Chris Grabenstein

books and reading

the library

games

problem solving

“Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape”–

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Peter Carnavas

The Children Who Loved Books

Bob Staake

A boy’s search for the perfect pet leads him to the bookstore, where he finds a bright red book that becomes his best friend.

My Pet Book

Louise Yates

Dog loves books, but one day he receives a strange one in the mail—it’s blank! Soon, Dog realizes that this book is not for reading, but for drawing. Before long, Dog is doodling and drawing himself into a new world, full of friends and surprises.

Dog Loves Drawing

Dog loves books so much that he decides to open a book store.

Dog Loves Books

Jon Agee

A knight who feels secure on his side of the wall that divides his book discovers that his side is not as safe as he thought, and the other side is not as threatening.

The Wall in the Middle of the Book

Brianne Farley

Cleaning his room and talking to his best friend while preparing to write what he knows will be an incredible story, little Ike discovers that he is missing just the right ink to get his project underway, a need that requires extraordinary effort to fulfill.

Ike's Incredible Ink

Tish Rabe

Frank Endersby

“There are three things I’ll always do . . . love you, hug you, read to you!” The simple promise of togetherness offered in this board book is enhanced by interactive prompts throughout, encouraging parents to engage with their child while reading. Studies show that asking questions, like the ones in this book, helps children learn to read faster than if they just listen to a story. Love and literacy are gifts we can give to our children every day! Also available as a bilingual (Spanish and English) edition entitled Te Amo, te Abrazo, leo contigo!

Love You, Hug You, Read to You!

Anika Denise

Paola Escobar

An inspiring picture book biography of storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, who championed bilingual literature. When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura’s legacy. Brought to colorful life by Paola Escobar’s elegant and exuberant illustrations and Anika Aldamuy Denise’s lyrical text, this gorgeous book is perfect for the pioneers in your life. Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

Brynne Barnes

Rogerio Coelho

This whimsical, rhyming tale whirls readers through all the fantastic things that can be found between the pages of a book. From a pirate adventure to a fairy fete, Books Do Not Have Wings explores all the wonderful things a book is that go way beyond its cover and pages.

Books Do Not Have Wings

Patrick McDonnell

In this interactive and engaging read-aloud, bestselling author and award-winning artist Patrick McDonnell creates a funny, engaging, and almost perfect story about embracing life’s messes. Little Louie’s story keeps getting messed up, and he’s not happy about it! What’s the point of telling his tale if he can’t tell it perfectly? But when he stops and takes a deep breath, he realizes that everything is actually just fine, and his story is a good one–imperfections and all.

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story

Thierry Robberecht

Gregoire Mabire

Finding where you belong isn’t easy . . . especially when you’re a storybook wolf. In this illustrated fractured fairy tale for kids, a book falls to the floor and a wolf tumbles out. The wolf needs to get back to his story, but a hungry cat has other ideas. Jumping from book to book, this wolf is on a journey to find a new home (and to avoid becoming dinner). His sharp, pointy teeth don’t help him fit in with the dinosaurs, and his shiny black fur doesn’t get him into the ball. But a little girl in a red hood is waiting for someone just like him to arrive. For children and adults who enjoy playful twists on a classic story, The Wolf Who Fell Out of a Book’s colorful illustrations and a “story-starter” ending are sure to keep your imagination turning even after the book is returned to its shelf. Thierry Robberecht is a children’s author, graphic novel scriptwriter, and songwriter. He lives in Brussels, where he devotes himself to a passion for literature. Gregoire Mabire studied illustration at the Saint Luc Institute in Brussels. He illustrates children’s picture books and contributes to children’s magazines.

The Wolf Who Fell Out of a Book

Lucille Colandro

A twist on the classic tale of “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” takes the story even further as the lady goes about swallowing a variety of items related to school, including books, a ruler, and chalk.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books!

Barbara Lehman

In detailed illustrations, a young girl crosses oceans and continents to meet a new friend, in a wordless book-within-a-book story.

