Picture Books
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost
The traveler stops her journey between the woods and a frozen lake to watch the woods "fill up with snow." Without a farmhouse nearby, the horse is very confused. He's unused to stopping in such an isolated spot. He shakes his harness bells as if to question the halt. The only other sounds are the gentle wind and the falling snow. Although she would like to sit and stay in this peaceful spot a while longer, the rider remembers her responsibilities and the long road ahead and continues onward.
Robert Frost's famous poem comes to life in this beautifully illustrated book.
Please note: If you can not find this particular version, there are many other illustrated renditions worth reading as well, like this one.
by Lisa Moser
A peddler drops a ball of red yarn, which unrolls throughout the woods. Separately, best friends Porcupine and Badger both find an end. They have determined to knit something special for each other. All is well until they realize that the other friend has used half the yarn, and neither can finish their projects. Instead of sharing the remaining yarn, the two selfishly decide to unravel their creations and make something for themselves. They soon learn that thinking only of oneself leads to loneliness and that friendship requires friendliness.
The Sequoia Lives On
by Joanna Cooke
From a tiny seed no bigger than an oatmeal flake, a giant sequoia grows--a giant among giants. It can live for more than 40 human lifetimes and become home to numerous creatures. While accidental fires can destroy acres of woods, controlled burns are crucial for the survival of Earth's largest trees. When a sequoia finally dies, it crashes thunderously to the forest floor. In time, it decomposes and provides necessary nutrients for new, budding sequoias.
Unlike most picture books that feature these ancient trees, this narrative non-fiction does not describe the sequoia's life cycle with terms like "millions of years." It does, however, mention evolutionary terminology in the back "author's note" section that is primarily intended for parents and educators.
Gertie: The Darling Duck of WWII
by Shari Swanson
Along the banks of a Milwaukee river, under the busy Wisconsin Avenue Bridge, a mother duck laid her eggs. A local reporter for The Journal named her Gertie, and her story was picked up by newspapers across the country, offering a bright distraction from the news of World War II. The entire city adopted the duck and waited anxiously for the eggs to hatch. When the day finally arrived, a storm threatened the little family. They were safely rescued by local bridge tenders, taken to Gimbel's department store, and became a temporary display in the shop window. They were eventually released into a nearby park lagoon and lived out their days as symbols of hope and community spirit during one of the darkest times in our nation's history.
This is the true story of a brave mother duck and her family of chicks.
Leveled Readers
The Pup Speaks Up
by Anna Jane Hays
Bo's dog, Pal, is shy. He's not sure what to say. To help the pup learn to speak, Bo asks other animals how they greet one another. The duck says, "Quack." The pig says, "Oink." But what does the pup say?
This Level 1 reader contains two 3 to 5-word sentences on each page and will introduce emergent readers to the spelling and phonetic sounds of many animal names.
Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President
by Shirley Raye Redmond
When our country grew to nearly twice its original size, President Thomas Jefferson needed to learn more about it. He, obviously, couldn't leave his important job, so he asked explorers Merriwether Lewis and William Clark to head west. They were to make maps, collect plant samples, and bring back unique treasures.
Determined to send the perfect present back to the White House, Lewis and Clark stumbled upon a field of small rodents. They looked like squirrels but barked like dogs. The men named the tiny rodents prairie dogs, captured one, and sent it on a long journey eastward. President Jefferson was delighted with their discovery and decided not to keep the furry friend to himself. Instead, he donated it to a museum in Philadelphia, where it captured the heart of a growing nation, becoming the first western animal seen by most early Americans.
This Level 3 narrative nonfiction will introduce young readers to the relatively untold story of Westward expansion and wildlife exploration following the Louisiana Purchase.
Illustrated Chapter Books
Evergreen
by Matthew Cordell
When her mother tasks her with delivering a fresh batch of soup to the ailing Granny Oak, Evergreen must leave the safety of her bedroom. Trouble is, Evergreen harbors many fears, from heights to germs to thunderstorms. Would she be safe outside alone? Traveling through the dark and daunting forest, Evergreen encounters several forest dwellers in distress. Despite her fears, she stops to help. And in return, her new friends help to give her the courage she needs to keep on her mission.
This is a lengthy picture book divided into chapters, each depicting Evergreen overcoming a fear.
Please note: Evergreen describes her mother's soup as "magical," but only as it helps sick folks feel better, cold folks feel warmer, hungry folks feel nourished.
After Happily Ever After: The Three Little Pigs Go Camping
by Tony Bradman
After they defeated the Big Bad Wolf, the three little pigs decided to go camping. The first two want to relax and play, but the Third Pig is preoccupied with planning. His inability to go with the flow keeps him from most of the fun.
In the end, he learns that planning and hard work are essential, especially when building a house. But sometimes, it's best to be flexible and easy-going.
This is one of the After Happily Ever After titles, a series of illustrated chapter books based on the characters of popular fairy tales. I have not read the other 13 books in the collection.
Middle-Grade Novels
Henry Reed, Inc.
by Keith Robertson
Henry Reed, the son of American diplomats stationed in Naples, spends his summer with his Aunt Mabel and Uncle Al in Grover’s Corner, New Jersey. To fulfill a school assignment to observe "free enterprise" in action, Henry decides to start a research business, which he names Henry Reed, Inc. He establishes his headquarters in an old family barn and eventually partners with his 12-year-old neighbor, Midge Glass. Together, they engage in a series of ambitious, often humorous, and occasionally chaotic money-making ventures, including selling local wildfire, drilling for oil, and truffle hunting.
Older fans of Homer Price will enjoy this misadventure, first in a five-book series.
