Elephant & Piggie are back. They are just going about their day when they suddenly realize… They are in a book and people are reading every word they say! How does the dynamic duo handle this revelation? They do it with humor, of course. Be...
Childrens Bookcasts
The library got a new book today. On the cover was a little girl standing under a toadstool. It was shiny and new and all the kids wanted to check-it out. The book was very happy to be so wanted by kids. After a year, the new book wasn’t so...
When the sun goes down, bats come out. They fly and eat and dive all night but it isn’t enough. They are bored. That is, until they see a window left open to their favorite place. It’s the library! But just what do bats do in a library? You’ll...
Salma and Lily are best friends. They do everything together at school. They even sit together at lunch. Well, they do until they get into a fight…about sandwiches. Find out how the two get their friendship back by reading "The Sandwich Swap."...
“I am naturally fond of adventure, a little ambitious and a good deal romantic – But patriotism was the true secret of my success.” – Sarah Edmonds a.ka. Frank
It’s no secret that women played a part in the Civil War. However, this woman...
Goldfish enjoys swimming in his bowl...until it is invade by newcomers. A crabby crab arrives, a gunk eating snail, two guppies in love and the list goes on and on. Just as Goldfish thinks he can’t take it anymore, he is alone again. Goldfish...
Jane Goodall was a young girl when she decided she wanted to go to Africa and learn about animals. There were some roadblocks for Jane, such as she was poor and girls were not encouraged then to have careers or jobs. But Jane was lucky because...
Little yellow bird, little white dog, little orange fox, and little brown squirrel are having a bad day. One lost a feather, one gets tangled up and one has lost it's food. How can they change their day into a good one? Find out by reading ...
Ever have a dog?
Ever give your dog a ball?
Ever had a dog love his or her ball?
In “A Ball For Daisy” there are no words to tell the story. In this book, the beautiful pictures tell the tale, allowing readers and non-readers...
If you know the nursery rhyme, “The House that Jack Built,” you will know “The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred.” The animals add more and more to the cazuela (Spanish for “pot”) to help the farm maiden cook a wonderful dish. Want to...
When David asked his dad for a penguin at the aquarium, his dad gladly handed him $20 bucks. He thought David was buying a stuffed penguin; however, David was bringing home a real penguin! He named him Magellan. David used the $20 bucks to buy...
Do you like to play dress up? Feather boas, high heel shoes and fancy jewelry make you feel like a princess? Well they do for the little girl in “Every-Day Dress-Up” too. That is until her mommy tells her about great women of history. So now she...
George is turning 7…and no one remembered! His family was too busy to realize. So George went through his usual day of lessons, chores, and gets in trouble over a cherry tree incident. Will anyone ever remember George’s birthday? George...
Grandpa Green has lived a full life full of adventure and fun. He lived on a farm, was a paratrooper, fell in love, and had lots of kids. His great grandson gets to relive those memories in his grandfather’s garden. The shaped topiaries and...
Have you ever been out playing in the snow? Did you know there is a whole world beneath the snow that some people don’t know about? There is! It is home to all sorts of animals, big and small. Find out which animals make beneath the snow their...
Does your class have a pet? Have you ever wondered what they think about you? In, “8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = Chaos” Twitch, the squirrel, gets chased by a dog into School; he turns to the various class pets for advice. It is very funny...
In Italy, the village of Calabria has many festas or celebrations. Each one filled with wonderful food and friends from the village. Big Anthony is a great help to Strega Nona as she prepares the feasts. Until, she makes a dish Big...
It all started with a kite stuck in a tree. Floyd tries to get his kite out by throwing his shoe at the kite, but then his shoe is stuck. His other shoe got stuck trying to get the first shoe, then his cat, ladder, kitchen sink and more stuff...
Coming soon to theaters near you!
Winner of the 2008 Caldecott Award, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is an innovative, smart, and visually exciting new book.
Hugo lives in the walls of the Paris train...
Sirs Zack and Caspar along with King Jack have made a mighty fort. They spend the day fighting off dragons and beasts. That is until giants come along and take away Sir Zack and then Sir Caspar. Left alone, King Jack is left to defend the fort...
What happens when Chicken decides to help paint a picture? Trouble! Chicken finds the blue paint and before he knows it everything is blue. The cow is blue, the barn is blue, and now Chicken is blue. Blue, blue, blue everywhere. Will Chicken...
By: Michael Chabon
Meet the superhero with all the right stuff; cape, mask and a fancy letter “A” on the chest of his super suit. He can fly, fight bad guys and has a sidekick – Moskowitz the Awesome Dog. Just like every superhero, Awesome...