The Red Book

Deborah Bruss

Tiphanie Beeke

When the children go back to school, the animals on the farm are bored, so they go into the library in town trying to find something to do.

Book! Book! Book!

David Michael Slater

Mauro Sorghienti

Before there were books, there were Words of Power, and those who spoke them could rule the world… Dexter and Daphna Wax don’t quite fit in, even with each other. She loves reading, and he loathes it, but neither is pleased by their “special” thirteenth birthday gift, a ruined old book full of nonsense. But the moment it enters Daphna and Dexter’s lives, bizarre things begin to happen. Why is their father, who found the book, suddenly so distant? Is the old man who took it from him some kind of hypnotist? Why is a giant, red-eyed man-child menacing them? Now Dex and Daphna have to work together to stop the old man from ruining their lives. But as they unravel the secrets of the Book of Nonsense, they will discover the truth about their own extraordinary destiny.

The Book of Nonsense

James Riley

missing persons

quests

Except for reading the Kiel Gnomenfoot magic adventure series, Owen’s life is boring until he sees his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. Bethany is half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.

Story Thieves

Ben Guterson

enchanted places

codes, ciphers and puzzles

curses and spells

Elizabeth, eleven, spends Christmas break at Winterhouse hotel under strange circumstances, where she discovers that she has magic, and her love of puzzles helps her solve a mystery.

Winterhouse

Alan Gratz

challenging and banning books

censorship

You’re Never Too Young to Fight Censorship! In Ban This Book by Alan Gratz, a fourth grader fights back when From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg is challenged by a well-meaning parent and taken off the shelves of her school library. Amy Anne is shy and soft-spoken, but don’t mess with her when it comes to her favorite book in the whole world. Amy Anne and her lieutenants wage a battle for the books that will make you laugh and pump your fists as they start a secret banned books locker library, make up ridiculous reasons to ban every single book in the library to make a point, and take a stand against censorship. Ban This Book is a stirring defense against censorship that’s perfect for middle grade readers. Let kids know that they can make a difference in their schools, communities, and lives! “Readers, librarians, and all those books that have drawn a challenge have a brand new hero…. Stand up and cheer, book lovers. This one’s for you.” —Kathi Appelt, author of the Newbery Honor-winning The Underneath “Ban This Book is absolutely brilliant and belongs on the shelves of every library in the multiverse.”—Lauren Myracle, author of the bestselling Internet Girls series, the most challenged books of 2009 and 2011 “Quick paced and with clear, easy-to-read prose, this is a book poised for wide readership and classroom use.”—Booklist “A stout defense of the right to read.” —Kirkus Reviews “Gratz delivers a book lover’s book that speaks volumes about kids’ power to effect change at a grassroots level.” —Publishers Weekly

Ban This Book

Doug Keith

A brother and sister are bored and irritated visiting their grandfather. There’s no TV, no video games or computers - only books! Sent by their grandfather into the attic, they discover a dusty volume that is unlike all the others. When they open it, it expands into a giant map. As the map grows larger and larger, filling the attic, the children fall into adventures that take them all over the world, face to face with sharks, pirates, knights, even an abominable snowman. Suddenly their visit is anything but boring! The Bored Book uses stunning illustrations, with no text, to remind youngsters of the unique adventures to be found in books. The hardcover edition of The Bored Book was nominated for the 2011 Sakura Medal.

The Bored Book

Andrea Cheng

Abigail Halpin

This fully illustrated chapter book follows Anna, a young Asian-American girl, as she navigates relationships with family, friends, and her fourth-grade classroom, and finds a true best friend.

