Grade: 1

You just saw the movie in theaters, now take the original book home. Surely among the most lovable of all Dr. Seuss creations, Horton the Elephant represents kindness, trustworthiness, and perseverance–all wrapped up, thank goodness, in a comical and even absurd package. Horton hears a cry for help from a speck of dust, and spends much of the book trying to protect the infinitesimal creatures who live on it from the derision and trickery of other animals, who think their elephant friend has gone quite nutty. But worse is in store: an eagle carries away the clover in which Horton has placed the life-bearing speck, and “let that small clover drop somewhere inside / of a great patch of clovers a hundred miles wide!” Horton wins in the end, after persuading the “Who’s” to make as much noise as possible and prove their existence. This classic is not only fun, but a great way to introduce thoughtful children to essentially philosophical questions. How, after all, are we so sure there aren’t invisible civilizations floating by on every mote? — Richard Farr

Everyone’s favorite dinosaurs are back–and this time they are going to school. More fun dinosaur antics await. These prehistoric pupils are in a class of their own! As in their previous books, Yolen and Teague capture children’s rambunctious natures with playful read-aloud verse and wonderfully amusing pictures.

In a few simple lines of verse on each spread, fathers and mothers are ready to put their youngsters to bed. But in this book, the youngsters are a wide variety of dinosaurs. And how do dinosaurs say good night? Filled with wonderful detail and humor, children and their parents will love the expressions and antics of the eleven different dinosaur children depicted here, and each species is spelled out somewhere in the young dinosaur’s bedroom. In the end, young dinosaurs behave a lot like people do: They give a big kiss, turn out the light, tuck in their tails, and whisper “good night.”

“How many seeds are in a pumpkin?” Mr. Tiffin asks his class as they gather around the big, medium, and small pumpkins on his desk. Robert, the biggest kid, guesses that the largest one has a million seeds; Elinor, sounding like she knows what she’s talking about, guesses the medium one has 500 seeds; and Anna, who likes even numbers better than odd ones, guesses that the little one has 22. Charlie, the smallest boy in the class, doesn’t have a guess. Counting pumpkin seeds is messy business, but once the slimy job is done, to everyone’s surprise, the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds! As Charlie happily exclaims, “Small things have a lot going on inside of them.”

The Grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small, hates Who-ville’s holiday celebrations, and plans to steal all the presents to prevent Christmas from coming. To his amazement, Christmas comes anyway, and the Grinch discovers the true meaning of the holiday.

After centuries of being hidden from human sight, the Flower Fairies allowed Cicely Mary Barker a glimpse into their enchanted fairy world in Fairyopolis. Now you can continue the adventure with this spectacular new novelty book where every page unlocks the secrets behind the magical places the fairies call home. Five eye-popping spreads include intricate three-dimensional pop-up images of flowers and trees that magically open up to reveal the secret homes of the fairies. Lift-the-flaps, booklets, maps and other ephemera provide interactive fun on every page leading up to a stunning surprise on the final spread.

A trip to the market is how most bakers buy the ingredients for an apple pie, but not in this book. Readers will take a delicious trip around the world to gather the finest foods. First, your students will board a steamship to Europe to gather Italian semolina and elegant French eggs. Then they’ll coast to Sri Lanka and trek deep into the rain forest for cinnamon. After hitching a ride back to England for milk, they’ll dock in Jamaica for sugarcane and parachute into a Vermont orchard to pick apples. At last they’ll head home to combine the ingredients! This how-to adventure includes a recipe for apple pie and a mouth-watering ending!

Newbery-winning author Jean Craighead George demonstrates how to communicate with finicky felines. “Among cats, ‘Hello’ is rubbing heads,” writes George who has authored more than 80 books on animals and nature. If students feel more connected to canines, try George’s How to Talk to Your Dog (HarperCollins, 2000).