More than anything in the world, Pyn wants a Christmas tree. She has never had one before and wants very badly to decorate a tree. But when she asks her grumpy Papa, he says, “No Christmas tree.” She knows a Christmas tree will make their...
Bum BaBum Bumm! Here comes Bumblebee Boy superhero. He is ready to fight pirates, slay dragons and capture bank robbers. Until Owen, his little brother comes along. Sam (a.k.a Bumblebee Boy) can’t understand why Owen doesn’t understand that...
The three aliens are named Bork, Gork and Nklxwcyz. When their home gets crowded, mama says that it is time the three little aliens find planets of their own. But they must beware of the Big Bad Robot!
Will the three little aliens make it...
Ben and Rose don’t belong in their respective worlds. Rose is a prisoner in her own home. She looks across the river and sees New York City and all its promises and mysteries. More than anything she wants to meet the actress whose life she has...
Jim Henson wanted to make people laugh. Growing up in Mississippi, all he had was his imagination to keep him busy, not TV or video games like kids of today. From that imagination, his ability to work marionettes, he found a love of puppetry....
An especially cold winter day has cast sadness on everyone at the zoo. No one feels like hooting or playing and the zoo closed early. What better way to perk up than a Zoozical? A very small hippo and baby kangaroo get the ball rolling as they...
Every Christmas vacation, Eric stays at his grandma’s house while his parents work. This vacation, however, he has a special assignment from his teacher. He needs to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view a painting and write a report about...
In a very remote area of Alaska near the Arctic Circle, the people of Nome were in trouble. Several children and adults had contacted a deadly disease called diphtheria. The only way to save them and the rest of the town was to give them a...
Mole lives for Rock ‘n’ Roll. He plays the electric guitar, he wears the leather jacket and he the sunglasses…all the time. There is only one problem: Mole won’t perform in front of an audience. He is scared. But when his best friend, Pig,...
“What if I want to be a pirate and sail away on a pirate ship?” Danny asks his mom. His mom states that she would be sad but he can come home anytime. Danny’s mom will risk dolphins, pirates, and magic spray in order to bring Danny home. Is...
This story about the Gingerbread Man is like the traditional one but with a twist. In this tale, room 23’s students make the Gingerbread Man from scratch. After he comes out of the oven to cool, the students leave to recess. The Gingerbread...
Olive and her parents have moved into an old Victorian home on Linden Street. The house is full of antiques that belonged to the previous owners. Everything in the house seems spooky, especially the paintings on the walls. Olive feels like an...
Skippyjon Jones is back for another adventure. He wants to go to school but his mom says that school is for “unruly and drooly” dogs. Skippyjon decides to go anyway. So as his alter ego El Skippito, he hops on the bus and is off to an exciting...
If you like Cinderella and horses, this is the book for you. Ponyella had a wonderful life that included jumping, green pastures and wonderful owners. That all changed when the farm was sold and the new owners moved in with two new ponies,...
Mommy and Daddy Blue Jay have decided to build a nest on the balcony of author John Berendt’s home. Mr. Berendt gets his camera and records the whole experience. He takes pictures of the eggs being laid, their hatching, their feeding and...
Suzanna “Zanna” Snow has always wanted to be a detective like her UncleBruce in Boston. She keeps a pencil and notebook with her always to record her observations. So far, she has been unable to solve any mysteries or crimes because in the...
Author Dan Yaccarino has written a fun and tender picture book about his family. He begins with his great-grandfather who journeys from Italy to America in search of a better life. Although he arrives with very little money, he brought with him...
Betty Bunny thinks it’s a compliment to be a handful. After a healthy meal of peas, carrots and potatoes, Betty Bunny is offered a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Being picky, she at first rejects the dessert. Once she tries it, she LOVES it...
New York City, 1931 was a cool place to be. Babe Ruth was hitting his 611th homerun, kids tasted Snickers for the 1st time, and an awesome new bridge was completed. And on one wonderful sunny day the John J. Harvey fireboat was launched. It...
Oscar is a grayish-greenish-brownish snail; just like his 25 brothers and sisters. The whole family is happy about who they are, except Oscar. More than anything he wishes to be famous and not so…well…ordinary. However, he quickly learns that...
Duck only wants an egg like all the other animals-the hen, the parrot, the owl and the flamingo. When he finds his own egg, he is very happy. The others make fun of it but he thinks it is beautiful. When his is last to hatch, Duck wonders what...
Toddie’s parents decide to take a trip to New York City. His Pa says that they should try to blend in. But how does a wicked big toddlah blend in when he towers over everyone? While they are sightseeing, he gets separated from his parents; a...
