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Monster buys a pet
Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann
A friendly monster and a little boy think it is lonely in their house. They decide that if they go to the pet store and buy an animal to keep them company, it will help. After picking out two dogs and two cats, the owner of the pet store coaxes monster and the little boy to give all the pets a home.

The best cat in the world
Newman, Leslea
Victor's favorite cat Charlie dies. Victor is very sad that his cat died. He ends up getting a new kitten named Shelly. Victor doesn't understand why Shelly doesn't do the same things that Charlie did. Victor soon discovers that even though Shelly is a different cat and is not like Charlie, she is unique and his new favorite pet.

Ugh

Ugh

Yorkins, Arthur
Many, many years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, there was a boy named Ugh who was looked down on and treated like a slave by his siblings. Ugh tells them he will be famous one day. After seeing a wheel, he invents the bicycle, and because of this becomes the boy king.

Robot dog
Oliver, Mark
A robot dog named Scrap wants to have an owner like all the other robot dogs. He ends up in the junk yard because he has a dent on him. Scrap becomes sad because he doesn't have an owner like his other fiends. Scrap decides to make an owner so he has someone to play with and love him.

Papa's latkes
Edwards, Michelle
A Jewish family deals with the recent death of their mother and wife, while trying to keep their Chanukan traditions alive. Each family member deals with their emotions. They work as a single parent family to move on, while embracing their traditions of the past.

My parents are divorced, my elbows have nicknames, and other facts about me
Cochran, Bill
Ted's parents are divorced but that doesn't make him weird. His elbows have nicknames and he sleeps with a sock on one foot, and he admits that may make him weird. Ted lists off many other facts about himself that may seem weird to others, but that's him and he is happy the way he is! He is sad though when his parents can't hug him at the same time.

Grey mouse
de Vries, Anke
Grey Mouse is feeling lonely, so she decides to change her color in order to feel better about herself. However, all of the other animals laugh at her each time she does this. She finally realizes that she is happiest with her natural grey color when she finds other mice friends that look like her.

He's your dog
Schories, Pat
A young boy's pet dog is on the verge of getting sent away. Before acting out, he comes up with possible solutions for the two of them. He realizes that the problem is sitting right in front of him.

A song for ba
Yee, Paul
A young, ambitious boy spends a lot of time with his grandfather learning how to sing and follow in the footsteps of his father who travels with a Chinese opera troupe. Wei, the little boy, loves to go to the opera and watch his father perform hoping one day, he too, will be a star. Through difficult times and financial loss, a young boy comes to the rescue of both his father and his cultural background.

The good luck cat
Harjo, Joy
Woogie, the cat, is thought to have good luck. But when she goes missing, will her good luck run out or will it bring her back home before her nine lives run out?

The good tiger
Bowen, Elizabeth
Sara and Bob want to invite their tiger friend over for tea. When Sara fails to tell her mother that she invited a tiger, chaos occurs. The tiger leaves, but Sara and Bob find him in the forest where they have the best party ever.

Lights for gita
Gilmore, Rachna
Gita is very excited about celebrating her favorite Hindu holiday, Divali, a festival of lights. But this year things are different and she must celebrate this special holiday in her new home. This transition is hard for Gita and made even more difficult by the seasonal rain. With the help from her parents, Gita must learn how to carry her beliefs and memories into her new home and make this year's Divali, a holiday to remember.

Hosni the dreamer: An arabian tale
Ben-Ezer, Ehud
Hosni is a shepherd who spends his days telling stories to his sheep and his nights dreaming about the city. When he finally has the opportunity to travel to the city, his life changes. He hears some special words of wisdom from a wise old man.

The snow goose
Gallico, Mary//Gallico, Paul
A young, naive girl attempts to understand her environment in the midst of war. She does this through the love of the birds who live in this area.

