Read with Me Page 9

  My Friend Jamal

  By Anna McQuinn. Photography by the author. Artwork by Ben Frey. Annick, 2008. Ages 4–6.

  Joseph and Jamal, both born in Canada, are classmates and friends, but their family stories are quite different. Jamal’s Muslim parents fled war-torn Somalia, leaving behind relatives whom Jamal has never met. Joseph’s family emigrated from Poland: his grandmother came, too. Jamal’s mother, who already knows several languages, is learning English and how to use the computer. Joseph’s mother helps him do homework. Other differences between the families appear in the artwork, a combination of photos and painted details, which also show what the boys have most in common—a friendship that respects difference.

  My Friend Rabbit

  By Eric Rohmann. Illustrated by the author. Roaring Brook, 2002. Ages 4–6.

  Mouse’s friend Rabbit has good intentions, but he’s always causing trouble. How much trouble? Mouse gives an example. Take the time Rabbit hurled Mouse’s biplane into the branches of a tree. Realizing his mistake, Rabbit promises a solution. Beginning with an elephant, Rabbit drags a motley crew of animals into view. One atop the other, they form an animal pyramid, with Mouse at the top. Just as Mouse retrieves his beloved plane the pyramid tumbles, releasing a perturbed bunch of beasts, all anxious to lay their claws, paws, and webbed feet on Rabbit. Mouse, now safely in his plane, comes to the rescue of his well-meaning friend. The slapstick humor is terrific, as is the glorious animal pyramid, which readers can see in full by turning the book vertically. This also available as a board book.

  Neville

  By Norton Juster. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Schwartz & Wade, 2011. Ages 4–7.

  After a long car trip, a boy and his family arrive at their new home. The child realizes everything will be different, but he worries most about being lonely. Will he be able to find new friends? The test comes when his mother sends him outdoors. As he takes a tour of his new block, he calls out, “NEVILLE, NEVILLE.” It isn’t long before kids turn out to help him find the mysterious Neville, whom the boy describes in some detail. The neighborhood kids can’t wait to make friends with the mystery boy, whose identity is finally revealed at the end of the story. Some listeners are sure to guess; many will be delightfully surprised.

  Poindexter Makes a Friend

  By Mike Twohy. Illustrated by the author. Paula Wiseman, 2011. Ages 4–6.

  Poindexter, a bashful young pig who works at the library, helps an equally shy turtle, Shelby, find a book on how to make friends. The two read it together and discuss the advice. When they have finished, they select a new book and, now fast friends, go to Pointdexter’s house to do some more reading. Other books that touch on shyness and friendship include Daniel Kirk’s Library Mouse: A Friend’s Tale, in which a boy coaxes a timid mouse out of hiding to write a book, and Jacqui Robbins’s The New Girl… and Me, about a shy child who takes a new classmate under her wing.

  Pouch!

  By David Ezra Stein. Illustrated by the author. Putnam, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  Joey the kangaroo is anxious to get out of his mother’s pouch and see the world. But he’s not quite ready to handle what’s out there. His first peek outside puts him face to face with a bee. “Pouch,” he cries to Mama as he hurries back to safety. On his next outing he encounters a rabbit. Back inside the pouch he goes. When he spots another baby kangaroo, he’s ready to run again—until he realizes the other baby is as uncertain about the world “outside” as he is; perhaps, as friends, they can face it together. Twin themes—little one’s tentative steps toward independence and the value of friendship—make this doubly appealing.

  Rabbit’s Gift

  By George Shannon. Illustrated by Laura Dronzek. Harcourt, 2007. Ages 4–6.

  A rabbit finds two turnips. Because he needs only one for himself, he leaves the other on his friend Donkey’s doorstep. Donkey, who has a potato, leaves the turnip for Goat, who leaves it for Deer. Deer, who is happy with her carrot, leaves the turnip for Rabbit. And Rabbit, finding himself in possession of the turnip once again, decides the best thing to do is share it with his three best friends.

  Roasted Peanuts

  By Tim Egan. Illustrated by the author. Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Ages 4–6.

