Members Only

Reading Circle Program

PRIMARY 1-4

Ain’t Nobody a Stranger to Me, by Ann Grifalconi, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Hyperion, ©2007. A grandfather tells his granddaughter how the words "ain't nobody a stranger to me" helped guide him on the Underground Railroad and through life. (Grandparent and child, Underground Railroad, African Americans, Behavior)

Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors, by Phyllis Root, illustrated by David Parkins. Candlewick Press, ©2007. A collection of trickster tales in which Aunt Nancy outwits Old Man Trouble, Cousin Lazybones, Old Woeful and Mister Death. (Tricksters, Humorous stories)

Babies in the Bayou, written and illustrated by Jim Arnosky. Penguin, ©2007. Describes some of the baby animals in the bayou and how their mothers care for them. (Bayous, Animals—infancy)

Bobbie Dazzler, by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Janine Dawson. Kane/Miller Book Publishers, ©2007. Bobbie Dazzler, a red-necked wallaby, can perform many gymnastic tricks and learns to do the "splits" with lots of practice and help from her friends. (Animals—Australia, Helpfulness)

Campy: The Story of Roy Campanella, by David A. Adler, illustrated by Gordon C. James. Penguin, ©2007. Biography about Roy Campanella, starting with his childhood, outstanding career in the Negro Leagues and the car accident that paralyzed him. [921, B, 796.357] (Baseball players, Campanella, Roy)

Cattle Kids: A Year on the Western Range, by Cat Urbigkit, illustrated with photographs. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. Describes life on family cattle ranches and how the kids participate in ranching activities. [636.2] (Ranches, Ranching, Ranch life)

Cave Detectives: Unraveling the Mysteries of an Ice Age Cave, by David L Harrison, illustrated by Ashley Mims, photographs by Edward Biamonte. Chronicle Books, ©2007. Describes the process of finding prehistoric remains in a cave near Springfield, Mo. [560] (Caves—Missouri, Speleology—Missouri, Paleontology—Pleistocene) Missouri author and subject

Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins. Penguin, ©2007. Story based on the discrimination faced by a 1955 YMCA all-star baseball team when they were not allowed to play in the series tournament. (Baseball, Little League baseball, Race discrimination, African Americans, South Carolina)

A Child’s Guide to Common Household Monsters, by James Otis Thach, illustrated by David Udovic. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. A little girl discovers that the monsters living in her house are more afraid of each other than she is of them. (Monsters, Stories in rhyme, Fear)

Clarabelle: Making Milk and so Much More, by Cris Peterson, photographs by David R. Lundquist. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. Dairy cattle produce more than just dairy products. They also produce electricity, fertilizer and bedding via the latest technology. [636.2] (Dairy cattle, Dairy farms, Cows)

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings, by Douglas Florian. Harcourt, ©2007. Twenty poems describe the planets, stars and universe. [811] (Outer space, Poetry) (SLJ starred)

Coyote Christmas: A Lakota Story, written and illustrated by S.D. Nelson. Henry N. Abrams, ©2007. Coyote dresses as Santa Claus to trick a family out of their food on Christmas Eve, but Sister Raven plays a trick of her own. ((Coyote (Legendary character), Raven (Legendary character), Tricksters, Christmas, Magic))

Dadblamed Union Army Cow, by Susan Fletcher, illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root. Candlewick Press, ©2007. Based on a true story of a cow that followed her owner and marched with the Union Army during the Civil War. (Cows, Civil War, Human animal relationships, Humorous stories)

Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners, written and illustrated by Laurie Keller. Henry Holt and Co., ©2007. Mr. Rabbit is worried about getting along with the new family of otters that just moved in until he discovers the "Golden Rule." (Golden rule, Neighborliness, Rabbits, Otters, Behavior)

Dog Poems, by Dave Crawley, illustrated by Tamara Petrosino. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. Twenty-four poems describe man's best friend. [811] (Dogs, Dog owners, Children’s poetry)

Dogku, by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Tim Bowers. Simon and Schuster, ©2007. The tale of a small dog looking for a home told in haiku. [811] (Haiku, Children’s poetry, Dogs)

Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest, by Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by Leslie Tryon. Simon and Schuster, ©2007. Read a variety of fairy tales such as "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Pinocchio" as they unfold in newspaper articles and advertisements. (Fairy tales, Newspapers, Animals)

A Father Like That, by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. HarperCollins, ©2007. A little boy imagines what his father would be like and the kind of father he will be. (Single-parent families, Father-and-son relationships)

A Father's Day Thank You, by Janet Nolan, illustrated by Kathi Ember. Albert Whitman and Co., ©2007. Harvey searches unsuccessfully for the perfect gift for his father and finally decides a simple "thank you" is perfect. (Fathers and sons, Gifts, Bears)

The Forever Dog, by Bill Cochran, illustrated by Dan Andreasen. HarperCollins, ©2007. Mike is angry after his dog dies because they were going to be friends forever. (Dogs, Friends, Promises, Death)

