Chick-fil-A Small Books

Black Beauty Retold by Margo Lundell (Respect)
Captains Courageous byLisl H. Detlefsen (Obedience)
Flowers Eyewitness Explorers
Heidi Retold by Sally Grindley
Human Body Eyewitness Explorers
The Jungle Book Retold by Kenn Goin
The Lion and the Mouse (Between the Lions)
The Secret Garden Retold by Shona McKellar
Wonderful Wizard of Oz Retold by Mary Weber

Anna's Table Ages 3-9

In this heartwarming story, little Anna gathers bits of nature she and her family find, and she collects them on a special table given to her by her beloved aunt. Esteemed children's author Eve Bunting shows us the poetry of beach rocks and sea shells, mouse bones and dried pomegranates, a shark's tooth, an old bird's nest, and a piece of tree bark shaped like a hand. Young readers will delight in the treasures found on Anna's Table. Anna reminds readers of all ages "how clever nature is, " through growth, death and rebirth.

A subtle celebration of the cycle of life, this story is about the incredible bond of children to nature, the miracle of family, and a belief in the beauty of all things.

Anna's Table

By Eve Bunting, Taia Morley

Illustrated by Taia Morley

Edition: illustrated

Published by NorthWord Press, 2003

ISBN 1559718412, 9781559718417

32 pages

PreS-Gr 3, Ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 -A free-verse account of a ...

... child who keeps all of her treasures from nature on a table in her room. "I have a drift of butterflies,/their colors orange bright./We found them in the grass/one night/after a cold strong wind ... more »/and sudden freeze/swept them from the trees." She also has a blue jay's feather, the backbone of a garter snake, a seagull's skull, and many other distinctive items. Anna's quiet pleasure in these things and her close family ties are admirable, and the colorful paintings are skillfully executed, with lots of joy and warmth. However, while the story has flashes of Bunting's characteristic charm and a worthwhile message, it lacks dramatic tension. Add it if you have a large collection and/or a ready audience for thoughtful nature books. Otherwise, buy extra copies of Bunting's Butterfly House (Scholastic, 1998) and/or Secret Place (Clarion, 1996), also beautifully illustrated stories revolving around environmental themes.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Reed Business Information (c) 2003

I Can Read It All By Myself Books

And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street Dr. Seuss
Can You Tell Me How to Get to SESAME STREET Eleanor Hudson
The Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss
The Foot Book Dr. Seuss (Bright and Early Books)
Glasses for D.W. Marc Brown
Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Seuss
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Dr. Seuss
Ten Apples Up on Top! Theo. LeSieg

Read Aloud Duplicate Books

Amazing Grace 3 copies Mary Hoffman (Act, Dance, Do Anything) Ages 4-8
Captain Bill Pinkney's Journey 4 copies Sailing around the World in 259 days (Ages 4-8) (compare Trial by Ice: A Photobiography of Sir Ernest Shackleton, interest level gr 6-8, RL 4.1 980 Lexile,)
Crysanthemum 2 copies Kevin Henkes Ages 4-8
Four Seasons for Little People 5 copies Jerry Ballard (Ages 4-8?)
Imogene's Antlers 2 copies David Small Ages 4-8 humor
Ozma of Oz L. Frank Baum Retold by Mary Weber 3 copies Chick-fil-A 24 pgs. Ages 9-12
Peter Pan J.M. Barrie Retold by Michael Johnstone 3 copies Chick-fil-A 24 pgs. Ages 7-14
Two Mice in a Boat Angelina Ballerina 2 copies Craig & Holabird Ages 4-8
The Ugly Duckling Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Caldecott Honor) 2 stories may be different- illustrators are different

The Inside-Outside Book of Washington D.C. Ages 4-8

The Inside-outside Book of Washington, D.C.

By Roxie Munro, Julie Cummins

Illustrated by Roxie Munro

Edition: illustrated

Published by Dutton, 1987

ISBN 0525442987, 9780525442981

48 pages

Twelve tourist delights and ...

... architecturally interesting structures are featured in Munro's picture-book tour. By showing not only the facades and interiors of buildings but also the ambiance of the neighborhoods, she ... more » captures a deeper feeling for the city. The first pages show the Washington Monument and then the view from the top of it to the east and west, with cherry trees showing as little pink puffs around the Jefferson Memorial and tiny colorful people and care using the thoroughfares. Meanwhile, the author's style--heavy lines filled with color--makes the realism of the Washington Post's pressroom an abstract composition of pipes and flowing papers; the architectural detail of buildings is a strong part of each composition. The pictures are at times more national than local--e.g., the control room of a TV station, after we have seen a news announcer being taped in front of the White House, or a traffic jam on the way to R.F.K. Stadium shown from the interior of a car--but Munro's delight in the shapes and perspectives of Washington buildings should be a fine introduction to that city for any young person. There is a brief description of each landmark at the end of the book, with interesting additional information such as F.D.R. adding the wrought-iron fence to the White House Lawn. A perfect accompaniment for a visit to our capitol.

