This section includes descriptions and links to recommended picture books that make excellent feature books in different themes or are special favorites that can extend and enrich the study of a particular subject.
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A Story A Story: An African Tale
A Caldecott Medal-winning African folktale of the trickery used by Ananse, the Spider man, to take all the stories in the world from Nyame, the Sky God.
Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story
A biography of Robert Smalls who, during the Civil War, commandeered the Confederate ship Planter to carry his family and twelve other slaves to freedom.
Henry and the Kite Dragon
Based on true 1920s events two rival groups of children representing two different cultures come face-to-face in hostility and learn to live together in harmony.
Skeletons! Skeletons! All About Bones
A basic introduction to bones and skeletons with colorful cut-paper collage illustrations.
Fall Leaves Fall!
Two siblings enjoy watching, catching, stomping, kicking, jumping in, and collecting colorful fall leaves.
I'm Thankful Each Day!
Colorful illustrations and simple text present the idea that every facet of God's world provides a reason for a child to be thankful.
My River
A simple, boldly-colored first look at river ecology.
The Tears of the Dragon
A small boy in long ago Japan goes off to find proof of the horrible dragon that, stories say, breathes fire and carries off naughty children.
This is the Day
All the woodland animals are a twitter wondering how things will turn out on this Groundhog Day.
The Girl Who Spun Gold
A beautifully illustrated version of the Rumpelstiltskin tale set in the West Indies.
Mei Li
With 3 lucky pennies and 3 lucky marbles, Mei Li sneaks away from her home to follow her brother to the New Year Fair in the city.
Papa's Christmas Gift: Around the World on the Night Before Christmas
Depicts happenings in countries around the world on Christmas Eve, 1822, while Clement C. Moore gives his family the first reading of his famous poem.
Three Young Pilgrims
Mary, Remember, and Bartholomew are among the Pilgrims who survive the harsh early years in America and see New Plymouth grow into a prosperous colony.
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
A young African-American girl is determined to become the best chicken chaser ever with the elusive Miss Hen is her ultimate prize.
Judy and the Volcano
Judy's detention time is spent imagining herself at the center of a fantastic adventure story.
Count Your Way Through China
Presents the numbers one through ten in Chinese, using each number to introduce concepts about China and Chinese culture.
The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet
The magic of the beloved ballet is captured in concise narration and illustrations by a Caldecott Honor Book artist.
Why Frogs Are Wet
Read and find out all about frogs. Did you know they can jump up to 30 times their own body length? Or that a frog would starve before eating a dead bug?
Count Down to Fall
Counting backwards from ten to one with trees in fall and frolicking animals preparing for winter.
Nine Ducks Nine
As Mr. Fox watches and draws closer to nine ducks, one by one they drop out of sight.
Sami and the Time of the Troubles
Ten-year-old Sami lives in Beirut, Lebanon. He and his family must take shelter in a basement when the bombings occur and fighting begins on his street.
Celebrate Hanukkah
Explains the origin of Hanukkah and current celebrations around the world shown in National Geographic photographs.
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science book at Stage 1 that follows the metamorphosis of a painted lady butterfly as observed by a group of children in their classroom.
Mexico ABCs
An alphabetical introduction to the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of Mexico.
The Most Wonderful Egg in the World
Three hens ask the king to decide which of them is the most beautiful. "What you can do is more important than what you look like." Whichever hen can lay the most wonderful egg will be named a princess.
Big Chickens
Four cautious, careful, cowardly hens run off to the woods when they see a wolf and must overcome many obstacles to get safely home.
The World's Greatest Elephant
The true story of Bram and his elephant, Modoc, born on the same day, and their lifelong friendship that spanned over eight decades of adventure and heartbreak.
Gather Up, Gather In
Delightful prose-poem and and luminous pictures involve the reader in the changing seasons.
Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones
Learn about animals that lay eggs through bold, brightly colored illustrations and simple informative text.
Kites Sail High
Bold and realistic graphics enrich an exploration of many different verbs.
Plants That Never Ever Bloom
Rich, colorful illustrations and informative, rhyming verse unlock a world where mushrooms glow at night and other plants grows to be gigantic--without the help of a flower!
The Reason for a Flower
The reason for a flower is to manufacture seeds, but this book shares a lot more about parts of plants and their functions.
Up, Up and Away
Vibrant, larger-than-life paintings enrich a reader-friendly English lesson on the uses of adverbs.
Chester's Way
Chester is a child of rigid habits and his friend Wilson shares his attitudes and routines. And then Lilly moves into the neighborhood with all her wacky behaviors . . .
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum thought her name was absolutely perfect until she was teased and laughed at because of it.
Julius The Baby of the World
Lily is convinced that the arrival of her new baby brother is the worst thing that has happened in their house, until Cousin Garland comes to visit.
Kitten's First Full Moon
Kitten sees her first full moon and tries to get what she thinks it's a bowl of milk in the sky. Gorgeous black-and-gray illustrations won the 2005 Caldecott Medal.
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he askes her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.
My Garden
After helping her mother weed, water, and chase rabbits from their garden, a little girl imagines her dream garden complete with jellybean bushes, chocolate rabbits, and tomatoes the size of beach balls.
Owen
Owen's parents try to get him to give up his favorite fuzzy yellow blanket before he starts school. A Caldecott Honor Book