THE BUNNY RABBIT SHOW!
written/illus. by Sandra Boynton, (Boynton Bookworks, Simon & Schuster, Jan. 2023, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-6659-2501-3), 24p, Ages 1-3

Sandra Boynton presents the best show in town when ten smiling, dancing, jumping, and singing bunnies perform for a pack-filled theatre of a cow, pig, duck, and many, many chickens. “We are ten terrific rabbits / and we like to dance and sing. / Ten terrific rabbits. / We can do most anything.”

Everyone is invited to join in with their hopping, marching, and singing the Rabbit Song about their long ears and quivering noses. They even build a bunny tree for kids to enjoy. Little listeners will love this cute board book with the bunnies ending message: “But if you’re NOT a rabbit, don’t worry. It’s okay. / Just find yourself some bunny ears and you’ll be on your way.”
        Themes: Animals, Humor, Rhythm & Rhyme

ELEPHANT, ELEPHANT, WHAT CAN YOU SEE?
written by Amelia Hepworth, illus. by Pintachan, (Little Tiger Press, $8.99 Board Bk, 2021, ISBN
978-0-593-37920-2), 12p, Ages 1-3

“Elephant! Elephant! / What can you see? / Next to the lily pad, / who could it be?” In this clever lift-the-flap book, little ones try to guess, the animals hiding behind a lily pad, tall grasses, behind a tree, and in water. Little ones lift the flaps on each page to discover a crocodile, lion, hippo, and giraffe. On the last page the elephant wonders who is hiding and lifting the flap is a surprise mirror. Kids will love this interactive board book as they lift flaps to find the hidden images.
        Themes: Animals, Concept, Series
Other Books in the Series: Little Hen, Little Hen, What Can You See? | Puppy Dog, Puppy Dog, What Can You See? | Ladybird, Ladybird, What Can You See?

10 LITTLE EXCAVATORS
written by Annie Bailey, illus. by Jeff Harter, (Doubleday, 2022, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-593-30135-7), 24p, Ages 3+

“Ten little excavators wake up with the sun. Can’t wait to work—Vrooom! Now it’s time for fun.” Though the day ten excavators dig, clear, smooth, and smash. Counting down from ten to one, when each one experiences a problem, the next number is featured. “Ten little excavators digging up a line. One breaks a pipe—Sploosh! Now there are … nine.” Kids will love the noisy words on each page, practice their numbers, learn what excavators do, and have a good night’s rest along with the “10 Little Excavators”.
        Themes: Adventure, Concept, Machines, Rhythm & Rhyme, Series
Other book in the series: Ten Little Tractors

RICHARD SCARRY’S CARS AND TRUCKS from 1 to 10
written/illus. by Richard Scarry, (Random House Books for Young Readers, $4.99, May 2023, ISBN 978-0-593-56770-8), 22p, Ages 3+

In the latest Richard Scarry’s Busytown board book series, little ones will find many different cars and trucks according to the number on each page. From “1 log-loader truck” to “10 fun cars” little ones will learn the numbering system and enjoy Richard Scarry’s clever illustrations of 55 cars and trucks. Featured are tow trucks, construction vehicles, taxis, antique cars, old-time racing cars, delivery trucks, dump trucks, emergency vehicles, race cars, and fun, crazy cars. Kids will love the toothbrush car, the cheese car, and the pickle car too.
        Themes: Concept, Machines, Series
Other Books in the Series: Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks from A to Z

TOW TRUCKS 1,2,3
written by Eric Ode, illus. by Kent Culotta, (Kane Miller EDC Publishing, $14.99, Jan 2023, ISBN 978-1-68464-554-1), 32p, Ages 3-7

“Tow Truck One is big and loud. / Tow Truck Two is strong and proud. / Tow Truck Three is brave and smart; / this little truck has lots of heart.” They travel by the ocean, over hills, through valleys and cities, always on the lookout to help others in distress. When discovering a car in need of help, Tow Truck 1 easily sets him on the back of her truck. Tow Truck 2 helps another truck stuck in the mud. When they receive a call that Tow Truck Number Four is in distress, only little Tow Truck 3 can maneuver a narrow bridge to rescue it. That night after a long, successful day, the three tow trucks enjoy a well-deserved rest for the night. Kids will enjoy the expressions on the headlights of the trucks.
        Themes: Adventure, Concept, Heroes, Vehicles
Other Books in the Series: Taxi Man | Busy T rucks on the Go