Pocket Bear
by Katherine Applegate
On one of her daily neighborhood jaunts, a cynical but loyal cat named Zephyrina rescues a dirty, old bear from a dumpster. Like all the treasures she finds, Corporal Z, as her friends call her, brings the bear to "Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured," the house of a Ukrainian refugee mother and her daughter, Dasha, who restore abandoned stuffed animals.
The cat presents her new find to his best friend, a tiny, 3.5-inch stuffed bear made during World War I. He's a pocket bear, one of many miniature "lucky charms" presented to soldiers before they went off to the front lines. Now, years later, Pocket serves as the unofficial leader of the stuffed residence of Second Chances.
Pocket recognizes the new toy as a Steiff original, a bear made by the enemy during the same war. He also knows that, since all the Steiff teddies were reported lost at sea, this new addition to Second Chances is worth a lot of money and could help pull Dasha and her mom out of poverty.
With themes of selfless love, friendship, and forgiveness, this contemporary novel will introduce young readers to a little-known piece of WWI history.
Please note: Because Zephyrina rescues abandoned toys around town, she's called a Kleptocat. While narrating one portion of the story, she calls a stranger willing to feed her canned food a "sucker." Additionally, one character says, "You've landed here by fortune's grace."
Keep 'Em Flying
by Nell Branum
Sixth-grader Riley Abercrombie enters a Historical Society essay contest about her great-grandmother, who served as a "Rosie the Riveter" during World War II. After winning the contest, Riley earns a cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to Kansas City, the location where her great-grandmother once worked in a factory. While attending a Rosie the Riveter festival at an aircraft museum, a famous antique rivet gun goes missing. Riley, convinced she can find the thief, begins a real-life investigation. Teaming up with a new friend named Marcus, Riley chases clues through vintage aircraft and museum artifacts. Along the way, they find themselves in peril and must navigate a situation where an innocent person is wrongly accused.
This is the first installment of the Heroes on the Homefront Series, a Christian fiction mystery collection.
Mary Poppins
by P.L. Travers
Flying in on an East Wind, Mary Poppins arrives at the nursery and immediately begins unpacking her carpet bag full of treasures. The children are hopeful that she will be different from all the previous nannies they've had to endure.
Though a bit vain, somewhat demanding, and seemingly oblivious to her own magic, she daily takes the children on grand adventures that teach them some of life's greatest lessons. Each chapter is a stand-alone vignette of a British nanny and her two Edwardian-era charges.
Please note: Fans of the film adaptation might be surprised, or even taken aback, by the harshness of Mary Poppins' tone within the text.
Parents, Be Aware
The Smallest Cow in the World
by Katherine Paterson
Rosie the dairy cow is Marvin's best friend. When Marvin must move with his family to a new farm, he's heartbroken to leave Rosie behind. He creates a miniature Rosie to help him cope. Frustrated with the move, Marvin causes trouble at home and at school. He blames every mess on Rosie, his "tiny cow." With his sister's help, Marvin eventually learns to appreciate his cow's memory and to make new friends without her.
Things to know: Throughout most of the book, Marvin and his sister treat each other horribly, calling each other names. In his grief over losing Rosie, Marvin trashes his family's belongings and lies about it, blaming it on his imaginary cow. To comfort him, the family plays along with his deception, never meting out appropriate consequences for his behavior.
Holding on for Dear Life
by Dusti Bowling
Ever since his mom died, 13-year-old Canyon Cress has watched his dad bury himself at the bottom of a whiskey bottle. Desperate to keep his family together, Canyon spends every extra minute taking care of his younger sister and practicing to be the best bull rider he can be. He's determined to win the Junior World Championship and make his dad proud. Maybe then, his father will snap out of his drinking stupor and be his old self again.
The trouble is, Canyon has suffered numerous concussions over the years. One more bad buck, and he may not be able to continue. How will he prove his worth to his dad if he can no longer ride?
This contemporary fiction, set in the wilds of southern Arizona, touches on themes of grief, alcohol addiction, father-son relationships, masculinity, chasing dreams, finding purpose, and carrying on family legacies.
Things to know: Like most bull riders, Canyon relies on a lucky charm to help him have a successful ride. At one point in the story, Dad drives drunk and angry with Canyon in the back of the car. And Canyon enters a contest without his dad's permission.
The following words are repeated throughout the text: darn it, crap, stupid, and sucks. God's name is also taken in vain a few times, and Canyon hears his grandmother say the f-word, although the word itself does not appear in the text of the book.
Just for you, Mom
Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys
Like so many of their neighbors, Lina, her mother Elena, and brother Jonas are ripped from their home in Lithuania and forced onto cattle cars with other civilians, beginning a brutal, months-long journey to Siberia. Together they endure the unimaginable.
Determined to document their experiences for their missing father and to pass secret messages to other prisoners, Lina draws pictures whenever and however she can. Despite the horrors, Lina finds strength in her art, her family, and a budding romance with fellow deportee Andrius.
This historical fiction is based on true accounts of Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians deported to the Arctic Circle by Stalin during WWII. In 2018, the story was renamed Ashes in the Snow for a screen adaptation.
Best in Show
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
A young Elmer heads to Wild Island to rescue a dragon that is being held captive by the jungle animals, who are forcing him to shuttle them across a raging river each day. Elmer must use his brain and only what is in his backpack to outwit tigers, gorillas, crocodiles, and more. This is the first in a three-part series about Elmer and his beloved dragon.
by Kate Albus
When their grandmother passes away, orphaned siblings William, Edmund, and Anna are shipped off to the English countryside along with hundreds of other children who are escaping the air raids that threaten all of London. They have high hopes that their temporary guardians will want to keep them not just until the war ends, but permanently. Together, they find comfort in their strong bond, their shared love of books, and the kindness of the village librarian, Nora Müller.