The Year of the Book

Kathy Stinson

Marie Lafrance

Inspired by true events, a fictionalized retelling of how one woman brought a world of books to children in Germany after World War II, and changed their lives forever.Anneliese and Peter will never be the same after the war that took their father’s life. One day, while wandering the ruined streets of Munich, the children follow a line of people entering a building, thinking there may be free food inside. Instead, they are delighted to discover a great hall filled with children’s books — more books than Anneliese can count. Here, they meet the lady with the books, who encourages the children to read as much as they want. And she invites them to come back the next day. Eventually, she will have a greater impact on the children’s lives than they could ever have imagined.This moving picture book, written by beloved and award-winning author Kathy Stinson, is based on the real-life work of Jella Lepman, founder of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and the International Youth Library. Lepman’s collection of children’s books from around the world traveled throughout Germany after World War II in the hope of building ?bridges of understanding? between countries. Brought to life by highly acclaimed illustrator Marie Lafrance, this book carries an important message about international cooperation that still resonates with world events today. It includes further information about Lepman and her work as well as historical photos. This story of the children who survived the war offers a unique and often unexplored perspective for history lessons. It also makes an excellent choice for character education lessons on resilience. A portion of the author’s royalties will be donated to IBBY’s Children in Crisis Fund.

The Lady with the Books: A Story Inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman

Amanda Driscoll

Duncan the Dragon loves to read. When he reads a story, his imagination catches fire! Unfortunately . . . so does his book.

Fire breath is great for roasting marshmallows, but it’s not so great for reading. Duncan just wants to get to those two wonderful words, like the last sip of a chocolate milk shake: The End. Will he ever find out how the story ends?

This bright, warm tale champions determination, friendship, and a love for books. And milk shakes!

Duncan the Story Dragon

Julia Donaldson

Sara Ogilvie

detectives

A rollicking rhyming picture book from bestselling author Julia Donaldson about a dog who uses her amazing sense of smell to solve mysteries. When Detective Dog Nell puts her nose to the task, there’s no mystery she can’t solve. Whether she’s tracking the missing shoe of her human, Peter, or locating some lost honeycomb, all Nell has to do is sniff, sniff, sniff and she’s hot on the trail. Besides solving mysteries, there’s something else Nell loves—listening to children read. Every Monday, Peter takes her to school where children tell her stories. One day, Nell and Peter arrive to find that all the books are gone. Who could have taken them? And why? There’s only one dog for the job, and Detective Dog Nell is ready to sniff out the thief!

The Detective Dog

Lynn Plourde

Mary Beth Owens

As people continually throw their books away, the dump man restores and re-circulates them, which only pleases the children, but one day when the dump does not open, only the children know where to possibly find the dump man.

The Dump Man's Treasures

Mac Barnett

Adam Rex

You may think you know how this book was made, but you don’t. Sure, the author wrote many drafts, and the illustrator took a long time creating the art, but then what? How’d it get into your hands? Well, open the cover and read through these pages to find out. Just beware of the pirates and angry tiger.

New York Times best-selling creators Mac Barnett and Adam Rex reveal the nitty gritty process of making a book . . . with a few unexpected twists along the way! Budding writers and artists will laugh at the mix of reality and the absurd as the story makes its way to a shelf, and a reader.

How This Book Was Made

Stacy Innerst

Sue Macy

“Stunning.”​ —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Inspired…[a] journalistic, propulsive narrative.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From New York Times Best Illustrated Book artist Stacy Innerst and author Sue Macy comes a story of one man’s heroic effort to save the world’s Yiddish books.

Over the last forty years, Aaron Lansky has jumped into dumpsters, rummaged around musty basements, and crawled through cramped attics. He did all of this in pursuit of a particular kind of treasure, and he’s found plenty. Lansky’s treasure was any book written Yiddish, the language of generations of European Jews. When he started looking for Yiddish books, experts estimated there might be about 70,000 still in existence. Since then, the MacArthur Genius Grant recipient has collected close to 1.5 million books, and he’s finding more every day.

Told in a folkloric voice reminiscent of Patricia Polacco, this story celebrates the power of an individual to preserve history and culture, while exploring timely themes of identity and immigration.

