Mama Rocks, Papa Sings

A little Haitian girl describes how her parents’ house fills up with babies as relatives drop off their children on their way to work.

The Three Golden Keys

A man in a hot-air ballon is thrown off course in a violent storm, landing him in the city of his youth. He finds the way to his old home, but the house is dark, with three rusty padlocks on the door. A black cat with eyes of fire appears and leads him through Prague’s silent streets and monuments in seach of the three golden keys that will open the door of his boyhood home and restore the city to life.

Pancakes for Supper

Anne Isaacs and Mark Teague transform Helen Bannerman’s classic story, Little Black Sambo, into an American tall tale set in the backwoods of New England. In the backwoods of New England, a young girl cleverly fends off the threats of wild animals by trading her clothes for her safety.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

The Twenty-third Psalm, one of the world’s most cherished prayers, is paired with some of the most exquisite illustrations in this inspirational picture book by New York Times Best Illustrator Gennady Spirin. This never-before-created format, made from one large, magnificent painting, gives parents and children an opportunity to share the experience, making prayer time even more profound.

Noah’s Ark

The New York Times Best- Illustrated book returns Lisbeth Zwerger, recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, employs her distintive style to breathe fresh life into this well-known Bible story. Her award-winning art uses clever vignettes and striking full pages to present the menagerie of animals sailing on this amazing voyage. With grace and economy, Heinz Janisch’s text tells the full story of the flood without glossing over details. It is in every way poignant and captivating.

The River

A river takes a long and winding path on its way to the ocean. It begins as a humble trickle high in the moutains, and flows through a plethora of landscapes as it grows bigger. Here we witness this journey from the point of view of five little pinecones, who ride the current to find new homes. Along the way, they encounter a woodsy stream, a rushing waterfall, a marshy fork and a big-city delta. One by one, they choose to stop and stay in a particular spot, leaving the rest to continue the trip. Finally, one lone pinecone drifts out to sea, and washes up on another shore, where he begins to sprout. Perfect for introducing young children to ecology and geography, this book brings an original point of view to a little-studied subject.