Read with Me

by Stephanie Zvirin

  By Bill Thomson. Illustrated by the author. Marshall Cavendish, 2010. Ages 5–7.

  Three children visiting the park on a rainy day find an intriguing bag of colored chalk. When the first child draws a sun, the clouds miraculously disappear and the sun comes out. When the second child draws butterflies, gorgeous monarchs fill the air. The third child draws a dinosaur. Oops! Thomson’s amazing photo-realistic illustrations communicate the entire story, which allows onlookers to create their own version of the magical goings-on.

  The Day Ray Got Away

  By Angela Johnson. Illustrated by Luke LaMarca. Simon & Schuster, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  Ray, a giant yellow parade-balloon sun, is tired of floating above the crowds and then returning to the balloon warehouse to wait until the next parade. He yearns to fly free, and he has developed a plan. Putting his idea into action, he leaves his stunned balloon buddies behind, the strings tethering him to Earth getting longer and longer while he gets smaller. As Ray disappears into the sky, the crowds below gasp, and the other parade balloons begin thinking up their own ways to escape.

  The Dollhouse Fairy

  By Jane Ray. Illustrated by the author. Candlewick, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  In this reassuring tale, magic helps a little girl face a difficult situation in her life. On Saturdays Rosy and Dad work on her dollhouse. They make up stories and construct new objects for the make-believe family that lives there. Then her father goes to the hospital. When Rosy next looks into the dollhouse she finds Thistle, a mischievous fairy with a broken wing. Rosy cares for Thistle until she’s able to fly—just as Daddy is cared for until he’s able to come home. Rosy looks forward to introducing Dad to the secret visitor, only to find that Thistle, like an imaginary friend no longer needed, has disappeared.

  Flora’s Very Windy Day

  By Jeanne Birdsall. Illustrated by Matt Phelan. Clarion, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  Flora is angry and frustrated when her toddler brother, Crispin, upsets her things yet again. She complains to Mom, who sends both children outdoors to settle down. A sudden, surprisingly strong wind lifts frightened Crispin into the air. Flora grabs his hand, and the two float upward on the current. Each fellow sky traveler they encounter—among them, a dragonfly, a sparrow, and a cloud—offers to take charge of Flora’s annoying brother, but Flora’s heart tells her not to let him go. Despite his irritating behavior she still loves him.

  Flotsam

  By David Wiesner. Illustrated by the author. Clarion, 2006. Ages 5–8.

  In this wordless book, a curious boy goes beachcombing. He finds a camera—not just any camera, an old one with a roll of film yet to be developed. And what pictures they turn out to be…starfish walking upright along the beach; tiny underwater aliens in blue suits. Most intriguing of all, though, is the picture of a little girl holding the photo of another child, who took a picture of himself, just as the little girl did, before passing on the camera. After taking his own photo, the boy tosses the camera back into the ocean, where it will surely end up in the hands of another curious child. Each illustration begs a story all its own. In Tuesday, another virtually wordless book by Wiesner, flying frogs make a surprise visit to a sleepy town.

  Flotsam by David Wiesner

  Franklin’s Big Dreams

  By David Teague. Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Hyperion, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  The magic and mystery of dreams is the heart of this unusual bedtime book. One night a construction crew crashes through Franklin’s bedroom wall. After train tracks take shape, the boy and his dog witness a train hurtling through the room. Curiously, nothing remains of the exciting events when the sun comes up, but the crew returns on subsequent nights to build a runway and a waterway. If having a train, a ship, and airplane in one’s room weren’t remarkable enough, each conveyance carries passengers who look very familiar to Franklin—especially one particular little boy and his distinctive little dog.

  Ginger and Petunia

  By Patricia Polacco. Illustrated by the author. Philomel, 2007. Ages 5–7.

  A celebrated musician, Virginia Vincent Folsum loves turbans, floaty scarves, lots of beads, and her little red sports car. She also loves her pet pig, Petunia, who lives a life of luxury right along with her eccentric owner. Petunia even has her own mudhole. Called to London to perform a concert, Ginger kisses Petunia goodbye and leaves, confident her house sitter will handle everything that comes along. When the sitter suddenly cancels, Petunia raids Ginger’s closet and takes on the role of socialite and mistress of the house—with hilarious results.

