Submitted by Ms. Amanda!
Yonderfel’s Castle: A Medieval Fable by Jean Gralley. Yonderfel was a very generous king long ago. Yonderfel castle was the most terrific castle in all the land and he said to everyone “Come In, Come In” and he never turned anyone away. His castle was a crowded and happy place with dancers, singer, eaters, and even kissers! Then one day an ogre guy came to the back door of the castle and said that Yonderfel had to pay more money to keep his castle on top of the mountain it was on. Yonderfel did not have the money, since he always gave to others. So the ogre guy took away half of the mountain so that the castle was slanted to the side. At first people tried to pretend not to notice, but soon they all complained, and packed up and left. Yonderfel tried everything to make the money to save his castle so that he could bring all the people back, but he failed, and Yonderfel was sad. So sad that all he did was sit in his empty castle and knit towels. Then one day it began to rain, and it rained, and rained, and rained, until everyone started swimming to Yonderfel’s mountain. He saw them coming, gathered up his towels and yelled “Come in, Come in!” Everyone was safe and dry except the ogre guy who was outside begging to come in, and of course because Yonderfel was a good and generous King he let the ogre guy into the castle! But that caused the castle to fall off the mountain top and into the water, so Yonderfel grabbed all his towels and used them as sails, and soon the castle sailed to a new mountain top where they all lived happily ever after. Yonderfel’s Castle is a great story about being, kind, forgiving and generous to those around you… even if they are an ogre! See this book listed in our catalog
Under the Sea
I’m the Best Artist in the Ocean
Marco Flamingo Under the Sea
Submitted by Carol from Charlotte Hall!
The Adventures of Marco Flamingo Under The Sea by Sheila Jarkins is a comical story about a curious flamingo who tends to go on many adventures. His latest adventure is his quest to see what lies under the sea. Marco’s friends think he is a little crazy, but Marco doesn’t care. He takes a trip under the sea with his scuba gear and swims with dolphins, plays with sea turtles, and even races a shark! When he returns, he tells his friends all about it, and then wastes no time before he’s off on another adventure. See this book listed in our catalog
The Treasure Bath
Submitted by Melissa from Lexington Park!
The Treasure Bath, by Dan Andreasen, is an imaginative tale of a little boy who is disappointed about “bath time.” The book begins with a little boy helping his mother with baking. As you can imagine, little ones and baking can create one big mess. So, off to bath time he goes, glumly of course. Through vivid illustrations, and imagination, you will journey with the boy as he discovers a bath tub sea of interesting characters! They lead him to a map, and then a treasure chest. Inside the chest… well, you’ll just have to check out the book in order to know the rest! It’s a “giggly” twist, ending in sweet surprise! Picture books without any words have always been a personal favorite. These wordless tales encourage imaginative thinking, and allow your child to develop their own words to the story. This sort of imaginative story telling actually encourages the development of narrative skills and sequential learning. See this book listed in our catalog
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
A giant squid is the center of attention in I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry. Look at him! He’s so big! And he’s not ashamed of announcing it to anyone who’ll listen. Is he bigger than an octopus? He sure is! How about a shark? Definitely (but don’t let the shark hear you say that)! Is he bigger than all the sea turtles? You betcha! How about this fish, and that fish, or that fish, and this fish? Yep, he’s bigger than them too. He’s the biggest thing in the ocean, or so he thinks, until he’s swallowed by a whale decidedly larger than him. You might think this would soil his ego, but you’d be wrong. He’s perfectly content to be… the biggest thing in the whale!