Extra Yarn

One of the five books nominated for the Blue Hen award in Delaware is Extra Yarn by Mac Burnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen (this is the one my daughter picked as her favorite of the five for her vote!). This book also won the Caldecott Award. Its a whimsical story about an ordinary girl in a plain town who discovers what appears to be your average box of yarn. But as Annabelle uses the yarn, it becomes quite clear that magical things are happening.

The landscape of her little town changes thanks to her knitting skills, and Annabelle even attracts the attention of a snobbish and wicked archduke. Find out what happens to Annabelle and her yarn by checking out this excellent book!

Zin! Zin! Zin! A violin

The musical quality of the writing and the rich illustrations make it so you can almost hear the orchestra as you read Zin! Zin! Zin! A violin. A Caldecott Award winner, this is our favorite book by Lloyd Moss, so much that I bought it since we always had it checked out from the library!

Each page takes the reader through a different instrument in the orchestra, adding to the ensemble to make a trio, quartet, etc.

"Here grumpy, get your place in line!" is a favorite line about the bassoon.

It's a wonderful book and a great introduction to music language, orchestra, and instruments. We also enjoy the episode of Reading Rainbow that features this book!

Cinderella

Don't write this book off as just another Cinderella story! This version of Cinderella by Max Eilenberg and illustrated by Niamh Sharkey retells the classic tale with wonderful descriptions, excellent illustrations, and a few plot twists from the familiar cartoon.

Cinderella is transformed by her fairy godmother not once, but three times for three different balls. Each time the prince falls more in love with the beautiful girl and her stunning outfits. Cinderella's father plays a role in the story as well, but to say anything more would be telling the ending!

This is a favorite with both my daughter and son!

The ABC Mystery

 The ABC Mystery, by Doug Cushman, was a prize from our library's summer reading program several years ago and has been a favorite ever since. It's short rhymes work through each letter of the alphabet as you watch Detective Inspector McGroom solve the case.


A great first mystery story for young kids, with plenty of extra clues in the illustrations for the older crowd.


Unfortunately it looks like this book is out of print! Hopefully your local library will have a copy.

Mole Music

 Does music speak to your soul in a way that nothing else can? This is what Mole discovers in Mole Music by David McPhail. He is inspired to play the violin by a performer on television and Mole works hard to become excellent.


His love for music replaces the time he used to spend watching television, and his music impacts more people than he will ever realize.

This is the Game

We are big baseball fans (Go Orioles!) and This is the Game by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander is a book that literally gives me goosebumps. It's written in beautiful verse and packed with great baseball descriptions. From kids playing a pickup game on sandlots to playing cards and crackerjack, it's full of nostalgia.


And the ending is baseball in miniature: one victor emerges and everyone else has to "wait 'till next year."


This book is sure to thrill baseball enthusiasts of all ages.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

Mordicai Gerstein's The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is another Caldecott Award winner. This picture book is the true story of Philippe Petit, a wire walker that walked between the unfinished World Trade Center Towers in 1974.

The story is facinating and  the illustrations compelling (many are taken from actual photographs of the event. This book is a great way to introduce history and historical events to kids in a very accessible and entertaining way.

The end of the book also mentions the towers being gone now, though it does not say the reason. We used this book to introduce September 11 to our kids when they asked about why the towers were gone.

After enjoying this  book so much, I wanted to learn more about Philippe so I read his book To Reach the Clouds