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Can you find it?
Cressy, Judith
Go on an adventure around the world to many exciting places. Search through each painting for many objects. Create your own stories and imagine what life was like in each place.

Clouds
Bauer, Marion
A boy spends his day outside with his cat exploring different types of clouds and the different things that clouds do. He also explains in a colorful and easy way, what clouds are made of and how we interact with clouds on an everyday basis, using weather terminology.

Cocoa ice
Appelbaum, Diana
A young girl from Maine and a young girl from Santa Domingo learn about each other's home through Jacob the Sailor. The girl from Santa Domingo describes how to make chocolate, and the girl from Maine tells about making ice.

Marven of the great north woods
Lasky, Kathryn
A boy named Marvin leaves his family during the flu epidemic. He goes to a lumberjack camp in northern Minnesota and works and learns French while making some interesting friends. Marvin learns to ski, dance, and do the bookkeeping as a lumberjack.

Splash! A penguin counting book
Chester, Jonathan//Melville, Kirsty
While children learn about penguins, they also learn how to count. Penguin chicks go looking for their moms and dads who have gone swimming to find food. The parents return in time to keep the chicks safe from the storm.

Red wolf country
London, Jonathan
A wolf and his mate travel through the country during the winter in search of a home where soon the female wolf will have babies.

Old home day
Hall, Donald
From the time when only plants and animals lived there, to the modern bicentennial celebration, the people who called the fictional village of Blackwater home remember its history.

Sleds on boston common: A story from the american revolution
Borden, Louise
It's 1774 and British troops are occupying Boston. King George closes Boston Harbor to punish people who speak out against his laws. Henry, a young boy from Boston, hopes to try out his new sled on his birthday. But when he and his brothers and sister get to the hill they find that the troops have set up camp there. After building up enough courage, Henry asks General Gage to move his troops because Boston Common is for everyone. Being a kind man of his word, General Gage agrees and the children can once again sled.

Mama & papa have a store
Carling, Amelia Lau
Mama and Papa have a store. Day to day the routine is similar. The same people come in to buy the same things. This little girl likes these routines and she shares them with us. From what Mama is cooking to Papa counting on the abacus we spend the whole day with one little girl.

Iron horses
Kay, Verla
Building a railroad takes a lot of work. Many people must be involved from the planners and politicians in the capital, to the Irishmen and Chinese men building the track out west. When it is finally finished, the track is a wonderful form of transportation.

Moose and Magpie
Restrepo, Bettina
It isn't always easy being a moose but this young moose has a special joke-telling friend to keep him company and to help him find his way. Join Moose, Magpie, and other animal friends as they frolic through a year of changes.

The piano man
Chocolate, Debbie
A young girl listens to her grandfather share his deep love for music and the piano. Grandfather shares the history of silent movies, Vaudeville, Ragtime, and Broadway. He never lets his passion for music end and continues to share it with his grandaughter.

Big cat, little kitty
Cohn, Scotti
Big cats are fierce predators that roam the world from the mountains to the deserts. How are these wild cats that hunt for their food the same as pet cats that might chase a mouse or ball of yarn? How are they different? The award-winning prequel to this book, One Wolf Howls, introduces children to counting and the months of the year as they watch the seasons changing. This sequel introduces children to the days of the week as they travel to seven different world habitats to meet the big cats, and then back home to compare and contrast the domestic cat's behavior to that of its relative. Compare and contrast big cat predators to little kitty cats each day of the week.

Habitat spy
Kieber-King, Cynthia
Told in rhyming narrative, Habitat Spy invites children to search for and find plants, invertebrates, birds, and mammals and more that live in 13 different habitats: backyard, beach, bog, cave, desert, forest, meadow, mountain, ocean, plains, pond, river, and cypress swamp. Children will spend hours looking for and counting all the different plants and animals while learning about what living things need to survive.

