DINOSAUR’S BINKIT
written/illus. by Sandra Boynton, (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, $9.99, 2023, ISBN 978-1-6659-5264-4), 14p, Ages 0-3

“Dinosaur, O Dinosaur, stop tromping all around / The silver moon is rising. / It’s time to settle down.” A sleepy dinosaur puts on his pajamas and brushes his teeth, but he refuses to go to bed until he finds his security “Binkit” When a helpful bunny offers him a soft yellow handkerchief, guess who is shocked to find his Blinkit?
Kids will enjoy lifting flaps, touching textures, and glazing into a half-moon mirror in this sweet bedtime board book that ends with love, comfort, peace, and sleep. “Dinosaur, O Dinosaur, dreaming dreams unknown. / Your smile makes me wish I had a biinkit of my own.”
        Themes: Animals, Bedtime, Concept, Humor, Rhythm & Rhyme, Series
Other books in the series: Hey! Look at You! | Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy! | Hey! What’s That?

---

PERFECT PIGGIES!
written/illus. by Sandra Boynton, (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, $7.99, 2020, ISBN 978-1-6659-2518-1), 24p, Ages 1-3

Kids will love these cute, cuddly, and amazingly perfect piggies who sing, snuffle, doink, and doo-wah across the pages as they celebrate the simplicities of life: “A troughful of food. A place in the sun. / And a little bit of comfort when the day is done.”
Other animals may be smarter, stylish, or great thinkers, but these chubby piggies with mega-watt smiles go “Piggledy-Bop” all the way home at the end of the day. Little ones will enjoy this beauty-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder piggy celebration. “Now a pig is a pig and that’s how it should be. / You have to be you. We have to be we.”
        Themes: Animals, Families, Humor, Rhythm & Rhyme
Other books in the series: Pajama Time! | Snuggle Puppy! | Barnyard Dance! | Woodland Dance | Peekaboo Rex! | Bunny Rabbit Show! | Dinosnores | Your Nose!

---

WAKE UP MOON
written/illus. by Lita Judge, (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Oct. 2024, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-6659-3925-6), 40p, Ages 3-5

When a small squirrel realizes a storm has passed and the stars are out, he decides bedtime can wait. Romping in the snow he manages to wake up Owl, Fox, and Bear who join him building a snowman. So happy at their work, they tell the moon to wake up too. After an unforgettable winter night romping with friends in the snow, Squirrel still isn’t ready for bed. After a cup of cocoa, the little guy is ready to snuggle into bed with his nice, warm blanket.
Kids will love Lita Judge’s gorgeous illustrations filled with winter fun and incidentally, they would make elegant holiday cards.
        Themes: Adventure, Animals, Friendship, Humor, Seasons

---

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM: Saving Emma the Pig
written by John Chester, illus. by Jennifer L. Meyer, (Macmillan Publishing Group, 2019, $20.99, ISBN 978-1-250-18779-8), 40p, Ages 4-7

When Emma arrives at Apricot Lane Farms, she is sick and about to give birth to seventeen piglets. After the birth she is unable to care for them and was moved to the teeny-tiny farmhouse. When Emma’s health continued to decline, as a last resort, Farmer John and his team brought the piglets back to her and her health returned. She then began teaching them how to be pigs. “She even packed on a few pounds—200 to be exact.”
Based on a true story of a real event at Apricot Lane Farms in California, kids will enjoy Emma’s strong will to survive, her caregivers who never gave up on her, and her piggies who gave her a purpose. All kids should hear this special world of heartwarming relationships between animals and the people who lovingly care for them. Photos of the farm's animal inhabitants are found on the end papers.
        Themes: Animals, Families, Friendship, Heroes

---

TWO LITTLE RED MITTENS
written by Kirin Hayashi, illus. by Chiaki Okada, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, (Amazon Crossing Kids, $17.99, Oct. 2024, ISBN 978-1-6625-1676-4), 40p, Ages 4-7

There once were two red mittens who enjoyed keeping their Little One’s hands warm when she played with snowballs and made snowmen, and at night they loved to dry by the woodstove. “Let’s keep those tiny fingers toasty warm tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.”
One day the right mitten becomes lost during a walk in the snowy forest. Discovered by a mother rabbit it is taken home for her children to enjoy, but soon becomes tattered, lost again, and passed around by several other woodland animals.
Heartbroken by the loss, Little One’s mother knits a new right mitten, but the left mitten always wonders if the right mitten is all right. One day while walking through the forest, the mittens see each other and realize how happy they both are now. The left mitten now enjoys its new mate, and the right mitten has become a beautiful sweater for a grateful squirrel. Kids will enjoy this comforting tale of lost and found.
        Themes: Adventure, Animals, Families, Friendship, Season