The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature for Generations to Come

Oliver Jeffers

Like many children, Henry loves books. But Henry doesn’t like to read books, he likes to eat them. Big books, picture books, reference books . . . if it has pages, Henry chews them up and swallows (but red ones are his favorite). And the more he eats, the smarter he gets—he’s on his way to being the smartest boy in the world! But one day he feels sick to his stomach. And the information is so jumbled up inside, he can’t digest it! Can Henry find a way to enjoy books without using his teeth?

With a stunning new artistic style and a die-cut surprise, Oliver Jeffers celebrates the joys of reading in this charming and quirky picture book. It’s almost good enough to eat.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Tom Fletcher

Greg Abbott

dragons

imagination and play

OH NO! There’s a dragon in this picture book by bestselling author, YouTube star, and musician Tom Fletcher–author of There’s a Monster in Your Book! A 2019 Children’s Choice Award Honor Book (K-2nd grade).

First, there’s an egg in your book. Then the cutest baby dragon you’ve ever seen hatches from it. But don’t tickle its nose, and whatever you do, don’t let it sneeze! ACHOO! OH MY!

Tom Fletcher’s infectious read-aloud invites kids to use their powers of imagination–along with some stamping, blowing, and flapping–to save their book from an adorable little dragon’s flammable sneezes! Children will be delighted to participate in this satisfying tale, a sequel to There’s a Monster in Your Book.

The bestselling author of The Dinosaur That Pooped series has once again paired up with illustrator Greg Abbott to create another creature that readers will fall in love with–and want to play with–again and again! Tom Fletcher has a huge social-media presence with over a million followers on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. His videos “Buzz and the Dandelions” and “My Wedding Speech” went viral and have been viewed tens of millions of times all over the world.

There's a Dragon in Your Book

Claire Freedman

Alison Friend

A story about stories, writing, reading, and friendship When Bear’s favorite book of stories falls apart, he is determined to write one of his own. He ventures into the forest for inspiration, but writing is harder than he thinks, and he soon discovers that he needs help from his friends. See how Bear transforms their day into a wonderful adventure in this story about creativity and friendship.

Bear's Book

Jen Campbell

Katie Harnett

A magical story about a little girl and a dragon who dream up a plan to share their love of books and stories

Franklin's Flying Bookshop

Mo Willems

When Gerald the elephant and Piggie realize that they are in a book, they decide to have some fun with the reader.

We Are in a Book! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)

Jeff Mack

Everyone needs a little attention from time to time. Just ask our gorilla who will stop at nothing to be noticed by the boy with his eyes glued to the TV set. But for the gorilla, it’s going to take more than a quiet nudge to steal away the boy’s attention. When his usual antics fail to catch the boy’s eye-Look Out!The gorilla has some other tricks up his sleeve. Using only two words-Look and Out-Jeff Mack relates an adorably hilarious story about an attention-loving gorilla, a television-loving boy, and a friendship that develops over books. Simple in construct yet richly creative, this interactive and colorful tale will leave children laughing and loving books for years to come. Perfect for fans of It’s a Book and Officer Buckle and Gloria.

Look!

Barney Saltzberg

Fred Benaglia

An energetic, heartfelt, and humorous ode to book love You can spin and twirl and dance with this book. You can listen while someone else reads it. You can take your book to lunch. Just do not try to feed it. Expertly whimsical illustrations accompany this rhyming celebration of the printed book, and the attachment many of us all feel to our very favourites. The imaginative humour is balanced by earnest devotion, traits to which the young audience will relate. A sure-to-be favourite, this title will draw giggles and snuggles … with the book itself!

Hug This Book!

Deborah Underwood

Misa Saburi

Bearnard’s Book by writer Deborah Underwood and illustrator Misa Saburi is a charming picture book about a bear who discovers that to shine in his own story, he just needs to be himself.