The glaciers are melting!
Love, Donna
Chicken Little may have thought the sky was falling but Peter Pika is sure the glaciers are melting and is off to talk tot he Mountain Monarch about it. Joined along the way by friends Tammy Ptarmigan, Sally Squirrel, Mandy Marmot, and Harry Hare, they all wonder what will happen to them if the glaciers melt. Where will they live, how will they survive? When Wiley Wolverine tries to trick them, can the Mountain Monarch save them? More importantly, can the Mountain Monarch stop the glaciers from melting?

The red piano
Leblanc-Barroux, Andre
A young pianist is sent to a re-education camp in China. She lives for her secretive two hours of music after a long day's work. Her parents managed to send a piano to Mother Han's house and she manages to smuggle music in notebooks. One night the pianist is caught at the piano, forcing her to live through an extended-re-education while her love and talent for music are challenged.

Meet the planets
McGranaghan, John
Soar into the Solar System to witness the first Favorite Planet Competition, emceed by none other than the former-ninth planet, now known as dwarf planet Pluto. The readers become the judges after the sun can't pick a favorite and the meteors leave for a shower. Who will the lucky winning planet be? Could it be speedy-messenger Mercury, light-on-his-feet Saturn, or smoking-hot Venus? Readers learn all about each planet as Pluto announces them with short, tongue-in-cheek facts. Children will spend hours searching the art for all the references to famous scientists and people of history, space technology, constellations, art, and classic literature.

Animalogy: Animal analogies
Berkes, Marianne
Compare and contrast different animals through predictable analogies that rhyme. Find the similarities between even the most incompatible animals....bat is to flit as eagle is to soar; dog is to bark as lion is to roar. Comparisons include sounds, physical adaptations, behaviors, and animal classifications.

Grandpa's gamble
Michelson, Richard
A brother and sister are tired of always having to be quiet so as not to interrupt Grandpa Sam while he is praying. The children think they have a very boring grandfather. Grandpa Sam overhears the children and tells them the story of his life. He was born a Jew in Poland and to escape persecution he came to the United States. He learns to gamble to make a living but when his daughter becomes very ill he decides to lead an honest, humble life and pray every morning and night. The children are now amazed by their Grandpa Sam's story and respect his prayer time.

An apple pie for dinner
VanHecke, Susan
Wishing to bake an apple pie, Old Granny Smith sets out with a full basket, trading its contents for a series of objects until she get the apples she needs.

Garibaldi's biscuits
Steadman, Ralph
In nineteenth-century Italy, the wife of General Garibaldi bakes biscuits, as a peace offering for a defeated French army.

Little sister and the Month brothers
Schenk de Regniers, Beatrice
A retelling of the Slavic folktale in which the Month brothers' magic helps Little Sister fulfill seemingly impossible tasks. Little Sister's tasks prove the undoing of her greedy stepmother and stepsister.

A castle on Viola street
Disalvo, Dyanne
Andy's family lives in a small, cramped apartment, and his parents work long hours to support the family. He never thought that they would ever live in an actual house, but one day they find a flyer saying You too can own a home. The organization buys empty houses and allows families to fix-up houses and then other people will help fix up a house for them. Andy's family is so excited as they help clean, paint, put down hard wood flooring, and pass out lemonade. At the end of the year, they find out that the next house to be built will be theirs!

Karate hour
Nevius, Carol
A group of children practice karate. They kick, punch, chant and roll as they learn the value of self discipline, respect, and self esteem in both self and others.

Rumi: Whirling dervish
Demi
Born in Afghanistan in the thirteenth century, Rumi settled in Turkey and became the greatest mystical poet who ever lived. Although he began his adult life as a highly respectable scholar, he found his true calling after becoming the disciple of a mysterious holy man, Shamsuddin, who taught him for three years. From Shams he learned to listen for the sacred sound of God within himself. When his creative spirit was awakened, he recited more than 50,000 rhymed couplets. He wrote about the love that resides in the soul of everyone regardless of religion or background. He founded the order of the whirling dervishes who believed their spinning dances put them in touch with God and brought peace and love into the world. Although Rumi died 800 years ago, his poems are more widely read now than ever. To honor the 800th anniversary of his birth, the United Nations declared 2007 the year of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi.

