Grade: K

Cats is part of a series of nonfiction readers about animals that have kid-friendly illustrations with helpful labels. It’s a great introduction to the behavior and characteristics of felines and includes information on the history of their domestication, descriptions of different breeds, and a primer on cat body language. Additional pages provide a list of famous sayings about felines, as well as tips on caring for your pet.

“A told B, / and B told C, / I’ll beat you to the top of the coconut tree.” Rascally A entices the whole alphabet up the tree, but the tree cannot handle the weight. All the lowercase letters come crashing to the ground, “Chicka chicka… BOOM! BOOM!” Uppercase letters rush in to comfort the little ones, and all is well-for a while-in this irresistible alphabet book. Ehlert’s bright, graphic illustrations join the jazzy foot-tapping rhyme. Watch out for that imp, A!

At the outset of this novel, the intrepid Jack and Annie are invited to come to Camelot for Christmas Eve. Without a research book for the first time ever, the two kids set off in the Magic Tree House. No sooner do they arrive at the castle, when a dark knight appears and freezes King Arthur and all his court- including Jack and Annie’s friend Morgan le Fay. Jack and Annie set off to the Otherworld to find the Cauldron of Poetry and imagination, which is the only thing that can save Camelot.

What happens when a bunch of cows get hold of a typewriter? They start making demands. “Click, clack, moo. Clickety, clack, moo.” Translation? “The barn is very cold at night. We’d like some electric blankets.” When Farmer Brown refuses to give them what they want, they go on strike and bring the hens and ducks along with them. A wonderful read-aloud with warm, watercolor illustrations, this early lesson in political organizing will have teachers and students howling — and mooing and quacking.

Duck is about to trick poor Farmer Brown once again. While the farmer is sleeping the afternoon away, Duck and the other animals are planning a most unusual fishing trip. Sneaking past Farmer Brown is going to be as easy as 1, 2, 3! This numerical adventure for the very youngest Duck fans brings counting books to a whole new level — click, clack, splish, splash!

The tiny town of Chewandswallow was very much like any other tiny town except for its weather which came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it never rained rain and it never snowed snow and it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed things like mashed potatoes. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers. Life for the townspeople was delicious until the weather took a turn for the worse. The food got larger and larger and so did the portions. Chewandswallow was plagued by damaging floods and storms of huge food. The town was a mess and the pople feared for their lives.
Something had to be done, and in a hurry.

Not a word is wasted or out of place in this description of how the residents of one city block react to a quenching cloudburst after weeks without rain. Tess laments she’s “sizzling like a hot potato,” but spots gray clouds gathering in the distance. She alerts her friends and quickly the girls change into their bathing suits and dash out to greet the long-awaited downpour.

Curduroy has become one of the best-loved bears in children’s literature. His stories have become irresistible childhood classics, as basic and appealing as a small bear’s desire for a home and a friend. This beautiful, lap-sized board book is perfect for sharing with little ones.