JUST FOR YOU #3 (Piggy Series)
written/illus. by Francesca Pirrone, (Clavis Publishing, Sept 2022, $18.95, ISBN
978-1605377841), 32p, Ages 3+

“It’s winter, Piggy is tidying up the attic. Look! Balls of wool!” At first, he decides to knit a sweater from the lovely colored balls, but then realizes that there are enough balls to share with all his friends. He gives two green balls to rabbit, a red ball to kitty, and a little blue ball to his friend Little Bird. “Here you go, Turtle, a pink ball for you. To protect yourself from the cold.” Last of all, Mouse receives three orange balls, his favorite color.
Upon returning home, Piggy realizes that there are no balls left for him. Sad that he miscounted the balls, Piggy resigns himself to no sweater for the winter. Find out how Piggy receives a new multicolored sweater to enjoy the winter and play in the snow. Kids will enjoy the kindness and sharing theme but might wonder at animals knitting.
        Themes: Animals, Friendship, Heroes, Values
Other Books in the Series: Little Book of Kindness #1 | Little Book of Caring #2

THE DIGGER AND THE BUTTERFLY
written/illus. by Joseph Kuefler, (Balzer + Bray, May 2023), 48p, Ages 3-7

Joseph Kuefler’s latest addition to his Digger series finds Digger and his construction crew working hard on a new construction site, until one day -- “Digger and Scoops uncovered a caterpillar. Good morning said Digger. Did we wake you? Asked Scoops.” After consuming a large number of green leaves, supplied by Digger and Scoops, the caterpillar decides to weave its cocoon in Digger’s bucket. When the other machines keep working, Digger decides to take a break and wait for the caterpillar to emerge. While waiting, Digger begins to notice and appreciate the world around him.
When the caterpillar emerges as a butterfly, the crew takes notice, stops working, and follows it down the river to where the butterflies live. “There, among the flowers and trees, Digger and the crew played with their new friends.” Kids will enjoy this clever book about caring for nature and the end papers that present each stage of a caterpillar’s life and protection of their habitats.
        Themes: Adventure Friendship, Insects, Machines, Series
Other Books in the Series: The Digger and the Flower #1 | The Digger and the Duckling #2

TURKEY’S SANDTASTIC BEACH DAY #7 (Turkey Trouble)
written by Wendi Silvano, illus. by Lee Harper, (Two Lions, May 2023, $17.99, ISBN
978-1662508356), 40p, Ages 4-7

Turkey is excited to visit the ocean but must stay with Farmer Jake’s petting zoo on the boardwalk for the Summer Children’s Festival. Sad that he’s unable to walk on the beach, the farm animals help him sneak down, disguised as a crab (Pig reminds him to walk sideways), a seashell (to sunbathe), a surfer (to hang ten), and a snorkeler with fins (shark alert). Unfortunately, Turkey doesn’t fool the lifeguard or Farmer Jake and is always returned to the festival. When Farmer Jake takes a nap, Rooster reminds Turkey of a sand-sculpture contest on the beach, and all the animals participate in making “Turkey Town” which turns out to be the winning sculpture and a house on their own private beach.
Kids will love the delightful puns throughout the clever story, root for Turkey’s efforts to enjoy the beach, and love the animals who give Turkey his most enjoyable “Santastic Beach Day”.
        Themes: Adventure, Animals, Humor, Series
Other Books in the Series: Turkey Trouble #1 | Turkey Claus #2 | Turkey Trick or Treat #3 | Turkey’s Eggcellent Easter #4 | Turkey Goes to School #5 | Turkey’s Valentine Surprise #6

DAKOTA CRUMB AND THE SECRET BOOKSHOP: A Tiny Treasure Hunt
written by Jamie Michalak, illus. by Kelly Murphy, (Candlewick Press, $17.99, May 2023, ISBN 978-1-5362-2230-9), 32p, Ages 5+

