Pre-K (< 5)

Boynton is back! Joining Barnyard Dance! and Birthday Monsters!, here is Pajama Time! a good-night book with the irrepressible language, the inimitable illustrations, the irresistible cast of characters only Sandra Boynton could create. A jump-roping chicken and a pig on a swing. A Scottie in plaid pajamas and an elephant in a fuzzy one-piece with feet. And in sing-along nuttiness reminiscent of Barnyard Dance!, it’s time to head to bed-to the beat: Pajammy to the left. Pajammy to the right. Jamma jamma jamma jamma P!J! Everybody’s wearing them for dancing tonight. Jamma jamma jamma jamma P!J! Then the next morning, …

This guessing-game picture book will stretch the vocabularies of students and engage your entire class. Here’s how it works: On one page you’ll find a bold verb like “swing” with an illustration showing just part of an animal (for a hint). On the next page, you’ll find the animal itself — in this case, an ape. MacDonald’s paint-and-collage illustrations are wonderful and particularly good at showing animals in motion. At the end of the book are several pages of “animal facts.”

Little ones love to play peek-a-boo. With its oversize flaps and bright, bold illustrations, this follow-up to the highly successful Peek-a-Moo! is sure to be another hit with young readers. On every page, kids play peek-a-boo with a different animal found at the zoo, guessing what it is, then lifting the flap to find out. Each animal has a different sound that becomes part of the peek-a-boo game: Guess who? “Peek-a-roar!” says the lion. “Peek-a-ooo-ooo-ooo!” says the chimpanzee. The sweet, funny animals will keep kids laughing, while the large trim size and sturdy binding will ensure many hours of lift-the-flap …

Gritch, the witch, wants piggies to put into her pie, but the pigs outsmart her at every turn. When she meets up with a wolf, also the victim of the pigs’ cleverness, the two hungry creatures go off arm in arm to an imagined conclusion that is fitting and funny.

Pink, pink, pink. More than anything, Pinkalicious loves pink, especially pink cupcakes. Her parents warn her not to eat too many of them, but when Pinkalicious does . . . she turns pink! What to do? This sparkling picture book, filled with such favorites as pink bubble gum, pink peonies, pink cotton candy, and pink fairy princess dresses, celebrates all things pink while showing that being yourself is best of all.

What will you hear when you read this book to a preschool child? Lots of noise! Children will chant the rhythmic words. They’ll make the sounds the animals make. And they’ll pretend to be the zoo animals featured in the book look at the last page! Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle are two of the most respected names in children’s education and children’s illustrations. This collaboration, their first since the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (published more than thirty years ago and still a best-seller) shows two masters at their best.

The celebrated author of The Moosewood cookbooks offers deliciously healthy recipes for young chefs in this attractive and kid-friendly cookbook. Each recipe (there are nineteen plus a few extra ideas) has three parts: an adult preparation section, a printed version of the recipe, and a two-page comic-like sequence showing the steps from “Beginning” to “Eat!” Along the way chef Katzen and preschool teacher Henderson share their wisdom about kids in the kitchen, kids being safe, and kids’ relationship with food. Try it all-the food-the kitchen tips-the advice-it’s all delicious-even if it isn’t all as easy as it looks.

Poor baby, no one calls her by her real name! “I am not a buttercup, or a giggly goose. I am not a cupcake. Please don’t call me Little Lamb, and never ever Gum Drop,” she insists. With a curtsy and a twirl, again and again our protagonist makes it abundantly clear who she is. She wears a shiny crown, a fancy dress, sparkly shoes, a velvet cape, and glittery jewels. There are more clues too–she dances with princes, has perfect manners, and makes sure that everyone in her kingdom is happy. Her persistence pays off in the end, and …