  The Gold Miner’s Daughter: A Melodramatic Fairy Tale

  By Jackie Mims Hopkins. Illustrated by Jon Goodell. Peachtree, 2006. Ages 4–7.

  Hopkins ushers listeners right into her story, asking them to pretend they are watching an old Western that requires hissing and booing on cue. The movie plot may seem familiar: Gracie Pearl and her dad owe a bunch of money to their villainous, mustachioed landlord. But valiant Gracie is convinced there’s gold in “them thar hills,” and she sets out to find it. Factor in some fairy tale characters—including Sleeping Beauty and the Three Little Pigs—who are also searching for gold, and you have a wacky, interactive story, ideal for involving kids in the reading experience.

  The Great Fuzz Frenzy

  By Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. Illustrated by Janet Stevens. Harcourt, 2005. Ages 4–6.

  Fuzz is the star of this wacky adventure, which requires total suspension of disbelief. When Violet the dog innocently drops a fuzzy green tennis ball down a prairie dog hole, she incites a rodent riot. Everyone wants piece of the fuzz, especially bullying king dog Big Bark, who grabs most of the goods. Horizontal and vertical foldout pages that explore the down under of prairie dog digs add to the inventive hullabaloo.

  The House in the Night

  By Susan Marie Swanson. Illustrated by Beth Krommes. Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Ages 4–6.

  “In the house / burns a light. / In that light / rests a bed. On that bed / waits a book.” In the tradition of the “House that Jack Built,” this imaginative tale follows a young girl who enters a house with a key and finds an open book. From the book hops a bird, which conducts the girl on a journey through a sky twinkling with stars straight to a smiling moon. Precisely detailed scratchboard illustrations, touched with golden highlights, show a neatly ordered house and a neatly ordered bedroom, a teddy bear and the open book sharing space with a violin on the cozy coverlet. As individual as snowflakes, stars light the way for the child’s nighttime journey.

  How the Moon Regained Her Shape

  By Janet Ruth Heller, Illustrated by Ben Hodson. Sylvan Dell, 2006. Ages 4–7.

  Bullied by the powerful sun, the moon, personified by a Native American woman, gradually grows smaller and smaller until she completely disappears from the sky. Greatly missed by the animals on earth, she reconsiders her situation, and with help offered by a comet, returns a bit at a time to take her rightful place in the sky. This is a good example of a Native American pourquoi tale, a story that explains the magical origins of something, usually related to the natural world. An appended note that parents may want to share fills in background and supplies Native American names for the moon.

  I Took the Moon for a Walk

  By Carolyn Curtis. Illustrated by Alison Jay. Barefoot Books, 2004. Ages 4–7.

  Here’s a quiet contemplative collection of poems to read before turning out the lights. A boy reaches up into the sky, grasps the moon by its outstretched hand, and proceeds to go on a walk around his quiet neighborhood, the moon in tow, flowing along like “a summer kite.” His travels, really more a series of lovely images than a story in the traditional sense, link to lulling four-line rhymes, each of which ends with the book’s title: “I took the moon for a walk.”

  If I Had a Dragon

  By Amanda Ellery. Illustrated by Tom Ellery. Simon & Schuster, 2006. Ages 4–6.

  To make playing with his little brother more interesting, Morton imag
ines he is playing with a dragon. Unfortunately, even dragon playmates leave something to be desired. Morgan doesn’t have a chance at scoring points when his opponent is as tall as the basket; dragons are too big to go to movies; and a dragon’s fiery breath can singe a kid’s hair if he’s not careful. It could be that younger brothers, even if they’re a little boring, make better playmates after all.

  I’m Bad!

  By Kate McMullan. Illustrated by Jim McMullan. Joanna Cotler, 2008. Ages 4–6.

  Children familiar with the author-illustrator team’s grumpy garbage truck (I Stink!), boastful backhoe (I’m Dirty!), and sturdy tugboat (I’m Mighty!) will have just as much fun with their born-to-be-bad T. rex, who boasts about his fetid breath and gnashing teeth. Unfortunately, neither of those assets does the snarly beast much good when it comes to catching dinner. His mom still has to help.

  It’s a Secret!

  By John Burningham. Illustrated by the author. Candlewick, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  Marie Elaine wonders where cats go at night, so she follows Malcolm right through his cat door and accompanies him on his evening ramble. Danger lurks (dogs), and climbing over rooftops isn’t too safe either. But there’s also dancing, and Marie Elaine, dressed in her diaphanous fairy costume, is perfectly attired for the evening’s festivities. Perhaps it’s all a dream. Kids will have to wait until the end to find out.

