Submitted by Ms. Amanda!
Creak! Said the Bed by Phyllis Root is an adorable tale of bed time that many kids can relate to. Who hasn’t climbed in bed with Mom or Dad when they are scared at night? The rhythm and onomatopoeia make for a great bed time, story time, or any time read aloud book. The story takes place in the middle of the night as Mama and Poppa are in bed asleep, when SQUEAK goes the door, and Mama’s eyes fly open. Who is awake? First, Evie wants to climb in bed because she is scared. Creak! said the Bed. Next, Ivy climbs in bed to warm up. Creak! said the Bed. Then, Mo wants to climb in bed to be safe from the storm outside. Creak! said the Bed. Poppa keeps snoring away – snurkle, snark – unaware of the storm, or his full bed. Then BOOM goes the thunder, and then Fred, the dog, wants in the bed. Finally awake, Poppa says “STOP!” but Fred leaps in anyway. CRACK, said the bed, and everyone but Poppa snores on. Finally Mama, Poppa, Evie, Ivy, Mo, and Fred are all settled in the broken bed when Creak, said the floor… See this book listed in our catalog
Dogs
The Umbrella
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
A scruffy dog goes on a big adventure in The Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert! On a windy day a dog finds a bright red umbrella. Soon he is scooped up by the breeze, and taken away from his home. After sailing through a cloudy sky, he’s spotted over the Serengeti. He must fend off hungry crocodiles before being blown on his way by some helpful elephants. He weathers a stormy sea, meeting fish and a friendly whale along the way. On his trip around the world he visits the Galapagos Islands, and the Amazonian rain forest. He even travels north, playing in the snow with Arctic hares and polar bears. There’s a night time flight with a colony of bats and finally our hero is returned home. Good luck to that cat who’s eye-ing the umbrella next… This wordless book is filled with large, beautiful, detailed pictures. If the child you care for loves dogs, adventure, and making up their own stories, The Umbrella is a win win win. I personally like it because I think the dog in the book looks a lot like my friend and fellow Kid’s Book Blogger Ms. Jill’s dog Oscar, who I suspect secretly takes trips around the world via umbrella on a regular basis. I mean, just look at this picture of him and you’ll see what I mean. See this book listed in our catalog
Fred Stays with Me
Submitted by Ms. Catherine!
In Fred Stays with Me, written by Nancy Coffelt and illustrated by Tricia Tusa, we meet a little girl and her beloved dog Fred. We learn that the little girl’s parents are divorced and that sometimes she lives at her mom’s house and sometimes she lives at her dad’s house. She has a bunk bed at one and a regular bed at the other. Each house is a little different, but one thing that always stays the same is Fred. Fred might eat all of Dad’s socks, and Fred might make the poodle that lives next door at mom’s house bark, but none of these things are important in the long run. The important thing is that Fred will never be far away. Fred is always be there when his friend needs him. See this book listed in our catalog
Henry’s Heart
Submitted by Ms. Sue!
Henry’s Heart by Charise Mericle Harper, illustrations designed by Elynn Cohen with acrylic paint and collage on watercolor paper. Henry’s heart and the rest of his body are shown in X-Ray vision with some of what you might see. Henry’s class mates make observations and remarks about his heart and the things it does. Henry’s heart also makes many observations about its self. One of the things Henry’s mom wants from Henry and his heart is exercise. When Henry’s dad takes Henry for a walk into town, his heart observes how it beats and why. Then when Henry falls in love with a puppy that his dad doesn’t get for him, his heart feels lots of things including broken. Henry’s heart eventually gets excited and very happy because his parents eventually do get his dog for him. His heart is excited because it gets stronger from the everyday walking, chasing, running, and playing Henry does with his dog! See this book listed in our catalog
Ivan the Terrier
Submitted by Ms. Allana!
Ivan the Terrier by Peter Catalanotto. I loved this book as soon as I saw it because I am the proud and loving owner of a little rat terrier named Pepper. She does not get into the mischief that Ivan does in the story however, but his perky and curious personality is definitely a terrier trait. The narrator is trying to tell classic fairy tales, but here comes Ivan crashing in at every turn. It is very amusing, and delightfully illustrated by the author. Young children of pre-school age will find this story a hoot! See this book listed in our catalog
Pick a Pup
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
Pick a Pup by Marsha Wilson Chall, with illustrations by Jed Henry, is a wonderful story about a boy’s first dog. Sam is so excited. His grandma is taking him to the animal shelter to pick out a dog! Sam is very smart. He looks at many books about dogs, to try to figure out what dog would be best for him. But he can’t decide! He takes a long walk through his community, meeting all his friends and neighbors’ dogs. What would be best for him? A sit-in-your-lap, likes-to-take-a-nap, hardly-makes-a-peep, mostly-sound-asleep dog? Or a runs-right-up, always-wakes-you-up, dances-for-a-bone, hates-to-play-alone dog? A dog with a pedigree? Or one that’s a “potluck” mix? When the time comes to take a shelter puppy home, Sam is anxious. He still hasn’t decided! But then, a puppy chooses him, in a lovely, serendipitous moment! This book teaches a fabulous lesson about pet ownership: be prepared! Do your research, and if possible, adopt the breed of your choice from a shelter. See this book listed in our catalog