Big by Vashti Harrison 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Everyone has feelings and sometimes words can be very hurtful. One girl finds this out when other children start to make fun of her because of her size. When she is criticized by both adults and children her fragile self-esteem is damaged. The book teaches readers to be mindful when talking to others. A child’s self-confidence can be shattered with just a few words. The book has a wonderful message for all children.

Published In: 2023
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co,
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 60
Stars: 5
Awards: 2024 Caldecott Medal

Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman 🟊🟊🟊🟊

All the colors take on a different role as the author moves through the seasons. In spring “Yellow shouts with light!”, in summer it “smells like butter”, in fall “it grows wheels”, and in winter it has “gone home”. The poetry is easy to read but my granddaughter’s eyes started to glaze over with all the abstract narrative. The illustrations are what kept her sitting long enough to finish the book.

Published In: 2009
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: 3.2
Pages: 32
Stars: 4
Awards: 2010 Caldecott Medal

Locomotive by Brain Floca 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

If your child likes trains this is the book for them. A family is moving out West, the year is 1869, the transcontinental railroad has just been completed, and they will be traveling by train. The book gives insight into the passenger experience through the eyes of a young boy traveling with his mother and sister. It describes all the sights along the way as well as what it is like living on the train over the course of the multi-day trip. Details are given about the mechanics of the train and what it takes to keep it moving. The jobs of the men working on the great machine are told simply and accurately. Younger children will find the story about the family moving out West fascinating. Older children will appreciate the history of building the train and the details of how a steam engine works.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Atheneum
Age Level: 2-8 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 60
Stars: 5
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Medal

 

Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A family moves into a hew home that has a cherry tree in the yard. A father tells his child that “it’s a pie tree”. The child watches the tree over the course of the four seasons to see any signs of pies growing in the tree. Finaly summer arrives, and something is sprouting in the tree. It’s not pies, but cherries and the father and child make a pie together. The book has wonderful illustrations, with bold and vibrant colors. The story is simple, but the artwork is what keeps the toddlers coming back.

Published In: 2004
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Age Level: 4-7 years
AR Level: 2.7
Pages: 36
Stars: 5

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

"Finding Winnie” is a beautiful story and I learned so much about one of America’s most famous bears by reading this non-fiction picture book. Winnie was a real bear that was purchased by a Canadian veterinarian on his way to the front lines of WWI. While his Infantry Brigade was training on the Salisbury Plain in England, Winnie stayed with her veterinarian. But when the Brigade was called to France to fight, a hard decision had to be made about what to do with Winnie. Any child that has read the Winnie the Pooh books will find it fascinating to know the true story about the real bear. Both my grandchildren and my grown children loved this book.

Published In: 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 3.4
Pages: 52
Stars: 5
Awards: 2016 Caldecott Medal

The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock 🟊🟊🟊🟊

“The Noisy Paint Box” is the story of Vasya Kandinsky, one of the first painters of abstract art. Vasya was a very “proper Russian boy” but when his aunt gave him a paint box a whole new world opened up to him. When he painted, he heard noises, then the more he painted it turned into an orchestra. As an adult Vasya tried to conform to Russian society and he becomes a lawyer, but one night he goes to the opera, and again sees the music as art. Not able to stop himself from doing the one thing he truly loved, he quits his job and moves to Munich to paint. Buy this book for the artist in your family. They will appreciate Vasya’s nonconformist approach to art.

Published In: 2014
Publisher: Knopf
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 4.4
Pages: 36
Stars: 4
Awards: 2015 Caldecott Honor

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A beautiful picture book about a boy and his grandfather. The grandson describes the life of his grandfather by both words and by the shapes of topiary trees illustrated in the book. The grandfather was a horticulturist, and his memories are told through his garden. My granddaughter was OK with the book but did not ask for it again. I liked it more than she did, so it got a five-star rating from me and a four from her.

