A dog and his pet cat share good-night kisses and playful dreams until morning wakes them, in this bedtime story for youngest beginning readers. Step 1 Readers feature big type and easy words for children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading. Rhyme and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story.
John Henry swims better than anyone I know. He crawls like a catfish, blows bubbles like a swamp monster, but he doesn't swim in the town pool with me. He's not allowed. Joe and John Henry are a lot alike. They both like shooting marbles, they both want to be firemen, and they both love to swim. But there's one important way they're different: Joe is white and John Henry is black, and in t…
Storm in the night—lights flicker out, rain streams down the windows... This could be a moment to be scared, but Thomas and his grandfather huddle with Ringo the cat on their porch and share stories in the darkness. This lovely picture book is also a strong choice to share about overcoming fears. Too early to go to bed, and with only flashes of lightning to see by, Thomas and his grandfather…
This Caldecott Honor classic is a simple yet important story about friendship. Two kids meet on a street. "Yo!" says one. "Yes?" says the other. And so begins a conversation that turns strangers into friends. With vibrant illustrations, Chris Raschka's rhythmic read-aloud is a celebration of differences -- and how it just takes a few words to overcome them. More relevant than ever in our divid…
Sukey's new step-pa is a mean, bossy man. Every day Sukey wakes at dawn to work in the garden. All her step-pa ever does is watch her and yell if she so much as stops to fan herself. Sukey's ma calls him Mister Jones. Sukey prefers the name Mister Hard-Times. One day, Sukey runs away to her secret place by the ocean. There, she calls up Mama Jo, a beautiful black mermaid. Mama Jo's got a surpri…
ed caboose at the back, orange tank car, green cattle car, purple box car, black tender and a black steam engine . . . freight train. In simple, powerful words and vibrant illustrations, Donald Crews evokes the rolling wheels of that childhood favorite: a train. This board book features sturdy pages and is just the right size for little hands. This Calecott Honor Book features bright colors…
"A small child imagines a future when he will be old with his Granddaddy and will sit beside him in a rocking chair and talk about everything...The poignant reality that time will never allow these two to coexist at the same age is softened by the fact that they do not have to be the same age in order to share happy times...The African American child and grandfather are...recognizable to anyone…
Acclaimed author Molly Bang shares the going-to-bed countdown in a loving family. “Ten small toes all washed and warm,” begins the story, and then young readers journey toward tuck-in time, counting down along with the story’s African-American father and daughter. In the satisfying conclusion, one little sleepyhead settles in for the night. An award-winning classic, Ten, Nine, Eight has …
With his two sledgehammers pulverizing boulders, John Henry races a steam drill tunneling through a mountain. It's a deadly contest of man-vs-machine written with such power that this African-American folk hero becomes as awesome as a force of nature, yet as familiar as an older brother. Pinkney's stunning art shows John Henry's energy bursting from nature. Full color.
No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snowy Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day. "Keats's sparse collage illustrations capture the …