Submitted by Melissa from Lexington Park!
Dog Wants to Play by Christine McDonnell is a delightful tale with adorable illustrations. Throughout the book, the optimistic little pup approaches his farm mates with a request to play. His excitement diminishes with each rejection, but finally he meets a companion who is willing to play all day! This book is written in rhyme and has a few repeating verses, making the book both pleasant to listen to, and engaging for a young listener. The clear pictures, simple story, and familiar objects in the illustrations allow readers to ask open ended questions about the images and words. Such books lend themselves to imaginative story telling and will encourage young readers and listeners to go beyond the words on the page and tell their own story! See this book listed in our catalog
Raf
Submitted by Amanda from Lexington Park!
Raf by Anke de Vries and Charlotte Dematons. Raf is a stuffed giraffe, and he and Ben are best friends. They are always together. One day Raf is missing, and Ben has to go to bed all alone. Then Ben starts getting post cards from Raf, who has been found all the way in Africa! Raf sends Ben post cards all along his trip home. His final post card tells Ben that he will be home in time for Ben’s birthday! When Raf arrives home, Ben finds him very different from when he left. This book has great illustrations, and leaves a lot to the imagination. There is very little text, therefore much of the story is told through the illustrations. This is a great story for a kid who has a favorite stuff animal, or other comfort object. I know it warmed my heart! See this book listed in our catalog
A Christmas Carol
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
“MARLEY WAS DEAD. There was no doubt whatever that Old Marley was dead as a doornail. That must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge.” So begins Charles Dickens’s classic story A Christmas Carol beautifully imagined here by Brett Helquist in this new illustrated version. Scrooge, a holiday hating miser, is visited by three spirits: the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who teach him the true meaning of the season over the course of one fateful night. When he rises on Christmas morning Scrooge is a changed man, and decides to devote his life to helping instead of hating. This is the original Dickens text, so only read it to your children with long attention spans, but readers of all ages can appreciate the breath-taking pictures. See this book listed in our catalog
Big Bear Hug
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Meet an awesome tree-hugging bear in Big Bear Hug by Canadian artist Nicholas Oldland. This bear has so much love in his heart, he just feels compelled to hug everything in the forest, including things he’s supposed to eat like rabbits, big things like moose, and small things like birds. His favorite thing to hug though, is trees. You name a tree, this bear has hugged it. One day while attempting to hug a tree and a beaver at the same time, the bear sees a man about to chop down one of the most beautiful trees in the forest. It’s not in his nature to hurt a man, so the bear does what he does best. Thankfully, this man is not used to hugging bears and runs far, far away! Read this adorable book with your child, and then go hug some trees of your own! See this book listed in our catalog
The Mitten
Submitted by Melissa from Lexington Park!
The Mitten, adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett, features beautiful pictures of a boy and his mittens. These mittens, made by his grandmother, are white, and blend in perfectly with the snow when he drops one of them to the ground. Once there, many woodland creatures happen upon it, and take refuge in its warmth. Meanwhile, the boy retraces his steps in search of his mitten. He finally finds it floating in the air. With every turn of the page, young readers are introduced to three scenes: two explain what is happening in the present, and the one on the right predicts what is to come next. Who would have ever thought that eight animals could fit in one small mitten? Children can count the mole, rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, bear, and mouse, as they climb into the cozy mitten. You can explore this book in our Side by Side collection, where you will find more suggestions and activities you can do with your child while you read. See this book listed in our catalog
Blueberries for Sal
Submitted by Sue from Leonardtown!
Blueberries for Sal, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey, tells the story of a little girl named Sal and a bear cub. One summer day Little Sal and her Mom decided to go to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries. “We will take our berries home and can them,” said her mother. Little Sal had a small tin bucket just like her mother’s. When she dropped blueberries into the pail it made a kurplunk, kurplunk, kurplunk sound. Sal ate most of the berries she picked and some of her mother’s, until mom said to run along and pick her own berries. On the other side of the hill, Little Bear came with his mother to eat blueberries. Before long, Little Bear and Sal both got tired of trying to keep up with their mothers, and sat still eating berries in the middle of the patch. Then they started out to find their mothers. Unfortunately Little Sal and Little Bear got them mixed up with each other! This story with charming pictures will continue to enchant even after it’s been read. See this book listed in our catalog