For a mountain goat named Huck, nothing is better than eating flowers. Other stuff just doesn’t cut it! When all the flowers are gone, Huck runs around in a frenzy searching for flowers to eat. Without hesitation he is a climbing sensation and...
J.J. Tully was a famous search and rescue dog who performed many heroic acts. Now he is retired on a ranch trying to enjoy his life of ease. When Moosh, the chicken, and her chicks, Dirt and Sugar, come to him with a problem involving their...
Monkey and Elephant were best friends until a misunderstanding causes them to get into a big fight. After that, no one on the island is safe because Monkey and Elephant start to commit pranks against each other. As their war escalates, they...
Poor Ethan! His monster has left to go fishing. How will he ever get to sleep now? Guess he’ll just have to get a substitute monster until his returns. However, all the sub’s that show up are not nearly scary enough to make him stay in bed and...
Charlie and Carlitos are cousins or primos. They like to write letters to each other because Charlie lives in America and his cousin lives in Mexico. Their lives are very different and they each share their daily experiences; from riding a...
Princess Hyacinth was one sad little girl. She was a normal, pretty princess except for one thing: she floats. Yes, Princess Hyacinth floats like a balloon. Her parents, the King and Queen, were so worried she would float away. They made her...
So, how DO you get a young chicken to go to sleep? You read her a story of course! Well, that is just what Papa tries to do. But the little chicken interrupts every time.
This is a really funny story of a father trying to get his little one...
In South Africa, the streets are not safe. Ajani has won a federation –size soccer ball at school and decides to share his new prize with his friends. But playing in South Africa is not like playing in America. One friend must keep watch for...
Do you ever wonder what happened to Goldilocks after she ran out of the bear’s house? Well, she falls down the rabbit hole of course. She trips over a “lulu of a first step” straight down the Hare’s family home. With her ankle sprained,...
Wabi Sabi cat
Sets out on a journey to
Find meaning of name
Wabi Sabi is a cat living in Kyoto, Japan. When friends come to visit, they ask her master what is the meaning of her cat’s name. The answer: “That’s hard to explain...
Charming Foxy Du Bois is pleasantly surprised when Egg rolls up to her doorstep. After inviting Egg in, she begins working on her devious plan of fattening up Egg to eat him. Little does she know that Egg has a plan all his own. A great lesson is...
I can’t believe Ben Franklin was never president! This book does an outstanding job of recounting the inventions, discoveries and cleverness of one of our greatest Founding Fathers. Ben Franklin invented bifocals, the Franklin stove, helped...
Sometimes playing all alone is fine. Sometimes, playing with a friend is even better. Dolly & Jack Rabbit have a great time together. But just like all friends, they have a fight and end up hurting each other's feelings. See if they can ever...
Caroline’s family just moved to Meadowview Street. So, she decides to find out if there really is a meadow on Meadowview. She starts out to search and gets distracted when she finds a wildflower in her yard and builds an enclosure so her dad won’...
Henry is a slave in Virginia. When his master is about to die, he is given to the master’s son to work in a tobacco factory. Henry eventually marries and has a family. Upon the sale of his wife and children, he knows, more than ever before, that...
Jack was just invited to the Princess’s birthday party in the castle courtyard. But poor Jack and his mother have no money for a gift. So Jack, being a clever boy, decides to trade in some of his belongings for ingredients to bake a cake. Little...
Lizzie sits in the truck next to her father, who isn’t a father to her, shy and a little scared. He really is her father, but he has been away at war for so long that he doesn’t feel like a member of her family. They are up early on a cold...
In 1969 men landed and walked on the moon. The entire world watched as liftoff, the landing and live feed from the moon flashed on television sets everywhere. For Mae, it is the greatest thing to happen since sliced bread; for gramps, not so...
Just what does a monster like to eat? Why, flies of course! The tastiness of flies is what inspires Thelonius Monster to make a huge pie full of flies. After getting advice from a spider, he sets out collecting flies from the grossest of gross...
Ever had a friend that you can't live with or live without? That's the case for Pete, a sensible and conventional pig. However, upon his first encounter with Pickles, a runaway elephant from the circus, his life is turned upside down. Can Pickles...
The old cliche “opposites attract” seems to fit this book. Evelyn is outgoing, adventurous, and mysterious. Her friend is in awe of Evelyn’s quirky and imaginative way of playing; however, she does have talents that Evelyn does not. Both...
Duck is a merry-go-round animal who dreams of flying like a real duck. One day, she meets a tiny duckling and they share all the same dreams and have lots of fun together. But when the duckling grows up, it’s to be expected that he will fly away...