  Sam and Jackson love baseball, and both hope to make the team. Sam, a horse, is agile and strong; he can catch and field and throw. Jackson, a cat, can throw, but he’s all thumbs when it comes to catching. It’s no surprise when Sam makes the team but Jackson doesn’t. Jackson’s disappointment doesn’t get him down, though. He stays near his good friend and true to baseball and his talent by becoming a peanut vendor, known all over the park for his accurate long-distance tosses.

  Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend

  By Mélanie Watt. Illustrated by the author. Kids Can, 2007. Ages 4–6.

  Worrywart Scaredy Squirrel is lonely, but he’s too afraid of what can go wrong if he leaves the safety of his tree to look for a friend. After all, bunnies are hopping about on the ground, and maybe they bite. In the pond across the park he spots a goldfish. Perfect. He maps out a careful plan, puts on his name tag, grabs his Scaredy Risk Test, and sets off. What he doesn’t count on is a rowdy dog, who, despite first impressions (and teeth), turns out to be a great companion. Like Scaredy’s other adventures into the wider world, this one is laugh-out-loud funny. Look for him testing the water in Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and venturing out after dark in Scaredy Squirrel at Night.

  A Sick Day for Amos McGee

  By Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Neal Porter, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  Amos McGee loves his job as zookeeper at a city zoo. He’s especially fond of the elephant, the tortoise, the owl, the rhino, and the penguin. He does his best to visit each one every day. One day, he wakes up with a cold and stays home. No chess games with the elephant; no stories for the owl; and no visits to his other animal friends. Imagine his surprise when Elephant, Tortoise, Owl, Rhino, and Penguin show up at his doorstep, ready to cheer him up and care for him in the same way he always cares for them.

  A Splendid Friend, Indeed

  By Suzanne Bloom. Illustrated by the author. Boyds Mills, 2005. Ages 4–6.

  Polar Bear is reading when Goose comes in, takes away his book, and begins reading himself. Later Goose interrupts Bear’s writing, then pens his own note. Goose even interrupts Bear’s thinking by peppering him with questions. Polar Bear is fed up. But when he sees the note Goose has written, which calls him “splendid friend,” he realizes that Goose may be a pest at times, but he’s pretty special, too. Goose and Bear return in Bloom’s equally charming Treasure, and in What about Bear, in which Bear suddenly finds himself the odd bear out when Little Fox shows up.

  Three by the Sea

  By Mini Grey. Illustrated by the author. Knopf, 2011. Ages 4–6.

  Dog, Cat, and Mouse live a perfectly happy life in a house by the sea. Dog tends the garden, Mouse cooks, and Cat cleans the place. Enter Fox, representing the Winds of Change Trading Company. He sows the seeds of discontent among the trio, causing them to scrutinize their relationship. Why does Mouse insist on preparing fondue? Why is the garden full of bones? Why does Cat take so many naps? If sly Mr. Fox has a reprehensible outcome in mind, he goes away disappointed. After a near calamity, the three friends work through their discontent, which ultimately strengthens their relationship.

  Waddles by David McPhail

  Tiny and Hercules

  By Amy Schwartz. Illustrated by the author. Neal Porter, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  Best buddies Tiny the elephant and Hercules the mouse star in five stories that explore how two very different friends help each other. In one story Hercules helps slipping, sliding Tiny at the ice rink; in another Tiny helps Hercules’ elderly uncle blow out his birthday candles. Pictures add to the gentle humor of the odd couple as they cope with whatever comes their way.

  Waddles

  By David McPhail. Illustrated by the author. Abrams, 2011. Ages 4–6.

  Fou
r short episodes focus on the ups and downs of two animal friends: Waddles the raccoon and Emily the duck. The two have fun together in summer. In spring when Emily needs a break from sitting on her eggs, Waddles volunteers. He scares off a fox just in time to see the ducklings hatch. Emily and her ducklings fly south in the fall, leaving Waddles to spend winter on his own. In spring, when the flock returns to the pond, there’s a joyful reunion. A tender story about a friendship that lasts over time.

