Chrysanthemum loves her name, but when she goes to school, the other children giggle. "'Her name is so long,' said Jo. 'It scarcely fits on her name tag,' said Rita, pointing." Poor Chrysanthemum; even though her father says her name is "precious and priceless and fascinating and winsome," how will she persuade the other children in her class? Perhaps Mrs. Twinkle can come to the rescue!

• http://www.kevinhenkes.com/young.asp

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Wemberly's parents think that she worries too much. So does her grandmother. "'Worry, worry, worry,' said her grandmother. 'Too much worry.'" So imagine how poor Wemberly feels on the first day of school. She has a whole list of worries. What will school be like? Will she make friends? Will people laugh at her doll, Petal?

Note: This book is available in our Library.

So begins the rollicking chase around Matti's Kitchen and out into the countryside as Matti's mother, his father, the cat, and the dog run after the boisterous, bouncing Gingerbread Baby, only to be joined by a flock of goats, Martha and Madeline, a crowd of villagers and more. The Gingerbread Baby stays just out of reach, daring them to catch him all along the way! But Matti's not with them. He's at home, and we see him in the borders patting and rolling and putting something into the oven. What is he making? Will he ever see the Gingerbread Baby again? Yes! In a delicious twist at the end that surprises even the mischievous Gingerbread Baby. Jan Brett's lively and beautifully detailed paintings catch the spirit of a favorite old tale through her cheeky little Gingerbread Baby and the colorful cast of characters who pursue him through a tiny Swiss village surrounded by forest and mountain.

That popular little character is back looking for friends, in an adventure he'll never forget. Confident and cocky, the Gingerbread Baby happens upon a bakery, where he dances and prances in front of a sugar cookie girl, trying to make friends. But she just stares and doesn't say a word, like all the other sweet treats he tries to meet. Discouraged, the Gingerbread Baby runs home, chased by a long line of hungry creatures, where Mattie has a fantastic surprise for him-gingerbread friends that fill a giant fold-out page. Irresistible images inside the confectionery and outside in the snowy Swiss countryside will delight Jan Brett fans.

More than anything Hedgie wants to be an astronaut and travel into space. He gets his chance the day the geyser, Big Sparkler, starts to sputter and fade, disappointing all the alien tourists, who fly to the tiny planet of Mikkop to throw coins into Big Sparkler and look at the strange flowers that survive on its sparkles. Because only Hedgie can fit into a small space ship, he flies to Mikkop, where he not only finds out what is clogging up Big Sparkler, but fixes the problem in a most unusual way. He returns home a hero amid cheers from the aliens and the scientist back at the Star Lab. With an amazing gatefold illustration of Hedgie bursting out of Big Sparkler this is not only one of Jan Brett's most inventive books, but it's one of the funniest. Fans will love the unusual setting as they laugh along with a wild cast of characters, including comic aliens, canine scientists and bird reporters. So jump on a spaceship and take a ride to Big Sparkler. You'll be glad you made the trip!

Note: This book is available in our Library.

The Goldilocks story takes a fine twist when an endearing snow bear family and a curious Inuit girl meet center stage in Jan Brett's stunning paintings of a land where the Inuits and the animals share the amazing Arctic landscape. When Aloo-ki loses her sled dogs, her search for them leads her to an igloo. She can't resist peeking inside...and then she can't resist the smell of something delicious... While Aloo-ki is making herself at home, Papa, Mama and Baby Bear are out walking, waiting for their breakfast to cool off...and who do you think they find? In the borders, playful Arctic animals in parkas inspired by original Inuit designs have a mischievous time as the lively story bounces back and forth between the snow bears and Aloo-ki until they come face-to-face.

Knockety knock, knockety knock. Who's that knocking on Christmas Eve? Is it the trolls who come every year and gobble up Kyri's Christmas feast? Kyri is worried, but when she peeks out and sees the boy from Finnmark and his ice bear, she opens the door and welcomes them in. Knockety knock, knockety knock. Who's that knocking on Christmas Eve? This time it is the trolls pounding on the door. But they can't get in. Knockety knock, knockety knock. The trolls pound even harder. Suddenly there is a loud crack and the hungry little trolls burst into the hut. Will Kyri, the boy, and his ice bear be able to save the Christmas feast?

If you give a cat a cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it. When you give him the sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor. Cleaning up will make him hot, so you'll give him a bathing suit . . . and that's just the beginning!