Kirkus Reviews Copyright (c) VNU Business Media, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4 Ages 5, 6, 7 Two good large-format books about our nation's capital. In Krementz' photo-filled book, six-year-old Matt Wilson, who lives with his family in Washington, D.C., narrates a tour of the city. A bit of history is related as the Wilsons visit well-known sites such as the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. Feelings, however, are also effectively conveyed, as when the family visits the Vietnam Memorial where Matt's uncle Joseph is among those honored. The Botanic Gardens, the Washington Cathedral, and the Smithsonian museums each offer a different delight. Matt's child-like (but never childish) narration is effectively used to weave the full-color, crisp, nicely detailed photographs into a satisfying visit to Washington. Munro's book is similar in style and format to her Inside-Outside Book of New York City (Dodd, 1985). Through intricate and detailed although clear and uncluttered illustrations, readers are taken on a visual trip through the nation's capital, beginning with the most familiar. The opening page depicts an outside view of the Washington Monument. From the vantage point of the Monument's observation tower, viewers' eyes are then directed east (where Smithsonian museums and the Capitol can be seen across the mall) and west for a view of the Tidal Basin, Potomac River, and Lincoln Memorial. The Library of Congress, Supreme Court, and Bureau of Engraving are among the sites visited, as are the Organization of American States and the National Air and Space Museum. The visit to Washington concludes with a trip to the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Brief information about each location is provided on the final page, serving to pique children's curiosity about the sites' history and to look again at the illustrations. Unusual perspectives and intriguing factual details are effectively used to create a fascinating portrait of a city. While the Krementz book is more informative, the Munro book is more imaginative. The two books complement each other, and compare favorably to both This Is Washington, D.C. (Macmillan, 1973) by Sasek and Moreman's Touching Washington, D.C. (Conklin, 1976; o.p.). Maria B. Salvadore, District of Columbia Public Library
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Alejandro's Gift Ages 3 - 10

PREVIEW

This uplifting story about one man's gift to the desert and the gift he receives in return has a powerful environmental lesson. Awards and honors for Alejandro's Gift: A Reading Rainbow Book 1994 CLASP Commended Children's Book List

Alejandro's Gift

By Richard E. Albert, Chronicle Books, Sylvia Long, René González

Illustrated by Sylvia Long

Edition: 97, illustrated

Published by Chronicle Books, 1996

ISBN 0811813428, 9780811813426

40 pages

n his first children's book, an 84-year ......-old depicts a homely desert sage: whitebearded Alejandro, who welcomes visitors who stop for water from his well. Human callers are few at this remote spot among the Southwest's cactus, but a ... more » variety of little animals enjoy the water irrigating his small garden. Hoping to attract larger species, the old man creates a water hole. As he soon realizes, it's too close to his house and to the road; but once he's made another, in a sheltered spot, he can hear all the desert animals enjoying it. Long fills generous full-bleed spreads with evocative, meticulously detailed pen-and-watercolor illustrations of a desert landscape well populated with the wildlife listed in the text. If matching these is a challenge, 26 species are sorted out in an appendix. A likable, beautifully presented picture of a human being responding to his natural surroundings with sensitivity and imagination.

Kirkus Reviews Copyright (c) VNU Business Media, Inc.
From Publishers Weekly
In his first children's book, octogenarian Albert uses the appealing story of a lonely man as the framework for an edifying lesson on desert wildlife. Living in a remote adobe house, with only his burro for a companion, Alejandro is delighted when a squirrel appears in his garden one day and eventually returns with more visitors--jackrabbits, roadrunners, cactus wrens--all realistically portrayed by Long ( Ten Little Rabbits ; Fire Race ). Realizing that it is the water in his garden that attracts the small creatures, Alejandro decides to dig a water hole to accommodate the larger desert animals, like the coyotes, javelinas and bobcats. Puzzled when they seem to ignore the water, Alejandro finally realizes that the hole is too close to his house and the road. So the kind man digs another, more sheltered, water hole, and his offering to the animals and their inadvertent gift of company are mutually appreciated. Detailed pictures and descriptions of Alejandro's animal neighbors are provided on the final spread, allowing readers to become better acquainted with the creatures that Long works into her polished paintings, which impressively recreate the muted colors and varied textures of the desert. Ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4, Ages 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 -Alejandro, a man in his 60s, lives in a small adobe house beside an isolated desert road. His only companion is a burro. To ease his loneliness, he tends to his garden. One day, a ground squirrel approaches the garden to drink from its furrows, followed by wood rats, pocket gophers, jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, pocket mice, roadrunners, gila woodpeckers, and thrashers. Time passes more quickly, and Alejandro enjoys his new companions. However, he soon realizes that they come to him for water, not for company, and sets out to dig a water hole for them. Albert's simple and poetic text evokes the silence and emptiness in Alejandro's life. He grows to understand his interdependence with the land and its creatures as he lives among them. Long's rich, detailed, and realistically rendered pictures provide the perfect visual setting to an already memorable tale. The colorfully illustrated glossary of flora and fauna is informative. An ideal book to develop in readers an appreciation for the beauty of the desert and its inhabitants.
Graciela Italiano, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Another Tortoise and a Different Hare Ages 5-12

In the Southwestern desert, a rerun of the famous race by the grandchildren of the original competitors takes a new turn when they must join forces to outwit a hungry coyote.
Another Tortoise and a Different Hare

By Judith Cole, Van Dun Anke

Illustrated by Van Dun Anke

Edition: illustrated

Published by Treasure Chest Pubns, 1993

ISBN 0918080312, 9780918080318

32 pages Ages 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Scientific data on animals and plants in the story. Concepts level 9-12.