A NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED Book

Dumpy La Rue wanted to dance
“Pigs don’t dance,”
said his mother.
“They bellow, they swallow,
they learn how to wallow.

But Dumpy La Rue
was a pig
who knew what he wanted to do.

He twirled in the sty,
raised his snout to the sky,
spread his hooves far and wide,
and pretended to fly.

The whole barnyard gathers around and in no time, hooves are stomping, wings are flapping, and feet are stamping out a beat. This romping, rhyming story combined with Betsy Lewin’s exuberant illustrations will have you dancing a jig with this passionate pig! (more…)

ALA NOTABLE Book, Bank Street College BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Selection, Starred Selection, Booklinks, Best New Books for the Classroom!

Daisy’s father was chopping carrots. Her mother was talking on the phone. Her big sister was chasing her little brother around and around the kitchen. Being a middle child is not easy. Nobody EVER listens to Daisy, even when she tells them she’s going across the hall to spend the night with her best friend, Rosa.

With humorous text and bold, colorful illustrations, the book captures the frustrations of one child trying to be heard over the noise of a boisterous, well-meaning family. (more…)

WHEN HARVEY HEARD ABOUT THE BONESPORT DOG SHOW, HE WAS VERY EXCITED. FRED THE BASSET HOUND WAS NOT. HARVEY PLANNED FOR MONTHS. FRED HOPED IT WOULD NEVER COME.

Harvey entered Fred in every class — short dogs, dogs with spots, droopy-eard dogs, and more. By the end of the show, Harvey was miserable and Fred was so tired and hot his tongue was hanging out. Still Fred loved Harvey. He dragged him back in front of the judges for the last event of the day. Fred knew they would win this one…

With droll illustrations by an award winning New Yorker illustrator, this picture book will have young readers roaring with delight at the antics of both the dogs and the people.

A Selection of the Children’s Book of the Month Club (more…)

Harvey was excited when the mayor appointed him parade chairman.

He loved parades.

Fred did not.

Fred doesn’t want to be in the parade – not in the beginning, not in the middle, and not in the end. Not on the baseball float, and certainly not dressed as the founding dog of Bonesport. But Fred loves Harvey, so he wants to make him happy. And even though Fred isn’t in the biggest parade Bonesport has ever seen, he’s proud to play the most important role!

This is MARK ULRIKSEN’s second picture book, his first being Dog Show. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and lives in San Francisco with his family. (more…)

“Dream your dreams, my child, and knit them into the wool.”
A long time ago a girl named Claire learned to knit by her mother’s side. As the mother knit mittens, scarves and all sorts of clothing for the wealthy people of the town, Claire set about knitting stockings to keep her toes warm. Claire, her mother and father, you see, were poor. They lived in a stone hut, with little wood to burn and meagre food to eat. So Claire knit stockings and–with Christmas approaching–heeded her mother’s words to knit her Christmas dreams into the wool.

Soon Claire became known as the stocking girl–with many orders for stockings to fill. One such order ensured her a handsome payment. Enough to fill her family’s hut with light and food. But as she trudged through the snow to deliver the stockings on Christmas Eve, Claire was stirred to share her knitted dreams with someone truly in need. (more…)

There are shoes to buckle
shoes to tie
shoes too low
Which pair of shoes fits you best?

An enduring classic. Slip into this book and tap your feet to the jaunty rhymes. The comical, full-color illustrations and the whimsical verse are sure to delight the very young – and anyone else with a sense of rhythm and a pair of lively feet.

“Preschool story hour groups will be clapping hands and checking out each other’s footwear after hearing this rollicking paean to shoes.” -Starred Review, School Library Journal (more…)

Floppy hats and sloppy hats,
silly hats and frilly hats.

Flowered hats for bees to buzz in,
fussy hats from someone’s cousin.

Hats to cover up your toes
(those are socks as everyone knows).

Pinwheel hats and paper hats,
tall black hats to wear with spats.

It’s Halloween night! Bats and witches, ghosts and goblins march down the street to a great big Halloween party.

They make a circle, and suddenly, Halloween hats are everywhere!

The bouncy rhythm and exuberant pictures will make the reader want to pick up a hat and join the parade.

Illustrated by Sue Truesdell
Henry Holt, 2002