  Itty Bitty

  By Cece Bell. Illustrated by the author. Candlewick, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  Itty Bitty is a teeny-weeny dog looking for a place to live. Hidden among some daisies he finds a bone, from which he chews a door and a window. His house, however, still lacks what’s needed to make it a home. So he hops into his walnut-size car and drives to the city, where he finds a giant department store. He makes his way to the “Teeny-Weeny” department, where he finds everything he needs. Soon he’s ready to sit on his brand new itty-bitty sofa and read his brand-new itty-bitty book in his cozy, itty-bitty new home.

  Little Night

  By Yuyi Morales. Illustrated by the author. Neal Porter, 2007. Ages 4–6.

  Day is ending. Mother Sky has filled a tub with falling stars and prepared a bedtime snack for her daughter, Little Night. But evening is Little Night’s time to play, and she coaxes her mother into a game of hide-and-seek that lasts until night wraps them in a blanket of twinkling stars. Lush language and brilliantly colored scenes of sunset and starlight will carry little listeners off to a sweet land of dreams.

  Maybe a Bear Ate It!

  By Robie H. Harris. Illustrated by Michael Emberley. Orchard, 2008. Ages 4–6.

  In this version of a familiar scenario, the pictures tell most of the story, allowing little ones to add their own details. A whiskered critter clad in striped pajamas is ready for bed. He climbs among his blankets with his book and his stuffed toys—a bat, a shark, and a bear. He opens his book and reads, a look of total rapture on his face. But in the midst of a yawn, the book disappears! Chewing on his blankie, he mourns the loss. Has his book been stolen by a bat? Swallowed by a shark? Eaten by a bear? Eventually the lost is found, after which the critter gleefully skips across an empty white expanse with book in hand. The pictures are priceless.

  Museum Trip

  By Barbara Lehman. Illustrated by the author. Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Ages 4–7.

  A class trip to an art museum affords an imaginative young boy the opportunity for a very special adventure. Having drifted away from his classmates to look at the art, he finds himself lost in the gallery. While searching for the others, he comes upon a display of maze drawings…and steps in. Following various twisting paths he finally reaches a castle at the heart of the maze and is rewarded with a medal for his perseverance. Back in the real world, he locates his class. As he leaves with the other students, sharp-eyed kids following the story will see that the boy still has his medal, a tantalizing suggestion that the trip may not have been a dream after all. The pictures demand close attention, but it’s worth it.

  My Garden

  By Kevin Henkes, Illustrated by the author. Greenwillow, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  After helping her mother work in the family garden, a little girl imagines what a garden of her own would be like. There would be no need for weeding, of course. And no garden of hers would have carrots. Her tomatoes would be gigantic, though, and her garden would certainly have a jelly bean bush. Chocolate rabbits would have no desire to eat her lettuce, and her flowers would bloom forever and ever. What a lovely exercise in make-believe.

  Perfect Square

  By Michael Hall. Illustrated by the author. Greenwillow, 2011. Ages 4–7.

  By manipulating a simple square into a variety of surprising and beautiful shapes, Hall presents creation as both a basic process and a sophisticated idea. On Monday a square is cut into strips that are transformed into a lovely fountain. On Tuesday the pieces of a square beget a flower garden, and so on. When Sunday rolls around, however, the familiar routine changes. The square makes itself “into a window” and looks out on the creations of the previous six days. Have scissors and some precut squares close at hand.

  Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated)

  By Florence Parry Heide. Illustrated by Lane Smith. Schwartz & Wade, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  “Princess Hyacinth has a problem.” She floats. To keep her earthbound, the king and queen put pebbles in her socks and have encrusted her crown with heavy gems. An encounter with a balloon man provides her the opportunity she longs for. After shedding her heavy clothes, she grabs a balloon and blissfully soars into the sky, the balloon string keeping her delicately tethered to the ground.

  The Sandman

  By Ralph Fletcher. Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey. Holt, 2008. Ages 4–6.

