy is performing. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be an appropriate story to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  The older the child, the more they would understand the message of the song.  However, toddlers would also enjoy the illustrations and the flow of the words spoken or sung.

27. Category: Song books for young children Title:  Tweedle Dee Dee Author:  Charlotte Voake (based on the traditional folk song “The green leaves grew around” Illustrator:  same as the author Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/2008 Annotation:  This is an illustrated version of a song about the events occurring in a tree.  The text is simple and cumulative in nature.  The text and the illustrations blend well together.  Artwork: The watercolor and ink illustrations only use a few simple colors.  The colors used are greens, browns, and blues.  These tie into the overall theme of nature in the book. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate for toddlers through young school age.  The theme of the song portrayed is very simple to understand.  The nature loving children will especially enjoy this story and the illustrations.  The musical children will also enjoy the flow of the language in the story, whether spoken, sang, or played with an instrument.

28. Category: Song books for young children Title:  The Eensy-Weensy Spider­ Author:  Adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman Illustrator:  Nadine Bernard Westcott Publisher/Date:  Little, Brown and Company/2000 Annotation: The book begins with the musical score and words to the song along with movement suggestions.  This story is an adaption of the traditional song.  The eensy weensy spider gets a boo boo, buys some new shoes, and has some other adventures.  Artwork:    The watercolor and ink illustrations add a great amount of detail to the story.  The layouts of the illustrations are unique.  For a two page spread, one and 1/3 of the second pages are one large illustration showing what is happening on each page.  The second page contains the text and a smaller illustration of the spider. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great story to share with toddlers through young school age children.  They would enjoy the adaption of the familiar children’s song.  The illustrations and the flow of the language will keep the interests of the children.

29. Category: Song books for young children Title:  If you’re happy and you know it-Jungle edition Author:   James Warhola Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Orchard Books/ 2007 Annotation:  This is a fun take on the traditional children’s song and movement rhyme.  Each page features a different jungle animal doing a different action if they are happy, such as flapping their wings or beating their chest.  At the end of the story, there are several pages with the words to the entire jungle version song. Artwork:  The watercolor pictures help to show what is happening on each page.  The details in the pictures show things such as the happy facial expressions on the animals.  The illustrations also show the action on the page, keeping the reader wanting to turn the page. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great story/song to share with toddlers through young school age.  They would enjoy the illustrations of the jungle animals and doing the new motions that go along with this edition of the song.

30. Category: Song books for young children Title:  I know an old lady who swallowed a pie Author:  Alison Jackson Illustrator:  Judith Byron Schachner Publisher/Date:  Dutton Children’s Books/1997 Annotation:  This is a twist on the classic story of The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  This old lady eats food items instead of animals.  She eats bread, cake, a pot, a turkey, salad, squash and much more.  The ending of this story is much happier than the original version.  The old lady eats some bread and states that she is Full! Artwork: The colorful and detailed illustrations in this story help the reader understand what is happening on each page.  The reader will be able to guess which item the old lady will eat next.  The facial expressions in the story are also very clear and add to the enjoyment of the story.  Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great story to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  The older children may be familiar with the original version of the story, which could add to their understanding and enjoyment of this story.

31. Category: Poetry or Mother Goose books for young children Title:  Here’s a little poem-A very first book of poetry Author:  Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters Illustrator:  Polly Dunbar Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/2007 Annotation:  This is a collection of over 60 poems from various authors.  The table of contents lists the sections as: Me, Myself, and I; Who lives in my house?;  I go outside; and Time for bed.  There is also an index of poets and poem topics included.  Each poem is either on a single page with an illustration, or is spread out over two pages. The book is large in size for a children’s book.  Some of my favorite poems in the book are:  Soggy greens, The No-No bird, Berries, Sand House, Cat Kisses and Grandma’s Lullaby. Artwork:  The mixed media illustrations are simple yet show the details of the actions in the poems.  The illustrations match with their poems very well.  Each poem’s illustration is unique to its own topic. Developmentally Appropriate:  This is a great introduction to some of the most well known children’s poets.  Sharing a few poems with toddlers through school age would be appropriate.  If you were doing a program on a theme that is included in this book, sharing several of the poems would be a great idea.

32. Category: Poetry or Mother Goose books for young children Title:  Mother Goose Magic Author:  Kay Charao Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Dutton Children’s Books/1994 Annotation:  This mother goose poem/nursery rhyme book begins with a table of contents of the included rhymes. Eight different poems are included.  Some sample titles are:  Dickory, Dickory Dare and Joshua Lane.  Each rhyme is a twist on an original mother goose rhyme.  Each title is told on several different pages. Artwork:  The colorful and detailed illustrations help to show what it happening in the rhymes.  I liked how the illustrations took up an entire page and were framed in by a bold line.  The style of the illustrations is consistent throughout the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate for older toddlers through school aged children.  The older children would enjoy the twists to the original rhymes.  The younger children would enjoy the colorful illustrations and the sing song melody of the text.

33. Category: Poetry or Mother Goose books for young children Title:  Mary had a little lamb Author:  Sarah Josepha Hale Illustrator: Photos by Bruce McMillan Publisher/Date:  Scholastic/1990 Annotation: This is a photographed illustrated version of the traditional rhyme.  Each page shows a young girl interacting with a lamb. At the end of the book are several bonus features including:  an afterword describing the history of the rhyme, the text to the original version, a sample lesson on the rhyme from McGuffey’s Old Second Reader dated 1857, a description of how the book was made including the technical data of the photographs.  We learn that the lamb’s name in the pictures is Argyle. Artwork:  The photographs are well laid out on the page and blend well with the text.  The amount and sizes of the photographs varies throughout the book.  I particularly liked the photo of the lamb after he had been “turned out” of the school looking in the door by the sign saying “No pets allowed”. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with toddlers through young school age children.  Most children would be familiar with this rhyme and would be able to read along with the adult.  They would enjoy seeing the “real” girl interacting with the lamb, especially in the school scenes.

34. Category: Poetry or Mother Goose books for young children Title:  Sing a song of sixpence-A pocketful of Nursery Rhymes and Tales Author:  Jane Chapman Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/2004 Annotation:  The book begins with a Table of Contents listing many traditional nursery rhymes.  Some of these include:  Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Peep, Yankee Doodle, Jack be Nimble, etc.  Each rhyme gets a page or two to itself.  Each rhyme also has its own illustrations.  There is a nice amount of rhymes included in this book. Artwork:  The illustrations show the main characters and/or actions in the rhyme.  They blend well together and are colorful and eye catching. Developmentally Appropriate:  It would be appropriate to share some rhymes from this book with children of all ages.  The traditional rhymes are something that all children should be familiar with.  Sharing these rhymes a few at a time with a young child would be the best approach to sharing this book.

35. Category: Poetry or Mother Goose books for young children Title:  You Rear to Me, I’ll Read to You-Very short Mother Goose Tales to read together Author:  Mary Ann Hoberman Illustrator:  Michael Emberley Publisher/Date: Little, Brown and Company/2005 Annotation:  This is the third book in the You read to be, I’ll read to you series.  This book is published in connection with the Literacy Volunteers of America.  The beginning rhyme is a rhyme about reading the book.  The rest of the rhymes included are traditional nursery rhymes, the extended versions.  Each rhyme is spread across two pages and has its own set of illustrations.  The last rhyme in the book is a one page rhyme titled, “The End”.  It reviews what we have read about in the book. Artwork:  The illustrations are unique to each rhyme.  They blend well with the text and give the child something to focus on while the adult is reading the rhyme.  They are colorful and help show what is happening in each rhyme. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with young children of all ages.  The best way to share this book would be with a rhyme or two at a time.  Children can become familiar with these traditional rhymes through the use of this book.

