Grade: 2

Elegantly written, beautifully imagined, and deeply moving without a shred of sentimentality, this picture book for all ages traces a mother’s hopes and dreams for her young daughter. Moving fluidly from the not-so-distant past (”one day”) to the hopeful future (”someday”), Alison McGhee’s spare, poetic text captures key moments in the life of a beloved child. Peter Reynolds’s expressive watercolors are the perfect complement, conveying in uncluttered lines a full gamut of complex emotions, from joyful exuberance and wistful longing to the crushing sorrow of first heartbreak. Lovely, lyrical, and packing an unexpected emotional wallop, this book is one of the best crossover reads of the season — and an absolute must for mothers and daughters.

Although the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving has been a staple in schools for decades, the Native American version of this event is far less familiar. Told in the first person from Squanto’s point of view, Bruchac’s book begins with the brutal hardships Squanto endured at the hands of the English. After being kidnapped and enslaved in Spain, he works desperately hard to sail back to New England, only to find that his family and many other Patuxet people have died from disease brought by the white man. In spite of all this, Squanto is unaltered in his belief that “these men can share our land as friends.” He acts with dignity as an ambassador between the Native Americans and the English and helps the Pilgrims survive in their new world. Shed’s full-page, earth-tone illustrations add warmth and historical detail to this Thanksgiving story.

The inventive duo who brought the world such zany tales as The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man now offer an inimitable tribute to Aesop. “Fables have been around for thousands of years,” the author explains. “And it’s no wonder. Because even thousands of years ago people were bright enough to figure out that you could gossip about anyone as long as you changed their name to something like ‘Lion’ or ‘Mouse’.” He’s also sure that these tales about squids and dawdling grasshoppers could easily have been created by Aesop “if he were alive today.”

SQUIRRELLY GRAY LIVES in a world without color. His TV is the only fun he has. (And it’s really not much fun.) But tonight is an unusual night for the young squirrel. First he meets the Tooth Fairy, who is very nice. And then he meets the Hungry Fox, who is not so nice. So turn off that TV, Squirrelly Gray - the fun is just beginning! Mixing playful verse with comics-inspired illustration, James Kochalka has created a unique picture book and an imaginative fable that will have kids rooting for the always adorable, sometimes courageous Squirrelly Gray.

Blanche Douglass loved the Mississippi river and the steamboats that traveled across it. By the time she was 12 she knew she wanted to be a steamboat captain, even though it was a job that, so far, had only been done by men. Focused and filled with determination, Douglass pursued her dream to became the first licensed woman steamboat captain.

Knocked from her mother’s safe embrace by an attacking owl, Stellaluna lands headfirst in a bird’s nest. This adorable baby fruit bat’s world is literally turned upside down when she is adopted by the occupants of the nest and adapts to their peculiar bird habits. Two pages of notes at the end of the story provide factual information about bats.

Who is this stranger? Why did he arrive after a winter storm and what surprises does he bring?
A delightful book of the animals and birds reaction to a snowman who suddenly appeared in their woods after a winter storm. This tale is beta-carotene for the spirit in everyone!

Sun & Spoon proves that Kevin Henkes is just as adept at writing for older readers as he is at creating award-winning picture books like Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Chrysanthemum, and the Caldecott Honor Book Owen. After his grandmother’s death, ten-year-old Spoon Gilmore longs for just the right memento to preserve her memory. His search–through keepsakes, family stories, and his journal about her–leads him into a new understanding of death, memory, and family, as well as a deeper relationship with his grandfather. One of the few novels about mourning written for middle-graders, this earnest novel will not only help students deal with loss but also give them new words and ways to express their feelings.