---

HELLO, I’M A QUOKKA: Meet the Wild Things
written by Haley Roco, illus. by John Rocco, (C. P. Putnam’s Sons, $16.99. Sept. 2024, ISBN 978-0-593-61818-9), 32p, Ages 4-7

The Quokka (KWAH-kuh) is one of the most amazing creatures in the world. With a cute face and happy disposition, they are related to the kangaroo and wallaby and are native to Australia. The size of a house cat, Quokkas love hopping, foraging for food at night, eating leaves, grass, shrubs, roots, and seeds They also and can go for weeks without food. Facing invasive foxes, human expansion and climate change, most Quokka now reside on Rottnest Island near Australia where they are much happier.
In this beautifully illustrated and informative introduction to a little-known and charming animal, end papers give additional kid-friendly facts on the Quokkas, their endangerment, and organizations that help them survive.
        Themes: Animals, Countries, Nature, Nonfiction, Series
Other Books in the Series: Hello, I’m a Pangolin | Hello, I’m a Sloth

---

THE TUGBOAT AND THE SILVER MOON
written by Kersten Hamilton, illus. by Barry Gott, (Viking Books for Young Readers, $18.99, July 2024, ISBN 978-0-593-52839-6), 32p, Ages 5-8

Little Tug enjoys sailing the ocean and talking with the silver moon, who tells her how it dances with the earth, the sun, and raises the tides to help ships sail in and out of ports. When a sudden wind pushes a huge cargo ship off course in a canal, it becomes wedged in sand and silt. Tug, along with three diggers and a dredger are unable to help budge the ship, however, the silver moon promises to help soon but they must wait until it is fuller, closer, and stronger.
“On the seventh day when the moon rose, she wasn’t just fuller, she wasn’t just closer, she wasn’t just stronger . . . she was the fullest and closest and strongest she could possibly be. She was a SUPERMOON!” When the Silver Moon pulls the tide up, the cargo ship rises out of the sand, and Tug now helps with the rescue.
Based on the true story of the Ever Given, a cargo ship that in 2021 became stuck in the Suez Canal and needed a king tide to raise the water level so it could float freely. End papers explain the science of tides and gravitational pull, the cycles of the moon, king tides, and supermoons. Kids will love the cute and colorful illustrations in this tale of rescue and a science lesson.
        Themes: Adventure, Heroes, Water, Ships, Science

---

ALICE IN A WINTER WONDERLAND
written/illus. by Jan Brett, (G P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $19.90, Nov 2024, ISBN 978-0-593-53388-8), 40p, Ages 5-8

Based upon the classic Alice in Wonderland talel, Jan Brett’s striking interpretation of takes place in the wintery Alaskan tundra. When Alice follows a white rabbit with its pocket watch down a glacier’s icy hole, she finds herself in a magical world of crazy animals with absurd personalities. The Cheshire Cat is a Grinning Smilodon (saber-toothed cat), the Mad Hatter and the March Hare become an Old Prospector and the Varying Hare, the croquet mallet is a Lemming, the Queen and King are owls, and playing cards paint the tops of the cotton grass instead of the roses.
The narrative mainly follows the original plot and is filled with silly personalities, crazy action, playing cards on each page, and intricate native Alaskan birds and mammals. Kids will thoroughly enjoy this retelling of a classic tale of nonsense, fun and Alice’s “Curious Dream”. As always Jan Brett’s artistic illustrations are captivating.
        Themes: Adventure, Animals, Fantasy, Humor, Seasons
Other Winter Books by Jan Brett: Trouble With Trolls | Cozy | Snowy Nap | The Mitten | Three Snow Bears | Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella
Other Winter Books by Jan Brett: Trouble With Trolls | Cozy | Snowy Nap | The Mitten | Three Snow Bears | Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella

---

MYSTERY AT THE BILTMORE: The Vanderhoff Heist #1
written by Colleen Nelson, illus. by Peggy Collins, (Pajama Press, Oct. 2024, $17.95. ISBN 978-1-77278-327-8), 136p, Ages 7+

After her globe-trotting detective parents leave her once again for their newest case, ten-year-old Elodie LaRue decides to set up her own detective agency in her apartment at New York’s famous Upper West Side Biltmore. Left in the care of Miss Rosa, Elodie posts a sign in the lobby “DETECTIVE FOR HIRE. Competitive rates. No case too small. Contact Elodie LaRue, #5D”.
When a valuable pair of earrings mysteriously disappear from a locked room in Mrs. Vanderhoff’s apartment, Elodie is contacted to help solve the case. Along with her dog Carnegie and a new friend Oscar Delgado, they begin to interview and eliminate suspects, including Mrs. Vanderhoff’s housekeeper, Agnes. Soon Elodie realizes that the truth may not be what it initially seems.
Kids will enjoy the quirky cast of characters including Freddy the doorman, Mr. Ray, the flower deliveryman, Mr. Franklin, an orchid-fancying tenant, and aerialist Daniela Wallenda. With numerous clues and plot twists, will Elodie’s LaRue Detective Agency piece together the clues and solve the case of the missing earrings or fail miserably? Find out in this delightful tale of determination, persistence, and a mysterious feather.
         Themes: Adventure, Chapter Book, Heroes, Mysteries, Pets, Series
Other Books in the Series: The Classified Catnapping: Mystery at the Biltmore #2