36. Category: Nonfiction books for young children Title:  Color Author:  Ruth Heller Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Putnam & Grosset/1995 Annotation:  This is an information book all about colors.  We learn the basic colors, opposite and complimentary colors, the color wheel, and achromatic colors.  These complex topics are explained simply and the use of the overlapping clear pages help to clarify the concepts of the color mixing.  I enjoyed the page where we see the book from above and we see a previous page displayed/ Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are vital to making this an enjoyable and informative book.  They help to explain the complex topics being discussed with the text.  Without the pictures and the use of the clear pages, this book would be too complicated for young children. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great book to share with older preschoolers and young school aged children.  They have mastered the feat of naming their colors and are ready to learn more about the world of colors.  They may not understand fully all the concepts mentioned in the book, but it is a great introduction to the color wheel and color mixing.

37. Category: Nonfiction books for young children Title:  I want to be an astronaut Author:  Byron Barton Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date: Thomas Y. Crowell/1988 Annotation:  This is a simple picture book about being an astronaut.  The pages of the book are made out of sturdy paper, making it appropriate for young readers to manipulate.  Each page only has a few words of text.  The child explains all the things they would get to do as an astronaut.   These activities include eating ready to eat meals and wearing a space suit. Artwork:  The bright and colorful illustrations help to depict what is happening on each page.  The illustrations and the text complement each other and help to make the story clear.  This illustrator has a trademark of making his lines on the illustrations think and dark black.  The illustration style is consistent throughout the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate to share with preschool and young school age children.  They would enjoy the colorful illustrations and the simple text.  They would also enjoy seeing all the things that astronauts do on their job.

38. Category: Nonfiction books for young children Title:  All About Frogs Author:  Jim Arnosky Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Scholastic Press/2002 Annotation:  This is an informational book all about frogs.  Topics covered include: the life cycle of a frog, types of frogs, frogs vs. toads, and much more.  The text is simple and easy to read.  The topics are explained using simple to understand terms. Artwork:  The illustrations done with acrylic paint on acid-free watercolor paper.  They are detailed enough to show the facts mentioned in the book, without being overwhelming.  The illustrations match the text and the age level for this book. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to use with preschool and young school aged children.  They may not want to read the book from front to back.  However, they may want to learn a specific topic about frogs and can read those particular topics.  Children with an interest in frogs may enjoy the book more than others.

39. Category: Nonfiction books for young children Title:  I Get Wet Author:  Vicki Cobb Illustrator:  Julia Gorton Publisher/Date:  HarperCollins/2002 Annotation:  The book begins with a note to the parents, explaining the purpose of the book and materials to have on hand to complete the activities in the book.  This is a fun way to learn about water.  The book describes the many characteristics of water using very simple text.  Directions for performing simple experiments at home or school are incorporated into the text. Artwork:  The illustrations are bright and colorful.  They help tell the story of the water in the text.  The text is often shaped into unique designs, such as a drop of water or a glass of water.  The illustrations work well with the text to make a complex subject very simple. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great book to share with preschool and young school aged children.  They could follow the logic of the story and are familiar with the topic of water already.  They would also like performing the experiments described in the book.

40. Category: Nonfiction books for young children Title:  Apples, Apples, Apples Author:  Nancy Elizabeth Wallace Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Winslow Press/2004 Annotation: Artwork:  The collage style illustrations are my favorite part of this book.  This story tells of a family going apple picking.  A chart of apple types and their uses in incorporated into the story.  We learn about the seeds of an apple, that they are part of the flower family, the parts of an apple, the life cycle of an apple tree, Johnny Appleseed, and much more.  At the back of the book is a pictorial/word recipe for applesauce and directions for making apple print crafts.  Also included in a list of sayings about apples and the musical score and lyrics to an apple song. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great story to share with preschool and young school aged children at the beginning of the fall season when apples are being harvested.  There are so many facts about apples and ideas for apple related activities that the children would enjoy.

41. Category: Multicultural picture books for young children Title:  Masai and I Author:  Virginia Kroll Illustrator:  Nancy Carpenter Publisher/Date:  Four Winds Press/1992 Annotation:  This is the story of a little girl who learns about the Masai during school.  She compares the activities in her real life to what they would be like if she was a Masai.  For example, she buys a candy bar at the corner store and imagines that she would have to get honey out of a beehive for her dessert if she was a Masai.  At the end of the book, she decides that she would look the same as a Masai as she does now. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are done in oil and color pencil on paper.  The colors used in the book are very well suited for the story.  The illustrations help to show the reader what is happening in the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate for older preschool and younger school age children.  They could understand the concept of the story and the comparisons between the two story lines.

42. Category: Multicultural picture books for young children Title:  Hush! A Thai Lullaby Author:  Minfong Ho Illustrator:  Holly Meade Publisher/Date:  Orchard Books/1996 Annotation:  This is the story of a mother putting her baby to sleep.  Once the baby is asleep, the mother hears various animals making noises, mostly crying noises.  She hushes the animals and tell them not to cry because her baby is sleeping right nearby.  Once the mother gets all the animals to fall asleep, she herself falls asleep.  But guess who is awake now? The baby! Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are cut paper collage with ink.  I enjoyed the illustration style used in this book.  The texture of the items on the pages seems very life like.  The illustrations match the text and show the action on the pages very well. Developmentally Appropriate:  This story would be appropriate for older toddlers through young school aged children.  The older children would see the humor in the baby being awake when it is quiet.  All the children would enjoy seeing the new animal on each page and hearing the sounds the animals make.  Also the young children would enjoy the repetition of the text throughout the story.

43. Category: Multicultural picture books for young children Title:  moja means one-A Swahili Counting Book Author:  Muriel Feelings Illustrator:  Tom Feelings Publisher/Date:  Dial Books for Young Readers/1971 Annotation:  The book begins with a map of Africa showing where Swahili is spoken.  Next is an introduction to the adult describing the purpose and history of the book.  This is a counting book 1 -10.  Each two page spread contains the numeral, the Swahili word and pronunciation, and a sentence about the page.  The illustrations take up most of the two pages.  In each illustration is the correct number of items being described (one mountain, two villagers, three coffee trees, etc.).  The reader gets to learn some facts about Africa while reading the story. Artwork:  The illustrations are large and show the numbered items well.  They are done in shades of black and white.  The darker illustrations really stand out on the pages. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate for older toddlers through school age.  The older the child, the more they will take from the book.  The children will enjoy guessing what number comes next and counting the items on each page.  The older children will also like trying to pronounce the Swahili numbers.

44. Category: Multicultural picture books for young children Title:  Dim Sum for Everyone! Author:  Grace Lin Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Alfred A. Knopf/2001 Annotation:  This is the story of a young girl and her family eating at a dim sum restaurant in a Chinatown.  She describes what eating dim sum means and names all the foods that her family eats.  At the end of the book is a description of how dim sum came to be a tradition. Artwork:  I enjoyed the bright and colorful illustrations in this book.  They showed the dim sum foods and carts well.  The front end papers show a variety of Chinese ingredients and the back end pages show a variety of dim sum dishes. The placement of the text throughout the illustrations worked well. Developmentally Appropriate:  This story would be appropriate for preschool through young school age children.  This may be a topic that is unfamiliar to most of the children.  This would be a great opportunity to teach the children about a different culture through the familiar topic of food.

