Grade: 1

The Hat is a welcome companion to her popular tale The Mitten. Set on a Danish farm, this amusing story about Hedgie, a hedgehog who gets a sock stuck on his head, will engage children on many levels. Everyone will giggle at Hedgie’s plight as he tries to convince his animal friends of the benefits of his new “hat.” The class also will have fun discussing the folly of blindly following a leader. Best of all, though, are Brett’s richly layered illustrations, with borders that portray the sock owner’s preparations for winter, the animal featured on the next page, and the clothesline as, one by one, the animals make away with various garments. Together, illustrations and text offer rewarding reading, inviting children to examine picture clues and make predictions, without losing the spirit of the tale. The book can also inspire a fine study of hats and the reasons people wear them, which could culminate in a parade of children sporting their own chapeaus.

This picture book is narrated by animal characters, ages 5-12, who are part of a support group that helps children cope with their mothers’ breast cancer. Each character shares with the reader a different aspect of dealing with cancer — what it was like when their family found out, what they learned about the disease (including that it isn’t contagious), what doctors are doing to treat their mothers, and how they look for “the good” in the days their mothers go through chemotherapy. They also share their emotions, helpful hints, and the hope that their mothers will get better. This reassuring book with charming animal illustrations will comfort young children struggling with a parent or loved one with cancer or another serious disease.

“Dear Diary … I’ve never been higher than Aunt Clara’s porch, or farther than Yoder’s General Store, but this week my dream is coming true. I’m finally in a big city!” So begins the story of Hannah, an Amish girl, who visits Chicago for the first time. Each day she tells her “silent friend,” her diary, about the wondrous things she sees, including skyscrapers, an aquarium, and crowds of people wearing strange clothes. Each new city experience is contrasted with an illustration of Amish life.

When it’s time to send a child off to school for the very first time, it’s hard to say who is the most anxious about it—the parent or the child. Both will appreciate the sweet and gentle message in The Kissing Hand, a softly illustrated picture book.

In this retold Ojibwe tale, a little girl’s courage and determination save her village from a terrible disease and bring the delicate lady slipper flower to the forests of the Great Lakes. By listening closely to nature, the hissing snow, rumbling ice, and dancing northern lights, the little girl is able to bring healing herbs back from a neighboring village. The next spring she goes back to look for a pair of beaded ma-ki-sins she lost during her harrowing journey to retrieve the medicine. Instead, all along her route, wherever she had stepped, she finds beautiful lady slipper flowers shaped like tiny mocassins.

The little house stood in the country, with trees and fields around her, and with the birds and flowers and children for company. In the distance twinkled the lights of the big city, and the little house wondered what it would be like to live there. One day steam shovels dug a road in front of the little house, and soon she was surrounded by houses and stores. Then tall skyscrapers rose on either side of her, elevated trains roared past her, and a subway shook the ground under her foundations. She longed for a glimpse of the stars and the scent of apple blossoms, but she was caught by the big city. Then, when she was so old and shabby that nobody wanted to live in her, she had an unexpected chance to escape.

Sachar, who won the Newbery Medal for his 1999 book Holes, can find a kid’s funny bone as readily as he can identify what concerns kids most. This popular series of early-reader chapter books follows the trials and triumphs of Marvin as he confronts the ever-tumultuous third grade.

When Mr. Cohen, the baker, opens his oven, out jumps the Matzah Man. This rascal leads a cumulative chase through the neighborhood taunting everyone he meets. Mendel, a little boy, finally outwits the elusive Matzah Man when he hides him under the matzah cover on the seder table. Howland’s adaptation of “The Gingerbread Man” is teeming with Passover preparations and ends around a community table where all (especially Mendel) enjoy the best matzah they ever ate. A glossary of Passover terms is included.