Books suggested by Pam Allyn

A set of 6 Caldecott Honor and Medal Children's Picture Books. Titles include: The Judge~Chanticleer and the Fox~The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales~Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin~Officer Buckle and Gloria~John Henry

Stories of two inventive sisters at play, and at odds, ZELDA AND IVY is packed with sugar and sass — a first-rate original!

"A gentle, humorous look at sibling dynamics. . . .Doozy up your shelves with Zelda and Ivy." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)

Zelda and Ivy are fox sisters with a flair for the dramatic.Their exploits unfold with plenty of sugar and sass in this spirited trio of stories. Wry and genuine, the linked episodes and expressive illustrations will strike home with beginning readers, especially those who've experienced the warmth — and occasional wrath — of a sibling's attentions.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Beginning with their ambition to found an artists' colony and ending with each artist going his own way, this is the story of how, during autumn 1888, Van Gogh and Gauguin came to live together for two months, in Arles, in the south of France. It is not only the story of their friendship, it is also about how artists generate and share ideas and how they work. While they lived together, these artists had very different beliefs about art, which can be demonstrated through the subjects they painted, side by side. Reproductions of ten paintings by the men are included, so that their styles are approaches are evident. The contrast between the men (in appearance, manner and artistic approach) will provide ample material for discussion with children.

Woody Guthrie spent his life putting into words and music what the rest of America was thinking. He roamed from coast to coast and captured the despair of those displaced by the Great Depression and the dust bowl, eulogized workers, and celebrated the great natural beauty of America. This is an introductory biography presented as a picture book with a brief lyrical text and powerful, hand-tinted, woodcut-like illustrations. It includes the complete lyrics to “This Land Is Your Land” and excerpts from his other songs. A book for all ages, it makes this talented and tragic man accessible to young children and will please his older folksinging fans with its stunning art.

WOLVES

What do wolves really like to eat? It isn't little girls in red hoods.
Rabbits shouldn't believe what they read in fairy tales, but this book has the facts.

(This book follows the National Carroticulum.)

Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her human companion, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen.  Small towns are like families:  Everyone lives very close together. . .and everyone keeps secrets.  Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town-until its secrets explode into murder.  Crozet's thirty-something post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a tiger cat (Mrs. Murphy) and a Welsh Corgi (Tucker), a pending divorce, and a bad habit of reading postcards not addressed to her.  When Crozet's citizens start turning up murdered, Harry remembers that each received a card with a tombstone on the front and the message "Wish you were here" on the back.  Intent on protecting their human friend, Mrs. Murphy and Tucker begin to scent out clues.  Meanwhile, Harry is conducting her own investigation, unaware her pets are one step ahead of her.  If only Mrs. Murphy could alert her somehow, Harry could uncover the culprit before the murder occurs--and before Harry finds herself on the killer's mailing list.

This book and plush set is a wonderful gift for parent and child that extends the interactive experience with a soft cuddly plush.

A Caldecott Honor Book

Madeline truly needs no introduction. An enduring classic, Madeline continues to enchant readers more than seventy years after its first publication.

Nothing frightens Madeline—not tigers, not mice, not even getting sick. To Madeline, a trip to the hospital is a grand adventure.