Take a Trip to the Past with a Book

This week, I'm sharing picture books featuring stories set in the past.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Magnus at the Fire by Jennifer Armstrong
When the Broadway Fire House acquires a motorized fire engine, Magnus the fire horse is not ready to retire.

Iron Horses by Verla Kay
Illustrations and simple rhyming text depict the race to construct railroads across the country during the second half of the nineteenth century.

I, Crocodile by Fred Marcellino
An Egyptian crocodile, with a big ego and a big appetite, is taken to Paris in 1799 by Napoleon Bonaparte.

John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco
During the Depression, a young Memphis boy trains his pet duck to do tricks in the fountain of a grand hotel and ends up becoming the Duck Master of the Peabody Hotel.

The Day We Danced in Underpants by Sarah Wilson
When Papa's pants--worn thin from dancing on his visit to France--split as he sits down to picnic with the king, the embarrassing moment provides both cooling and comic relief for the guests, prompting them to take off their hot clothes and dance.


More Historical Picture Books --
All Different Now: Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson
A Book for Black-Eyed Susan by Judy Young
Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe
Ella's Big Chance: A Jazz Age Cinderella by Shirley Hughes
Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina
Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars by Jean Merrill
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith
Kid Blink Beats the World by Don Brown
Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning
Mama Went to Jail for the Vote by Kathleen Karr
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfle
One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh
Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone
Queen of the Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story by Emily Arnold McCully
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey
The Secret Project by Jonah Winter
Tricking the Tallyman by Jacqueline Davies
Twenty-One Elephants by Phil Bildner
Uncommon Traveller: Mary Kingsley in Africa by Don Brown
We March by Shane Evans
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
The Whispering Town by Jill Elvgren
The Wildest Race Ever: The Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon by Methan McCarthy

Check these and more historical picture books out at the Arnold Branch through March 15, 2019.

Build a Better World -- READ!

This summer's reading program theme is "Build a Better World".  So this week, I'm sharing some great picture books that fit the construction theme for the summer . . .

Ready, Set, Build! by Meg Fleming
Children follow a busy dog builder as he sketches and plans his house, clears rubble to make space, and gets to work digging, lifting, and sawing. 

Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper
Little Green only knows one word: 'Go!' It's the perfect thing to get the construction site moving, but how will they stop?

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale
A collection of concrete poetry, illustrations, and photographs that shows how young children's constructions, created as they play, are reflected in notable works of architecture from around the world.

The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer
A construction crew tears down an old building and builds a new house in its place.

 Iron Horses by Verla Kay
Illustrations and simple rhyming text depict the race to construct railroads across the country during the second half of the nineteenth century.


More Construction Books --
Billions of Bricks by Kurt Cyrus
Build, Dogs, Build: A Tall Tail by James Horvath
Busy Builders, Busy Week! by Jean Reidy
Dig! by Andrea Zimmerman
The Diggers Are Coming! by Susan Steggall
Franklin's Big Dreams by David Teague
Hard Hat Area by Susan L. Roth
Henry Builds a Cabin by D.B. Johnson
The House in the Meadow by Shutta Crum
The House on Dirty-Third Street by Jo Kittinger
If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Nelly Gnu and Daddy Too by Anna Dewdney
The Night Worker by Kate Banks
Rex Wrecks It! by Ben Clanton
Road Work Ahead by Anastasia Suen
Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building by Deborah Hopkinson
Who Swings the Wrecking Ball? Working on a Construction Site by Mary Meinking

Check out these and more construction picture books on display at the Arnold Branch through June 30, 2017.

Stories on the Go!

Transportation is always a popular topic for young children.  It is probably one of our most requested subjects.  So this week, I am sharing some of my favorite transportation picture books for children ....

Night Light by Nicholas Blechman
Count the lights and, through die-cut pages, find out which vehicle they belong to.

Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen
Young Violet's only friend is her dog, Orville, until one of her homemade flying machines takes her to the rescue of a Boy Scout troop in trouble.

The Animals' Ark by Marianne Dubuc
When all the lands become flooded, the animals find shelter on Mr. Noah's ark, but as the rain continues, tempers flare aboard the boat.

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
A duck decides to ride a bike and soon influences all the other animals on the farm to ride bikes too.

Iron Horses by Verla Kay
Illustrations and simple rhyming text depict the race to construct railroads across the country during the second half of the nineteenth century.


More Transportation Stories --
1-2-3 Va-Va-Vroom! A Counting Book by Sarah Lynn
Airplanes: Soaring! Turning! Diving! by Patricia Hubbell
Along a Long Road by Frank Viva
Are We There Yet? by Dandi Daley MacKall
Bear on a Bike by Stella Blackstone
Big Rig by Jamie Swenson
Boats Float! by George Ella Lyon
Cars Galore by Peter Stein
Come Fly with Me by Satomi Ichikawa
The Diggers Are Coming! by Susan Steggall
Dinosoaring by Deb Lund
Down by the Barn by Will Hillenbrand
Fire Engine No. 9 by Mike Austin
Five Trucks by Brian Floca
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Honk Honk! Beep Beep! by Daniel Kirk
Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord
How to Eat an Airplane by Peter Pearson
If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
I'm Cool! by Kate McMullan
The Life of a Car by Susan Steggall
Lightship by Brian Floca
McToad Mows Tiny Island by Tom Angleberger
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Minerva Louise and the Red Truck by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Nascar ABCs by Paul DeBois Jacobs
One-Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova
A Plane Goes Ka-Zoom! by Jonathan London
Pugs in a Bug by Carolyn Crimi
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Marla Frazee
Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive by Karma Wilson
Scuffy the Tugboat by Gertrude Crampton
The Smushy Bus by Leslie Helakoski
Subway by Christoph Niemann
Those Magnificent Sheep in Their Flying Machine by Peter Bently
Train by Elisha Cooper
The Tweedles Go Electric by Monica Kulling
What Do Wheels Do All Day? by April Jones Prince
Yellow Copter by Kersten Hamilton
Zoom! Zoom! Sounds of Things That Go in the City by Robert Burleigh

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 16, 2016.

Choo Choo . . . Stories of Trains

One of the most common requests we get at the library for young kids is stories about trains.  Here are some of my favorite train picture books . . .

And the Train Goes . . . by William Bee
As assorted passengers comment on their train ride, and the train itself goes "Clickerty click, clickerty clack," the station parrot is carefully listening to every sound.

Clickety Clack by Rob & Amy Spence
A train gets noisier and more crowded as quacking ducks, dancing acrobats, talking yaks, and packs of elephants board.

Freight Train by Donald Crews
Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a colorful train as it goes through tunnels, by cities, and over trestles.

Iron Horses by Verla Kay
Illustrations and simple rhyming text depict the race to construct railroads across the country during the second half of the nineteenth century.