Beloved artists Leo and Diane Dillon present a whimsically illustrated collection of 24 counting rhymes, from familiar ones like "One potato, two potato" and "Baa, baa black sheep" to lesser-known ditties such as "There were two wrens upon a tree" and "Chook, chook, chook, chook / Good morning, Mrs. Hen." Publishers Weekly calls this fun and slightly surreal read-aloud from the award-winning husband-and-wife team "a wholly original Mother Goose book."

A boy becomes "mother" to a newly-hatched goose, because he's the first thing the goose sees after it hatches:   "that's the way it is with birds."   Then the young goose becomes mother in turn to a baby duckling.   When the goose gets confused and thinks a policeman on patrol is his "mother" instead, things get really funny!   This new book for beginning readers comes from one of the most renowned writers of nature stories for children, the author of My side of the mountain and the Newbery-medal winning Julie of the wolves.  (beginning readers, ages 5-6)

Meet Abbey, Monica, Nicole, Shekina, and Veronica, five little girls who only dreamed of wearing tutus and dancing onstage until their physical therapist began teaching a ballet class tailored to their needs. Each of these girls has cerebral palsy or a similar disability that makes controlling her muscles a challenge, but they all work hard and--with some help--perform their first dance recital beautifully. This joyous true story is an inspiration!

As author Mélanie Watt attempts to create a picture book about a mouse, her rotund calico cat Chester sends the mouse packing--and, with his handy red marker, repeatedly rewrites the story to make himself the star. This metafictional tug-of-war between Watt and Chester is outrageously silly and lots of fun, and should surely appeal to little ones who understand wanting to be the center of attention. Who'll get the last word?

Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to make way for white passengers set the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott in motion. That boycott lasted for nearly a year before the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation on buses to be illegal. The beautifully textured watercolor-and-collage illustrations and powerful, poetic prose of this book pay a fitting tribute not only to Rosa Parks, but to the Women's Political Council, the tirelessly brave citizens of Montgomery, and to civil rights activists and leaders who helped change America for the better.

This book presents the life story of Westley Wallace Law, a mail carrier and NAACP activist whose efforts to register black voters and lead a successful business boycott resulted in Savannah, Georgia, being the first city in the South to end racial discrimination--three years before the Federal Civil Rights Act required it. As a child, Law made a vow to live up to his grandmother's hopes that he would be a leader who helped bring about change, and his story shows that one person's efforts can make an extraordinary difference.

This dramatically illustrated book tells the heroic story of Wilma Rudolph, who went from being "the sickliest child in Clarksville," Tennessee, to the first woman ever to win three gold medals at a single Olympic competition. By the time she was five years old, Rudolph had been stricken with both scarlet fever and polio and was told she'd never walk again--a prediction that her courage and perseverance more than disproved. Readers looking for another inspiring biography of an African-American athlete should check out Sue Stauffacher's Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson.

Using some of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s own words to tell his story, this superlative picture book biography introduces the ideas and accomplishments of the gifted and influential leader. As a child, Dr. King was impressed by the big words his father used in the pulpit; author Doreen Rappaport characterizes him with the weighty words he used himself in the fight for civil rights: "love" instead of "hate," "peace" instead of "war," "together" instead of "separate." Martin's Big Words is "a stunning, reverent tribute" (School Library Journal).

Marian Anderson was an extraordinarily gifted singer with the kind of voice that, according to legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, "one was privileged to hear only once in 100 years." Despite Marian's enormous talent, she had to fight to achieve her dream of being a professional singer because she grew up during the days of racial segregation in the United States. This "perfectly pitched" (Kirkus Reviews) biography begins when Marian is a small child, culminates with the concert she gives on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial--after Constitution Hall officials refuse to allow her to perform there--and ends with her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House.

In this picture book, which reviewers laud as "gorgeous, poetic" (Publishers Weekly), and "transcendent" (Kirkus Reviews), author Carole Boston Weatherford tells the story of Harriet Tubman's harrowing escape from slavery, her journey to freedom, and her calling to be the Moses of her people. Weatherford imagines Tubman talking with God along the treacherous road to Philadelphia, illuminating the strong faith that inspired her to rescue hundreds of people from slavery.

A little girl whose parents are divorced stays sometimes at her mom's house and sometimes at her dad's, but her dog Fred is her constant companion.   The problem is, Fred's bad habits are driving both mom and dad crazy, and both say that Fred can't stay with them any more.   When their daughter firmly points out to both of them, "Excuse me.   Fred doesn't stay with either of you.   Fred stays with ME!" a child-empowering set of solutions are on the way.   (ages 4-8)

 

The author of The Racecar Alphabet and Five Trucks has created a new winner for preschool readers: Lightship! From the time of classical Rome there have been boats which acted as lighthouses in the ocean. They marked such American shipping hazards as the Hen and Chicks reefs off of the Massachusetts coast, the entrance to the Golden Gate, and there were even lightships that showed the way to ports in the Gulf of Mexico such as Galveston. Young children will enjoy this tour of a life saving light boat (complete with cat!). A 2008 Siebert Honor winning book.   (ages 3-8)

A giant squid is enjoying the chance to brag about being bigger than everything he swims past, and it's true that he is bigger than NEARLY everything ....   (ages 2-5)

Little mouse and his mother explore the sights and sounds of spring on a windy day which keeps blowing their discoveries away.  (ages 2-5)