Awards

When a young woman is searching for her lost dog, she demonstrates an act of kindness that passes from person to person within her community. Within muted illustrations, a splash of red highlights the thread of good deeds that weaves through the community and connects strangers in unexpected ways. Whether it is opening a door, inviting someone to play, offering a seat, or returning a lost pet to its loving owner, every little kindness has an impact and the potential to ripple far beyond what we imagine.

When Chipmunk calls Hare a Rabbit, and Hare calls Ground Squirrel a Chipmunk, watch out! Exasperated Hare quickly points out to Squirrel all the ways that he is different from a rabbit as they make their way through the desert. Readers learn that look-a-like animals such as a tortoise and a turtle, a frog and a toad have distinct characteristics. Unknown to them a jackal (or is it a coyote?) follows them through the desert. Find out what happens next in this animal thriller.

Suspense builds as three little monkeys disobey their caregiver’s instructions and venture closer to the juicy mangoes growing in a dangerous part of the jungle. Careful pacing and repetition coax the reader along on the adventure, as hungry tigers lurk nearby. Bright and colorful illustrations bring the wide-eyed monkeys to life, and young readers will be wide-eyed as well as they discover the dangers that the little monkeys do not see. Is there a happy ending, or do the monkeys meet danger along the way? Maybe…you need to read to find out for yourself!

From a nest at the top of a very tall tree, plucky little bird, Mel decides that it is time to learn how to fly. Her siblings aren’t so sure about that idea, but Mel takes the plunge and begins to fall down and down and down. Mel falls past a number of expressive animals—an owl family, a group of squirrels, a hive of bees, a spider’s web, and other small creatures. All of them try to save her as she passes them by. Read to see what happens when Mel reaches the bottom of the tree!

Dot may be the smallest person in her family, and even in her class at school. Even her name is small! But despite Dot’s size, she is not little. In fact, she often has to prove that there is more than meets the eye when others assume she is younger than she really is. When Sam joins her class, Dot is surprised to see that he is even smaller than her. One day, when another classmate is being unkind to Sam, Dot discovers one part of herself that definitely is not little…her VOICE. Readers will be drawn into this story of spirit, courage and friendship.

When someone Oscar loves leaves for a trip, his nurturing caregiver engages him in the process of planting and growing. His green thumb serves him well, and before long their cozy apartment is filled with plants and flowers. Oscar visits each neighbor in the building, offering plants in a gesture of friendship and kindness and demonstrating how every person can contribute to the spirit of community. Through illustrated panels and brightly colored spreads, this wordless book sends a message of growth, neighborliness, and love.

Wolf has a plan to sneak into the neighborhood sheep herd to find a tasty treat. He puts together a fluffy, cotton-like costume that he thinks makes him blend in with the sheep. Once in, his plan includes being helpful, being handy, being fun and friendly—a real team player. Wolf realizes that the sheep are his friends and he could never eat them! Upon returning home, Wolf crafts miniature sheep-like figurines from his costume to decorate his fireplace mantle while he reading about vegetarianism. There is a knock at the door, and Wolf opens the door to surprise guests!

From cover to cover, The Beak Book draws the reader in with its vibrant illustrations of our feathered friends and their unique beaks, including the black skimmer, the Atlantic puffin, the ruddy duckling, and more. Not only can readers observe each bird up close, but they can also learn more about the specific purposes of each beak, such as straining, sniffing, shredding, or breaking out of an egg. For those who are curious to know more, captions provide the name of each bird and additional details about the use of their beak.

Bear, Porcupine, Otter, and Squirrel are good friends who like to spend time together—fishing, walking, and enjoying the rain. Readers learn that Squirrel doesn’t really like to do any of those things. He goes along on the friends’ adventures but complains the whole time. Read to see what happens on a fishing outing that leads to something they all love to do.

A young girl experiences a year of everyday wonders with her family and friends. Everything from wonderful firsts such as the first snowfall, first valentine to first beach trip to firsts that aren’t as much fun such as a first cold, first missed bus, and first sunburn. Readers will have fun tracing the little girl’s relationship throughout the year with her brother that also includes ups and downs, highs and lows. The illustrations are a treat for family members of all ages.

Brenda, a wolf in sheep’s clothing teaches the sheep new games including catch, teeth sharpening, and tag. Despite her apparent differences, the sheep enjoy their new friend, and want to be just like her. Brenda has a hidden motive—she wants the sheep to be a tasty ingredient with her special mint sauce. Brenda gets a surprise of her own from her sheep friends. A funny story about acceptance and friendship.

The pictures tell the story in this tale of a dog who lives with her dad, and a dog and cat who live with their mom. The five of them move in together with often comical results. The story cleverly uses just two words: cat and dog—to share the story of a blended family from the animals’ point of view. Children will enjoy telling the story from the illustrations and the funny expressions on the character’s faces.

It all starts with just a little treat, and suddenly the child in the story finds herself being followed by hungry coos! In addition to wanting more food, the coos also require exercise, supervision, clothing, and some assistance with cleaning up their coo poos. Despite her attempts to shoo them away, the coos appear in great numbers at every turn. That is, until, she cleverly pays it forward and introduces her feathered friends to someone who misses them dearly. As the back cover says, consider yourself warned: This book is a fun and adventurous read!