The Getaway, written and illustrated by Ed Vere. Simon and Schuster, ©2007. Follow Fingers, a mouse that has stolen cheese, as the elephant detective is hot on his trail. (Mice, Elephants, Robbers and outlaws)

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella, by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis. Henry Holt and Co., ©2007. Cinderella-style tales from around the world are interwoven into one story. [398.2] (Cinderella, Folklore) (Publishers Weekly starred, SLJ starred)

If You Give a T-Rex a Bone, by Tim Myers, illustrated by Anisa Claire Hovemann. Dawn Publications, ©2007. If you give a T-Rex a bone, you’ll run into additional interesting dinosaurs in their habitats as you flee T-Rex. (Reptiles, Fossils, Dinosaurs)

George's Secret Key to the Universe, by Lucy and Stephen Hawking. Simon and Schuster, ©2007. George and Eric travel through a computer portal into outer space and investigate black holes while escaping an evil scientist. (Universe, Outer space exploration, Inventions)

Good Citizen Sarah, by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Nancy Cote. Albert Whitman and Co., ©2007. [From The Way I Act series] During a snow day, Sarah discovers that being a good citizen means following laws, being a good neighbor and helping others. (Citizenship, Conduct of life, Neighbors)

A Good Day, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. HarperCollins, ©2007. It started out as a bad day for a bird, dog, fox and squirrel until a different point of view changed it into a good day. (Animals, Point of view) (SLJ starred, ALA Notable Children’s Book)

Hey, You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes, and Other Fun Things, selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky. HarperCollins, ©2007. Thirty poems written about things such as sneakers, forks, shells and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. [811] (Children’s poetry)

If I Ran for President, by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Lynne Avril. Albert Whitman and Co., ©2007. Several children consider what it would be like to run for president, both the fun and serious parts. (Presidents, Presidential candidates, Presidential elections)

Library Mouse, written and illustrated by Daniel Kirk. Henry N. Abrams, ©2007. Sam, a mouse who is living in the library, decides to write and illustrate his own books — until the children want to meet the author. (Authorship, Libraries, Mice) (Booklist starred)

Make Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt, by Judith St. George, illustrated by Britt Spencer. Penguin, ©2007. Describes the early life of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and how those experiences influenced his life and political career. [921, B, 973.917] (Presidents; Roosevelt, Franklin Delano) (SLJ starred)

Meerkat Mail, written and illustrated by Emily Gravett. Simon and Schuster, ©2007. Sunny Meerkat is looking for the perfect place to live and sends his family a series of flip-up postcards detailing the places he tries. (Meerkats, Postcards, Travel, Contentment, Africa, Toy and moveable book)

Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise, by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Candlewick Press, ©2007. Mercy, the toast-loving pig, goes trick-or-treating dressed as a princess — with unexpected results. (Halloween, Pigs, Humorous stories)

Mrs. Biddlebox: Her Bad Day…and What She Did About It!, by Linda Smith, illustrated by Marla Frazee. Harcourt, ©2007. Mrs. Biddlebox takes all the ingredients for a bad day and bakes a cake. (Emotions, Baking, Cake, Stories in rhyme)

A Nickel, a Trolley, a Treasure House, by Sharon Reiss Baker, illustrated by Beth Peck. Penguin, ©2007. Lionel spends all his time sketching on scraps of paper until his favorite teacher takes him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and he learns that art could be a career. (Art appreciation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Jews, Historical fiction)

No More Pumpkins, written and illustrated by Peter Catalanotto and Pamela Schembri. Henry Holt and Co., ©2007. Emily is tired of studying pumpkins at school, but isn’t ready for a jealous classmate to destroy the jack o’lantern picture she made for Open House. From the Second-Grade Friends series. (Pumpkins, School stories, Best friends, Friendship, Behavior)

Our 50 United States and Other U.S. Lands, by the Editors of TIME for Kids with Renée Skelton and Jaime Joyce. HarperCollins, ©2007. [A TIME for Kids book] Provides a historical profile of each state in the order that it joined the United States with maps, facts and photographs. [973] (U.S. states)

Papi’s Gift, by Karen Stanton, illustrated by René King Moreno. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. Graciela's father has been working in the United States for so long she almost has forgotten what he looks like. She waits so long for a promised package and for much needed rain that she almost loses hope. (Fathers and daughters, Birthdays, Droughts, Latin America)

The Perfect Nest, by Catherine Friend, illustrated by John Manders. Candlewick Press, ©2007. Jack the cat planned to build the perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken for the perfect omelet and got more than expected. (Cats, Chickens, Nests, Domestic animals) (SLJ starred)

Pictures from Our Vacation, written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins. HarperCollins, ©2007. A girl uses a small camera to take pictures and record memories of a family vacation. (Vacation, Family reunions, Canada, Photography) (SLJ starred, Booklist starred, ALA Notable Children’s Book)

Polar Bear, Arctic Hare: Poems of the Frozen North, by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. Twenty-five poems describe the animals and sights of the Arctic regions. [811] (Animals—Arctic regions, Arctic regions, Children’s poetry)