  When Randolph Turned Rotten

  By Charise Mericle Harper. Illustrated by the author. Knopf, 2007. Ages 4–6.

  Randolph, a beaver, and Ivy, a goose, are great friends—until Ivy is invited to a sleepover birthday party…and Randolph isn’t. Ivy is going to have a great time, while Randolph is all alone. Jealous and angry, Randolph tries to sabotage the trip. When Ivy goes anyway, Randolph feels terrible; he has hurt his friend’s feelings. Will she ever forgive him for being rotten?

  You’re Mean, Lily Jean!

  By Frieda Wishinsky. Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. Albert Whitman, 2011. Ages 4–6.

  Carly and her older sister, Sandy, love playing in their backyard. Then Lily Jean moves in next door and things change. No longer is Carly an equal in play. Now there’s a new dynamic, leaving Carly feeling like an outsider. Without being mean she finds a way to gain her sister’s support and teach Lily Jean an important lesson. Like Suzanne Bloom’s What about Bear (recommended above), this story presents a happy resolution to a situation that takes place whenever several children play together.

  6

  PLACES NEAR AND FAR

  The books in this section take listeners beyond the protective confines of home and family and out into the community. Some go to places just around the corner—a construction site, a museum, around the block or to a firehouse. Others cut across geographical boundaries to enlarge the notion of community and introduce cultural plurality. By tackling universal themes, these titles can enrich a preschooler’s worldview and help him or her become more culturally inclusive and better understand what it means to be a respectful citizen of this planet.

  Around the Corner

  Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day

  By Tameka Fryer Brown. Illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb. Abrams, 2010. Ages 4–7.

  It’s Neighbors’ Day, and an energetic little girl is skipping around her multicultural neighborhood spreading the word about the big block party. Old and young, people come out to eat and drink, play ball and chess, and chat while they connect with one another. “Everyone is out to play / Today, around our way.” The pictures are alive with energy and detail, giving a wonderful impression of diversity in a city neighborhood.

  At the Supermarket

  By Anne Rockwell. Illustrated by the author. Holt, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  A young boy talks about going to the grocery store with his mother. He likes “the way the door opens all by itself,” and helping his mother as she buys all the things they need at home: bread and grapes and peanut butter and toilet paper. They also buy some special things: eggs and flour, sugar and baking powder, and ice cream. The story ends with the mother and child making a cake for the boy’s birthday, decorating it with candles they also purchased at the store. In Put It on the List, by Kristen Darbyshire, chickens instead of people pilot the shopping cart, and in Supermarket, Kathleen Krull describes what goes on behind the scenes at the store.

  Bippity Bop Barbershop

  By Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Megan Tingley, 2002. Ages 4–6.

  Tarpley focuses on a small but significant event in a child’s life. Miles, a young African American boy, is getting his very first haircut. He goes with Dad to a neighborhood barbershop, where the friendly barber greets him, calling him “Little Man.” At first tentatively, then with more courage, Miles describes the strange things he sees and what goes on once he climbs into the barber’s chair. The best thing of all happens at the end of the visit, when the barber tells Miles, “Guess I can’t call you Little Man anymore.…You’re one of the big boys, now.”

  Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep! Listen to the City

  By Robert Burleigh. Illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe. Simon & Schuster, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  In cheerful rhyme, the author, who lives in Chicago, celebrates the sounds a little red-haired boy hears as he goes about his day in the big city. It all begins with the buzzing of the alarm clock. Then come sounds of trash trucks as they pick up their loads, elevated trains clattering above the street, honking horns, buses rumbling, and more. Whimsical cityscapes in bold colors provide a dynamic backdrop for the raucous symphony of sound.

  Construction Zone

  By Cheryl Willis Hudson. Illustrated with photographs by Richard Sobol. Candlewick, 2006. Ages 5–7.

  From the architect’s inception to finishing touch, this full-color photo-essay chronicles the three-year construction of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stata Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Presenting the project as a gigantic puzzle, the author and photographer examine how the various pieces of brick, steel, cable, and glass fit into the whole, and who works to put them there. Words like rebar and architect are presented in bold type as they are introduced to listeners and readers. Many children will find it hard to resist those “dozens of people working together to solve a great puzzle.”

