Young Frederic Pipkin tries very hard to follow in his musical family’s footsteps, but every new instrument he plays sounds worse than the one before. Includes songs.
The Fabulous Song
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Come Along, Daisy!
This award-winning, beautifully made picture book by Jane Simmons is the story of a duckling who is too busy chasing dragonflies and bouncing on lily pads to stay caught up with Mama Duck. It perfectly captures a little one’s thrill of exploration in this gentle cautionary tale.
Cherry Time
A young boy hides under the table when his parents’ friends come over, and at school he’s too timid to make friends. But when he sees a mysterious girl who hides in the cherry tree every day after school, he wants to be brave enough not to be afraid of her. He gets himself a dog—the bravest dog he can find. And when his new pal takes a liking to the girl, the two become fast friends. She too is very bashful, but now they hang out together in the cherry tree and play every day after school. Though her family will be moving away at the end of the year, they promise to keep meeting at the tree whenever it’s cherry time.
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen
While caring for their aunt’s chickens, three little Swedish sisters are upset when the big red hen disappears.
Grandma Calls Me Beautiful
This beautiful book captures the unique bond that exists between grandmother and grandchild. A Hawaiian grandmother tells her granddaughter a favorite story about how much she loves her.
Jumpy Jack & Googily
Meet Jumpy Jack, a very nervous snail who’s afraid of monsters, and Googily, who is a—well, who is a very good friend, indeed. Wherever they go, Googily kindly checks high and low just to make sure there are no scary monsters about. But as every child knows, monsters come in many shapes and sizes. Some are even blue with hairy eyebrows and pointy teeth.
Timothy and the Strong Pajamas
Every night, Timothy tries to make himself stronger. He drinks milk. He exercises. He thinks STRONG thoughts all with the help of his faithful stuffed monkey. Then his mother fixes up his holey, missing-button favorite pajamas, and suddenly Timothy has super strength! He catches an elephant falling off a cliff! He rescues a princess in a tipping tower! He drags an alligator back to the zoo! But when Monkey gets trapped and the pajamas rip! Timothy finds his real power in his friends.
The Daring Adventures of Penhaligon Brush
When Penhaligon Brush the fox is summoned by his step-brother to the seaside town of Porthleven, he finds immediately upon arrival that his brother is incarcerated in the dungeon at Ferball Manor.
I Love Saturdays y Domingos
Saturdays and Sundays are very special days for the child in this story. On Saturdays, she visits Grandma and Grandpa, who come from a European-American background, and on Sundays — los domingos — she visits Abuelito y Abuelita, who are Mexican-American. While the two sets of grandparents are different in many ways, they also have a great deal in common — in particular, their love for their granddaughter. While we follow our narrator to the circus and the pier, share stories from her grandparents’ pasts, and celebrate her birthday, the depth and joy of both cultures are conveyed in Spanish and English. This affirmation of both heritages will speak to all children who want to know more about their own families and ethnic backgrounds.
Awards
Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Commended
El Sombrero Del Tío Nacho / Uncle Nacho’s Hat
When Ambrosia gives her Uncle Nacho a new hat, he tries to get rid of his old one, but to no avail. No matter what he does, the pesky hat keeps coming back to him. This classic folktale from the Puppet Workshop of Nicaraguan National Television, vividly illustrated by Mira Reisberg and presented in a bilingual edition, is a parable about the difficulties of making changes and shaking off old habits. The book includes an account of the origins of the story.