Namaste!
Cohn, Diana
Nima Sherpa lives next to Mount Everest, and her father guides people to the top of the mountains once a year. Before he leaves, he tells Nima that he will have a story for her when he returns and asks Nima if she will have a story for him. As Nima walks around the village thinking of what her story could be, she greets everyone with Namaste, just as her mom taught her. She struggles with her story until she realizes that she spreads sweetness everytime she says Namaste.

The twelve days of Christmas
Spirin, Gennady
The Twelve days of Christmas is sung in churches, houses, and concert halls throughout the Christmas season. It is hard to imagine a Christmas celebration without it. From the partridge in the pear tree to the five golden rings to the twelve drummers drumming, carolers enjoy taking turns singing different verses. Gennady Spirin's paintings bring new life and spectacular beauty to this classic song, making it a gift to be treasured at Christmastime. An illustrator' note addresses the song's origin and history.

Buffalo
Brodsky, Beverly
The buffalo was very important for the survival of Native Americans. Learn about the history and importance of the buffalo. Excerpts from Native American songs and many original paintings add an artistic dimension.

Little swan
London, Jonathan
Ko-hoh cracks through his eggshell to find his parents towering over him. His trumpeter swan family stays close together as Ko-hoh and other cygnets learn how to feed themselves, to honk when predators are nearby, and to develop flight feathers. Little swan grows up and learns to migrate with his family.

First pooch: The Obamas pick a pet
Boston Weatherford, Carole
Throughout their father's twenty-two month campaign for president, Malia and Sasha Obama beg their parents for a dog. Finally, when their father becomes the forty-fourth president of the United States, he rewards their patience and good behavior in his victory speech: Malia and Sasha will get their new puppy. What type of dog will they choose? Finally, on April 14th, 2009, a new puppy moves into the White House. It is a Portuguese water dog, and the girls name him Bo.

The tooth fairy meets El Raton Perez
Lainez, Rene Colato
The Tooth Fairy and El Raton Perez see their signal for a new tooth. When they get to the house, they meet each other for the first time. They start fighting over whose tooth it is which causes the tooth to fly across the room. The tooth lands in the bookshelf. El Raton Perez can't climb up and the Tooth Fairy can't fit in small places. They decide to work together and share the tooth.

Rocks! Rocks! Rocks!
Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth
Buddy likes looking at and collecting rocks so Mama suggests they visit the local nature center. They hike the Blue Diamond Trail to five learning centers where they meet Roxie, a Rock Ridge Ranger. Buddy learns about bedrock, erosion, and how three types of rocks are formed. He finds out many surprising things about rocks, rocks, rocks!

Inside-outside dinosaurs
Munro, Roxie
Enjoy a giant dinosaur, a flying reptile, a dinosaur with plates and spikes on its body, and even a baby dinosaur cracking out of their shells. There is a ferocious dinosaur that eats meat and vegetarian dinosaurs that hide from carnivores. Look inside the dinosaurs and you'll see a dynamic view of eight dinosaur skeletons. Look outside the dinosaurs and you'll see sweeping paintings of these creatures as they once lived on our planet.

Three names of me
Cummings, Mary
Ada is a Chinese American girl. Ada shares her experiences of being adopted and moving to a new country. She collects new names that melt into one compelling identity for her.

Meet the gizmos
Tocco, John V.
Pong, a young Chinese Gizmo, journeys to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time. She is welcomed by Gizmos from other parts of the world, such as Russia, Africa and America. The other Pong is given a tour of the station while sharing the creative and imaginary world of the other Gizmos. The Gizmos do a fabulous job in working as a team to welcome Pong into her new space.

Count on your fingers African style
Zaslavsky, Claudia
This beautifully illustrated four color picture book takes children through the markets, showing traditional finger counting of various African people - the Maasai, the Kamba, and the Taita in Kenya, the Zulu of South Africa, and the Mende of Sierra Leone. This book examines the role that numbers play in creating a common language across cultural boundaries.

Gorilla doctors: Saving endangered great apes
Turner, Pamela
African mountain gorillas are fascinating creatures that have been studied for many years. African gorillas are presently endangered due to disease and human interaction. Join the journey as scientists race against time to save these gentle giants.