If a hungry little traveler shows up at your house, you might want to give him a cookie. If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim.... The consequences of giving a cookie to this energetic mouse run the young host ragged, but young readers will come away smiling at the antics that tumble like dominoes through the pages of this delightful picture book.

If you give a pig a party,she's going to ask for some balloons. When you give her the balloons, she'll want to decorate the house. When she's finished, she'll put on her favorite dress. Then she'll call all her friends -- Mouse, Moose, and more.

Slowly, slowly, slowly... that’s how the sloth lives. He hangs upside-down from the branch of a tree, night and day, in the sun and in the rain, while the other animals of the rain forest rush past him. “Why are you so slow? Why are you so quiet? Why are you so lazy?” the others ask the sloth. And, after a long, long time, the sloth finally tells them!.

Mister Seahorse and fellow fish fathers who care for their soon-to-be-hatched offspring, share their stories while acetate pages reveal camouflaged creatures who bear witness to the conversation between fathers with fins.

Easy, repetitive question-and-response text draws children into joyful interaction as they imitate the sounds of a variety of zoo animals for the zookeeper. Big, bold animal illustrations and lots of noisy fun.

• http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html

The surprise ending of this enormously popular book features a chip that perfectly reproduces the real sound of a cricket’s song. In the story, a young cricket longs to make a sound by rubbing his wings together as many other crickets do. How he finally gets his wish is a romantic tale as well as a first look at natural history for the very young.

"While other mice are gathering food for the winter, Frederick seems to daydream the summer away. When dreary winter comes, it is Frederick the poet-mouse who warms his friends and cheers them with his words." --Wilson Library Bulletin

"An exquisite picture book. A little fish, the lone survivor of a school of fish swallowed by a tuna, devises a plan to camouflage himself and his new companions." --School Library Journal

Babushka, known "far and wide" for her beautifully painted eggs, spends the winter months in preparation for the Easter Festival in Moskva, where they always win first prize. One snowy day, Babushka is drawn from her work by the sounds of caribou. While she is outside admiring their beauty, an injured goose falls from the sky. A kindhearted woman, Babushka brings the goose into her home to bandage the wound, and care for the creature until she is well again. A "miracle," Babushka names Rechenka. One afternoon when Rechenka is beginning to feel better, she jumps onto Babushka’s worktable, overturning jars of paint and destroying all of her wonderful eggs. With her work shattered in pieces, Babushka gives up on going to the spring festival. The next morning a remarkable surprise awaits Babushka! Rechenka had laid the "most brilliantly colored egg that she had ever seen." And each morning until the day of the festival, Babushka finds another beautiful egg. However, with the arrival of spring, Babushka knows it is time for her to say goodbye to Rechenka. Although saddened by their separation, Babushka sets out to the festival, only this time it is Rechenka’s unique eggs that win first prize. A warm story of friendship, Rechenka’s Eggs concludes with one more surprise, a gift from Rechenka, awaiting Babushka’s return! In the sweet, old woman’s words, Rechenka’s "special gift" is "All a miracle!"

Patricia Polacco's classic tale "The Keeping Quilt" manages to blend, in not all that many pages, family, love, tradition, the cycle of life, and the ebb and flow of events in one family which are anchored by just one thing: the family quilt. Made by the immigrant great-grandmother and her quilting bee friends, the quilt is composed of scraps of fabric from little girls' dresses, the aprons of aunts, and so on. All come together to form a beautiful quilt which features dancing animals, swaying trees, and all manner of beautiful ornamentation. The quilt serves variously as a quilt, a tent, a huppah at a wedding, a tablecloth, and so on.- by Catherine S. Vodrey

• http://www.patriciapolacco.com/

"Grandma looked at the horizon, drew a deep breath and said, ‘This is Thunder Cake weather, all right. Looks like a storm is coming.’" Thunder Cake is the story of how Patricia Polacco conquered her childhood fear of Michigan thunderstorms with the assistance her grandmother. By encouraging the young Patricia to ignore the approaching storm, the two wander outside to gather the ingredients for Thunder Cake, the perfect recipe for a rainy day. After the cake is in the oven, Grandma recounts the day’s events, convincing Patricia that only a "brave" girl would climb out from her hiding spot to collect eggs and tomatoes, milk the cow, and venture through Tangleweed Woods to the dry shed. Realizing that her grandma is right, Patricia welcomes the storm and a warm slice of Thunder Cake, never again to fear the "voice of thunder."