FEBRUARY BOOK LIST
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MY TOP FIVE
FAMILY READ ALOUD
by Candace Fleming
When Bronx Zoo-keeper Fred brought home a lion cub, Helen Martini instantly embraced it. "Just do for him what you would do with a human baby," Fred suggested...and she did. The couple continues to raise lion and tiger cubs as their own, until they are old enough to return them to zoos.
by Christopher Denise
Since the day he hatched, Owl dreamed of becoming a real knight. He may not be the biggest or the strongest, but his sharp nocturnal instincts can help protect the castle, especially since many knights have recently gone missing. Owl is faced with the ultimate trial—a frightening intruder. It’s a daunting duel by any measure. But what Owl lacks in size, he makes up for in good ideas.
by Brinton Turkle
What was a silly seagull doing, following Obadiah around like a pet? Obadiah was annoyed. But on a bitter winter day when Obadiah needed a friend, the seagull wasn't to be seen, and Obadiah missed it. Then, when the seagull was in trouble and Obadiah was able to help, he suddenly discovered how pleasant it is to make a friend.
by Terry Fan
It fell from the sky on a Thursday. None of the insects know where it came from, or what it is. Some say it’s an egg. Others, a gumdrop. But whatever it is, it fell near Spider’s house, so he’s convinced it belongs to him. Spider builds a wondrous display so that insects from far and wide can come look at the marvel.
by Annie Silvestro
Bunny loves to sit outside the library with the kids and listen to summer story time. But when the weather gets cold and everyone moves inside, his daily dose of joy is gone. Desperate, Bunny refuses to miss out on any more reading time and devises a plan to sneak into the library at night . . . through the library’s book drop!
by Dan DeWitt
Peter loved Jesus. He felt terrible when he pretended not to know him. He thought all was lost when Jesus died. But after Jesus rose from the dead, he went and found Peter and forgave him. He explained that his death took the punishment for all of Peter’s mistakes and that his resurrection showed that the penalty was lifted.
by Eileen Spinelli
“Somebody loves you,” the note says.
“Somebody loves me!” Mr. Hatch sings as he dusts his living room.
“Somebody loves me!” Mr. Hatch whistles as he does his errands in town.
“But who,” Mr. Hatch wonders, “could that somebody be?”
by Katrina Lehman
Izzy loved her island. But most of all, she loved Frank the seagull. Izzy and Frank spend blue-sky-sunny days and gray-cloud-rainy days roaming and playing by the sea. But when Izzy has to leave her lighthouse and island life behind to move to the city, she also has to say goodbye to Frank.
by Julia Donaldson
Rabbit arrives home one day to hear a loud voice coming from inside his burrow: "I'm the Giant Jumperee and I'm scary as can be!" shouts the stranger. Rabbit's friends Cat, Bear, and Elephant come to help, but they're no match for the mysterious, booming voice. But who is the Giant Jumperee?
by Gloria Houston
Dorothy's dearest wish is to be a librarian in a fine brick library just like the one she visited when she was small. But her new home in North Carolina has valleys and streams but no libraries, so Miss Dorothy and her neighbors decide to start a bookmobile.
by Sophie Blackall
Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish in the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail. Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Sophie salvaged facts and artifacts for the making of this spectacular work.
by Christina Soontornvat
Merra, Locky, Roozle, Finn, and little Jory love their ramble shamble house. When they come across a picture of a "proper" house in a book, they start wondering if their own home is good enough. So they get to work "propering up" the garden, the chickens, and even the mud puddles. But the results aren't exactly what they expected.
by Laurie Keller
​Mr. Rabbit's new neighbors are Otters.
OTTERS!
But he doesn't know anything about otters. Will they get along? Will they be friends?
Just treat otters the same way you'd like them to treat you, advises Mr. Owl.
by John Rocco
One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do?
by Dahlov Ipcar
Lobsterman tells the story of a day in the life of a Maine lobsterman's son, working alongside his father.
by Patricia McCormick
When a group of US Marines fighting in the Korean War found a bedraggled mare, they wondered if she could be trained to as a packhorse. They had no idea that the skinny, underfed horse had one of the biggest and bravest hearts they’d ever known. And one of the biggest appetites!
by Sophie Blackall
Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.
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by Lydia Sigwarth
When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed. Lydia's mom took her to a new place ― not a house, but a big building with stone columns, and tall, tall steps. The library.
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by Travis Jonker
A curious little girl watches the man who guards the last castle in town. While the other townspeople fear what may be locked up inside the mysterious castle, the girl finally gets up the courage to knock on the door and find out what’s really behind the gate.
by Elizabeth Spires
Living in the isolated Robbins Reef Lighthouse, overlooking turn-of-the-century New York Harbor, Kate Walker spent her life minding the light, keeping passing ships from running aground on the dangerous shoals. For more than three decades, Kate lived a solitary life, often totally isolated from the mainland by rough seas and dangerous storms.
by Lisa Papp
Madeline Finn DOES NOT like to read. Not books. Not magazines. Not even the menu on the ice cream truck.Fortunately, Madeline Finn meets Bonnie, a library dog. Reading out loud to Bonnie isn't so bad. Bonnie teaches Madeline Finn that it's okay to go slow. And to keep trying.
by Josh Funk
Patience and Fortitude are the two lion statues that faithfully guard the New York Public Library. When Patience goes missing, Fortitude realizes the secret to Patience's disappearance may be within the Library itself.
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by Anika Denise
Hedgehog, Bunny, and Squirrel are best friends. One day, they each find a letter. But not just any letter...a love letter!
Someone loves them. But who? The answer may surprise you!
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by Mem Fox
In this very special story, Wilfrid Gordon helps his 96-year-old friend, Miss Nancy, regain some of her memories.
Mem Fox wrote Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge in the hope of bringing children and the elderly together.
by Chris van Dusen
When a big truck and its big load get stuck on a narrow road, traffic on the little island comes to a halt. Some cars need to go south and some have to travel north. Luckily, the kids come up with an ingenious solution: why not just swap cars?
Inspired by actual events.
by Helen Docherty
When Leo's mom and dad pack him off to fight a dragon, he takes a shield, a sword―and a pile of his favorite books. But can a story be as mighty as a sword?
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by Michelle Knudson
Miss Merriweather, the head librarian, is very particular about rules in the library. No running allowed. And you must be quiet. But when a lion comes to the library one day, no one is sure what to do. There aren't any rules about lions in the library. But when something terrible happens, the lion quickly comes to the rescue in the only way he knows how
by Tololwa Mollel
The market is full of wonderful things, but Saruni is saving his precious coins for a red and blue bicycle. How happy he will be when he can help his mother carry heavy loads to market on his very own bicycle—and how disappointed he is to discover that he hasn’t saved nearly enough!
by Danna Smith
Join a young girl and her father, the falconer at a medieval castle, as they experience the joys of taking a goshawk out for a training flight. The girl leads readers through all the preparations and equipment needed for the flight — from the hawk’s hood and bells to the falconer’s gloves — culminating in a dramatic demonstration of the hawk’s hunting skill.
by Helen L. Taylor
In this fresh, imaginative new edition, bestselling illustrator Joe Sutphin portrays the characters of Bunyan’s tale as animals living in a woodland realm. Children will delight in the lavish illustrations, reading alongside their parents or interacting on their own with the timeless words and beautiful imagery that they discover on every page.