In this second book in the Dakota Crumb series, the cute little mouse detective receives a request from her cousin, Julien, to find a rare book of lost treasures somewhere in Paris. Using a clue to find the bookshop, Dakota enters and discovers more clues – a crown, a heart, a small cake with a note to look up, and a sign “Beware of Cats”. When she finds a mysterious open door among two cat bookends, Dakota discovers a wonderful surprise inside just for her.
Kids will love this brave and daring little treasure hunter who avoids dangerous enemies to search for clues. End pages invite kids to take their own treasure hunt and explore the bookshop again using a page from her surprise.
        Themes: Adventure, Animals, Heroes, Humor, Mysteries
Other Book in the Series: Dakota Crumb: Tiny Treasure Hunter

GREENLIGHT
(A Picture Book About an Essential Neighborhood Traffic Light)
written/illus. by Breanna Carzoo, (HarperCollins, July 2023, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-305406-6), 32p, Ages 5+

Poor Greenlight, she doesn’t realize the importance of her job and doesn’t understand when its her turn to shine, the cars drive away. “I used to think I was super bright and sparkly, and spectacular. . .but every time I share my light with the world. . . it’s like they can’t get away from me fast enough.” After shutting down Greenlight realizes there is nothing wrong with her and the world is waiting for her to shine. The massive pileup of honking cars waiting for her to shine are grateful too.
        Themes: Concept, Heroes, Values
Other Books in the Series: Other Book in the Series: Lou (A Children’s Picture Book About a Fire Hydrant and an Unlikely Neighborhood Hero

MOUSE & GIRAFFE
written by Kelly DiPucchio, illus. by Jen Corace, (Viking Books, July 2023, $18.99, ISBN
978-0-593-46503-5). 40p, Ages 4-7

“Mouse and Giraffe were neighbors. Every morning, they met by their mailboxes for a sip of sweet tea and a bite of conversation.” They might have become friends, only they rarely agreed on anything—hot weather verses cold weather, delicious smells of pie or soup from Mole’s house, delightful rain or inconvenient flooding, and clear or cloudy nights. Neither can see the others point of view, until Mouse comes down with a cold and Giraffe decides to help by collecting his mail, watering his petunias, providing hot tea, a bowl of Mole’s soup, a slice of Bear’s pie, and a drawing of the nighttime clear sky. “So you can see the night sky the next time it’s cloudy, Giraffe explained.” Find out what a very grateful Mouse makes for Giraffe in return for his kindnesses in this tale of differing perspectives and finding friendship.
        Themes: Animals, Concept, Friendship, Heroes, Humor

THE CLOWN SAID NO
written by Mischa Damjam, illus. by Torben Kuhlmann, (NorthSouth Books, 2022, $17.95, ISBN
978-0-7358-4476-6), 32p, ages 5-8

When a circus came to town, Petronius is presented as “the funniest clown in the world, together with his stubborn donkey, Theodore.” The lights came up and the band began to play, but Petronius and refused to entertain the audience. Theodore also refused and “waggled his ears from left to right and from right to left” to also say no. It seemed that Petronius was tired of being a foolish clown and desired to tell stories. Ferdinand the dancing pony, Luise the giraffe, Augustus the lion, and Otto the dog were also tired of doing tricks.
Packing up their belongings, the six entertainers leave, set up camp, and dream of having their own circus, but realize they need to earn money to buy a circus tent. Luise works lighting streetlamps every evening and putting them out at midnight. Ferdinand pulls a milk cart to a dairy. Earning enough money, the six friends move to a larger town, put up a tent, paint posters, and finally open the “Circus for Children and Poets” Find out how their lovely performances and Petronius’ stories charm and win over every child and adult in town. Kids and adults will love the magnificent illustrations and root for the brave performers who wanted a change of life.
        Themes: Adventure, Animals, Friendship, Heroes

FENWAY AND THE LOUDMOUTH BIRD (Make Way for Fenway)
written by Victoria J. Coe, illus. by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $15.99, Apr. 2023, ISBN 978-0-593-40697-7), 96p, Ages 7+

