Early Years (ages 2-6)

Four Hens and a Rooster

Four hens live on a chicken farm. A little rooster lives there, too. “What a nice little rooster you have here,” everyone says when they come to visit. Indeed, it seems so for a while. But then the rooster begins to take more food for himself, and the hens get less. When the hens try talking to him about fairness, they’re not prepared for his reaction. The rooster turns into an egotistical barnyard bully, and the hens are worse off than before. Finally, the oldest hen puts her foot down: “We can’t go on like this. We must do something.”

Feathers Like a Rainbow: An Amazon Indian Tale

The birds in the forests surrounding the Amazon River all have dark feathers until they decide to steal some colors from the Hummingbird.

Baya, Baya, Lulla-by-a

The baya bird of India weaves its nest of grasses and flowers. In this dramatic yet lulling lullaby of a book, such a bird also saves a baby girl’s life.

Pitschi

On Lisette’s farm there are many animals. Lisette loves her animals and they are all very happy–except Pitschi, the smallest kitten. Pitschi wants to be something different. It takes a terrifying night in a strange place and a warm homecoming for Pitschi to discover that what she really wants is to be a kitten after all.

Nutmeg

Everything is always the same for Nutmeg, her Uncle Nicodemus, and her Cousin Nesbit. They eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and supper everyday, and nothing new ever happens. Until the day Nutmeg decides to take a walk. And that’s when everything starts to happen: a mysterious genie gives her a mysterious spoon that whips up a feast for supper—and they have something different to eat! But the spoon keeps on whipping, and soon it’s whipped up the house and everything in it, and the whole house sets sail. To where, they don’t know, but the promise of something different for breakfast and lunch helps them realize that different isn’t always bad.In this wholly original story about coping with changes, David Lucas has created a kindred spirit to his debut picture-book character, Halibut Jackson.

On Ramon’s Farm: Five Tales of Mexico

All of Ramon’s farm animals make a unique sound as he tends to them. Every animal has its own silly story, but Ramon has the last word At the end of each one, he makes up a verse that sums up each lovable animal’s personality. Full color.

Bye-Bye Binky

Nora is a big girl now, but she still clings to her pacifier when she gets sleepy. One day it falls out of her pocket while she’s playing outside. Ella Elephant doesn’t know what it is, but she thinks it’ll make a beautiful ring for her trunk. When she too loses it, Lotti Lamb finds it and thinks it’ll make a nice hair clip. One by one different animals find the binky and put it to different uses, only to lose it again. And just when Nora finally finds it, she realizes that maybe she doesn’t need it anymore.

Hedgehog, Pig, and the Sweet Little Friend

It’s a quiet evening at Hedgehog’s house, until there’s a squeak at the gate. Someone’s outside who wants to come in. It’s dark and the hour is late. It’s someone who’s lost and wants to go home, someone who can’t find the way. “Come in,” invites Hedgehog, “come in and sit down. Tomorrow will be a new day.”

Little Tad Grows Up

Little Tadpole is going through some big changes in his early life. For one thing, he’s sad when he learns he is losing his tail. Instead, he’s growing four strange, long legs that he doesn’t know what to do with. The older frogs tell him to be patient, but it’s hard when everything’s changing around you. Then one day he finds himself face-to-face with a water snake’s big fangs, and he learns just how useful his new legs can be. In the process, he discovers a beautiful new world outside the water. This is a funny, endearing look at what it means to grow up.

Sophie’s Big Bed

Sophie is a big girl now, with a nice, new big-girl bed. But Bunny, Bear, and Scarlett are worried that if the bed is too big, they may get lost under all those sheets and blankets.