  Farm

  By Elisha Cooper. Illustrated by the author. Orchard, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  In this glimpse of a modern farm, watercolor illustrations show expansive views of the land and the buildings—the house, the red barn, modern silos—as they appear at each change of season. Small scenes are interspersed throughout, giving a real sense of rural life: chipmunks skitter, cows chew, tractors rumble, “pheasants stalk through the corn.” City kids will get a realistic view; rural kids will enjoy seeing what they already know. For a complete change of pace, read Doreen Cronin’s boisterous Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type or On the Farm, by David Elliott, a collection of thirteen witty poems.

  Firehouse!

  By Mark Teague. Illustrated by the author. Scholastic, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  Edward, a canine stand-in for a child, and his cousin Judy pay a visit to local firehouse, where firefighters (all dogs except for one mouse) show their visitors around. Edward gets to try on a fire hat and sit behind the wheel of the big truck. When a fire drill causes everyone to hustle, Edward mostly gets in the way. He redeems himself, however, by rescuing a kitty from a tree.

  First Day

  By Dandi Daley Mackall. Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke. Harcourt, 2003. Ages 4–6.

  Two tiny black dots and a rosebud-shaped squiggle turn a pink daub of paint into a little girl’s happy face; rectangles of different colors become a tower of blocks. Using a perfusion of colorful shapes and simple patterns, Beeke shows children enjoying all the activities they might experience during their first day at preschool or kindergarten. In rhyming words, the child describes what she does—from the before-school preparations (“Pencils sharp, crayons stacked. / Ruler, scissors, paper packed”) and the “swallow hard” anxieties she feels when she leaves home, to the painting, sliding, and storytelling that fill out her happy day away.

  Follow the Line to School

  By Laura Ljungkvist. Illustrated by the author. Viking, 2011. Ages 4–6.

  Part of a series called Follow the Line, this book conducts children on a verbal and visual tour through an ideal school. A black line marks the path children follow through the school, from the library filled with books and a well-stocked music room to a fully equipped classroom adorned with student artwork. Questions about the pictures pepper the text—“Which book on this page do you think is about baseball?”—inviting both immediate response and further conversation. Ljungkvist uses the same technique to guide children through a house, on a vacation, and around the world.

  A Good Night Walk

  By Elisha Cooper. Illustrated by the author. Orchard, 2005. Ages 4–6.

  Cooper conveys the si
mple pleasure of a parent and child on an evening walk around the neighborhood. As the stroll begins, an apple pie sits in a window sill, the postman is delivering the mail, boys are mowing a lawn. On the return trip, as the sky darkens, the houses take on a different look; activities of the day are winding down; the moon is beginning to rise, its light shining down on a quieting neighborhood. What seems ordinary becomes almost magical. The figures in the pictures are small, and the details many, making this a candidate better for lap sharing than reading side by side. In other books, Cooper takes readers on trips to the farm, the beach, and a county fair.

  Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

  By Sherri Duskey Rinker. Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle, 2011. Ages 4–6.

  A construction site may seem an unlikely setting for a bedtime book, but Rinker successfully turns big rigs into sleepyheads. As the sun sets on a construction site, five trucks settle in for the night. The crane folds up, the cement mixer takes a bath, the bulldozer settles down in the dirt, and the other two trucks finish their own nighttime routines. For little ones who can’t get enough books about trucks, this one fits the bill.

  How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum

  By Jessie Hartland. Illustrated by the author. Blue Apple, 2011. Ages 5–7.

  On a visit to the Smithsonian, a little boy asks how the museum’s Diplodocus exhibit came to be. He hears about the many people who worked on the project: the dinosaur hunter, the excavators, the movers, the exhibit designers, the night watchman, and many more. Nicely varied in composition, the artwork offers plenty of details for children to discover. You might also have fun sharing Hartland’s How the Sphinx Got to the Museum.