Fiction

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Llama Llama Mad at Mama

from Viking Juvenile

Yucky music, great big feet.

Ladies smelling way too sweet.

Look at knees and stand in line.

Llama Llama starts to whine.

Does any child like to go shopping? Not Llama Llama! But Mama canÂ’t leave Llama at home, so off they go to Shop-O-Rama. Lots of aisles. Long lines. Mama is too busy to notice that Llama Llama is getting m-a-d! And before he knows it, heÂ’s having a full-out tantrum! Mama quickly calms him down, but she also realizes that they need to make shopping more fun for both of them. Parents and children are sure to recognize themselves in this fun-to-read follow-up to the popular Llama Llama Red Pajama.

The Kissing Hand

by Audrey Penn from Tanglewood Press

Chester Raccoon doesn't want to go to school--he wants to stay home with his mother. She assures him that he'll love school--with its promise of new friends, new toys, and new books. Even better, she has a special secret that's been in the family for years--the Kissing Hand. This secret, she tells him, will make school seem as cozy as home. She takes her son's hand, spreads his tiny fingers into a fan and kisses his palm--smack dab in the middle: "Chester felt his mother's kiss rush from his hand, up his arm, and into his heart." Whenever he feels lonely at school, all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek to feel the warmth of his mother's kiss. Chester is so pleased with his Kissing Hand that he--in a genuinely touching moment--gives his mom a Kissing Hand, too, to comfort her when he is away. Audrey Penn's The Kissing Hand, published by the Child Welfare League of America, is just the right book for any child taking that fledgling plunge into preschool--or for any youngster who is temporarily separated from home or loved ones. The rough but endearing raccoon illustrations are as satisfying and soothing for anxious children as the simple story. (Ages 5 and older) --Karin Snelson

In this contemporary classic Chester Raccoon seeks love and reassurance from his mother as he ventures out into the world to attend his very first day of school.

Belly Button Book (Boynton on Board)

by Sandra Boynton from Workman Publishing Company

Emboldened by the enthusiastic response to Belly Button (Round)—a song from her Grammy-nominated book/CD, Philadelphia Chickens—Sandra Boynton further contemplates this mesmerizing subject.

Featuring a beachful of bare-bellied hippos—including one tiny baby who can only say “Bee Bo”—the Belly Button Book is the latest quirky addition to the phenomenally successful Boynton on Board series. Every page captivates with Sandra Boynton’s inimitable illustrations and joyful rhyming text:

Soon after dark, upon the beach, we sing a hippo song, and if you’re feeling in the mood, we hope you’ll sing along: “Belly Belly Button, you’re oh so fine. Ooo, Belly Button, I’m so happy you’re mine.”

Shiny and sturdy, and featuring a great (navel-shaped, naturally) die-cut cover that offers a provocative glimpse of the merriment inside, the Belly Button Book provides enduring, giggly, read-aloud fun.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin (If You Give...)

by Laura Numeroff from Laura Geringer

If a big hungry moose comes to visit, you might give him a muffin to make him feel at home. If you give him a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it. When he's eaten all your muffins, he'll want to go to the store to get some more muffin mix. In this hilarious sequel to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, the young host is again run ragged by a surprise guest. Young readers will delight in the comic complications that follow when a little boy entertains a gregarious moose."From the first toss of a muffin to the final scene in which the day's activities culminate in a messy array and the story comes full circle, readers gladly follow a moose and . . . young boy in this lively sequel to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Numeroff presents the energetic sequence of events in stream-of-consciousness fashion . . . just the right springboard for Bond's distinct, pen-and-ink and watercolor drawings. Librarians will have trouble keeping this book on the shelf." ?SLJ.

"If you give a moose a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it." So begins the most logical silliness to be found anywhere--at least since Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrator Felicia Bond's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Readers will follow a young boy and his voracious visitor through a series of antlered antics: jam reveries and puppet shows and big messes. It all makes perfect sense, really, once you stop to think about it. What moose wouldn't want to borrow a sweater when it's cold outside? And why shouldn't the loose button on the sweater remind him of his grandmother? Bond's cleverly detailed, witty illustrations perfectly complement Numeroff's deadpan style. Through just a few deft words and brush strokes, the reader gets a real sense of the unique personalities of the two characters. Children will relate easily to the full-circle reasoning of the story, while picking up the concept of cause and effect. The moral of the story? Keep plenty of muffin mix and blackberry jam in your cupboard. You never know who may drop by. (Great read aloud, ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

A Giraffe and a Half

from HarperCollins

If you had a giraffe
and he stretched another half …
you would have a giraffe and a half.