Fenway is “A little dog with a GIANT personality.” Surprise is just around the corner for Fenway when he accompanies his human, Hattie, to visit her grandmother. He meets Merlin, a very loud bird, who speaks human. From then on Fenway vows to keep Hattie safe from “the loudmouth bird”. There is no way that they will ever be friends with Merlin screeching “HELLO” constantly.
After Hattie and her grandmother leave, Fenway hears Merlin screeching “FENWAY, FENWAY, and realizes something is wrong. Merlin’s bell is missing! Find out how two pets can become friends, manage to communicate with each other, and find peace and contentment in this newest heartwarming and humorous Make Way for Fenway chapter book.
         Themes: Animals, Families, Friendship, Heroes, Series
Other Books in the Series: Fenway and the Bone Thieves | Fenway and the Frisbee Trick

SHERLOCK BONES AND THE CURSE OF THE PHARAOH’S MASK #2
(Adventures of Sherlock Bones)
written by Tim Collins, illus. by John Bigwood, (Buster Books, 2023, $9.99, ISBN
978-1-78055-751-9), 192p, ages 7-10

This second adventure in the Sherlock Bones series finds dog detective Sherlock and his trusty sidekick Dr Catson taking a well-deserved vacation on the Nile River to visit the tomb of King Tutancatmun. They look forward to seeing the recently discovered golden mask of the old cat pharaoh but are warned of a bad luck curse on those who enter the tomb. When the mask mysteriously disappears, Sherlock and Catson are blamed for the theft, find a new entrance to the tomb, and learn that Sherlock’s mortal enemy, Moriratty, is also in Egypt. Kids will love the interactive puzzles, search games, diagrams, mazes, the crazy tour group, the mysterious cat’s eye, and enjoy how the crime is cleverly solved.
         Themes: Adventure, Animals, Heroes, Humor, Mysteries, Series
Other Books in the Series: Sherlock Bones and the Case of the Crown Jewels #1 | Sherlock Bones and the Case of the Vanishing Magician: A Puzzle Quest #3

THE GREAT VANDAL SCANDAL #3
(The Great Pet Heist)
written by Emily Ecton, illus. by Dave Mottram, (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $17.99, April 2023, ISBN 978-1-6659-1905-0), 240p, Ages 8-12

This third tale in The Great Pet Heist series finds spaniel Butterbean and his detective friends investigating a break-in at the Strathmore apartment’s basement. When the Yorkie named Biscuit, from the second floor, faces eviction for barking at the intruders and Madison is blamed for vandalism, the group takes matters into their own paws and claws.
Butterbean, Walt the cat, Oscar the myna bird, pet rats Marco and Polo, Chad the resident octopus, Wallace the wild rat, and the white cat go undercover to prove Madison’s innocence and discover a group of mischievous raccoons that sneak beneath the cameras to forage. When polite requests and threats do not work with the raccoons, the animals decide it’s time for a more creative solution.
Kids will love the clever animals, especially Butterbean who yearns to become a therapy dog, Chad who works for food, and the performing raccoons in this wild third adventure caper.
         Themes: Adventure, Animals, Heroes, Humor, Families, Friendship, Pets, Series
Other in the Series: The Great Pet Heist #1 | The Great Ghost Hoax #2

THE UMBRELLA HOUSE
written by Colleen Nelson, (Pajama Press, June 2023, $18.95, ISBN 978-1-77278-279-0), 224p, Ages 11+

Seventh grade friends Roxy Markowski and Scout Chang-Poulin live in the Umbrella House, an aging co-op in New York City’s East Village. With Roxy’s skills of research and writing and Scout’s photography, video, and editing abilities, they post information about East Village life on their YouTube channel, EaVillKids. They discover that a real estate developer is planning to tear the Umbrella House down, but the city council’s permission is required. To reveal this atrocity, Roxy and Scout decide to enter a Young Voice competition by Veracity News. Not only will they make a name for themselves but also reveal the plight of the Umbrella House through a video of the residents and their love for art, community, and family.
When Roxy discovers the identity of the anonymous Midnight Muralist, a famous East Village artist whose murals once saved buildings from destruction, the residents are excited. Find out how Roxie, her grandmother, Scout and his two moms, bookstore owner Miguel, artist Ortiz, and musician Lenny and other concerned residents join forces to save their home from unwanted gentrification. With time running out and limited options, they wonder if their efforts will convince the city council to stop the takeover.
Based on a true story, readers will love these two creative kids and their efforts to save their East Village apartment building and city landmark. Photo, map, and Author’s Note are included.
         Themes: Adventure, Families, Friendship, Values