Sammy Salami, written and illustrated by Jerry Smath. Henry N. Abrams, ©2007. When Pete goes on vacation, his chubby cat, Sammy Salami, gets on a train to find him. Sammy is adopted by a passenger, but continues to look for Pete. ((Cats, Lost and found possessions, Diners (Restaurants), Vacations))

Satchel Paige: Don't Look Back, by David A. Adler, illustrated by Terry Widener. Harcourt, ©2007. Details the life of baseball pitcher Satchel Paige from the Negro League to the American League. [921, B, 796.357] (Baseball players; Discrimination in sports; Paige, Satchel)

A Seed Is Sleepy, by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long. Chronicle Books, ©2007. Beautifully illustrated introduction to different seeds and how they travel and grow. [581.4] (Seeds) (SLJ starred)

Shape Me a Rhyme: Nature's Forms in Poetry, by Jane Yolen, photographs by Jason Stemple. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. Twelve poems describe geometric shapes found in nature. [811] (Geometry in nature, Nature, Shapes, Children’s poetry)

Shout! Little Poems that Roar, by Brod Bagert, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa. Penguin, ©2007. Twenty-one poems describe school and children, including "Library Cheer." [811] (Humorous poems, Children’s poetry)

A Song for Cambodia, by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Shino Arihara. Lee & Low, ©2007. The biography of Arn Chorn-Pond, who survived the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge by playing the khim, a traditional instrument. He went on to help others and revive Cambodian music. [921, B, 939.604] (Musicians—Cambodia; Chorn-Pond, Arn)

Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel, by Patricia Storace, illustrated by Raúl Colón. Hyperion, ©2007. An island sorceress in this version of “Rapunzel” keeps a beautiful girl in a tower. [398.2] (Caribbean folklore) (Booklist starred)

Stargazer's Alphabet: Night-Sky Wonders from A to Z, by John Farrell, illustrated with photographs. Boyds Mills Press, ©2007. Photographs and illustrations with rhyming text give an alphabetical introduction to objects in the night sky. [520] (Astronomy, Constellations, Stars—Observers' manuals)

The Storyteller's Candle: La Velita de los Cuentos, by Lucía González, illustrated by Lulu Delacre. Children’s Book Press, ©2007. During the Great Depression, New York's first Puerto Rican children's librarian introduces and hosts the first Three Kings Day fiesta. Told in English and Spanish. (Librarians; New York; Puerto Ricans; Libraries; Spanish-language materials; Belpré, Pura)

The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Harcourt, ©2007. True story of two hawks who made their eight-foot nest on an apartment building in New York and the protests lodged after the nest was removed. (Red-tailed hawks, New York)

The Talented Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee. Hyperion, ©2007. Clementine is convinced she doesn't have a talent for the school show until her unique talent is discovered and saves the show. (Self-perception, Talent, Schools) (SLJ starred)

Ten Worlds: Everything that Orbits the Sun, by Ken Croswell, illustrated with photographs. Boyds Mill Press, ©2007. Descriptions and photographs of the 10 largest worlds that orbit the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris. [523.4] (Solar system, Planets)

Tracks of a Panda, by Nick Dowson, illustrated by Yu Rong. Candlewick Press, ©2007. While a mother panda is teaching her baby to survive in their mountain home, the sound of villagers has them searching for a new place to live. (Giant panda, Pandas, Parental behavior in animals, Animal infancy, Endangered animals) (ALA Notable Children’s Books, NSTA Outstanding Science Books For Students K-12)

Vulture View, by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Henry Holt and Co., ©2007. Provides a simple introduction to the habits and behaviors of the turkey vulture. [598.9] (Turkey vulture) (ALA Notable Children’s Book)

Waynetta and the Cornstalk: A Texas Fairy Tale, by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Diane Greenseid. Albert Whitman and Co., ©2007. A Texas retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" features a cowgirl, a giant cornstalk and a giant cowboy in the sky. [398.2, E]

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, by Elise Broach, illustrated by David Small. Simon and Schuster, ©2007. A little boy is delighted when every store he and his mother visit is giving away dinosaurs. (Dinosaurs, Shopping, Mothers and sons, Humorous stories) (ALA Notable Children’s Book)

When Turtle Grew Feathers: A Folktale from the Choctaw Nation, by Tim Tingle, illustrated by Stacey Schuett. August House, ©2007. A turtle and a turkey work together to win a race against an arrogant rabbit. [398.2] (Choctaw Indians—folklore, Turtles, Tales)

White Owl, Barn Owl, by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Michael Foreman. Candlewick Press, ©2007. A little girl and her grandfather find an owl roost and build a nesting box to attract a family of owls. (Barn owls, Owls, Grandfathers)

Whopper Cake, by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Simon and Schuster, ©2007. Granddad bakes a whopper birthday cake for grandma. Includes a recipe. (Grandparents, Baking, Cakes)

Ziba Came on a Boat, by Liz Lofthouse, illustrated by Robert Ingpen. Kane/Miller Book Publishers, ©2007. Based on a true story of a young girl and her family immigrating to America from their war-torn home. (Refugees)