Ever wonder what it is like to wander off into the unknown? Nini did. She sees an open door and it leads her to a world she didn’t know was out there. Enjoy the adventure of this curious little cat as she goes from sunshine and coziness to the...
Dog loves books. He likes everything about them, so he decides to open a bookstore. But not everyone wants to buy a book from a dog. Find out what dog ends up doing while he waits for his first real customer. Be careful! Dog’s love of books is...
The town of Islip in New York needed to get rid of its garbage. 32 TONs of it. The judge said they could not bury it, so some businessmen thought of a cheaper solution: send it to dumping grounds in the North Carolina. Enter the tugboat ...
Can pancakes make separation and change better? Sometimes they can, if it includes opening your own restaurant. In the wake of her parent’s separation, Bindi’s mom decides to open a restaurant with her sister, and so a host of new people and...
The little girl is her mom’s helper in the garden. She weeds, waters and chases rabbits. In her own garden, she would not waste time weeding or watering. She would have chocolate bunnies and jellybean bushes. Her flowers would change...
Imagine six bunnies and all the trouble they get into, accidentally. Thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Goat, they get muddy, they get dusty and some lose their tails! Just how do you get these bunnies clean? How do you re-attach a bunny tail? Looks like...
There is nothing better than a tall tale, and Dust Devil serves up a heap of adventure featuring the Swamp Angel of Tennessee. Swamp Angel, also known as Angelica Longrider, has out grown Tennessee. She has moved out west to Montana...
Martina Josefina Catalina Cucaracha is a beautiful young cockroach intent upon finding a husband, but not without heeding the advice of her Cuban grandmother, Abuela. Abuela insists that the way to see into a suitor’s heart is by using the "...
When we think of Christmas we think of snow, sleigh bells, and forest trees, but what happens where the sun is hot and bright in December? Nina is a little concerned as she arrives from the cold north to celebrate Christmas with her father and...
Edgar is from a happy family; his parents are clowns who cheer up sick children at the Children’s Hospital. At his house people are always breaking out in music and song. His parents sing and his brother Henri plays the clarinet. Edgar doesn’t...
Fancy Nancy has found the most perfect lace fan at Belle’s Fabulous Fashion Boutique. It is pink and just the thing for someone like Nancy who has a faultless fashion sense, but Nancy simply doesn’t have the extra money after buying her little...
Frankie and Sal have absolutely nothing to do. They have played every game, read every comic, have painted enough pictures to wall paper a house, and have baked enough cookies to “feed a small nation.” But out of boredom comes a great idea:...
Sol and Connie Blink are new to Grand Creek. They move to town with their father (who is acting very strange) and stepmother. They quickly meet their new neighbor, Faye Holaderry, and her dog. Science buff Sol notices that her dog has an...
Author Joyce Sidman and illustrator Pamela Zagarenski make the seasons come alive in this book. A Caldecott Honor book, Red Sings from the Treetops reveals the magic of the seasons using color. From the blue that...
I am sure you have heard the story of the three little pigs, well the big bad wolf has been thinking that he would like to change history a bit. So when Miss Wonderly from the public library invites him to tell how he met the three little pigs,...
Everyone knows the name Peter Pan. In this biography of James Matthew Barrie the twin stories of J.M. Barrie and the creation of Peter Pan are told in beautiful illustrations by Steve Adams, quotes from Peter Pan, and the narrative of Jane Yolen...
Alvin Ho needs help. He is afraid of EVERYTHING, well almost everything. The short list includes elevators, tunnels, bridges, airplanes, thunder, substitute teachers, kimchi, wasabi, the dark, heights, scary movies, scary dreams, shots, and...
Informative and appealing, this biography of Amelia Earhart is a delightful read. An adult points out a plane in the sky to Amelia when she is 11, but the flying bug did not bite until Amelia was a nurseís aide during World War I. By the 1920's,...
If you and your students are in need of a rootin-tootin good time, then read Little Britches and the Rattlers by Eric Kimmel. Little Britches is on her way to the rodeo to compete in the calf-roping contest. Along the way, she meets seven...
Princess Peepers has a great collection of glasses and is proud to wear them but that all changes when the other princesses make fun of her and her glasses. She decides to pack away her glasses in order to fit in at the Royal Ball. This leads to...
Marigold is a bold, brash monkey that definitely walks to the beat of a different drummer. Her story is told in four interconnected stories. In the first story, Marigold refuses to give up her best friend: her purple coat. She wears the coat...
