Recommended Reads

When the cat they are caring for runs off into the wild, a young boy and his granddad are led on an adventure of their own as they try to find it.

Words burn bright in this joyful celebration of rap, creativity, and self-expression. "Welcome to the cypher! Now huddle up nice and snug. You feel that circle around you? Well, that's a hip hop hug!" Starting with beatboxes and fingersnaps, an exuberant narrator introduces kids in his community to the powerful possibilities of rap, from turning "a simple phrase/into imagery that soars" to proclaiming, "this is a voice that represents me!" As Khodi Dill's rhymes heat up, the diverse crew of kids--illustrated in Awuradwoa Afful's bold, energetic style--gain self-confidence and a sense of freedom in this wonderful picture book debut that is perfect for reading aloud.

In this fairy tale mixup, the Three Bears get an unexpected visit from Redlocks (otherwise known as Little Red Riding Hood) who has fled her book to get away from the wolf--and the Bears, with some help from the Three Little Pigs, need to mediate between Redlocks and the misunderstood wolf.

Illustrations and rhyming text follow the Winks as they guide their thirty-eight mouse children through snacks, baths, stories, and other bedtime preparations, including the last-minute need for a drink of water.

Zhao Di and her friends are excited to go out at night with their paper lanterns and celebrate Chinese New Year. Each holding a unique colorful lantern with a lit candle inside, they admire the breathtaking colors while doing their best to avoid the wind and the sneaky boys in the village. Every night, until the fifteenth day of New Year, Zhao Di and her friends take part in this fun tradition, experiencing the thrill of nighttime in their village. And then--it's time to smash the lanterns! In this cheerful book first published in China, readers are invited along with Zhao Di and her friends as they experience all the joy and excitement of this folk Chinese custom. Details about the paper lantern tradition are also included in an author's note at the end of the book.

Young Aria returns to school after recovering from an accident and being fitted with a prosthetic leg, but the school has no furniture and sitting on the floor is too painful. She finds a way to build her own bench, surprising and inspiring her classmates. A sensitive author's note addresses the author's experience growing up in Afghanistan during the civil war and the legacy of landmines.

Little messy Marcy Su cleans the house to help her mother, but with every mess she picks up she somehow makes another. Includes Chinese language lesson.

Dad's office is off-limits--which only makes it more intriguing to his curious young daughter. As soon as she sees an opening, she sneaks in to have a look around. After all, there's no harm in just looking, right? What she discovers is a magical wonderland of sticky tape, paper clips that make glorious strands, and a kaleidoscopic array of sticky notes. Who could possibly resist playing with those? In a joyful ode to office supplies, Helen Yoon leads a celebration of just-for-once breaking the rules--and offers a final, funny nod to adults who harbor a similar urge.

In From Cow to Cheese, early fluent readers learn how cheese is made, from cows producing milk to cheesemakers processing it into cheese, to consumers buying it in a grocery store. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage young readers as they learn about how this food gets to their tables. An infographic illustrates the cycle with real photos and descriptions. From Cow to Cheese also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, a glossary, and an index.

Baby animals of all shapes and sizes cuddle up with their grandmas, in this celebration of the special bond between grandmother and grandchild.