Skip Across the Ocean

A collection of traditional rhymes and lullabies from different countries.

Lullaby and Good Night: Songs for Sweet Dreams

It’s bedtime, that special time when parents tuck their little ones in for the night and lull them to sleep with their favorite lullabies. In this gorgeous book, author-illustrator Julie Downing has selected her favorite lullabies and illustrated each one with expressive watercolor paintings. Parents will delight in the familiar, soothing rhythms of beloved songs like “Rock-a-bye Baby,” “Kumbaya,” and “Lullaby and Good Night,” while little ones are enchanted by fresh and dreamy lullabies, such as “El Coquí” and “Wynken, Blynken and Nod.” Each lavish illustration celebrates the precious moments shared between a parent and child, from sighting the first evening star together to sharing a last good-night kiss. Music is included for each lullaby so that parents can sing their young ones to sleep.

Tibili: The Little Boy Who Didn’t Want to Go to School

After Tibili, a young African boy, follows Crope the spider’s suggestion as to how he can avoid starting school, he discovers he wants to go after all.

Peek!: A Thai Hide-and-Seek

A father and daughter play hide-and-seek in the midst of the animals near their house in Thailand.

Papa calls on all the creatures of the jungle to help find his baby in this game of hide-and-seek.”Jut-Ay, Baby, peek-a-boo,Want to play? Where are you?” Baby knows that Jut-Ay means morning has come, and it’s time to play. But where is Baby hiding? Eechy-eechy-egg! crows the red-tailed rooster. Is Baby near? Hru-hruu! Hru-hruu! whines the puppy dog. Is Baby crouching there? Jiak-jiak! Jiak-jiak! screeches a monkey in the banyan tree. Is Baby swinging there? Hornbill and snake, elephant and tiger — who can finally lead Papa to Baby’s hiding place?

Hue Boy

Everybody talks about little Hue Boy’s size. He gets teased by his friends at school, his mother worries day and night, and his grandma sews up clothes for him to grow into. Buy he does not change at all, even though just about everyone in the village offers advice. Yet in time Hue Boy grows to understand what it really means to stand tall, no matter what his height.

The Absent-Minded Toad

A rhyming tale about a toad who travels to the outdoor market, only to discover upon his return home that he has neglected to pick up the items on his grocery list. He does manage, however, to have a spectacularly wonderful time perusing the venue and mingling with fellow customers.

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.”

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.