Bearnard's Book

Margarita Surnaite

adventure and adventurers

social themes

bunnies and rabbits

lost and found possessions

A rabbit who prefers real-life adventures to stories finds a lost book that takes him on an exciting journey in this charming picture book about the power of tales to inspire children and bring them together.

 Everyone in Rabbit Town loves to read. Well, everyone except for Henry, who would much prefer to play outside. Then Henry finds a lost book, and when he tries to track down the owner, he stumbles into the human world. There, the adults are all absorbed in their phones and tablets, and everyone ignores Henry until he befriends a young girl. They have so much fun together that Henry gives her the lost book, knowing it will be in good hands. Henry learns that books can contain adventures all their own, and when he returns to Rabbit Town, for the first time it is Henry who tells the bedtime story.

The Lost Book

Mordicai Gerstein

Among a family who lives in a book, the youngest daughter is the only one who doesn’t have a story to belong to, so she sets out among fairy tales, adventures, mysteries, histories, science fiction, and others to track down her story. By the Calecott Medal winner of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.

A Book

Brian Won

Turtle has looked everywhere for his favorite book, but it’s nowhere to be found! Maybe his book was borrowed by Zebra, Owl, Giraffe, Elephant, or Lion. As Turtle searches, his friends offer to share their own favorite stories, but other books just won’t do. Or is it time for Turtle to try something different? A tribute to books, reading, and the joy of sharing stories with others from Brian Won, the author/illustrator of Hooray for Hat! and Hooray for Today!.

Hooray for Books!

Diana Murray

Yuyi Chen

Hooray for books! They make me ROAR!

Doris the Bookasaurus thinks books are mega-dino-tastic! They make her spiky tail wiggle and her imagination soar.

Her boisterous little brothers, Max and T.J., do not agree. They want her to stop reading and play Chomp the Flag and STEGO Blocks . . . until Doris shares her pirate book aloud. Soon they’re using their imagination for on an epic adventure to Sharktooth bay.

With charming rhyming text about an adorable dinosaur family, Doris and her siblings show rambunctious readers everywhere that reading and playing go perfectly together!

Doris the Bookasaurus

Janet Sumner Johnson

Courtney Dawson

Shailey loves bedtime, especially reading with her dad. But her dad starts a new job, and it gets in the way of their bedtime routine. So Shailey takes action! She fires her dad, posts a Help Wanted sign, and starts interviews immediately. She is thrilled when her favorite characters from fairytales line up to apply. But Sleeping Beauty can’t stay awake, the Gingerbread Man steals her book, and Snow White brings along her whole team. Shailey is running out of options. Is bedtime ruined forever?

Help Wanted, Must Love Books

Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Even the most totally awesome story starts with a little bit of nothing. What happens next is up to you! A delightfully meta picture book that will set imaginations soaring.

It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something—maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass? Debut author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, with the help of illustrator Benji Davies, sets up an endearingly funny story, then hands the baton to readers, who will be more than primed to take it away.

Also an Octopus

The Highest Mountain of Books in the World

Deborah Freedman

One morning, Mouse woke up epecially early, eager to write a brand-new story . . . Praise for Deborah Freedman-‘Shines in both concept and beauty.’ Kirkus Reviews, starred review of The Story of Fish and Snail’ A delightful treat.’ Booklist, starred review of Blue Chicken ‘Simply exquisite.’ Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewof Blue Chicken

By Mouse and Frog

Shake, wiggle, and tickle the monster out of this book—an interactive bedtime read-aloud by a YouTube star, musician, and children’s book author!

With the irresistible pull of Hervé Tullet’s Press Here and the charm of The Monster at the End of This Book, Tom Fletcher’s inviting interactive read-aloud will have kids tilting, spinning, and shaking the book to get the adorable little monster out! That’s right! He’s out of the book . . . and in their room somewhere. Uh-oh!!

The co-author of the Dinosaur That Pooped series has created a monster that readers will fall in love with—and want to play with—again and again! It will get your own little monster tuckered out and snuggled in!

