Submitted by Ms. Carol!
The Underpants Zoo by Brian Sendelbach is a story about a zoo where animals wear underpants just like us. The animals all wear silly underpants to match their personality. Of course, Lion is king of the beasts, so his underwear should be royal purple with crowns. Even though zebras have stripes, they prefer underpants with stars. Leopard, of course, prefers spots, and Hippo is such a romantic she prefers hearts. Elephant needs size extra-jumbo gigantic, and Kangaroo’s boxers have basketballs on them, because they need plenty of bounce. Octopus can wear four pairs of underpants at a time, and the cute little penguins chill their underpants in the freezer. The animals at the zoo seem to love showing off their undies, until they discover they have gotten ants in their pants, so the zoo has to close for awhile, for underpants de-antsing. The story is cute and funny, and the illustrations are adorable. See this book listed in our catalog
The Croaky Pokey
Submitted by Ms. Janis!
The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long. As you may have guessed by the title, this is the Hokey Pokey amphibian style, which has lots of kid appeal. As the story/song begins, children are invited to join the frogs and follow the lyrics and movements (“Put your right hand in, / Put your right hand out”) but then the words change: “Hop the Croaky Pokey / As we chase a fly around, / Right in the frog’s mouth! WHAP!” The cute cartoon illustrations feature animals at a pond, including a number of frogs, none of whom are skilled at catching bugs. The humor continues as the fly stays just out of reach and can’t be caught. Children will be giggling, singing, and dancing in no time. They will especially like the surprise ending. A great choice for humor and fun. See this book listed in our catalog
Conejito
Submitted by Ms. Jill!
Conejito: A Folktale from Panama, by Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by Geraldo Valério is a fabulous read-aloud (and sing-aloud, and dance-along) story based on a Central American folktale. Conejito (“little bunny”) is on his way to visit his Tía Mónica, who lives on top of the mountain. Just the thought of his beloved auntie (and the delicious food she’ll cook for him) makes Conejito sing and dance! But to get to the mountaintop, he must pass by Señor Zorro, Señor Tigre, and Señor León (a fox, a tiger, and a lion), all of whom think Conejito would make a delicious lunch! The little bunny is a fast talker, and he convinces each hungry animal to wait until later to eat him – after all, he’ll be much fatter after a visit with Tía Mónica and her excellent cooking! But once the visit is over, how will Conejito get past the villains once more and return safely home to his mamá? Tía Mónica has a brilliant plan to outsmart them all, and Conejito is just the bold little bunny to carry it out. The bouncy, repeating text, the sprinkling of easily understood Spanish words, Conejito’s silly song, and Geraldo Valério’s brilliant illustrations will make this book a favorite to read and sing with your little bunny. See this book listed in our catalog
I’m Not
Submitted by Ms. Catherine!
I’m Not by Pam Smallcomb. Evelyn the Alligator is awesome. She knows that lampshades are the new black, and that polka dots make everything better. But her best friend (Let’s call her Alli-Gator) sometimes feels a bit… not. She isn’t a jumping bean, she can’t make statues out of bubble gum, and she certainly has no interest in being a fabulous circus performer. Eveyln is all these things. She is awesome, and Alli-Gator worries that maybe she is just not. But Evelyn knows better! She knows that Alli-Gator is awesome too! She can spell! She can bake! She isn’t afraid of the dark! Evelyn knows that the most important thing is to be a “true-blue friend.” These alligators have got that covered. Check out Pam Smallcomb’s sweet story, with Robert Weinstock’s awesome illustrations, and find out that how both these alligators are great friends! See this book listed in our catalog
Big Rig Bugs
Submitted by Ms. Tammy!
BIG RIG BUGS By Kurt Cyrus. Soon after a litterbug tosses a tuna fish sandwich from his bulldozer, the construction bugs are called for duty. Children of all ages will enjoy following along as big rig bugs roll out of every hole to get started on the clean-up. The short rhyming couplets describe the work each bug does to clean up the messy tuna sandwich. The first to take the lead is Millipede, and then comes Cricket to clear the thicket, followed by ants, Weevil, Earwig, and many more bugs. Each page displays oversized pictures of each bug with insect-sized construction machinery behind them. The bugs each take a turn until the sandwich is compacted into a small round ball and carried off by the dragonfly. It’s a job well done, everyone. See this book listed in our catalog
Bear with Me
Submitted by Ms. Carol!
Bear with Me by Max Kornell is a story about a boy named Owen and the day his parents bring home a new family member: a bear named Gary. Owen doesn’t understand why his parents had to bring home a bear to get in his way. Gary breaks his stuff. Gary takes up all of Mom and Dad’s time. Gary snores so loud it sounds like a helicopter is flying around Owen’s room. He is just so annoying. Then one day Gary shares his blocks with Owen, and Owen starts to realize that Gary isn’t so bad after all. He is really good at blocks, and he is really a lot of fun to play with. Owen decides Gary isn’t annoying after all, and having a new family member to play with can be wonderful. See this book listed in our catalog