Published In: 2011
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Age Level: 3-7 years
AR Level: 2.5
Pages: 36
Stars: 5
Awards: 2012 Caldecott Honor

One of Those Days by Amy Krouse Rosenthal 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Everybody has “One of Those Days” and the reader goes through all the things that could go wrong in a day in a child’s life. Both adults and children will be able to relate to this book. This is a great way to explain to kids that not all things are going to go your way but tomorrow is another day. A wonderful book to have on hand when your child is having one of those days.

Published In: 2006
Publisher: G.P. Putman’s Sons
Age Level: 2-7 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5

The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Annie lost her mitten, the fifth time in one winter. She knows she must find it, or she will be in big trouble. She and her dog retrace all the places they where that day and no mitten to be found. Then she thinks about all the animals that would have found the mitten and used it for their own purposes. Next, she thinks about planting the one mitten she has left to see if she can grow a mitten tree and have an endless supply of mittens. Then she notices the snowman she has made has a red heart, could that be her mitten? All the grandchildren loved this story. You can never go wrong reading a Steven Kellogg book to a child.

Published In: 2000
Publisher: Puffin
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: 2.2
Pages: 36
Stars:5

First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A wonderful baby book that explores what comes first and then second in the life cycle of animals, plants and art. It has cute die-cuts that add depth to the simple words of the story. The book would be a great present for newborns and their parents.

Published In: 2007
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Age Level: 1-3 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5
Awards: 2008 Caldecott Honor

The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

A mother tells her son he has powerful magic living inside him and to understand this magic he must go on a quest to learn the truth about dragons. The first part of the quest is to find out what his European grandmother knows about dragons and the second part from his Asian grandmother. Each grandmother has their own version of what is true about dragons. Can they both be right? I love the way the two cultures are put on display by having to answer the same question, each having different answers. A great book for the biracial child, the child that loves dragons or for those that like a good story. Get this book for your home library.

Published In: 2023
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 40
Stars: 5
Awards: 2024 Caldecott Honor

Russell the Sheep by Rob Scotton 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

It’s bedtime and all the sheep are ready for sleep, but Russell can’t get tired. He tries all kinds of tricks to help him, maybe it needs to be darker, or is it too hot, or does he need a different sleeping place. None of these gimmicks help him find sleep. He attempts one more trick, will counting sheep help? This is a great bedtime book for children who have trouble falling asleep. A book to have on hand when sleep is elusive for you toddler.

Published In: 2005
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: 1.9
Pages: 32
Stars: 5
Series: 3 Books

A Good Night Walk by Elisha Cooper 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

The reader takes a walk before bed with a child and parent through the neighborhood. They pass the neighbor who is gardening, the squirrels in the trees, the birds in the air and much more. The illustrations are charming and the words soothing. The book is perfect to settle down with when it’s bedtime. A great book to end the day.

Published In: 2005
Publisher: Orchard Books
Age Level: 3-5 years
AR Level: 2.3
Pages: 36
Stars: 5

Journey by Aaron Becker 🟊🟊🟊🟊

A young girl cannot find anybody to play with her. Her friends are off doing other things, and her family is too busy. So, with a red maker in hand, she draws a red door, and that door leads to another world. She sets off on a boat to a castle, then rides a red balloon and is captured by a evil emperor. When she loses her red maker how will she ever get back home? The book is wordless so be prepared to use your imagination when “reading” this book with your child. What the book lacks in words is does make up in the stunning illustrations.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Candlewick
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 40
Stars: 4
Series: 3 Books
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Honor

Snow by Uri Shulevitz 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Love the illustrations, love the book. One boy and his dog really want it to snow. As they look out the window, they see a snowflake. They run outside and go all around town telling the people on the streets that it will snow but the towns people tell him it will melt. The boy is right and by the end of the book the whole town is white. This book was at my granddaughter’s reading level, so she read the book to me. We had fun with the pictures, and she was so proud to be able to read it by herself. A great first reader that is actually a good book.