In the time of the drums
Siegelson, K.
Raised by his grandmother Twi, a young boy named Mentu learns of the toils and tragedies of slavery and how one day he too will have to be strong in the cotton fields. As Mentu grows, Twi shares her talks of living in Africa through the use of drums. When Twi's spirit calls her home to Africa, Mentu's day to be strong arrives.

My rows and piles of coins
Mollel, Tololwa M.
What would you buy if your mother gave you some money? Saruni wants a bicycle- a bicycle of his very own! Saruni saves his coins and works hard to help his mother. Unfortunately, Saruni is disappointed because he does not have enough to buy his very own bicycle. Where there is a will, there is a way, so Saruni finally gets a bicycle to help his mother to the Tanzanian market.

Recycle every day!
Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth
Through a poster contest at school, Minna and her family discover many ways they can recycle. Many of the other contestants' posters demonstrate ways to recycle, however Minna ultimately wins the contest through her poster that reminds everyone to re-re-remember, re-re-recycle every day.

A child's day in a Ghanaian city
Provencal, Francis & McNamara, Catherine
Nii Kwei gets up with the sun, and at half past five, he's already hard at work chasing the chickens and sweeping the compound clean with his straw broom. As the city begins to wake up, he washes, changes into his school uniform, and sits down to chocolate milk and sandwiches for breakfast. Photographs capture the lively rhythms of West African daily life, and this delightful dawn-to-dusk journal will encourage young readers, wherever they live, to compare and contrast Nii Kwei's day with their own.

If a dolphin were a fish
Wlodarski, Loran
A dolphin imagines that she is a fish, a turtle, a bird, an octopus, a shark, and a manatee. Learn how special she really is and how special each of her other sea animal friends are too.

ABC safari
Lee, Karen
Go on an around-the-world rhyming journey with animals, in different habitats, biomes, and geographic regions. From the cold tundra to the hot deserts and from the jungles of Africa to the high mountains, find the hidden safari boy and his pet parrot in each illustration.

The rainforest grew all around
Mitchell, Susan K.
Imaginations soar while following the circle of life in the rainforest. Children learn about the wide variety of creatures lurking in the jungle. Search each page to find unique rainforests with bugs and butterflies hiding in the illustrations.

River beds: Sleeping in the world's rivers
Karwoski, Gail Langer
Take an around-the-world boatride to learn how mammals sleep in or around ten of the world's major rivers. Row down the Mississippi and watch two river otters slip into a hollow tree, or look to the bank of the Bribane River as a platypus pops into a hole and disappears into a narrow tunnel.

Animals are sleeping
Slade, Suzanne
Lyrical text provides fascinating information onnimals such as location, position, and duration of their sleep patterns on animals living in different habitats. Learn about the interesting sleeping habits of different animals that live on land, in water, and fly through the air.

Bessie Smith and the night riders
Stauffacher, Sue
Emmarene always loved to listen to Blues music. When Bessie Smith comes to town, Emmarene can't wait to hear Bessie sing. Not everyone likes Bessie though. Emmarene and Bessie Smith have to stand up against people who tried to destroy their nights. And boy, could Bessie sing on stage and off!

Freedom river
Rappaort, Doreen
John Ripley shows courage and perseverence in Southern Ohio through his actions. John crosses the Ohio River into the slave state of Kentucky to help other African Americans escape to freedom. John listens to nature as he rows a slave family across the Ohio River to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

The bus ride
Miller, William
Sara stands up for justice on her city bus. Sara gets tired of sitting in the African American section of the bus. Sara does not undertsand why she does not have the same rights as the white Americans, so she takes a stand to change that law.

Molasses man
May, Kathy L.
A young boy and his family make molasses every summer. This summer the sourghum turns into a recipe that the boy's Grandfather has perfected. The boy spends his summer days helping his family make molasses and playing outside during the cooking process. While some molasses is cooling, Mama and her sisters pour it into glass jars and set up a stand near the road for passers-by.