THE TEACHER’S FUNERAL:
A Comedy in Three Parts 1
written by Richard Peck, (Puffin Books, $8.99, 2006, ISBN
978-0-14-240507-9), 224p, Ages 12+

“If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it," So thinks fifteen-year-old Russell Culver upon learning that his teacher has up and died. The year is 1904 and Russell dreams of leaving his tiny Indiana farm for the Dakotas to join a team of harvesters working with the new threshing machines. He realizes that nothing is holding him back from leaving, until his seventeen-year-old, controlling sister, Tansy, becomes the school’s new teacher. Despite stolen supplies, a privy fire, an exploding stove, and snakes, nothing deters Tansy from teaching History, Geography, Math, Grammar, Science, Music, and modern technology in a one-room schoolhouse. Realistic, nostalgic, and enchanting, readers will enjoy Richard Peck’s colorful characters, dry wit, and humorous situations, as well as the dog, JW (short for Just Worthless).
         Themes: Families, Friendship, Heroes, Humor
Other Books by Author: A Year Down Under | A Long Way from Chicago | Here Lies the Librarian | A Season of Gifts

THE LITTLE BLUE RABBIT
written by Angela McAllister, illus. by Jason Cockcroft (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, $15.99, 2003, ISBN 978-1-58234-834-0), 32p, Ages 3-6

“Blue Rabbit slept in a large bed with a very big pillow. He could not reach the bottom with his toes. He couldn’t reach the top with the tips of his ears. But Blue Rabbit didn’t feel lost in his very big bed because every night he had his Boy to cuddle.”
In this lovely reversal of the lost-toy stories, Blue Rabbit is a plush toy, loved, cherished, and comforted by Boy, his owner, who sleeps with him each night. When one evening Blue Rabbit couldn’t find Boy and inquires if the other toys have seen him, he concludes that Boy is lost in the garden. The toys try to comfort Blue Rabbit, but he never gives up hope, until one evening Boy returns with suntan and shrunken clothes.
“When they hugged each other tight, Blue Rabbit knew his Boy hadn’t really changed at all. For he was still soft and warm and stuffed with love.” Children will enjoy this heartwarming bedtime story of friendship, love, and family in the imaginary world of toys.
         Themes: Bedtime, Family, Friendship, Toys

CHOO CHOO:
The Story of a Little Engine Who Ran Away
written/illus. by Virginia Lee Burton, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1937, 2017), 48p, Ages 4-7

Published in 1937, a beautiful black and shiny little locomotive pulls car full of passengers, baggage, and fuel from the city to the country and back again. One day she said, “I am tired of pulling all these heavy coaches. I could go much faster and easier by myself, then all the people would stop and look at me, just me, and they would say, ‘What a smart little engine! What a fast little engine! What a beautiful little engine! Just watch her go by herself!’”
When left alone on the tracks as her engineer, fireman, and conductor are having coffee, she whizzes off on an exciting adventure racing through fields, past crossings, jumping draw bridges, and into the country where she becomes lost and alone on a track that has been unused for 40 years. Discover how one small engine realizes that running away is not as exciting as she thought in this wonderful classic in print for 80 years.
         Themes: Adventure, Classics, Machines

JOURNEY
written/illus. by Aaron Becker, (Candlewick Press, 2013), 40p, Ages 4-8

A world of imagination, adventure, bravery, and enchantment await all who open this charming wordless picture book. A lonely little girl discovers a red marker in her bedroom. Drawing a door, she escapes into a lush green forest, filled with lights, lanterns, and a small stream. Drawing a boat, she climbs in and floats away to a magnificent kingdom of castles, turrets, and towers, all linked by waterways. Encountering a fleet of strange air warships, she watches as soldiers capture an exotic purple bird. Sketching a hot air balloon, she frees the bird from its golden cage, but finds herself captured. Elaborate illustrations of unknown lands, flying ships, and daring rescues make for a fun and memorable “Journey.”
         Themes: Adventure, Fantasy, Heroes, Series, Wordless