45. Category: Multicultural picture books for young children Title:  Big Jimmy’s Kum Kau Chinese Take Out Author:  Ted Lewin Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  HarperCollins Publishers/2002 Annotation:  This is the story of a young boy who helps his family out at their Chinese restaurant.  He describes all the actions of the day including, cleaning, preparing food, cooking, taking orders, and talking with the customers.  He describes the regular customers and the rush of the day.  He also describes some of the foods they are cooking.  At the end of the day he goes home to eat his favorite food-pizza.  There is a recipe for Buddha’s Delight included at the end of the story.  The Kum Kau restaurant is a real place in Brooklyn but the characters are fictional. Artwork:  The end pages in this book are the menu pages from the restaurant.  The illustrator “shot photos on location at Kum Kau Restaurant. Then using these photographs as reference, he made full size sketched on tracing paper.  Later, he added the figures that he photographed in his studio.  These sketches were transferred onto Strathmore Bristol and carefully drawn with a 7H pencil.  The finished paintings were done in Windsor Newton watercolors with red sable brushed.”  I enjoyed reading this information about the illustrations and it made me look closer at the pictures. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate for preschool through young school age children.  If children are familiar with Chinese restaurants then they will be able to understand the story better.  They may also think it is funny that his favorite food is pizza (which they can probably relate with).

46. Category: Wordless Books Title:  Jack and the Night Visitors Author:  wordless Illustrator:  Pat Schories Publisher/Date:  Front Street/2006 Annotation:  This is one of the books in a series about Jack.  The pictures tell the story of a young boy and his dog getting awakened by some night visitors that look like mini robots.  They take over his room and play with all his toys.  One of the robots asks Jack something and he returns with a bowl of cereal, which they eat.  Jack puts one of the visitors inside a jar.  The other visitors appear frightened and leave.  The visitor is the jar escapes and leaves as well. Artwork:  The illustrations do a great job of telling the story.  They are detailed enough to let the reader know what is happening on each page without being overwhelming.  The expressions on the faces of the characters help to tell the story as well. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book could be shared with older toddlers through young school age children.  Some children may need some guidance to understand what is happening on each page.  The adult can make up the story or have the child describe what they think is happening on each page.

47. Category: Wordless Books Title:  The Red Book Author:  wordless Illustrator:  Barbara Lehman Publisher/Date:  Houghton Mifflin Company/2004 Annotation:  This is the story of a girl who finds a red book in the snow.  When looking at the book she sees the other children that have also found the book.  She floats away on a bunch of balloons and drops the book.  On the pages on the red book we see her land on the beach with the boy who also found the red book. Artwork:  The illustrations tell the story very well with just the right amount of details.  The number of illustration frames varies per page letting us see the sequence of events happening on the pages. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate to share with preschool and young school age children.  They would be able to grasp the concept of what is happening in the pictures.  The children can tell the story to the adult or vice versa.

48. Category: Wordless Books Title:  Do you want to be my friend? Author:  Eric Carle Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date:  HarperCollins/1976 Annotation:  This is the story of a little mouse who is asking lots of animals to be his friend.  He is asking the tails of the animals and it doesn’t appear that any of them are answering him or else they do not want to be his friend.  The green line at the bottom of each page turns out to be a snake.  The mouse meets another mouse who agrees to be his friend and they hid in a burrow under the ground away from the snake. Artwork:  This book contains the unique illustration style of Eric Carle.  The pictures are bright, colorful and simple.  The illustrations are of common animals that children would know. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school aged children.  They would enjoy the concept of finding a friend and hiding from the snake.  They would also enjoy guessing what animal each tail belongs to.

49. Category: Wordless Books Title:  Museum Trip Author:  Barbara Lehman Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Houghton Mifflin Company/2006 Annotation:  This is the story of a little boy who goes on a museum trip with his class.  While he is busy tying his shoe, his class moves on without him.  While searching for them, he discovers a small room.  In this room are several small mazes on display.  The boy becomes part of the maze and completes all of them.  At the end he disappears into a room in one of the mazes.  We see through the keyhole that he is getting a medal.  Next, the boy catches up with his class and they leave the museum.  We see that he and the museum director are wearing the same medal. Artwork:  The illustrations in this story are great.  They do a great job of telling the story without any text.  The simple style is great and I enjoyed seeing the museum artifacts in the background. Developmentally Appropriate:

50. Category: Wordless Books Title:  Carl goes to Daycare Author:  Alexandra Day Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Farrar Straus Giroux/1993 Annotation:  This is the story of Carl the dog who goes to daycare with Madeline.  The teacher accidently locks herself out of the room.  Throughout the book we see the teacher try various things to get the door open, but nothing works.  Meanwhile, Carl the dog reads the day’s schedule and keeps the children on task doing their activities.  Carl even gets the room cleaned up and the children down for their nap.  Finally the teacher writes a sign that says “Carl open the door” and Carl opens the door and the teacher returns to the classroom. Artwork:  The illustrations are bright and detailed.  The reader can see exactly what is happening in each picture.  The placement of the illustrations shows us what the teacher is up to while Carl is managing the children. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through school age children.  They would be familiar with daycare or going to school most likely.  They would also see the humor in a dog reading the schedule and acting like the teacher.  They would enjoy telling the story to an adult or to a friend.

51. Category: ABC Books Title:  Alphabet House Author:  Nancy Elizabeth Wallace Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Marshall Cavendish Children/2005 Annotation:  This alphabet book is about the bunny family that lives in the alphabet house.  The end papers show an alphabet quilt.  The story starts with an introduction to the family members and an invitation to come inside and find things that start with A to Z.  Each page has an upper and lowercase letter, a bright background color, and a picture of the rabbit family doing something in their house.  Each page also contains several items that start with the letter on the page.  For example on the B page, there is:  baseballs, blinds, bumblebee, beak, belt, bowtie, buckle, bunny, book, butterfly, balloon, bear, basket, bell, bed, blue blanket or bedspread, boots, blue jeans, bus, broom, bird, bluebird, box, bat and blocks.  On the O page there is: oranges, ollie’s oatmeal, olive oil, onions, oh so good oatmeal cookies, oven, off/on, ovenmitts, octagon, and owl.  At the back of the book is a large list of all the items you can find in the book. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are made with origami and found paper.  I enjoy the collage style of illustrations.  They make each page interesting to examine.  The bright background colors make the illustrations stand out even more. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with toddlers through school age children.  The older children could find many of the items on their own, while the younger ones may need some help.  This book can add to a child’s vocabulary as there are many unusual items included (maraca, megaphone, marionette, yak, valance, suspenders, octagon, kilts, etc.).

52. Category: ABC Books Title:  alphabet adventure Author:  Audrey Wood Illustrator:  Bruce Wood Publisher/Date:  The Blue Sky Press/2001 Annotation: This is a fun story of the alphabet letters going on an adventure.  They are on their way to school when little i falls in the water and loses his dot.  They search and search but cannot find the dot.  Then they each go and search for something that could be used as the dot.  Little i is about to wear a cherry for his dot when the dot comes out of its hiding place.  All the letters board a pencil and go to school. Artwork:  According to the book information, the illustrations “were created digitally using various 3-D modeling software packages, assisted by Adobe Photoshop.” Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age.  It is not your typical alphabet book, rather the letters all go on an adventure together.  Children would enjoy searching for the dot and seeing the letters work together.

