Enjoy these selections, courtesy of those wonderfully opinionated
experts at The Horn Book.
For even more choice titles, check out our Online
Exclusives, and be sure to pick up our July issue!
Your Preschooler’s New Favorite Picture Book:
Higher!
Higher!
written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick)
Each time a smiling dad pushes a little girl on a swing, she goes higher, meeting
a giraffe, a mountain climber, airplane passengers, and finally a little green
alien on his own flying swing. 32 pages.
For Artists and Adventurers, Grades K-3:
The
Pencil written
by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Bruce Ingman (Candlewick)
After a pencil draws a world into existence, it’s threatened by a thuggish
eraser run amok in this wry, madcap, loving story of the power of artistic expression.
48 pages.
Early Readers Are Definitely Ready:
Are
You Ready to Play Outside?
written and illustrated by Mo Willems (Hyperion)
Piggie is miserable when one drop of rain threatens his outside plans; Gerald,
his elephant friend, tries to steady the mood; and two worms remind Piggie that
rain doesn’t mean the end of play. Grade level: K–2. 57 pages.
Fascinating Word Play for Intermediate Readers:
Dinothesaurus
written and illustrated by Douglas Florian (Atheneum)
Beginning by defining “The Age of Dinosaurs” and ending with their
demise, Florian rounds up the usual prehistoric suspects and presents them in
poems, mixed-media illustrations, and a scientific fact or two. 48 pages.
A Pleasant Chill for Middle Schoolers:
The
Graveyard Book written by
Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean (HarperCollins)
After his family is killed by a sinister man named Jack, young Bod is raised
in a graveyard, with ghosts as his surrogate parents, and taught otherworldly
secrets. 309 pages.