And if you glued a rose
to the tip of his nose …

And … if he put on a shoe
and then stepped in some glue …

And if he used a chair
to comb his hair …

And so it goes until … but that would be telling. Children will be kept in stitches until the very end, when the situation is resolved in the most riotous way possible.

Shel Silverstein's incomparable line drawings add to the hilarity of his wildly funny rhymes.

Hippos Go Berserk

from Little Simon

How dull, to be one hippo all alone... until the one calls two other hippos on the phone. Soon three more hippos are at the door, bringing along another four. Before the night is through, a houseful of hippos (and one beast) has joined the one hippo for a boisterous bash.

All through the hippo night,
Hippos play with great delight.
But at the hippo break of day,
The hippos all must go away.

In clusters of nine, eight, seven, six, and so on, the hippos depart, finally leaving the one hippo "alone once more, [missing] the other forty-four."

The well-loved Sandra Boynton wrote this tribute to silliness in 1977, inspiring generations of the very young to learn to count. Lively, cute new illustrations complement this edition, with big numbers (one through nine, and nine through one) boldly placed on the corner of each page. The sturdy board book will withstand lots of eager counting fingers, and maybe even a berserk hippo or two. Boynton's familiar style can be seen in scads of other delightfully nonsensical titles, including Barnyard Dance! and Moo, Baa, La La La!. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

Here is the classic Boynton counting story in a sturdy, board book version.

Perfect for travel time, bedtime, or PARTY TIME!

George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends

by James Marshall from Houghton Mifflin

Like all best friends, George and Martha do everything together--go to the movies, play at the beach, and just hang around not doing much of anything. No matter that they happen to be gigantic hippopotami, they learn the same lessons humans do about the ups and downs of true friendship. George and Martha teach each other (and adoring readers) that even in a close friendship, privacy is important, practical jokes can sometimes backfire, and among other things, pouring split pea soup into your loafers to spare the chef's feelings is not the best laid plan.

What's remarkable about the stories in this wonderful collection is the emotion James Marshall infuses into his understated, charming text and illustrations. Each brief tale is always humorous, never preachy, and his drawings--deceptively simple in appearance--are guaranteed to spark feelings of empathy, delight, and self-recognition. Maurice Sendak, in his foreword to this 25th anniversary compilation edition of all 35 stories, notes, "Those dear, ditzy, down-to-earth hippos bring serious pleasure to everybody, not only to children. They are time-capsule hippos who will always remind us of a paradise in publishing and--both seriously and comically--of the true, durable meaning of friendship under the best and worst conditions." (Ages 4 and up)

George and Martha: not, as one might think, the first president and his spouse, but two hippopotamuses created by the singular talent of James Marshall. For the past quarter century, these stories have entertained, intrigued, and delighted readers of all ages. The portly animals have also taught us, in a humorous and lighthearted way, about what it means to be a true friend. A man with a talent for friendship, James Marshall defined its very essence in his stories about the world's two best friends. In this volume, all thirty-five episodes are brought together to celebrate friendship and two of the most lovable book characters ever created.

Morris Goes to School (I Can Read Book 1)

from HarperTrophy

A moose in school?

Morris the moose can't read or count. So he decides to go to school. Morris is thrilled after a day of A, B, C's, 1, 2, 3's, hoof-painting, and make-believe -- he can finally count gumdrops!

Frances Audio Collection CD

by Russell Hoban from HarperChildrensAudio

This collection includes four endearing favorites, Bedtime for Frances; A Baby Sister for Frances; Bread and Jam for Frances; and A Birthday for Frances. Children will cheer for Frances as she cleverly avoids her bedtime, stubbornly refuses to eat anything but bread and jam, and struggles not to eat the tempting, chocolatey birthday present she has just bought for her younger sister, Gloria. These reassuring and funny stories are just right for those amazing days of childhood!

Bats at the Beach

by Brian Lies from Houghton Mifflin

Quick, call out! Tell all you can reach:
the night is just perfect for bats at the beach!

So pack your buckets, banjos, and blankets—don't forget the moon-tan lotion—and wing with this bunch of fuzzy bats to where foamy sea and soft sand meet.

Brian Lies's enchanting art and cheery beachside verse will inspire bedtime imaginations again and again. Come visit a bedazzling world of moonlight, firelight, and . . . bats!