Picture Books
Queen Victoria's Bathing Machine
by Gloria Whelan
Modest Queen Victoria has a problem. She wants to swim in the ocean—to experience the sand beneath her toes and the waves rolling over her head—but she doesn't want her subjects to see her improperly dressed. Ever the innovator, her husband, Prince Albert, designs and builds a special contraption for carting her to the water with discretion.
Based on the true story of the Queen's first ocean swim, this book is set in verse and contains delightfully captivating illustrations. Please note: The text briefly mentions the names of old-fashioned women's undergarments, such as a corset and hosiery.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan and his trusty steam shovel, Anne, can dig anything in the town of Popperville—deep trenches for canals, long tunnels for trains, and even huge cellars for towering skyscrapers. But times are changing, and new technology is beginning to make Anne obsolete. What will become of her when she's no longer needed? She and Mike will have one last chance to show their skills.
Jumper
by Jessica Lanan
While exploring a backyard garden, Jumping Spider uses the hairs all along her body to hear vibrations and her eight eyes to see the world around her. She is both prey and predator and must rely on her keen senses to defend against chickadees, wasps, and other creatures who wish to do her harm. When she sees a cricket and later a fly, she must act fast or go hungry.
This is a narrative non-fiction. Readers will learn all about jumping spiders through a day-in-the-life-themed story.
by Sarah Glen Marsh
What do lemons, handkerchiefs, and coffee cups have in common? They were all tools used by the only female in Washington's Culper Ring, a complicated network of patriot spies in the Revolutionary War. Anna's family were loyalists, but she and her husband envisioned a free country. Together, they helped send encoded messages to help the General and his army in and around New York harbor. For her part, Anna devised a code based on the different types of laundry she hung out to dry on her clothesline each day.
Leveled Readers
by Dana Meachen Rau
While exploring a backyard garden, Jumping Spider uses the hairs all along her body to hear vibrations and her eight eyes to see the world around her. She is both prey and predator and must rely on her keen senses to defend against chickadees, wasps, and other creatures who wish to do her harm. When she sees a cricket and later a fly, she must act fast or go hungry.
Though this Level 1 reader has only one or two sentences on each page, several words contain two syllables and complex sounds, such as "ould" and "aw."
Babe Ruth Saves Baseball!
by Frank Murphy
Most people know that Babe Ruth played baseball, but not many know that he saved baseball. The year was 1919. The Chicago White Sox were set to face the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Word spread that eight Sox players cheated, creating distrust among ball fans. No one wanted to watch the games anymore. George Herman Ruth, a home run hitter recently traded to the New York Yankees, determined to change the face of the game and win the fans back. He signed dozens and dozens of baseballs and hid them around the city for kids to find; he hit grand slam after grand slam, doubling his already undefeated record, and he made the first-ever home run hit in the newly built Yankee's Stadium, wowing the critics. People began to return to the stands. Babe Ruth had saved the game!
Young baseball fans will love the illustrations and little-known Babe Ruth facts found in this Level 3 reader.
Illustrated Chapter Books
Detective Gordon: The First Case
by Ulf Nilsson
Squirrel's nuts have gone missing. 204 nuts, to be exact. But Detective Gordon is on the case. With the help of his newly appointed assistant Buffy the Mouse, he's determined to catch the thieves, return the nuts, and then take a good long nap. Detective work is tiring!
Fans of Frog and Toad will enjoy the simplicity of The First Case, book 1 in a 5-book Detective Gordon series about a police chief, his young protege, and a few forest mysteries.
Please note: Book 5 includes a pair of trolls.
The Most Wonderful Doll in the World
by Helen Stone
Dulcy loves dolls—she has dozens of them. One day, her kind neighbor gifts her a gently used doll named Angela. To the average eye, Angela is just like any other doll. But to Dulcy, she is the most wonderful doll in the world. When Angela goes missing, Dulcy becomes distraught. No other doll will ever measure up. In time, Dulcy's memory of the beloved doll becomes exaggerated until she creates an unrecognizable version of the toy in her head. She grows discontent and must learn a valuable lesson about being satisfied.
This 1950 Caldecott winner is intentionally repetitious, making it a great book for those transitioning from emergent readers to chapter books.
Parents, Be Aware
Lancelot
by Hudson Talbott
Orphaned at infancy and rescued by the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot becomes a mighty warrior. He earns the favor of Queen Guinevere and becomes the official court champion. He travels far and wide, rescuing damsels in distress, fighting off fearsome dragons, and returning honor to Camelot. But when it becomes clear that he can not have his beloved Guinevere, who is married to the king, he leaves the kingdom and lives as a wild nomad in the forest. He's eventually rescued, falls in love with a princess in a neighboring area, and returns to Camelot.
This is a beautifully illustrated epic retelling of Lancelot, the famed knight of King Arthur's Round Table.
Things to know: Though this picture book is marketed to 8-10-year-olds, it includes all the sweeping details of Lancelot's story, including the secret love he shared with the married Guinevere, the violent killing of woodland beasts, and the attempted boiling alive of a princess. That said, it also unabashedly champions chivalry and honor and would make for a gentle introduction to Medieval literature for an older tween or young teen.
Just for you, Mom
The Voice We Find
by Nicole Deese
Blacklisted Broadway hopeful Sophie Wilder must move back to her childhood home--a place of secrets, pain, and plenty of dysfunction. The moment she's on her feet again financially, she plans to return to New York. To make ends meet, she takes a side hustle gig as an audiobook narrator with Fog Harbor Books.
August Tate, sound engineer to some of the music industry's most talented, must take a giant step back in his career to care for his younger sister, now permanently deaf from the train accident that killed both their parents. To keep the lights burning, he reluctantly agrees to produce a series of audiobooks for his friend and editor at Fog Harbor Books. The job lacks luster, but the pay is steady.
While collaborating on a new book project, Sophie and August will be forced to confront their lifelong fears and their long-standing failures. In the middle of it all, they will find faith in Christ. Together.
This is the third title in the developing Fog Harbor series. Though the books are numbered, they are each a stand-alone story with completely different characters and plots and can be read in or out of order.