---

PADDINGTON IN PERU: The Junior Novel
written by Caleb Zane Huett, (Scholastic Press, $16.99, 2017, ISBN 978-1-338-05212-1), 288p, Ages 8-12

When Paddington and the Browns return to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy at the Home for Retired Bears, they discover that she left on a mysterious jungle quest but never returned. Join them in their journey down the rapids of the Amazon River along with a riverboat owner who dreams of finding gold and the Lost City of El Dorado. When the rapids dump everyone overboard, it’s Paddington’s umbrella that saves him from drowning.
Through dense jungles, hidden passages, and over treetops, discover how Aunt Lucy is located, and Paddington’s marmalade saves the day. Kids will enjoy the eight pages of movie photos included in this latest adventure of Paddington and his family.
         Themes: Adventure, Animals, Families, Heroes, Humor, Series
Another Book in the Series: Paddington 2

---

TAKEN: (Left Behind: The Kids Collection #1)
written by Tim LaHaye / Jerry B. Jenkins, (Tyndale House Publishers, $11.99, 2015. ISBN 978-1-4143-9950-8), 416, Ages 15+

This first book in the Left Behind series for older kids features four teens coping with life in their own way and neglecting the advice of their Christian families on how to live. 16-year-old Judd, “The Runaway” a hothead and unhappy with his life, steals money from his father and disappears. 15-year-old Vicki, “The Rebel” considered Trailer Trash by school kids, worries about her parents, and refuses to have anything to do with their faith. 14-year-old Lionel “The Liar” has trouble adjusting to his family’s move from Chicago’s inner city, finds church uncomfortable, and prefers being around his uncle, the bad apple of the family. 13-year-old Ryan, “The Skeptic” is ignored by his father, breaks house rules, and refuses to listen to anything religious.
These four wayward teens have a rude awakening when their families and friends suddenly disappear. The four come together and discover a left-behind pastor, who provides hope for a better future, and helps them understand “The End Times”, fight the current demonic system, and become the Young Trib Force fighting an evil future that threatens all of humanity.
         Themes: Biblical Values, Families, Friendship, Suspense, Series
Other Books in the Series: Pursued | Hidden | Rescued | Stung | Frantic | Shaken | Unmasked | Deceived | Protected | Hunted | Arrived

28 GOOD NIGHT STORIES
written by Various Authors, Concept/Connecting Story by Brigitte Weninger, illus. by Eve Tharlet/J. P. Corderoch, translated by Kathryn Bishop, (miniedition, 2008), 128p, Ages 3-7

---

A BOY, A DOG, AND A FROG
written & illus. by Mercer Mayer, (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1967/2003), 32p, Ages 3-7

---

GOSSIE & FRIENDS: Big Book of Adventures
written/illus. by Olivier Dunrea, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017), 288p, Ages 3-7

---

LET’S GET SLEEPY
written/illus. by Tony Cliff, (Imprint, August 2020), 32p, Ages 3-6

---

A MOUSE TOLD HIS MOTHER
written by Bethany Roberts, illus. by Maryjane Begin, (Little, Brown & Co, 1997), 32p, Ages 3-6

---

AMOS: THE STORY OF AN OLD DOG AND HIS COUCH
written by Susan Seligson, illus. by Howie Schneider, (Little, Brown, 1987), 32p, Ages 4-8

---

CAPTAIN SKY BLUE
written/illus. by Richard Egielski, (Scholastic Books, 2010), 32p, Ages 4-7

---

CRACKERS
written by Becky Bloom, illus. by Pascal Biet, (Orchard Books, 2001), 32p, Ages 4-7

---

FIVE NICE MICE
written/illus. by Chisato Tashiro, translated by Sayako Uchida, adapted by Kate Westerlund, (minedition, 2007), 32p, Ages 4-7

---

HENNY, PENNY, LENNY, DENNY, AND MIKE
written by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Mike Austin, (Beach Lane Books, Sept. 2017), 40p, Ages 4-8

---

THE AMAZING VOYAGE OF JACKIE GRACE
written/illus. by Matt Faulkner, (Scholastic Inc., 1987), 40p, Ages 5-8