53. Category: ABC Books Title:  Miss Bindergarten Stays Home Author:  Joseph Slate Illustrator:  Ashley Wolff Publisher/Date: Dutton Children’s Books/2000 Annotation:  This is an alphabet book about Miss Bindergarten.  She stays home because she is sick.  The alphabet is used to describe what is happening at school without her.  For example, A-Adam puts his coat away.  Each day one of the students feels sick and stays home the next day.  Mr. Tusky is the substitute and enjoys his time with the class.  By Friday, everyone is back at school.  On Saturday and Sunday everyone stays home from Kindergarten, especially Mr. Tusky who is now taking his turn at being sick. Artwork:  The illustrations in this story are bright and colorful.  They help to explain what is happening in the story.  They are very appropriate for the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with preschool and young school age children.  They can relate with being sick and having to stay home.  They can also relate to the school activities that are taking place in the story.

54. Category: ABC Books Title:  The Gardener’s Alphabet Author:  Mary Azarian Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Houghton Mifflin Company/2000 Annotation:  This is an alphabet book using gardening terms.  The book begins with an introduction from the author about her love of gardens and reasons for writing the book.  Each page contains a word beginning with the correct alphabet letter (Arbor, Bulbs, Compost, etc.).  The word appears at the bottom of the page and the rest of the page is an illustration of that item.  My favorite pages are Japanese Garden and Nibble.  I learned a new term Xeriscape (landscape with desert plants). Artwork:  The woodcut illustrations are what drew me to this book.  I like the use of the frames around the illustrations and the use of dark lines.  Each page shows its topic well and has just the right amount of detail. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be appropriate to share with preschool to young school aged children.  They would enjoy the familiarity of the alphabet in the order of the book.  They would also enjoy learning more about the topic of gardening and expanding their vocabulary.

55. Category: ABC Books Title:  Alphabet under Construction Author:  Denise Fleming Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Henry Holt and Company/2002 Annotation:  This is an alphabet picture book about Mouse doing construction on all the letters of the alphabet.  For example, he quilts the Q, carves the C and tiles the T.  At the end of the book is a calendar with Mouse’s work schedule and things to do.  All of the letters are crossed off and a Hurray! Is written on the calendar.  Mouse looks exhausted.  Some of Mouse’s to do items were: clean chalkboard, order tiles for T, and celebrate halfway with M.E., Jan, and Linda. Artwork:  The book information states “the illustrations were created by pouring colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils. Bright colors were used throughout the book.  The letters of the alphabet stand out on each page.  We can clearly tell what Mouse is doing to each letter. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through school aged children.  They would enjoy guessing what letter comes next and what Mouse is doing to each letter.

56. Category: Counting Books Title: One More Bunny-Adding from one to ten Author:  Rick Walton Illustrator:  Paige Miglio Publisher/Date:  Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books/2000 Annotation:   This is a counting book from one to ten showing a group of bunnies playing on a playground. Each two page spread contains a new number.  The text box includes: the number, the number of bunnies that equals that number, addition problems showing the numbers that add up to the new number, and a short poem about what the bunnies are doing in the illustration.  At the end of the book, is a chart that tells you what else you can count on each page. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are made with colored pencil on watercolor.  The illustrations were bright and cheerful and clearly depict what is happening on each page.  The pictures reminded me of a warm Spring day on the playground. Developmentally Appropriate:  This story would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  The older children could start to understand the addition that is introduced in the book.  The younger children would enjoy the illustrations, the flowing text and counting the bunnies on each page.

57. Category: Counting Books Title:  Daisy 1-2-3 Author:  Peter Catalanotto Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date: A Richard Jackson Book-Atheneum Books for Young Readers/2003 Annotation:  This is a counting book from 1-20.  It is about Mrs. Tuttle’s obedience school and how she tells all the dogs named Daisy apart.  Each dog has a number and something unique about them.  For example, Daisy 9 hired 9 bodyguards, Daisy 15 can hear squirrels 15 miles away, etc.  At the end of the story, the dogs each have their own place or their own “spot”. Artwork:  The watercolor illustrations really bring the dogs in the story to life.  I liked the combination of the text and illustrations. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with preschool to young school age children.  They would enjoy guessing which number comes next and how each dog is unique.

58. Category: Counting Books Title:  Ten Seeds Author:  Ruth Brown Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Alfred A. Knopf Book/2001 Annotation:  This is a counting book about planting seeds.  It shows what happens when you plant 10 seeds, on each page something happens to one of the seeds or plants.  For example, the seeds get eaten by an ant, a pigeon, and a mouse.  A seedling gets eaten by a slug.  One shoot gets destroyed by a mole and another one by a cat.  A small plant gets destroyed by a runaway ball.  A big plant gets run over by an energetic puppy.  A bud gets destroyed by too many greenflies.  But the one flower and one bee make 10 new seeds to plant again. Artwork:  The illustrations in this story help to explain what is happening on each page.  You can see the action occurring on each page. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with toddlers through young school age children.  The book has rounded corners and extra sturdy pages making it a great book for toddlers to manipulate.  The older children would enjoy the backwards counting and the circular storyline.

59. Category: Counting Books Title:  Ten Red Apples Author:  Pat Hutchins Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Publishers/2000 Annotation:  This is a backwards counting book involving apples.  The apple tree starts out with 10 apples.  On each page, a different animal takes one apple.  When there is one apple left, the farmer is happy that there is one left for him.  When the farmer’s wife comes along to collect apples for a pie, she finds no apples left.  They find a different apple tree to fill her basket with apples for baking the pie. Artwork:  The illustrations were created with the use of gouache paints.  The illustrations were very bright and detailed.  I enjoy the use of the dark lines in the pictures.  The numerals stand out on the page and the text in incorporated well. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  They would enjoy seeing the animals take an apple from the tree.  They may enjoy guessing who will take the next apple and what will happen when all the apples are gone.

60. Category: Counting Books Title:  Ten Red Apples-A Bartholomew Bear Counting Book Author:  Virginia Miller Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Candlewick Press/2002 Annotation:  This is a counting book about apples on a tree.  Each page contains an extra apple on the tree.  The story tells the reader what Bartholomew the Bear likes doing with the tree.  At the end of the story they shake the tree and place the apples in a basket, and then there are 0 apples left.  They make them into an apple pie and enjoy eating it under the apple tree. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are created with charcoal and watercolor.  The pages contain great placement of illustrations, storyline text, apples to count, the numeral and written number word.  I liked how the red apples really stood out on each page, they also looked a bit shinier than the rest of the page. Developmentally Appropriate:

61. Category: Concept Books Title:  Me I am! Author:  Jack Prelutsky Illustrator:  Christine Davenier Publisher/Date:  Melanie Kroupa Books-Farrar, Straus and Giroux/2007 Annotation:  This is a story about being special.  It is the poem titled, “Me I Am!” and has illustrations showing children being different and unique.  There is no other you that thinks like you and looks like you, etc.  Artwork:  The artwork uses bright and colorful illustrations to show what is happening in all the parts of the story.  The illustrations are very appropriate for the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This story would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  Children can relate to themselves being unique and special.  This book contains a great message for all young children about their sense of self.

