Classic Picture Books

book: Flossie and the Fox by Patricia stone. Since stones don’t have hands, the McKissack (African-American version) pebble drops to the ground and he can’t reach it to wish himself normal again. The MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS subsequent loneliness of both Sylvester and his BY ROBERT MCCLOSKEY parents is portrayed with deep sensitivity, PreS.–2 62pages Viking, 1941 making for great joy a year later when they are happily reunited. CLASSIC PICTURE In this Caldecott Award–winning classic, we follow Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO BY ARLENE MOSEL; as they make a traffic-stopping walk across BLAIR LENT, ILLUSTRATOR Boston to meet Mr. Mallard on their new PreS.–3 40 pages Holt, 1968 OOKS LL island home in the Public Garden. Also by the B A This little picture book tells the amusing legend author: Blueberries for Sal. of how the Chinese people stopped giving their MIKE MULLIGAN & HIS STEAM SHOVEL first-born sons incredibly long first names and started giving all children short names. The BY VIRGINIA LEE BURTON HILDREN HOULD K–4 42 pages Houghton, 1939 repetition of phrases and their predictability C S make it a lasting favorite. This is the heartwarming tale about the demise of the steam shovel and how it found a THE UGLY DUCKLING BY HANS CHRISTIAN permanent home with driver Mike. Also by ANDERSEN; ROBERT INGPEN, ILLUSTRATOR XPERIENCE Gr. 1 and up 34 pages Penguin, 2005 E the author: Katy and the Big Snow and The Little House. It is a special book that unites one of the BY JIM TRELEASE RIKKI-TIKKI-TAVI BY RUDYARD KIPLING; world’s great storytellers with one of the Author of the New York Times Bestseller ADAPTED AND ILLUSTRATED BY JERRY PINKNEY world’s great illustrators in a traditional The Read-Aloud Handbook K–4 44 pages Morrow, 1997 telling of the ugly duckling. Ridiculed by his brothers and sisters, the duckling leaves Rikki is a fearless mongoose, adopted by a home in search of beauty and finds it within family in India to protect their child. In no himself. Related book: Eleanor (Eleanor time, he is tested by the cunning cobra snakes Roosevelt) by Barbara Cooney. that live in the garden. Made famous by Kipling a century ago, this tale features a A list of several hundred other titles ferocious fight between the mongoose and can be found in the Treasury of snakes and is not for the timid. Read-Alouds in The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease (Penguin) SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE BY WILLIAM STEIG PreS.–4 30 pages Simon & Schuster, 1969 In this contemporary fairy tale and Caldecott Medal-winner, young Sylvester finds a magic © Jim Trelease 2010. This brochure may be freely reproduced by nonprofit pebble that will grant his every wish as long institutions with permission of the author as he holds it in his hand. When a hungry lion (www.trelease-on-reading.com/downloads.html). approaches, Sylvester wishes himself into a Jim Treleaseʼs Web site: www.trelease-on-reading.com. A Note on Classics and the BRAVE IRENE BY WILLIAM STEIG we all hold on to—even as grown-ups. In Availability of These Titles K–5 28 pages Farrar, 1986 the sequel, Ira Says Goodbye, the two best friends experience a childhood pain when The great Columbia University professor When Irene’s dressmaker mother falls ill and Reggie moves away. Mark Van Doren once defined a “classic” as cannot deliver the duchess’s gown for the ball, any book that stays in print. If they’re still Irene shoulders the huge box and battles a THE ISLAND OF THE SKOG around when others have disappeared, there winter storm to make the delivery. Related BY STEVEN KELLOGG must be something to them. And that’s the book on courage: The Butterfly by Patricia PreS.–2 32 pages Dial, 1973 badge this little collection of titles wears. Polacco; and Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Sailing away from city life, a boatload of Arnold McCully mice discover the island of their dreams, It would be rare for one of these titles to go only to be pulled up short by the appearance out of print (OP) but today’s publishers’ THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF of a fearful monster already dwelling on the have accounting systems that sometimes PETER RABBIT BY BEATRIX POTTER island. How imaginations can run away with affect their value systems. But even an out- PRES.–1 96 PAGES WARNER, 1982 us and how obstacles can be overcome if of-print (OP) title can be easily and freely Here are the four original tales involving one we’ll just talk with others are central issues borrowed from your local library (or, upon of the most famous animals in children’s in this tale. Also by the author: The request, your library can borrow it from other literature—Peter Rabbit. In a vicarious way Mysterious Tadpole. libraries). If you wish to own the book, children identify with his naughty sense of inexpensive used-copies (including OP) can adventure, and then thrill at his narrow THE LITTLE HOUSE be found at Web sites like bookfinder.com or escape from the clutches of Mr. MacGregor. BY VIRGINIA LEE BURTON Amazon. New copies (but not OP) can be PreS.–3 40 pages Houghton, 1942 purchased at your local bookstore. IF I RAN THE ZOO BY DR. SEUSS PRES.–4 54 PAGES RANDOM HOUSE, 1950 This Caldecott Medal winner uses a little AESOP’S FABLES BY JERRY PINKNEY Little Gerald McGrew finds the animals at the turn-of-the-century house to portray the Gr. 2–5 85 pages North-South, 2000 local zoo pretty boring compared with the urbanization of America. With each zany, exotic creatures populating the zoo of page, the reader/listener becomes the Aesop’s fables offer us not only wisdom but his imagination (just like a little lad imagined little house and experiences the also an introduction to the characters, ideas, things while walking to and from school in contentment, wonder, concern, anxiety, and images that turn up again and again in Seuss’s first book for children, And To Think the literary tradition. This volume includes and loneliness that the passing seasons That I Saw It on Mulberry Street). Dr. Seuss' and encroaching city bring. Many of more than 60 of Aesop’s most famous tales. father ran the zoo in Springfield, Maecenas pulvinar sagittis enim today’s children who daily experience THE BIGGEST BEAR BY LYND WARD Massachusetts for 31 years. Fans of Dr. Seuss Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, ligula suspendisse the anxieties of city life will identify with K–3 80 pages Houghton, 1952 also enjoy the books of Bill Peet like The nulla pretium, rhoncus tempor placerat Whingdingdilly. the little house’s eventual triumph. fermentum, enim integer ad volutpat. Nisl rhoncus Johnny adopts a bear cub fresh out of the turpis est, vel elit, congue wisi enim nunc ultricies IRA SLEEPS OVER BY BERNARD WABER LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD woodssit, magna and its tincidunt. growth Maecenas presents aliquam problem after K–6 48 pages Houghton, 1972 RETOLD BY TRINA SCHART HYMAN problem—themaecenas ligula crises nostra, we accumsan invite whentaciti. Lorem we tame PreS.–3 32 pages Holiday, 1983 whatipsum is dolor meant sit amet, to beligula wild. suspendisse Related nulla books: This is a warm, sensitive, and humorous look pretium, rhoncus tempor placerat. Lorem ipsum It’s hard to imagine a better illustrated Capyboppy by Bill Peet; Harry’s Pony by at a boy’s overnight visit to his best friend’s version of this famous tale. The artist has Barbaradolor sit Ann amet, Porte;ligula suspendisse The Josefina nulla pretium, Quilt Story Nisl rhoncus congue. house, centering on the child’s quandary given us a child and grandma who are every by Eleanor Coerr; and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by whether or not to bring his teddy bear. It child and grandmother and a texture so rich Rudyard Kipling. makes for lively discussion about individual you can almost smell the woods. Related sleeping habits, peer pressure, and the things