A bunny and a pig, explore the world of their emotions as they attempt to put on a play together. Along the way, they must face a few challenges, such as when the bunny wants them to “be sunflowers and sing a duet,” while the pig would rather “be pirates on a shipwreck.” As they work their way to a successful collaboration, they take turns describing the different ways they act when they are shy, scared, eager, angry and sad.
All the animals escape from the zoo, and it seems there is nothing the old zookeeper can do to bring them back. Then he wakes up. Thank goodness, it was only a dream! Or was it?…
At the animal shelter, a young boy and his family choose a pet, Norman, the little stray dog who has been there the longest. Norman is brown and white, with a stump of a tail. He’s so glad to have a home that he does a “hula dance of happiness” whenever he sees his new owners. But the family soon discovers that Norman won’t respond to commands. He doesn’t even seem to know his own name. They conclude that lovable Norman just isn’t very smart until a chance encounter in the park makes them think otherwise.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume VII, Issue 2
This book has been included in WOW’s Language and Learning: Children’s and Young Adult Fiction Booklist. For our current list, visit our Booklist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.
A little girl and her canine assistant set out to make the most magnificent thing. But after much hard work, the end result is not what the girl had in mind. Frustrated, she quits. Her assistant suggests a long walk, and as they walk, it slowly becomes clear what the girl needs to do to succeed.
Follows the adventures of a duck whose fear of water prevents her from learning to swim until she is assisted by a kindhearted frog and forest birds who reveal how they overcame their own fears.
Ella comes down one morning to feed her pets and finds that they have disappeared. She discovers them floating away on balloons, high in the sky. Try as she might, she can’t get them to come back. But although they are out of reach, Ella soon learns they are not truly gone as long as they remain in her heart and her memories. Written in gentle rhyming verse with light-hearted illustrations, Ella and the Balloons in the Sky is a story that tackles the tough subject of love and loss in a new way–with whimsy, magic, and lightness.
The first in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Fly is a look at the common housefly. It covers such topics as the hair on the fly’s body (requires a lot of shaving), its ability to walk on the ceiling (it’s pretty cool, but it’s hard to play soccer up there), and its really disgusting food tastes (garbage juice soup followed by dirty diaper with rotten tomato sauce, for example). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Fly contains real information that will tie in with curriculum.
This book covers such topics as the worm’s habitats (sometimes they live inside other animals), its anatomy (its muscle tube is slimy and gross), and its illustrious history (worms have been on earth for 120 million years). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Worm contains real information that will tie in with curriculum.
In a rundown diner, in an unnamed city, an ordinary fish asks itself the big questions in life. Glub finds the answers he’s looking for by listening to the lively characters of the greasy spoon beyond his fishbowl. And it’s through Glub that they, the lonely Foster included, uncover the answers to questions they had long forgotten.
When everyone is asleep, Hannah wakes up and discovers the quiet, exciting night-time world. When Hannah wakes suddenly in the night, she discovers a whole new world of adventure. With nobody awake to tell her off, she can do just as she pleases. The book combines simple language with beautifully textured images, capturing the innocence and wonder of young children at play.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume VII, Issue 3