62. Category: Concept Books Title:  Mouse Shapes Author:  Ellen Still Walsh Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Harcourt, Inc./2007 Annotation:  This is the story of 3 mice running away from a cat.  They hide in a pile of shapes.  When the coast is clear they start making pictures out of the shapes.  They make a fish and the cat pounces at them so they run away again.  Next, they decide to make 3 scary mice out of the shapes and scare the cat.  After scaring the cat away they decide to make some Swiss cheese out of the shapes because they are hungry. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are created with cut paper collage. The various shapes stand out on the pages. I liked how the illustrations were framed in black and separate from the text. Developmentally Appropriate:

63. Category: Concept Books Title:  Kitten red yellow blue Author:  Peter Catalanotto Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date:  A Richard Jackson Book-Atheneum Books for Young Readers/2005 Annotation:  This is a book about colors showing Mrs. Tuttle’s kittens.  She tells them apart by the color of their collar and who they help at work.  For example, pink kitten practices ballet with Zoe the ballerina.  Many different colors are included that may not be as familiar to children (turquoise, chartreuse, tan, rust and teal).  I enjoyed the picture of the teal cat that helps Louann the pediatrician.  The teal cat helps take x-rays and surprised the doctor with an x-ray of himself waving.  The teal kitten is standing with an innocent/guilty look on his face. Artwork:  The watercolor illustrations highlight the color mentioned on the page.  The remainder of the illustration is mainly shades of white and black. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be an appropriate book to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  They would enjoy naming the different colors in the story.  They would also enjoy seeing the illustrations of the mischievous kittens.

64. Category: Concept Books Title:  Over Under Author:  Marthe Jocelyn Illustrator:  Tom Slaughter Publisher/Date:  Tundra Books/2005 Annotation:  This is a story about opposites.  It also includes many positional words (above, below, inside, outside).  There are few words on each page. Artwork:  The illustration style used in this book is painted paper cuts.  I like the use of high contrast colors.  The illustrations help to define the term listed on the page. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with toddlers through young school age children.  The older children may grasp the concepts presented in a more in depth manner.  The younger children would enjoy the bright and colorful illustrations and would get an introduction to the concept of opposites.

65. Category: Concept Books Title:  Big is Big (and Little, little) A book of Contrasts Author:  J. Patrick Lewis Illustrator:  Bob Barner Publisher/Date:  Holiday House/2007 Annotation:  This is a book about contrasts or opposites.  Animals are used to illustrate the concepts. Some of the opposites included are:  tall and short, day and night, cry and laugh, sweet and mean, etc.  Artwork:  According to the book information, the illustrations are made with cut and torn papers, handmade papers, pastels, and black egg tempera.  I enjoyed the use of thick black lines to outline the illustrations throughout the book.  Each page has a single color for the background.  This makes the characters on the page stand out the reader. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  The older children would grasp the concepts presented in a more in depth manner.  The younger children would enjoy the bright illustrations and the inclusion of many familiar animals.

66. Category: Folktales or fairy tales for young children Title: The Three Billy Goats Gruff Author:  Paul Galdone Illustrator:  Paul Galdone Publisher/Date: The Seabury Press/1973 Annotation:  This is the classic tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  The three billy goats want to go the meadow to eat the grass and get fat.  In order to get to the meadow, they must cross a bridge guarded by the mean troll.  The smallest of the three billy goats crosses first and convinces the troll not to eat him by telling him the other trolls are much bigger.  The second troll does the same thing.  When the third and largest troll crosses the bridge he ends up knocking the troll into the river with his strong horns.  The three billy goats are happy in the pasture to this day. Artwork:  The colorful illustrations help the reader to make sense of the story.  The illustrations are appropriate for the text. Developmentally Appropriate:  This story would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through school age children.  This makes a great story for retelling and dramatizing.  These activities will add to the understanding of the story.

67. Category: Folktales or fairy tales for young children Title: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Author:  Simms Taback Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date: Viking Press/1999 Annotation: This is the story of Joseph and his overcoat. It gets worn and then he makes a jacket out of it.  As each piece gets old and worn, he makes something else out of it (scarf, tie, handkerchief, button, etc.).  At the end of the story, Joseph makes a story about making something out of nothing (the illustrations show this book being made).  The last two pages of the book include a letter to the reader about why the author made the book and the musical score/lyrics to the song, “I had a little overcoat”.  The end papers of the book are a collection of fabric scraps that you could make something out of. Artwork: According to the book information, the artwork was done using watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink and collage. Developmentally Appropriate:

68. Category: Folktales or fairy tales for young children Title: The Three Bears Author: Byron Barton Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date: HarperCollins Publishers/1991 Annotation: This is a version of the traditional tale of Goldilocks and The Three Bears.  The storyline follows the original tale.  The three bears go for a walk while their porridge cools.  Goldilocks comes in a tastes the porridge, sits in their chairs and slept in their beds.  She likes baby bears things the best.  When the bears come home, they find and startle Goldilocks and she runs away never to be seen by the bears again. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are consistent with the illustrator’s normal style of very bright and graphic depictions of the story.  The illustrations follow the storylines very well and help the reader to follow the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with toddlers through school age children.  This is a classic story that children should be familiar with.  This story lends itself to retelling and dramatizing activities.

69. Category: Folktales or fairy tales for young children Title: Anansi and the Magic Stick Author: Eric A. Kimmel Illustrator: Janet Stevens Publisher/Date: Holiday House/2001 Annotation: According the book information, this story is loosely based on a Liberian story called The Magic Hoe and has similarities with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The story is about a lazy spider named Anansi who gets teased by the other animals for not doing any work.  Anansi goes for a walk and sees hyena sleeping but his work is all done.  He sees hyena use a magic stick.  Anansi steals the magic stick and uses it to clean up his yard, house and garden.  The stick throws the trash into Lion’s yard, paints Zebra with the house paint and throws the weeds into Warthog’s garden.  Anansi has the stick water the garden and falls asleep.  A flood occurs and hyena is able to get his stick back.  Now the animals have a lake to play in and Anansi is on the other side of the lake planning more tricks. Artwork: The book information states that the illustrations are created with digital elements, watercolor, watercolor crayon, and acrylic on Lanaquarelle watercolor paper.  The illustrations are very detailed, yet not overwhelming.  They help the reader understand what is happening in the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book is appropriate to share with preschool through young school age children.  They would understand the concepts of being lazy, teasing, and stealing.  They would also understand the magic used in the story gets out of control.  Children would also like the inclusion of the familiar animals.

70. Category: Folktales or fairy tales for young children Title: The Little Red Hen-An Old Fable Author: Retold by Heather Forest Illustrator: Susan Gaber Publisher/Date: August House Little Folk/2006 Annotation: This is a version of the original tale.  The hen finds some wheat seeds.  The dog, cat and mouse will not help her plant the seeds, water, harvest or grind the wheat.  However, after the hen does all the work herself and bakes a cake, the animals want to help her eat the cake.  She says she will eat the cake alone because they did not help her.  Now when the hen wants to bake all the animals help with the work and share the baked goods.  I enjoyed how the mouse was always reading a book to learn a new language. Artwork:  The painted illustrations are bright and colorful.  They help to tell the story and work well with the text.  The expressions on the animals’ faces are very clear. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book is appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  The theme of team work is one that children can benefit from hearing about.