Sami and the time of troubles
Heide, Florence Parry//Gilliland, Judith Heide
Sami lives with his family in Beriut. Once it was one of the most splendid cities in the world but today it is a place of ruin and trouble. Living in violence allows Sami to look at all the good memories when troubles arrive. In the end, Sami learns a great deal about fighting.

The worst person in the world at crab beach
Stevenson, James
A crabby man leaves his home for a vacation. At his hotel, he meets crabby people. He actually likes the crabby people, because they are worse than he is, even though he will not admit it.

Let's dance
Ancona, George
Children from all backgrounds move and dance to different rhythms of their culture. Dances range from tap to folk dances and from Native American dance to Tibetan dance. There are many forms, types, and styles of dance a person can do to express their emotions. There are different dances for men, women, animals, and puppets too!

In the time of the drums
Siegelson, Kim L.
Mentu and Twi tell the story of an African family newly arrived in the Americas. Twi never gives up on returning to her native Africa. Twi tells stories of cooking, planting, music and dancing from her native land.

Whistling wings
Goering, Laura
Marcel, a young tundra swan, is tired from the first half of a winter migration. One thousand miles is a long way to fly- too long for Marcel, so he hides in the rushes to stay behind while his parents and the flock continue south. But with the lake nearly frozen over, he soon realizes that he is not cut out for life on the ice. Other animals offer advice about how to survive the winter, but their ways of living aren't right for the swan. Hungry and scared, he falls asleep- only to be awakened by a big surprise!

The best nest
Mueller, Doris
Long ago, magpie nests were the envy of all other birds. To help the other birds, Maggie Magpie patiently explains how to build a nest. But some birds are impatient and fly off without listening to all the directions, which is why, to this day, bird nests come in all different shapes and sizes. This clever retelling of an old English folktale teaches the importance of careful listening.

Kersplatypus
Mitchell, Susan K.
When a strange little creature appears out of nowhere after the big rains, Australian animals wonder what in the world he can possibly be! His fur, feet, tail, and duck-like bill reminded each of something different. With a down-under spirit, they all pitch in to help him discover where he belongs.

The way I feel
Cain, Janan
Learn how this child feels and what those feelings are like.

The frog who wanted to see the sea
Billout, Gary
One day, a little frog named Alice asks a passing seagull about life beyond her pond. The seagull tells Alice about everything there is to see between her pond and the great sea. Feeling courageous, Alice take up her lilly pad and embarks on a wondrous adventure to the sea and back.

Wash day
Cole, Barbara H.
Every wash day, Granpa plays his trumpet, keeping the children entertained while Miss. Ett does the wash. This music tradition stays strong until grandpa becomes ill and a tragedy occurs, causing grandpa to pass on his beloved trumpet to begin a new tradition.

Ella sets the stage
Amico, Carmela
Ella wants so badly to be in the school talent show, but she has no talent. She decides instead to join the talent show committee and helps make the show the best it can be. During the show, something unexpected happens and Ella comes to the rescue, finding her true talent: helping others.

The red book
Lehman, Barbara
A friendship forms when two boys from different parts of the world find a magical red book. The boy from the urban city decides to use balloons to fly to the island where his new friend lives, but he accidentally drops the red book along the way. The boy on the island is disappointed when he can no longer view his city companion in the pages of the book, but is relieved when he lands on the beach instead! Back in the city, the red book is discovered by a man riding his bike on the street (A wordless book).

The man who called the crocodiles
Mashiri, Pascal
Gyiii-eee! This is the sound that calls a crocodile. In this land, the wealthy king takes Lulaba as his new wife. She eventually has Gobango as her only son. She tells Gobango of stories about her father calling crocodiles. Eventually Gobango has to flee from his mom or the dead kingメs enemies will kill him. He flees to meet Lulabaメs father, his grandfather. He goes on a fishing trip and meets one of the fishermanメs beautiful daughters, Nanjobe. Gobango asks her father if he can marry her. He says no because he isnメt rich enough to take care of his daughter. Therefore, he works to raise money for her. Six months later, Nanjobe is to marry an old man. Gobango and Nanjobe both hate this idea and flee to Gobangoメs boat. Nanjobeメs father sends people after the two, so Gobango calls the crocodiles, Gyiii-eee. Crocodiles surround their boat. The rest of the people search for the lovers and assuming they are dead, take their boats back to the village.

