Grade: K

A boat full of critters get ready for bed in this oversized board book from Sandra Boynton! With zippy yet serene artwork that’s sure to make any Boynton fan feel comforted for sleep time, this before-bed read follows an elephant, dog, pig, and other animals as they “take a bath in one big tub with soap all over — SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB,” put on their pj’s, and crowd around the sink brushing their teeth. Of course, they can’t forget a little exercise as part of their routine, and afterwards, when “The moon is high. The sea is deep. They rock and rock and rock to sleep.” Boynton’s relaxing words and bedtime palette — which includes dark pastels and other nighttime colors — combine to make a winning book that should make those eyelids a little bit heavier. Perfect for reading to your child and a fun complement to other Boynton books like Snoozers and Pajama Time!

This clever book is told in rhymes that give clues for solving math problems quickly and innovatively. Tang makes looking for patterns and regrouping numbers both fun and challenging. Strategies for solving these problems are found in the back.

In this simply told and elegantly illustrated Chinese tale, the wealthy Pang cannot enjoy adding up his money, because he loses count every time he hears laughter and music wafting from his neighbor’s farm. Although a poor farmer who works all day, Li still finds time to play his flute–a pleasure Pang puts a stop to by giving Li a bag full of gold. Realizing that the “treasure almost robbed me of my happiness,” Li returns the money along with far greater treasures: peace, happiness, and a homemade flute for each member of Pang’s family.

A busy triangle gets tired of holding up roofs, being slices of pie and halves of sandwiches, and even of doing its favorite activity — slipping into place when people put their hands on their hips. It thinks life would be more interesting if the local shapeshifter gave it one more side and one more angle. And so the triangle is transformed into a quadrilateral. Although as a quadrilateral it is a television screen, a window frame, and more, it soon grows tired of that shape, too. Each time it tires of its shape, it asks the shapeshifter to add another side and angle. The triangle successively becomes a pentagon, hexagon, and heptagon . . . until it has so many sides it doesn’t know which side is up! Not surprisingly, it asks the shape-shifter for its old shape back and then is content to be a triangle again. The colorful illustrations and engaging text make a great introduction to shapes and geometry. A guide at the end includes background information and suggestions for extending children’s learning.

Detailed colored- pencil drawings show hand shapes for the 26 letters of the American Sign Language alphabet as well as corresponding letters of the written alphabet. For example, a gloved hand forms the letter “G,” fingers dip into a palette of paint to form the letter “P,” and so on.

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.