The Trouble with Dragons is an absolutely stunning story that is at once a fantastic rhyming ode to dragons and a warning to the hazards of being environmentally careless.
Thoughtless, ecologically wasteful dragons are taking up all the...
Dragons BeBop and Spike are two friends with special talents. BeBop is a great cook and Spike just likes to go fast! They decide to open a pizza shop. BeBop will cook great tasting pizzas and Spike will deliver them fast. Soon everyone in Fairy...
In the grand tradition of the poem "The Night Before Christmas," Murray has written a spooky, but fun book about Halloween night. The witch and the banshees are preparing for a Halloween party that will be the best ever. So get your students...
When dinosaurs ruled the world, they were ferocious and scary and Gorgonzola was the most feared. Oh, not for his size, although he was large, he wasn't really that scary. No, Gorgonzola terrorized others with his DO...the feared dinosaur odor. A...
The bridge in Pop's Bridge is the famous Golden Gate. Some people said that it couldn't be built. Robert and Charlieís fathers are helping to prove them wrong. From Fort Point, Robert and Charlie can actually see it happening. Robert believes his...
"Louise never left her brother Jake alone." So begins the charming, tender story Please, Louise! Vivacious and energetic Louise follows her brother everywhere, much to his dismay. He tries everything to get her to stay away. Finally, Jake escapes...
My Name is Gabito is based on the life of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Gabito grows up in a world of wonder and magic. He is raised by his grandparents and his home is filled with lots of family and a 100 year old parrot named...
Bear spends his days wading and playing in the surf near his cave. One day the wind brings noises from the city. Bear decides to travel to the city and give life there a chance. In the beginning, Bear enjoys the sights, sounds and smell of the...
Velma feels she does not belong in the first grade. Everyone has “magnificent memories of the older Gratch girls” but no one remembers Velma’s name. She even tries to misbehave in hopes of being notice; however, things begin to change with a...
Armando and his family live in a colonia (neighborhood) near the Tijuana, Mexico’s city dump. During the day, he and his father search through the foul-smelling garbage for items they can sell or use. More than anything, Armando wants to attend...
Winter begins this amazing book with an incredulous “you never heard of Sandy Koufax?!” Sandy Koufax is one of the best left-handed pitchers to have ever played the game. But he wasn’t always the best. The book tells of Koufax’s Jewish up bring...
John (Hancock), Paul (Revere), George (Washington), Ben (Franklin), and Tom (Jefferson) were once kids who were always getting into some kind of trouble for one reason or another. But their mischievous behavior will serve them well later on as...
Bear is quite sure he doesn’t like visitors. He even has a sign. So when a mouse taps on his door one day, Bear tells him to leave. But when Bear goes to the cupboard to get a bowl, there is the mouse — small and gray and bright-eyed. In this...
This is a retelling of I'd Really Like to Eat a Child by Suzie Dondlinger's 2nd grade class from Marshall Elementary in Fowler, Ca. The students created their own sentences to retell the entire story.
This is a retelling of Egg Drop by the After School Program students at TL Reed Elementary in Reedley, Ca. Students created their own sentences to retell the story.
Frank wasn't satisfied doing ordinary frog things. He wanted to fly, but he was a frog and frogs can't fly. Follow along as Frank jumps and runs and leaps and dives until he finally finds his place in the pond. The companion book on cd will...
Twelve Rounds to Glory is a collection of twelve rap-inspired poems that give an in-depth look at the life and times of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Each of the poems depict an important event or episode from Ali’s life. Illustrator Bryan Collier’...
She nearly was ready to give up her search, when the subway arrived in a lumbering lurch. It showered the station in glimmering light, and that’s when she saw something scurry from sight!
“Hey Krabby!” she whispered. “There’s something I...
Done in poetic verses, the story begins with images of a young Coretta and her siblings walking the 5 miles to the nearest colored school. It quickly moves into her late teens and early twenties as Coretta takes on a leadership role as wife and...
This is the story of two friends, who share a secret. It starts off small and grows as the secret is shared amongst classmates on the playground. Do you have a Secret? What would you do if your secret got out? To find out what these girls did,...
When the Otters move in next door to Mr. Rabbit, he does not know how to act with them. This is the story that highlights how to be a good neighbor and friend - just simply follow the Golden Rule!
Millie is unlike most other cows. She chews her cud and grazes in the fields with the others, but she doesn’t enjoy that nearly as much as she loves scaring the mail carrier. It’s too bad the mail carrier doesn’t have as much fun each time Millie...
After escaping the frying pan, Pauline the chicken has an adventure that includes pirates, a typhoon, and a balloon ride before landing happily in what is to be her new home.