Baxter Barret Brown's bass fiddle
McKenzie, Tim A
Baxter Barret Brown loves to play his bass fiddle. He decides to take it with him wherever he goes and turn it into whatever he needs. However, he soon learns that when he changes the fiddle he can't play the music he loves and must change it back if he wants what really makes him happy.

The useful moose:  A truthful, moose-full tale
Robinson, Fiona
Molly loves moose so much that her family vacationed in Alaska, so that she could see them up close; except when they got there the moose had left for a vacation in the city. Once in the city, she saw moose everywhere and befriended three young moose who were tired and needed rest. She invited the moose to stay with them when they cooked, cleaned, and became part of the family. The moose became homesick for their own family, so they went back to Alaska. Molly was sad when she invited the moose to her birthday party and they didnメt respond, but they surprised her by jumping out of an airplane at her party and promised to come back often.

Carnival of the animals
Lithgow, John
A young boy sneaks off from a school field trip. He is left in the history museum overnight where he discovers his classmates, family, and acquaintances take on new forms.

Monster at school
Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann
Monster goes to school with a little boy one day. Once he arrives, he is a great help and loves to play with all of the children. One child, however, feels sad because Monster is not playing with him. What will Monster do to cheer up his sad friend?

Louanne pig in the talent show
Carlson, Nancy
Louanne's school is putting on a talent show. There's only one problem though: Louanne doesn't have a talent. When an unexpected turn of events causes Louanne to step up to the plate, she discovers her hidden talent: saving the day!

Silly chicken
Khan, Rukhsana
Rani is jealous of Amiメs affection for Bibi, a chicken. Rani finally learns how to lay an egg - much to the motherメs delight. However, when left alone one day, the chicken dies and Ami is sad. An egg from Bibi is found, which hatches a new baby chick.

Not norman:  A goldfish story
Bennett, Kelly
When a boy gets Norman, a goldfish, for his birthday he is disappointed. He wants an energetic pet with which to run and play. He makes a plan to take Norman back to the pet store and get another pet. After show and tell at school, he decides to keep him. Norman likes his music and makes him laugh; besides any other pet just wouldnメt be the same, they would not be Norman.

Elephant prince:  The story of Ganesh
Novesky, Amy
In this mythical story, that takes place in India, a girl grows up listening to her motherメs and grandmotherメs stories. As a princess, she meets her love and is married. He promises her a baby and has one within a year. When gods gather around the babyメs head vanishes. Another god helps save the baby with the help of an elephant offering his life. The little boy was saved and became the elephant prince, listening to his motherメs stories everyday.

Monster meets lady monster
Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann
Monster and the little boy are cleaning the house when the little boy sees a lady monster outside. Monster is happy and freshens up before asking the lady monster if he can play with her. The two monsters play together and fall in love.

Desser the best ever cat
Smith, Margaret
A little girl learns all about the hardships of losing a pet. However, her love for Desser is not lost in his death. Instead, she chooses to keep her memories of Desser alive. Even after Ginger, the new kitten, joins the family the little girl still chooses to remember Desser as the best ever cat

Monster and the toy sale
Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann
Monster and the little boy see an ad in the newspaper that reads モTOY SALE TODAY!ヤ Together, they bicycle to the store. On their journey, they are very helpful to others. Monster and the little boy serve as policemen to direct traffic, and as mangers at the toy store. They are so busy that they run out of time to shop for their own toys. Everyone is grateful for their unselfish behavior.

