Materials from Europe
One warm, sunny day, Willy the Chimp decides to go to the park. There’s not a cloud in the sky — well, except for just a little tiny one. It doesn’t bother Willy too much at first. But as the cloud follows him, it grows bigger and bigger and becomes harder and harder to ignore. Pretty soon the cloud is all Willy can think about, and he has no idea how to make it go away.
Robin and his friends are planning to dress up as pirates for their school’s annual costume party, but instead his mother creates a Robinson Crusoe costume for him, and while the adults love it, his friends are less welcoming.
Introduces a wide variety of birds, their feathers, and Plume, the cat that is stalking them.
All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game. My mom says it’s a waste of time, but without my game, nothing is fun! On the other hand, maybe I’m wrong about that…
Paulina, nicknamed Feather, leaves her piano to take up boxing, showing her father and brothers that she will stand up for herself.
In this book without words, Mr. Crocodile gets up every morning and carefully gets ready for work–but just what is his job?
Minimal text and simple directions, and the reader’s imagination lead the reader to experiment with different types of sound in this interactive book.
The perilous adventure of a toy soldier who loves a paper dancing girl culminates in tragedy for both of them.
Susanna Isern’s melodic picture book tale uses repetition throughout and offers an upbeat and positive message to middle children everywhere. It’s a subject that is not often addressed in this format. With its hero’s quest theme, the story has the feel of a modern-day fairy tale. Manon Gauthier’s spare artwork and understated palette perfectly capture the poignancy of the bear cub’s emotional journey. Though the book focuses on the role of middle children, it really celebrates every child’s efforts toward self-discovery, as they seek out their own special place in the world. It also offers a wonderful opportunity to highlight the character education subject of perseverance or a lesson on empathy.
King Louie was a very BIG king in all ways but one: He was five-feet-four-inches short. So Louie and his royal cobbler cooked up the perfect high-heeled solution to help Louie appear taller. But after an embarrassing tumble (on the dance floor, no less!) Louie learned that his subjects were loyal no matter how big—or how shrimpy—their beloved Louie might have been. Readers young and old will relate to this silly and sweet story of King Louie XIV—a man who had it all, but still felt small.