Time for School!

The kids are starting back to school this week -- so I'm sharing some of my favorite school stories for children.

Minerva Louise at School by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Out for an early morning walk, a chicken wanders into a school that she mistakes for a fancy barn.

Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Harry Allard
The kids in Room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a vile substitute.

One Smart Cookie: Bite-Size Lessons for the School Years and Beyond by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Presents vocabulary words and life lessons, with cookie-baking as the theme of the book.

How Do Dinosaurs Go to School by Jane Yolen
Illustrations and rhyming text depict dinosaurs as they ride the bus to school, jump on top of their desks, read their favorite books, and have fun on the playground with all of their friends.

The Orange Shoes by Trinka Hakes Noble
Delly Porter enjoys the feel of soft dirt beneath her feet as she walks to and from school, but after a classmate makes her feel ashamed of having no shoes she learns that her parents and others, too, see value in things that do not cost money.


More School Picture Books --
Axle Annie by Robin Pulver
Baloney (Henry P.) by Jon Scieszka
Bedhead by Margie Palatini
Dinosaur vs. School by Bob Shea
The Frog Principal by Stephanie Calmenson
Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio
I Am Absolutely Too Small for School by Lauren Child
I'm Not Ready! by Jonathan Allen
Jeeper's Creepers: A Monstrous ABC by Laura Leuck
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Little Rabbit Goes to School by Harry Horse
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind by Judy Finchler
Moses Goes to School by Isaac Millman
Mr. President Goes to School by Rick Walton
The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
Score One for the Sloths by Helen Lester
Sector 7 by David Wiesner
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polaaco
We Share Everything! by Robert Munsch
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
You Can't Go to School Naked! by Dianne Billstrom


Check out these books and more at the Arnold Branch.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm . . .

Farm books are always a popular topic with kids.  We recently put up a display of farm picture books for young children.  Here are a few of my favorites from that display . . .

Hungry Hen by Richard Waring
A greedy fox watches a hungry hen growing bigger every day, knowing that the longer he waits to eat her, the bigger she will be.

The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown
Early one morning, a little scarecrow whose father warns him that he is not fierce enough to frighten a crow goes out into the cornfield alone.

Chicken, Chicken, Duck by Nadia Krilanovich
Easy-to-read, rhythmic text about a group of farm animals, led by a tenacious duck, who play a noisy game together.

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
While all the other animals on the farm enjoy eating their regular food, the cow chooses to eat the one thing that she loves best.

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
The sounds of the farm animals create a lively beat that keep Farmer Sue, the chicks, sheep, and other farm animals awake.

A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Minerva Louise, a snow-loving chicken, mistakes a pair of mittens for two hats to keep both ends warm.


More Farm Picture Books --
Albert & Lila by Rafik Schami
April Foolishness by Teresa Bateman
Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Century Farm: One Hundred Years on a Family Farm by Cris Peterson
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Cock-A-Doodle Quack! Quack! by Ivor Beddiel
Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin
Down on the Farm by Merrily Kutner
Farm by Elisha Cooper
Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman
A Farmer Boy Birthday by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Farmer Brown Goes Round and Round by Teri Sloat
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell
The Farmer in the Dell by John O'Brien
Grandpa's Tractor by Michael Garland
Leon and Albertine by Christine Davenier
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch by Anne Isaacs
No Milk! by Jennifer Ericsson
Oink-A-Doodle-Doo by Jef Czekaj
Old MacDonald Had a Dragon by Ken Baker
On the Farm by David Elliott
Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Princess Pig by Eileen Spinelli
Rooster Can't Cock-A-Doodle-Doo by Karen Rostoker-Gruber
Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive by Karma Wilson
Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown
Serious Farm by Tim Egan
Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli
Zinnia and Dot by Lisa Campbell Ernst

These and more stories about farms will be on display through February 28, 2015.

Trick or Treat! Books for Halloween

Looking for some great titles to get you and your kids in the Halloween spirit?  Try these books . . .

Ten Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage
In this Halloween countdown book, ten orange pumpkins are each carried off by a witch, a ghost, a spider, and other Halloween creatures until there's just one.

Minerva Louise on Halloween by Janet Morgan Stoeke
On her first Halloween, Minerva Louise the hen puzzles over costumes but enjoys her first taste of candy corn.

Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes
Easy to read, rhyming text about Halloween night incorporates Spanish words, from las brujas riding their broomsticks to los monstruos whose monstrous ball is interrupted by a true horror.

The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler
Little Nell chooses an unusual pumpkin for her Halloween jack-o-lantern, despite her big sisters' criticisms.