Grade: 1

Zach visits his grandparents every summer at their cottage by the lake. He is looking forward to fishing with Gramps and eating Gram’s cooking. Gramps calls their first idyllic day a “Memory Box Day.” Zach learns that this is a day for young and old to start gathering photos, stories, and souvenirs to store in a special box to remember their times together. As Zach’s time with his grandparents unfolds, he learns the true reason for the memory box; it is especially for Gramps who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. During the rest of his stay, Zach and his grandparents fill the box with wonderful memories of summers past and new memories, building something that will always keep them together.

Foy Rin Jin is a dragon. He is huge, red, and breathes water instead of fire. It’s not easy being a dragon who doesn’t fit in. Humiliated, he leaves the dragon lair to venture into the human world. This makes a great read-aloud.

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”

These familiar words have never before been illustrated with such style. Magnificent paintings by American artist Richard Jesse Watson infuse traditional images with pizzazz and flair. From cozy interiors to snowy landscapes, each scene is packed with the details of Christmas. Watch for the remarkable cast of elves who populate these pages. Best of all, see Santa Claus himself as you’ve never seen him before, complete with an exclusive interview.

Spilling over with all the joy and generosity of the season, here is an edition of Clement C. Moore’s classic Christmas poem that is perfect for families of today. Ho! Ho! Ho!

“El viejo,” the old man, is very good at working in his garden, but he is not so good at listening to his wife. When the old man’s wife leaves him to go to a barbecue she reminds him to bring “el puerco” (the pig). Although he can’t imagine why he should bring “la puerta” (the door) off he goes to the barbecue carrying it on his back. Each step along the way he finds himself in funny and touching situations where the door comes in handy. Although they don’t have “el puerco” to barbecue, they use “la puerta” (the door) as a table and enjoy the treats el viejo collected along the way. While being amused by this humorous tale, you’ll find yourself learning some Spanish. A glossary is included.

Clover, a young African American girl, lives in a place where a fence separates the black side of town from the white side. Her mother has warned her that it is not safe to climb over the fence to the white side. But one summer a white girl named Annie begins to sit on the fence. Soon Clover joins her and transforms the fence from a divider into a resting place for children, both black and white. This is a touching and powerful story in which “young girls are the activists, the people making the change.”

Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, the boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: The Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of a reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home the bell is lost. On christmas morning the boy finds the bell under the tree. The mother of the boy admires the bell, but laments that it is broken—for you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell.

A generous quiltmaker and a covetous king go head-to-head in this tale of good versus greed. When a can’t-have-enough king demands that a seamstress sew him a quilt, she refuses because she only makes them for the poor. Time after time, the king tries to intimidate her into making him a quilt — but she doesn’t budge a stitch! Instead she tells him that for each possession he gives away, she’ll sew him a patch of a quilt. The king finally receives his own priceless quilt and discovers the joy of giving. Readers will enjoy this quintessential quilt tale and the swatches of material, patterns, and directions for making quilts that are included.

Sometimes a rainy day is not wonderful. Clouds darken a sunny day and bring out people’s cloudy dispositions. With humor in both text and art, Shannon’s picture book captures how a change in the weather affects the mood of an entire neighborhood!