Tom Fletcher has a huge social-media presence, with over a million followers on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. His videos “Buzz and the Dandelions” and “My Wedding Speech” went viral and have been viewed tens of millions of times all over the world.

There's a Monster in Your Book

Beth Ferry

Chow Hon Lam

A Junior Library Guild Selection

“An enjoyable tale of the marvels of adventuring and the comfort of home.” ―Kirkus Reviews

Hop along with Teetu, the bold, brave bunny, as he finds his way in this imaginative tale from New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry (Stick and Stone) that reminds us that it’s splendid to see the world, but that it’s even more wonderful to go home, and share it with the ones you love.

B is for brave.

B is for bold.

B is not only for…bunnies.

After his brothers and sisters ruin his favorite alphabet book, Teetu the bunny has had enough of his big bunny family! When he sneaks off into the night, what he discovers is more marvelous than he ever dreamed.

He sees animals and trees and beauty and moonlight, and puts his adventures into a new book he creates all by himself. But soon Teetu tires of being alone, and just as it gets to be too much…a big fluffy surprise comes to save the day!

This heartwarming picture book from Beth Ferry and debut illustrator Chow Hon Lam makes for a perfect Easter and year-round gift. Plus, hidden animal surprises in the art will delight readers as they discover them in every repeat reading.

The Bold, Brave Bunny

Ryan T. Higgins

books and libraries

mice

All Rupert the mouse wants is to star in a beautiful, wordless picturebook. One that’s visually stimulating! With scenic pictures! And style! He has plenty of ideas about what makes a great book, but his friends just WON’T. STOP. TALKING. Children and adults alike will chuckle at this comedic take on bookmaking from acclaimed author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins. Praise for Mother Bruce E. B. White Read-Aloud Award Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor  “[W]ry text and marvelously detailed pictures juxtapose uproariously. . .Visually beautiful, clever, edgy, and very funny.” -Kirkus, starred review  “Ryan T. Higgins’s illustrations are extraordinary. . . . [A] hilarious, artful picture book with a nod to foodies great and small.” -Shelf Awareness, starred review

BE QUIET!

Louie Zong

A bear and a frog attempt to answer the age-old question “How do books work?” in this clever, interactive picture book from animator Louie Zong.

Test This Book! features a bear scientist and a frog scientist testing how books work in a variety of exciting, dramatic experiments. What happens when readers sit on their books? Shake them? Whisper secrets to them? The results are funny, surprising, and very, very informative.

This hilarious picture book is a great read-aloud experience, as readers are rewarded for physically interacting with the book. And they also learn a little about the scientific method―the basis of all STEM education.

An Imprint Book

Test This Book!

John Perry

Mark Fearing

The reader is warned to be careful around this book, which has already eaten several people and is always hungry.

The Book That Eats People

Deborah Cholette

Kalli Dakos

Sara Infante

A bookmark learns to use deep breathing, planning, and positive self-talk to conquer his fear of scary books. Max the bookmark hates scary books–until his coach teaches him the rules and tools for being brave. Max learns to (1) breathe deeply, (2) make a plan, and (3) think positive thoughts. He puts his new tools into practice and overcomes his fear of a snake, roaches, a skeleton, and monsters. This humorous story packs a big punch as it introduces children to mindfulness, self-regulation, self-control, and other techniques for dealing with stress and overcoming fear.

Get Me Out of This Book

Puck

Violet Lemay

bookstores

babies

Here come the bookstore babies, ready to give you a tour of their favorite local shop.   Spirited images pair with quirky text to introduce young readers to a group of smart, active, stylish, and just plain silly tots who love to explore their favorite bookstore. From storytime to playing with the bookstore cat, this entertaining board book is an essential introduction to all of the fun that can be found inside a bookstore. And the fun doesn’t end there: Bookstore Babies includes oodles of amusing activities and educational reading tips to help parents enjoy the book with their children over and over again!

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