Published In: 1998
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux
Age Level: 2-7 years
AR Level: 1.6
Pages: 28
Stars: 5
Awards: 1999 Caldecott Honor

Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Pig is a pug who does not like to share his chew toys, balls, and bones. Trevor, the wiener dog, lives in the same house as the pug. Trevor really wants to play with some of the dog toys, but the greedy and selfish Pig will not share. When Pig puts all his toys in one pile and climbs on top of them an accident happens. Pig then rethinks his greedy ways, and both dogs learn to play together. A wonderful book for siblings that have trouble sharing. The story teaches life lessons without being preachy, my granddaughter loved it. I recommend getting the complete 13 book series.

Published In: 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 24
Series: 13 Books
Stars: 5

Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Hare needs to feed his very hungry family, but he has lost all his money and land. In desperation he and his wife form a plan to trick the lazy Bear that lives down the street. They want to use the land in front of Bear’s house to plant crops. Hare tells Bear he will plant and harvest the crops, and Hare will keep the bottom half and Bear can have the top half. When Hare’s family digs up the carrots, radishes, and beets, the family keeps the good parts grown on the bottom and Bear is left with the greens on top. The innovative Hare family does this again and again to Bear before he says no more. Bear then grows his own crops but not before Hare has been able to sell the surplus crops and buy land for his own family to harvest. Add this clever book to your home library, it will be asked for over and over.

Published In: 1995
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Age Level: 4-7 years
AR Level: 3.2
Pages:32
Stars: 5
Awards:1996 Caldecott Honor

Fun Activity: Plant a small or big vegetable garden with your child.

The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Rabbit comes home to his burrow and finds an intruder. Someone claiming to be the Giant Jumperee is hiding in his home and says, “I’m as scary as be!”. Rabbit does not want to enter his house, so he runs to his friends Cat, Bear and Elephant for help. All three try to get the Giant Jumperee out of Rabbit’s burrow but with no success. Elephant asks Mama Frog for help, will she be able to get the intruder out of Rabbit’s home? This is a delightful book that your toddler will want to read again and again.

Published In: 2017
Publisher: Dial Books
Age Level: 2-4 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5

Zin! Zin! Zin a Violin by Lloyd Moss 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

One by one the musical instruments are introduced and given the spotlight in the delightful counting book about music. It starts with the “mournful moan” of the trombone and ends with the “angel’s wings” of a harp to form a “Chamber Group of Ten”. The book is written in verse which gives it a flowing musical vibe. The book is an intro to musical instruments for young readers. If your child shows an interest in music this is the book for them.

Published In: 1995
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Age Level: 2-4 years
AR Level: 3.3
Pages: 27
Stars:5
Awards: 1996 Caldecott Honor

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Picking blueberries is hard work and Little Sal would much rather be eating berries than picking them. At Blueberry Hill Little Sal and her mother are picking berries to be canned for winter. Eventually she becomes tired and sits down in a clump of berries to rest and of course eats more berries. Meanwhile on the other side of the mountain Little Bear and his mother were getting ready for winter by eating lots of berries to prepare for their long winter nap. Little Bear and Little Sal lose track of their mothers and both venture from their resting place to find them. In their attempt they pair up with the wrong mothers. Oh No!

“Blueberries for Sal” is a timeless story. It was one of my favorites as a child and my 5-year-old granddaughter enjoyed the book. Even though it was published 75 years ago both the illustrations and text are relevant for today’s preschoolers. The story has suspense without being scary. I think every child at one time, or another comes behind a person at the grocery/mall thinking it was their mother only to find out its somebody else. A must for every home library.

Fun Activity: If possible, go berry picking and then make something with them; pie, muffins or jam.

Published In: 1948
Publisher: The Viking Press
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: 4.1
Pages: 64
Stars: 5
Awards: 1949 Caldecott Honor