  Not matter how hard he tries, tiny Tor, a dapper elderly gentleman, can’t fall asleep. One day while journeying through the woods, he comes upon a dragon’s scale, which, when ground into powder, induces sleep. Traveling around in his mouse-drawn cart with button wheels, he sprinkles his magic dust on children not quite ready to let go of the events of the day. All too soon, his supply runs out, and to replenish it he must steal a scale from the fire-breathing beast. Kids will pore over the items in Tor’s miniature world and thrill to the gentle gent’s bravery as he confronts the dragon on behalf of sleepless children everywhere.

  The Shivers in the Fridge

  By Fran Manushkin. Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Dutton, 2006. Ages 4–6.

  It may take a minute or two for children to catch on, but once they do, they’ll love the joke. Sonny Shivers and his family huddle together in a dark, precarious place. They are surrounded by strange-looking trees, pools of glistening red stuff, and clouds as sweet as cream. They are also very, very cold. If that isn’t enough, every now and then there’s an earthquake, light fills their space, and a monster (which looks very like a human hand) enters their world and takes something out (Jell-o, perhaps, or broccoli). Finally the Shiverses have had enough. One by one they venture out looking for a warmer, safer place to live. They find it on the refrigerator door—right where refrigerator magnets belong. There’s something funny and fantastic on every page.

  Sidewalk Circus

  By Paul Fleischman. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Candlewick, 2004. Ages 5–7.

  The ordinary becomes extraordinary in this nearly wordless book, which begins when a child waiting for a bus spies a marquee advertising the arrival of the “World-Renowned Garibaldi Circus.” In a wink, the child becomes a spectator at a big-top show, her imagination taking cues from circus fliers, banners, and playful shadows on the street. Construction workers on high beams become tightrope walkers; boys fooling around on skateboards become clowns; a chef flipping pancakes becomes a juggler. Step right up—the show is about to begin.

  So Sleepy Story

  By Uri Schulevitz. Illustrated by the author. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2006. Ages 4–6.

  Put this book on the shelf right next to your copy of Margaret Wise Brown’s
Goodnight Moon. Though the situations are quite different, this tale, like Brown’s classic, maintains a soothing rhythm that will lull little ones to sleep. The trees are fast asleep, the house is fast asleep, and a little boy, tucked in tight, is fast asleep. Suddenly, musical notes float through an open window, beckoning the child. He wakes, and accompanied by the tables, chairs, and other objects in his room, floats from his bed to enjoy a midnight dance. When the music ends, everything falls back into place, leaving the house oh so sleepy once again.

  Stars

  By Mary Lyn Ray. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. Beach Lane, 2011. Ages 4–6.

  Imagination is at work on every page of this lovely, lyrical book that begins as children contemplate the way night becomes less scary when the stars come out. On subsequent pages children follow the stars—flying on sleds through snowflakes that twinkle like stars and watching fireworks spill starlike across the sky. They also discover how a star cut from paper can make them feel brave and make them feel safe. “Every night…Everywhere,” children can follow the stars.

  SuperHero ABC

  By Bob McLeod. Illustrated by the author. HarperCollins, 2006. Ages 5–7.

  Comics artist McLeod leaps into children’s books with a comic-style abecedarian, which uses corny humor, alliteration, and comic conventions like word balloons to make learning a blast. Each of the characters has a superlative attribute: Rain-man uses rain to best villainous kids; Odor Officer keeps track of schoolyard farts; Skyboy and his sister don’t walk home from school—they fly. Young preschoolers won’t understand all the asides, but they’ll be crazy about the high-octane, action-packed art and get the basic idea. Frank Cammuso’s Otto’s Orange Day, a story about a cat who loves the color orange, is a stellar example of how the graphic art form can be used to tell a more conventional cartoon picture book story.

  Stars by Mary Lyn Ray

  The Toy Farmer

  By Andrew T. Pelletier. Illustrated by Scott Nash. Dutton, 2007. Ages 4–7.

  Rummaging around in an old toy box in the attic, Jed finds a small red tractor, driven by a tiny farmer with a pipe sticking out of his mouth. He shows his find to his father, who remembers playing with the toy as a child, calling it “the craziest toy he ever had.” Not sure what his dad means, Jed carries on, playing happily with it until bedtime. When he wakes the next day, he gets an inkling of what his father meant: his bedroom rug has disappeared. In its place is a neatly plowed field. His subsequent journey into the farmer’s world ultimately becomes a special secret shared by father and son.