71. Category: First Readers Title: Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa Author: Erica Silverman Illustrator: Betsy Lewin Publisher/Date: Harcourt, Inc./2005 Annotation: This easy reader is broken down into 4 different chapters. The first chapter is about Kate and her horse Cocoa.  The horse eats too many apples and is too full to be a cowhorse.  Kate tells Cocoa a story about a cowhorse, while she is waiting for him to not be too full.  Chapter 2 is about Kate bring Cocoa a surprise.  Cocoa wants the surprise to be food and doesn’t want to eat his breakfast or do his grooming routines.  When Cocoa opens his surprise he takes a bite out of it.  He is not happy to find out that his surprise is a hat.  Chapter 3 finds Kate and Cocoa counting cows. They get into an argument because Cocoa wants to eat instead of counting. Chapter 4 is about Kate sleeping in the barn.  Cocoa wants Kate to do many things for him before she sleeps.  Kate finds it hard to sleep in the barn but Cocoa sings her to sleep and cuddles up with her. Artwork: The painted illustrations help to tell the reader what is happening in the story.  The amount of illustrations matches the level of the text of the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This would be a great book to read to preschoolers.  Young school children would enjoy trying to read this story on their own.

72. Category: First Readers Title: There is a Bird on Your Head! Author: Mo Willems Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date: Hyperion Books for Children/2007 Annotation: This is an Elephant and Piggie Book.  Elephant ends up with two birds, a nest and 4 chicks on his head.  He is not happy about this situation.  Finally, he asks the birds to go somewhere else.  They find a new home on Piggie’s head!  The book contains the dialogue between Elephant and Piggie and the birds. Artwork: The simple illustrations do a wonderful job at getting the story across to the reader.  You can see the action on the page. The facial expressions are the best part of the book. Developmentally Appropriate: I would share this book with preschool through young school age children.  The older children could try to read the book on their own. This aged child would appreciate the humor in Elephant’s predicament and Piggie’s reactions.  I enjoyed the part where Piggie got teary eyed when the chicks hatched.

73. Category: First Readers Title: Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas Author: Cynthia Rylant Illustrator: Sucie Stevenson Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers/2005 Annotation: This is the 26th book in the adventures of Henry and Mudge.  This book is broken down into four short chapters. The first chapter is about Henry and Mudge visiting Henry’s Great Grandpa Bill at a house where lots of other Grandpas live.  We see what happens on one of these visits and the gifts that they bring for the Grandpas.  The chapter ends with Henry and Mudge looking for adventure outside the Grandpa house. Chapter 2 describes Henry and Mudge’s adventures in the woods and their discovery of a swimming pond.  While Henry goes to get his father to supervise him swimming, Mudge is already in the water.  Chapter 3 is about Henry, Mudge, his father and all the Grandpas going to the swimming pond and going swimming in their skivvies. They have a great time and share stories about their past. Chapter 4 describes their return to the Grandpa house and dinner of spaghetti made by Henry’s Mom. Artwork: The illustrations are done in pen and ink and watercolor.  The illustrations are detailed enough to show the reader what is happening on each page.  The illustrations really add to the understanding of the text. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book is appropriate to share with preschool through young school age children.  The older children would enjoy trying to read this short chapter book.  I am sure the children would find swimming in your skivvies to be humorous also.

74. Category: First Readers Title: The Berenstain Bears Clean House (An I Can Read Book) Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain Illustrator: same as authors Publisher/Date: HarperCollins/2005 Annotation: This is the story of the Berenstain Bear family doing some Spring cleaning.  They started at the bottom of the house and worked their way to the top.  They decided they had too many things.  They decided to have a yard sale.  Each family member had some of their items out for the yard sale.  Then they remembered the attic and saw that there were too many things up there to take to the yard.  After looking at the yard sale items, they had second thoughts.  They put all the items in the attic and canceled the yard sale.  They decided that the attic cleaning would wait until another day. Artwork:  The pictures in the book are appropriate for the level of writing in the story.  The illustrations help the reader to understand what is happening in the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with preschool through young school aged children.  The older children could try to read the book independently.  They would relate to cleaning and not wanting to get rid of your old toys.

75. Category: First Readers Title: Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl! Author: Tedd Arnold Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date:  Scholastic Inc./2010 Annotation: This easy reader featuring the Fly Guy character is broken down into 3 short chapters.  In Chapter 1, Buzz and Fly Guy decide to do something fun.  They do several things including going for a walk.  They see a girl running with a fly chasing her.  Buzz tells her not to worry and that flys are pets not pests.  The little girl knows this as the fly is her pet named Fly Girl. In Chapter 2, Buzz and Liz share some facts about their fly each one thinking their pet is better.  Then they become friends and go off to play on the swings.  In Chapter 3, Fly Guy and Fly Girl get to talking and liking each other, they get married and move away.  But then they both decide to just be friends and to go back to Buzz and Liz. Artwork: The illustrations make the story come to life, especially the pages where Fly Guy and Fly Girl are talking to each other.  The illustrations match the story line well. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book is appropriate for preschool through young school age children.  The older children could try to read the book independently.  They would understand the dialogue in the book as well.

76. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  All in a Day Author:  Cynthia Rylant Illustrator:  Nikki McClure Publisher/Date:  Abrams Books for Young Readers/2009 Annotation:  This charming story is about what all a day can bring.  It sends the positive message that the day is yours and you can choose to make the best of it.  It also tells the reader that you never know what a new day has in store for you. Artwork:  The cut paper illustrations help to bring the story to live.  I liked the use of black and white on each page with a different background color.  The figures on each page really stand out. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with preschool through young school age children.  They would be old enough to grasp the meaning of the story.  They would also enjoy the style of illustrations.

77. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash Author:  Sarah Weeks Illustrator:  Nadine Bernard Westcott Publisher/Date:  HarperCollins/2000 Annotation:  This is the story of Mrs. Nelly McNosh and what happened when she planted a squash.  It immediately started to grow and kept growing.  It grew so big that Mrs. McNosh was not sure what to do with it.  At the end of the story, we see that she has made a house out of the giant squash. Artwork:  The colorful illustrations show the humorous details of what is happening on each page.  The illustrations really add another dimension to the story; they make it even more humorous than the text. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  They would appreciate the humor of the story and seeing Mrs. McNosh’s reactions.

78. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum Author:  Lisa Wheeler Illustrator:  Laura Huliska-Beith Publisher/Date:  Little Brown and Company/2004 Annotation:  This is the story of several animals that get stuck in some bubble gum.  They must chew and chew to get free.  They make a bubble with the gum.  A bear pops the balloon and the animals must run from the bear.  Luckily the bear is now stuck in the gum.  A hen enters the scene at the end of the story and we see that the story is going to repeat itself.  The story is written in a very poetry like style. Artwork:  The book information states that the illustrations are made with “acrylic and collaged paper on Strathmore paper.”  The colorful illustrations show what is happening on each page with detail.  The story could probably be told with the illustrations only. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with older toddlers through young school age children.  They would appreciate getting stuck in bubble gum and the humor of the story.

79. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  I’m Mighty! Author:  Kate & Jim McMullan Illustrator: same as authors Publisher/Date:  HarperCollins/2003 Annotation: This is the story of a tugboat proving that he is mighty enough to tow the largest of boats.  We see him tow several boats, including a large cruise ship.  He is mighty enough to tug them all and shows great confidence in his tugging abilities. Artwork:  The illustrations in this story are colorful and show what is happening on each page.  I liked the combination of illustrations and the placement of text on the page. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with preschool and young school age children.  They would enjoy the fact that tugboat is so confident and that he proves his towing capabilities.

80. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  The Dress I’ll Wear to the Party Author:  Shirley Neitzel Illustrator:  Nancy Winslow Parker Publisher/Date: Greenwillow Books/1992 Annotation:  This is the story of a young girl getting dressed for a party.  She gets dressed using her mother’s items.  These include her dress, shoes, purse, jewelry, etc.  When her mother finds her, she undoes all the dressing up.  The little girls then dresses in her own dress for the party.  The story is written in cumulative style. Artwork:  The book information states that the illustrations are done with black pen, watercolor paints, and colored pencils.  Each item that the little girl adds to her outfit gets its own page.  Each item then repeats itself throughout the story in a smaller version. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with older toddlers through young school age children.  They could easily understand the concept of getting dressed.  Girls especially would enjoy seeing the little girl get dressed very fancily in her mother’s clothes.

81. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What do you see? Author:  Bill Martin Jr. Illustrator:  Eric Carle Publisher/Date: Henry Holt and Company/2003 Annotation:  This story is another version of the Brown Bear Brown Bear series.  The story begins with a note to the reader about endangered animals.  Each page features a new animal, the animal is asked what they see and they see the animal on the next page.  Animals included are: panda bear, bald eagle, water buffalo, spider monkey, sea turtle, macaroni penguin, sea lion, red wolf, whooping crane, and a black panther.  The story ends with the black panther seeing a dreaming child and the dreaming child sees all the animals in the story. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are typical Eric Carle illustrations.  Each animal is shown with a wonderful tissue paper collage illustration.  The animals stand out on the pages. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with older toddlers through young school age children.  Most children would be familiar with the set up of the story line and they could read along with the adult.  This story introduces children to a variety of new animals in a simple way.

82. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  Hello, Day! Author: Anita Lobel Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date:  Greenwillow Books/2008 Annotation:  This is a story of various animals welcoming their day with the noise that they make.  What they are saying is Good Morning.  When the sun sets, the owl makes his noise but what he is really saying is Good Night. Artwork:  The book information states that the illustrations were made with markers, colored pencils, watercolors, and gouache.  I like how each two page spread contains one full page of illustration and one full page with the large text.  I like that one animal is introduced at a time.  The illustrations of each animal are wonderful and the animals stand out on the page. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with toddlers and preschool children.  They would enjoy naming the animals and the noise that they make.  They would also like the illustrations.

83. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  Pumpkin Eye Author:  Denise Fleming Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Henry Holt and Company/2001 Annotation:  This is a story about Halloween night.  The story is written in a very poetry like style.  The author includes all the sights to be seen on Halloween night, including black cats and dragon tails. Artwork:  The illustrations were made “by pouring colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils.  The illustrations have a dark background telling us that the story is happening at nighttime.  I enjoy Fleming’s style of illustrations and think they make very colorful unique figures on the page. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with preschool and young school age children.  They would understand the images that are seen on Halloween night.  The images are presented in a way that is not too scary.  This would be a great story to share before Halloween.

84. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  Go Away, Big Green Monster! Author:  Ed Emberley Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date: Little, Brown and Company/1992 Annotation:  This is the story of the facial features of a big green monster.  The reader wishes away the features one at time and tells the monster not to come back until they say so. Artwork:  The illustrations are what make this book appealing.  The cut outs on each page reveal the new feature of the monster.  When the reader is wishing the parts away, the parts disappear as you turn the page.  If the illustrations were not done in this style, the book would not be as appealing. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with older toddlers through young school age children.  They would like the fact that the images change as you turn the page.  I think they would also like making the monster disappear.

85. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  The Mixed-Up Rooster Author:  Pamela Duncan Edwards Illustrator:  Megan Lloyd Publisher/Date: HarperCollins/2006 Annotation:  This is the story of Ned the rooster.  He is not a morning bird and doesn’t wake the hens up on time, so he gets fired.  He has fun with his nighttime friends in the forest.  He ends up saving the hen house from a night visit from a snake.  His new job is head of nighttime security for the hens. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are cartoon like.  They are detailed enough to show what is happening in the story. The combination of the illustrations and the text make the story come to life. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with preschool and young school age children. They would understand what is happening in the story.  They would also relate with not wanting to get up in the morning.

86. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  The Pout-Pout Fish Author:  Deborah Diesen Illustrator:  Dan Hanna Publisher/Date:  Farrar Straus Giroux/2008 Annotation:  This is the story of a fish who says he is a pout pout fish and must spread his dreariness around.  All the other fish tell him he should change his ways.  He keeps saying he would like to but he can’t because he is a pout pout fish.  Then a new fish comes along and gives him a kiss.  After recovering from the shock, he decided he is a kissing fish and starts kissing the other fish. Artwork:  The bright and colorful illustrations in this book help to make the story come to life.  The illustrations are cartoon style.  I liked the facial expressions on all the fish. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with preschool and young school age children.  They would see the humor at the end of the story.  They would also understand the storyline leading up to the funny ending.

87. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? Author:  Nancy White Carlstrom Illustrator:  Bruce Degen Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/1986 Annotation: This is the story about all the things that Jesse Bear wears throughout the day.  We see what he wears in the morning, at noon, and at night.  He wears more than just his clothes.  He wears sand, parts of lunch, and his blanket just to name a few. Artwork:  The illustrations in this book are made with pen and ink along with watercolor.  I like how each page contains a framed illustration with a framed text box at the bottom.  The illustrations are detailed without being overwhelming to the reader. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this book with older toddlers through young school age children.  They would be able to relate to the various items that Jesse Bear wears throughout the day.  They could also name the different things that they wear during the day.

88. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  The Tiny Seed Author:  Eric Carle Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/1987 Annotation:  This is the story of one tiny seed that battles its way to grow into a flower.  The seed survives being burned by the sun, ate by a bird, trampled by a child and many more things.  It finally grows into a large flower.  At the end of the story, the flower sends its seeds into the wind to start the story over again. Artwork:  This book contains the collage style illustrations of Eric Carle.  As usual, the illustrations are wonderful.  They add to the understanding of the text and make the action on the page come to life. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this story with preschool and young school age children.  They would be able to listen to the whole story and to understand what is happening in the story.  There are also many activities that children of this age could do after reading the story.

89. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  I Like Me! Author: Nancy Carlson Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date:  Viking/1988 Annotation:  This is the story of a pig who finds out that her best friend is herself.  She names some things she can do by herself (painting, riding her bike, reading books).  She also names ways she takes care of herself (brushing her teeth, keeping clean, eating good food).  She also names the things she likes about herself (curly tail, round tummy, tiny feet).  She also talks about cheering herself up and trying again and again. Artwork:  I like that each page has a framed illustration and the text at the bottom.  Each illustration is showing one idea from the story.  The story could be retold using only the pictures. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this would older toddlers through young school age children.  They can appreciate the theme of this story.  Children need to hear that they can be their own best friend and that they should enjoy doing things by themselves sometimes.

90. Category: Free Choice Books for infant through Kindergarten Title:  The Lonesome Polar Bear Author:  Jane Cabrera Illustrator:  same as author Publisher/Date:  Random House/2002 Annotation:  This is the story of a lonesome polar bear whose only friend was a snow cloud.  The snow cloud tries making several snow animals for the polar bear to play with.  The snow animals do not play with the polar bear and they just melt away the next day.  Finally, the polar bear finds another polar bear to play with and he is not lonely anymore. Artwork:  I was drawn to this book by the painted style of the illustrations.  The illustrations make the figures on the page stand out.  The illustrations match the text nicely. Developmentally Appropriate:  This book would be appropriate to share with preschool and young school age children.  They could relate to the polar bear not having anyone to play with.  They would enjoy the happy ending of finding a friend to play with.

91. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title:  Let’s Go Camping Toy Set Author:  NA Illustrator:  NA Publisher/Date:  Available from the Cuyahoga County Library System Toy Library Annotation:  This set contains many camping related toys.  Included are:  camp stove, pan, utensil set, water bottle and cup, wrist compass, lantern, and binoculars. Artwork: NA Developmentally Appropriate:  This set is appropriate for toddlers through school age children.  They can role play going camping and all the related activities.  The items included allow for many dramatic play ideas to be explored.

92. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title:  National Wildlife Federation-Wild Animal Baby (Magazine) Author:  National Wildlife Federation Illustrator: same as author Publisher/Date: April 2010 Annotation: This is a small magazine made out of sturdier paper than a regular magazine, making it ideal for small hands to manipulate.  The mini magazine includes: a story introducing facts about a baby mallard duck, a shape search, a number search page, information about baby raccoons, an opposites page and a few other features.  Artwork:  The photographs of the baby animals are close up and show the animals well.  There is a good mixture of illustrations, photographs and text. Developmentally Appropriate:  This magazine would be appropriate to share with older toddlers through young school age children.  The older children could try reading some of the pages themselves.  The children would enjoy looking at this different form of a story.

93. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title: Ladybug – the magazine for young children Author: NA Illustrator: NA Publisher/Date: Cricket Magazines/March 2010 Annotation: This magazine contains several different features: several short stories, poems, a seek and find picture, a song with motions, a poem story, and a comic. Artwork: There is a nice combination of text, illustrations and photographs.  Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this magazine with preschool and young school age children.  The older children could try to read some of the pages themselves.

94. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title:  Highlights High Five (Magazine) Author: NA Illustrator: NA Publisher/Date: April 2010 Annotation: This is a great magazine for young children to look at on their own or with an adult.  Some of the features include: several short stories, several puzzles to complete, a mini book to make, and instructions for several activities.  A specific example from this issue is a pictorial recipe for a bunny salad. Artwork:  There is a great combination of text, illustrations and photographs throughout the magazine.  The illustrations match the level of the text and help to show what is happening in the stories. Developmentally Appropriate:  This magazine is appropriate for older toddlers through young school age children. The older children could try to read some of the pages on their own.

95. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title: Toddlerific (Music CD) Author:  Georgiana Stewart Illustrator: NA Publisher/Date:  Kimbo Educational/1993 Annotation:  This is a music CD full of 18 songs geared for toddlers.  They are fun and upbeat songs with instruments and singing.  Some sample titles are: “Trolley Song” “Wiggle Walk” “Funny Faces” and “Ring Around a Rainbow”.  The songs also have a lot of movement suggestions in them.  The CD comes with an insert that includes the lyrics, movement suggestions, and activity suggestions. Artwork: NA Developmentally Appropriate:  I would play this CD with toddlers.  I also think preschool aged children would enjoy many of the songs as well.  The songs include some very high energy songs and would be great to use to build excitement and to expend some energy.

96. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title: Jim Gill sings Do Re Mi on his Toe Leg Knee Author:  Jim Gill Illustrator: NA Publisher/Date: Jim Gill Music Inc./1999 Annotation:  This CD contains 14 songs by Jim Gill.  The CD comes with an insert with the lyrics.  Some sample titles are:  “The Tempo Marches On” (where the song gets faster and faster), “Toe Leg Knee” “Yes, No, Maybe” and “Mashed Potatoes”.  Many of the songs are interactive with the listeners. Artwork: NA Developmentally Appropriate:  I would use this CD with older toddlers and preschoolers.  The older children would be able to follow the directions in the song better than the younger children.  The children would enjoy the lyrics and the interactions with the singer.

97. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title: What do you do with a tail like this? (DVD) Author:  Robin Page and Steve Jenkins Illustrator: same as authors Publisher/Date: Weston Woods/2008 Annotation:  This CD is the animated version of the story book.  Various animal parts are introduced throughout the story and we then find out who they belong to and what function they serve.  The video also has the option to view the video with the read along words at the bottom of the screen.  The authors also have a section on the video where they discuss how the book was made.  There is also a section on the video that gives more information about all the animals in the story.  The DVD also comes with an insert full of sharing and teaching ideas about the movie. Artwork:  The illustrations in the video are amazing.  The illustrations of the animal body parts and the animals give just the right amount of detail.  The movement of the illustrations in the video adds another dimension to the story. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this video with toddlers through young school age.  The older children would have an easier time guessing what animal was coming up next.  They would enjoy seeing the book come to life on the TV screen.  The older children would also like the feature where they could learn more about the animals that they are interested in.

98. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title:  Diary of a Spider (DVD) Author:  Doreen Cronin Illustrator:  Harry Bliss, Narrated by Angus T. Jones Publisher/Date:  Scholastic-Weston Woods/2005 Annotation:  This CD contains 5 different stories on one DVD for a total length of 69 minutes.  The main story is Diary of a Spider where we see the book come to life.  The spider relates his daily events and he becomes friends with a fly in the process.  The other stories on the DVD are: Norman the Doorman, Roberto the Insect Architect, The Mysterious Tadpole, and The Story of the Dancing Frog.  This DVD also offers the read along feature with the words at the bottom of the screen Artwork:  The illustrations of the books come to life.  They are great illustrations to begin with, but when movement, narration and music are added they really come to life. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this DVD with preschool and young school age children.  They would enjoy all the stories on the DVD and could understand the storylines easily.

99. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title:  Bear Snores On and more ‘beary’ adorable tales (DVD) Author: Karma Wilson (also does the narration) Illustrator:  Jane Chapman Publisher/Date: Scholastic-Weston Woods/2002 Annotation:  This DVD contains 6 different stories for a total of 60 minutes.  The main story featured is Bear Snores On. In this story bear is sleeping and snoring while the other animals come into his lair and light a fire. They also make food and have fun while Bear is sleeping.  Some pepper wakes up Bear and he sneezes while the other animals freeze.  At first Bear is angry and then he is sad that they had fun without him.  So they all join in on the fun.  In the morning the animals all asleep except for Bear.  The other stories included are: Bear Wants More, Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Panama, and The Bear and the Fly.  This DVD also contains the read along feature where the words are on the bottom of the screen. Artwork:  The illustrations of the book come to life in the video.  The animals stand out in each scene and the movement gives the story more action.  Another effect that brings the illustrations to life in the spanning in and out on specific illustrations. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this video with older toddlers through young school age children.  The stories are simple with an easy to understand storyline.  The stories would also be in depth enough to keep the interests of the older children.

100. Category: Listening/Viewing (Videos/DVDs, Cassettes, CDs, Cd-ROMs, Computer software, Educational Toys, or Magazines) Title: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands and more stories to celebrate the environment Author: folk song Illustrator: Kadir Nelson, sung by Chrystal Taliefero Publisher/Date: Scholastic-Weston Woods/2005 Annotation: This DVD contains 7 different stories for a total of 60 minutes.  The main story featured is He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. This traditional folk song is sung by a wonderful singer and a group of young children.  The song’s lyrics come to life in the video. The other stories included are: Come On, Rain!; Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message; Owl Moon; The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks; Patrick; and A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog.  This DVD also has the read along feature where you can follow along with the words at the bottom of the page. Artwork:  The illustrations in the book are brought to life in the video.  Kadir Nelson’s illustrations are deep and detailed in the book.  The combination of these wonderful illustrations, the lyrics to the song, and singer’s voices and the music make this a wonderful video to share with children. Developmentally Appropriate:  I would share this video with older toddlers through young school age children.  The message of celebrating our environment is one that all children should be familiar with.  These stories combine to make a great educational DVD.