Flora and the Flamingo

By Molly Idle

In Flora and the Flamingo, author and illustrator Molly Idle tells the story of a young girl who would love nothing more than to dance like the beautiful flamingo with whom she shares a pond. At first, the girl emulates the flamingo in secret, until a wobbly fall gives her away. As the young dancer and her new flamingo friend begin to dance together, they learn about friendship, teamwork, and how much more fun it can be to share a dance with a partner.

Flora and the Flamingo is an exquisite wordless tale that was named a Caldecott Honor book in 2014 for its beautiful illustrations and remarkable storytelling. Recommended for children who enjoy birds, dancing, and all things pink, this book is sure to bring laughter and imagination to your child’s day.

Journey

By Aaron Becker

Would you like to get away without leaving your front door? Is your child eager for adventure within the pages of his or her bedtime story? If so, look no further than Journey by Aaron Becker, a 2014 Caldecott Honor Book about imagination, friendship, freedom, and adventure. 

Our story begins with a young girl who feels bored and lonely cooped up in her house. She’s sitting on her bed when she sees a red marker lying on her bedroom floor. With this marker, she draws a magic door to another realm, and her adventure takes off. The girl uses the red marker to travel through air, space, and time until she meets up with an imprisoned purple bird and decides she must set it free. As our heroine works to help the bird, she meets up with an unexpected friend, and they begin a brand new journey with their feathered friend through the magic kingdom together.

This story is a must-read for any child with an active imagination and a love of telling stories. Journey is completely wordless, which allows children to narrate the story themselves and decide what they think the pictures mean. Check out Journey for beautiful, easy-to-understand illustrations, a unique story time experience, and a powerful message about how imagination can take us anywhere in the world we’d like to go.

The Heart and the Bottle

By Oliver Jeffers

This is a heartfelt book that shows how young kids might deal with loss. We love it because its clever use of metaphors leave something for all ages to uncover. Young children will enjoy the simple illustrations and text. Older kids will begin to understand the deeper meaning behind the humble storyline. This book prompts meaningful discussions concerning losing a loved one.   

Terri Dehning
Culver Public Library Children's Room

 

Scaredy Squirrel

 

Written and illustrated by Melanie Watt

 Scaredy Squirrel insists that everyone wash their hands with antibacterial soap before reading this book.

That gives you a basic idea of what Scaredy Squirrel is like.  He has a safe home, in a familiar tree, a daily routine, and is prepared for emergencies.  What happens when Scaredy Squirrel encounters changes and even dangers to his world?  You’ll find out as you read of his plans, adventures, and new beginnings in this cautionary tale that’s lots of fun, too.  (You may want to add “Silly” in front of Scaredy Squirrel’s name!)

Terri Dehnig
Culver Library Children's Room

Here's What You Do When You Can't Find Your Shoe (Ingenious Inventions for Pesky Problems

Written by Andrea Perry, Illustrated by Alan Snow

This collection of poems about inventions you never imagined is reminiscent of Shel Silverstein’s quirky, slightly grisly children’s poetry. Children will love the fabulously intricate color illustrations, which perfectly complement and bring to life Perry’s eccentric ideas. For example, “The Sure-Footed Shoe Finder,” a contraption that locates your lost shoe by matching the scent of its other pair, is illustrated with a number of complicated looking machines. One is a hodgepodge of wheels, half a bicycle handlebar, and some kind of metal device that seems to transfer the smell of the shoe, via a series of tubes and what looks like a plunger, to a rat trapped in a cage, who then leads the chase for the forgotten shoe. Meanwhile, the margins of the pages are filled with assorted lost shoes, including a high heel that looks suspiciously like a rat. In addition to fabulously fantastical drawings, there are several inventions in the mix that are simply too good to pass up, such as the Crumbunny. The Crumbunny a pink monster/ bunny hybrid with a vacuum for a nose, solves that age-old problem: What to do about those nasty little crumbs left behind after you’ve snacked in bed? “The snack-time pet knows what to do! He cleans the crumbs beneath the sheet, and when he’s full, sleeps at your feet.”


Rachel Meade
Culver Library Children's Room

Dragons Love Tacos

 

 

 Written by Adam Rubin

Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Hey Kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? Thus opens Adam Rubin’s delightfully conversational book about a taco party for dragons. The unusual narration style is both accessible and refreshing and will immediately grip young readers. An omniscient narrator talks to both to the boy protagonist and the taco-loving dragons in turn. The story hinges upon a ridiculous, yet ultimately simple premise: dragons love tacos but they HATE spicy salsa. The rest of the story flows easily and naturally from this starting point, written in a rhythmic repetitive style that is both easy to read, and hilarious. Appealing watercolor illustrations add to the story’s charm and comic effect. The interaction between the narrator and the illustrations is fantastic, such as when the narrator inquires: “Hey dragon, how do you feel about spicy taco toppings?” Under the text, in a two-page spread, a dragon dramatically flops on his back, feet in the air, arms on his belly, tongue hanging out, eyes rolled back. No words necessary.

Rachel Meade
Culver Library Children's Room

Pete the Cat

Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

These stories of Pete the Cat are fun to read and excellent for young children in many ways. There is repetition, rhyme, and important reading skills a child will need in school. The stories follow Pete through various places in his cool attire and offer the reader chances to predict what comes next. Pete loves to sing about what he's doing and each book has information about a website where you can hear Pete's song. Even if you can't hear it, it's fun to make up the tune for how he sings or raps. These books can be enjoyed together as you read to your child and interact with him/her. They are "cool" "rocking" and "groovy" for all ages!