---

JUNE 29, 1999
written/illus. by David Wiesner, (Clarion Books, 1992), 32p, Ages 6-9

---

THE LEAF MEN AND THE BRAVE GOOD BUGS (The World of William Joyce)
written/illus. by William Joyce, (HarperCollins Publishers1996, Antheneum, June 2017), 40p, Ages 5-8

---

MOUSETRONAUT: Based on a (Partially) True Story
written by Mark Kelly, illus. by C. F. Payne, (Simon & Schuster Books for Young readers, 2012), 40p, Ages 4-8

---

RUSSELL AND THE LOST TREASURE
written/illus. by Rob Scotton, (HarperCollins, 2006), 32p, Ages 5+

---

ARMSTRONG: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon
written/illus. by Torben Kuhlmann, (NorthSouth Books, 2016), 128p, Ages 7-10

---

THE BOY WHO FELL OFF THE MAYFLOWER: Or John Howland's Good Fortune
written/illus. by P. J. Lynch, (Candlewick Press, 2015,), 64p, Ages 7-10

---

THE LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY: The Storm #1
written by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Preston McDaniels, (Simon & Schuster, 2002/2015), 80p, Ages 7-10

---

TUMTUM & NUTMEG: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall
written by Emily Bearn, illus. by Nick Price, (Little, Brown & Co., 2009), 512p, Ages 7-10

---

PAUL REVERE’S RIDE: The Landlord’s Tale
written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illus. by Charles Santore, (HarperCollins, 2003), 40 p, Ages 8-11

---

THE ADVENTURES OF HOTSY TOTSY
written by Clive Cussler, (Philomel Books, 2010), 176p, Ages 8-12

---

THE 100-YEAR-OLD SECRET: The Sherlock Files: Book 1
written by Tracy Barrett, (Henry Holt & Co., 2008), 160p, Ages 8-12

---

ASTROTWINS: Project Blastoff
written by Mark Kelly, Martha Freeman, (Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster, 2015), 224p, Ages 8-12

---

THE KITCHEN KNIGHT: A Tale of King Arthur
retold by Margaret Hodges, illus. by Trina Schart Hymen (Holiday House, 1990), 32p, Ages 8-11

---

MISSING ON SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN
written by Elise Broach, illus. by Antonio Javier Caparo, (Henry Holt, 2011), 272p, Ages 8-12

---

THE 7 PROFESSORS OF THE FAR NORTH
written/illus. by John Fardell, (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2005), 224p, Ages 10-12

---

BY THE GREAT HORN SPOON!
written by Sid Fleischman, illus. by Brett Helquist, (Little, Brown and Company, 1963), 224p, Ages 10-13

---

THE CHESHIRE CHEESE CAT: A Dickens of a Tale
written by Carmen Agra Deedy/Randall Wright, illus. by Barry Moser, (Peachtree Publishers, 2011), 256p, Ages 10+

---

FRAMED!: A T.O.A.S.T. Novel #1
written by James Ponti, (Aladdin, 2016), 304p, Ages 10+

---

HOW TO CAPTURE AN INVISIBLE CAT #1 (The Genius Factor series)
written by Paul Tobin, illus. by Thierry Lafontaine, (Bloomsbury, 2016), 272p, Ages 10+

---

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY #1
written by Trenton Lee Stewart, illus. by Diana Sudyka, (Little, Brown & Co., 2007), 448p, Ages 10-13

---

THE LOST HERO: The Heroes of Olympus: Book 1
written by Rick Riordan, (Hyperion Books, 2010), 576p, Ages 10-14

---

CHARLIE THORNE AND THE LAST EQUATION #1
written by Stuart Gibbs, (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, $2019), 400p, Ages 12-15

---

THE DETECTIVE’S ASSISTANT
written by Kate Hannigan, (Little Brown & Co., 2015), 358p, Ages 11-14

---

PROJEKT 1065: A Novel of World War II
written by Alan Gratz, (Scholastic Press, 2016), 320p, Ages 13+

---

KNIGHTLEY & SON
written by Gavin Rohan, (Bloomsbury, 2014), 272p, Ages 12-15

---

THE MYSTERY OF THE CLOCKWORK SPARROW #1(The Sinclair Mysteries)
written by Katherine Woodfine, illus. by Julia Sardà, (Kane Miller Books, 2016), 352p, Ages 13+

---

Over the years, we have researched thousands of children's books, and can recommend some of the best in outstanding children's literature for parents to read aloud and children to read.

Our recommendations must meet certain criteria: fun, creative and imaginative stories, delightful illustrations, and excellent for age appropriate listening and reading. We hope that you enjoyed our recommendations. If you desire further information some of the best in children's literature, please visit our website, www.tchliteracy.com.