Jazzy Miz Mozetta
Roberts, Brenda C.
One night Miz Mozetta decided that she felt like dancing. Her friends outside made excuses not to dance and the children across the street would not let her. Miz Mozetta sulks to her room, but soon enough her friends and the children show up in her memories ready to dance the jitterbug all night long.

Wish come true cat
Scamell, Ragnhild
The unlikely answer to a wish is a scruffy old cat that has to win the heart of a little girl. It takes a cold snowy day to make his wish come true.

Sometimes my mommy gets angry
Campbell, Bebe Moore
When Annie wakes up in the morning, she is relieved to find her euphoric mother in the kitchen. They share a healthy breakfast, then her mother helps her get ready for school. After a fun day at school, Annie comes home to an angry and yelling mother. Annie copes by calling her grandmother to talk about her feelings. She takes care of herself and maintains a positive attitude with happy thoughts. She uses effective strategies to accept her motherメs bipolar disorder.

Apples to oregon
Hopkinson, Deborah
Loosely based on a true pioneer story, this tale describes the trip of apples across the country. When Papa decides to travel the Oregon Trail, he refuses to leave his beloved fruits, especially the apples. Building a wagon to carry his trees, the family forges rivers, endures hailstorms and droughts, and deals with nasty Jack Frost. Papa has the help of his children (and their clothing) to save his trees.

Food for thought:  The complete book of concepts for growing minds
Freymann, Saxton
Fruits and vegetables are strategically carved to emulate people and animals in order to teach shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and opposites. Readers can learn these skills while being entertained by the creative use of healthy foods.

The heroic symphony
Harwell-Celenza, Anna
Ludwig Van Beethoven learns he is going deaf. He is an accomplished and promising young pianist and this devastates him. Beethoven realizes his condition is actually leading to his destiny not his downfall. In creating his symphony no. 3 he searches for a hero on which to base his musical inspiration. He eventually realizes it is about him!

The silence in the mountains
Rosenberg, Liz
Iskander and his family live in Lebanon until war breaks out. Then, they are forced to flee the country they love to live in American where there is no war. However, Iskander is homesick. To help him feel better, each of his family members do something special to make him feel better.

Going north
Harrington, Janice N
Goodbye, Alabama, hello, Lincoln, Nebraska! This family moves from the South to the North so that the papa can find a better job. During their trip up North the family endures a couple struggles, such as the children not wanting to leave their home, the baby crying, and getting restless, and lastly, almost running out of gas! They make it to Nebraska and realize they are together and need to be brave and pioneering.

Michael Rosen's sad book
Rosen, Michael
Michael Rosen discusses sadness. He describes his sadness about the death of his son. Sometimes being sad makes him feel angry. Sometimes, he likes to talk about it. Other times, he wants to keep his sadness to himself. Rosen writes about his personal sadness and the various ways he tries to cope with this feeling.

Rickie & Henri
Goodall, Jane
A baby chimpanzee, Rickie, gets shot and taken from her mother in the forest, and taken to a market in the Congo Republic. A man takes her and cares for her, along with his dog, Henri. The man and Henri provide love and food for Rickie until they take her to a chimpanzee sanctuary to live with other chimpanzees.

The biggest soap
Shaefer, Carole
Kessy loved to listen to stories told by his Mama and his cousins on laundry days. One laundry day, Kessy is asked to go to the store and bring back the biggest piece of laundry soap. Kessy returns and tells his story about the biggest soap.

The balloon sailors
Swanson, Diana
When bickering princes take the throne, the kingdom is split in two by a wall so that each brother rules half. The kingdom is divided and it is illegal for people to cross the wall. Since Tamala and Abalon are forbidden to see their grandmother and cousin on the other side of the wall, they decide to float over it in a hot air balloon. They work with their parents to collect materials, build the balloon, and wait for the perfect weather conditions. The family departs during the night, escapes military fire from soldiers, and surprises their relatives in the morning. This adventure is loosely based on the true story of two East German families sailing over the Berlin Wall in their own hot air balloon in 1979.