LITTLE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS (Illustrated Edition)
written by Helen L. Taylor, illus. by Joe Sutphin, (Moody Publishers, $22.99, 2021, ISBN
978-0-8024-2053-4), 320p, Ages 7+

This lovely retelling of John Bunyan’s classic allegory of the Christian life has been beautifully written and illustrated just for children. Preserving the original plot, it tells the story of a rabbit, Little Christian, as he travels the King’s Highway to meet the great King in the Celestial City.
Little Christian lives in a large city of wickedness and cruelty called Destruction. Passing strangers tell stories of his city’s coming devastation and describe a faraway city where a good and wise King rules and loves little creatures. Little Christian decides to travel to the King’s City, but along the way meets other strangers and pilgrims and experiences many dangers, crises, temptations from those who seek to deter him (moles Obstinate and Pliable, otters Formalist and Hypocrisy), and help from animals who encourage him, and give him shelter (Evangelist the owl, Goodwill the gatekeeper, Interpreter the badger).
Children will enjoy Little Christian’s persistence and determination to reach his destiny, his friend Christiana’s adventurous journey to the Celestial City, and the marvelous illustrations throughout this classic retelling of John Bunyan’s famous allegorical tale.
         Themes: Adventure, Animals, Families, Friendship, Heroes

THE FORTUNE-TELLERS
written by Lloyd Alexander, illus. by Trina Schart Hyman, (Dutton Children’s Books, 1992), 32p, Ages 7-10

Dissatisfied with his career choice, a young carpenter seeks a certain fortune-teller about his future. The cagey old fortune-teller promises him a fortune if he earns a large sum of money, promises him a long life if it isn’t cut short by an early demise, promises that he will marry his true love if she agrees, and promises him happiness forever if he avoids becoming miserable.
When he runs back with more questions for the fortune-teller, the carpenter finds him missing. Little does he realize that the fortune-teller’s predictions will change both their lives in a very unusual way. Set in the beautiful country of Cameroon, this folktale is full of adventure, wisdom, and humor.
         Themes: Adventure, Countries & Cultures, Folk Literature, Humor

HOMER PRICE
written/illus. by Robert McCloskey, (Viking Press 1943, Puffin Books 1976), 160p, Ages 8-11

Welcome to Centerburg, USA where a young boy named Homer Price resides with his family, builds radio sets for fun, pumps gas at his father’s gas station, helps his mother clean the tourist cabins she manages, and tinkers with his uncle's newest invention—an automatic donut maker. Readers will love Homer using his wits and pet skunk to catch bandits, a rampaging donut machine making hundreds of donuts with a lost diamond bracelet in one, a competition between his uncle and the sheriff involving a local widow and a ball of string, and a mysterious shaggy looking stranger claiming he can rid the town of mice with a fancy musical machine. Written in 1943, this classic with its colorful townspeople, humorous events, and one clever and thoughtful boy from small-town America, make is a winner for the whole family.
         Themes: Adventure, Classics, Families, Friendship, Heroes, Humor, Series
Other Book in the Series: Centerburg Tales: More Adventures of Homer Price

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRAS SPRINGS
written by Betty G. Birney, illus. by Matt Phelan, (Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007, ISBN 978-1416934899), 224p, Ages 10+

During the summer of 1923 in the small farming community of Sassafras Springs, Missouri, eleven-year-old Eben McAllister yearns for adventure as he reads about the Seven Wonders of the World (The Great Pyramids at Giza, Colossus of Rhodes, Statue of Zeus, Lighthouse at Alexandria, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Temple of Artemis, and The Hanging Gardens of Babylon).
Tired of Eben’s moping, his father challenges him to find seven wonders in Sassafras Springs in seven days. If he does, Pa will buy him a ticket to visit his cousins in Colorado to see its marvelous, majestic mountains.
With his journal and faithful dog, Eben records wonders that families in the community are eager to share. A Sunday school teacher whose apple head doll saved her life, a bookcase that ended a drought and saved a man’s life, an outhouse flying in a cyclone, a musical saw that fended off crop-eating locusts, a floating table, and a truth-telling loom. Find out if Eben McAllister finds his seventh wonder in this heartwarming, coming-of-age tall tale where wonders can be found in the most extraordinary places.
         Themes: Adventure, Classics, Families, Heroes, Humor, Tall Tales

BY THE GREAT HORN SPOON!
written by Sid Fleischman, illus. by Brett Helquist, (1963 Little, Brown and Company, illustrated pb 2013, $8.99, ISBN 978-0-316-28612-1), 224p, Ages 13+

In1849 cries of a Gold Rush echo across the country to Boston, where a young boy resides with his sisters and Aunt Arabella. When his aunt loses all her money, twelve-year-old Jack and the faithful family butler, Praiseworthy, sail to California to strike it rich to help her. These two unlikely gold miners/adventurers sail on the paddle wheeler, Lady Wilma, around South America’s Cape Horn and up to San Francisco. Along the way, they outwit thieves, survive vicious storms, save grape cuttings and barrels of spoiled potatoes, deal with an invasion of Peruvian cats, and help the ship’s captain to beat competing ships to San Francisco.
There, they begin their trip to the Sacramento gold fields and encounter miners, outlaws, and varmints. To buy picks, shovels, horn spoons, and a hotel room, clever Praiseworthy cuts and keeps the miners’ hair and beards that contain gold dust. Surviving a stage coach robbery, they arrive at the diggings and begin panning for gold. Written in 1963, this classic western adventure will give readers a taste of history, hilarious action, fascinating characters, clever plots, and the escapades of two tenacious heroes nicknamed Jamoka Jack and Bullwhip.
         Themes: Adventure, Classics, Friendship, Heroes, Historical Fiction, Tall Tales, The Wild West

HERE LIES THE LIBRARIAN
written by Richard Peck, (Puffin Books, $6.99, 2006, ISBN
978-0-14-240908-4), 106p, Ages 12+

14-year-old Peewee (Eleanor) McGrath and her big brother Jake strive to run a small garage in rural Indiana in 1914. In spite of the nasty interference by the rival Kirby’s, Jake is determined to succeed and build a race car.
When a strange tornado tears through the local cemetery, it mysteriously avoids the recent grave of the local librarian, Electra Dietz (“After Years of Service, Tried and True, Heaven Stamped Her—OVERDUE.”) Although the library is now closed, one day four lovely young women motor down the road, with wealthy Irene Ridpath at the wheel of a classy Stoddard-Dayton, with the hopes of becoming new librarians. Not only a role model for grease monkey Peewee, Irene is also greatly interested in racing cars, which sparks Jakes interest.
Discover how this humorous tale brings together old-time dirt track racing and the transformation of Eleanor, who wins the first ten-mile stock car race in Hendricks County history. Readers will enjoy the pranks, hijinks, library puns, quirky endearing characters, and Peck’s one-liners in this clever tale of rural life in the last century, strong families, exciting auto races, and especially the 1978 ending.
         Themes: Adventure, Families, Friendship, Heroes, Humor, Machines
Other books by Richard Peck: A Long Way from Chicago | A Year Down Under | A Season of Gifts |The Teacher’s Funeral

THE GREAT TURKEY WALK
written by Kathleen Karr, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998), 208p, Ages 14+

In 1860 a 15-year-old, who has just completed third grade (for the fourth time), is advised by his teacher that, “As much as I’ve enjoyed your companionship, it’s time for you to brave the world. To spread your wings.”
When an opportunity to purchase 1,000 turkeys presents itself, Simon Green hatches a plan to walk them from eastern Missouri to Denver, Colorado and make a sizeable profit. With his former teacher bankrolling the project, Simon picks up a drunken muleskinner and his dog to help, and eventually a runaway slave, and a sole survivor of cholera on the prairie. Thus begins an unforgettable journey herding the turkeys 900 miles braving weather, rustlers, rivers, Indians, a rogue U.S. Calvary unit, Simon’s unscrupulous father, and a storm of grasshoppers (which the turkeys enjoyed).
Readers will love this heroic young entrepreneur bent on making his way in the world, in this classic and comic western epic featuring a cast of endearing and capable young people with good old fashioned common sense and wisdom. Inspired by actual turkey drives in the American west, the late Kathleen Karr had first-hand knowledge of poultry having grown up on a chicken farm in New Jersey.
         Themes: Adventure, Animals, Classics, Friendship, Heroes, Holidays, The Wild West

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