Books

FROM SARAH:

A treasury just perfect for existing Eric Carle fans, or for those who experiencing his wonderful stories and memorable illustrations for the first time! A great addition for any home library!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

A treasury tailor-made for the holidays, perfect for the whole family to share! Four favorite "Very" stories from beloved author Eric Carle, with all-new recipes, activities, projects, and more! Featuring The Very Busy Spider, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Lonely Firefly, and The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, this collection of Eric Carle stories offers readers four complete "Very" books in one gorgeous package.

FROM SARAH:

Virginia Lee Burton's stories may have graced your own bookshelves when you were young. I bet your kids will enjoy them every bit as much! This treasury is a wonderful way to enjoy some of her best stories, starting of course, with Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel plus three other classic picture book favorites, in one handsome hardcover.

The four complete and unabridged picture books by Virginia Lee Burton in this volume are:
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
The Little House (a Caldecott Medal winner)
Katy and the Big Snow
Maybelle the Cable Car

Virginia Lee Burton wrote and illustrated stories that have been entertaining children, parents, and grandparents for more than sixty years. Many of her books—with themes that honor a simple way of life and celebrate heroes who endure through determination and by adapting to change—have become classic American tales.

FROM SARAH:

Robert McCloskey's picture books are the very essence of childhood favorites. This treasury is beautiful, vibrant, and large - the perfect size for reading aloud together!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

From those famous ducklings to Homer Price's delicious donuts, generations of children have grown up delighting in the timeless stories of Robert McCloskey. Here, for the first time, all of his published works--Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, Lentil, Time of Wonder, One Morning in Maine, Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man, Homer Price and Centerburg Tales--are brought together.

FROM SARAH:

A hardcover full-color book containing Renee Graef's beautiful illustrations and Laura Ingalls Wilder's stories. These picture book versions are wonderfully true to the novels they're based on. Worth reading again and again.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The Little House series introduced generations of readers to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life on the frontier. Now with this illustrated storybook collection, the youngest readers can share in her world as well.

Laura Ingalls lives in a snug little log cabin with her ma, her pa, her sisters, Mary and Carrie, and their dog, Jack. Almanzo Wilder lives on a farm with his family and lots of animals. These pioneer children have all sorts of adventures, including trips to town, county fairs, cozy winter days, and holidays with family.

The six stories included in this treasury were originally published as stand-alone picture books: A Little Prairie House, Going to Town, County Fair, Sugar Snow, Winter Days in the Big Woods, and Christmas in the Big Woods.

**Description from Amazon: Readers today are still fascinated by “Nat,? an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard. Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor?s world—Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn?t promise to have the makings of a sailo...

FROM SARAH:

First read A Wrinkle in Time. Then read this one. They aren't the same at all, but you'll understand once you do it! :) Best for ages 12+.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Shortly after a fall-out with her best friend, sixth grader Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes. It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that is the case, then Miranda has a big problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die...

**Description from Amazon: In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery:...

**Description from Amazon: Generations of children have fallen in love with Horton the elephant!  “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. . . . An elephant’s faithful, one hundred per cent!” Horton is kind and trustworthy, but unfortunately, the lazy bird Mayzie takes advantage of his good nature when she leaves...

**Description from Amazon: In an ancient Arab nation, one woman dares to be different.Buran cannot -- Buran will not-sit quietly at home and wait to be married to the man her father chooses. Determined to use her skills and earn a fortune, she instead disguises herself as a boy and travels by camel caravan to a distant city. ...

Available on audio (Audible I Libro.FM).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Long ago in London Town, at a time when the muffin man's cries began the day and the lamplighter ushered in the night, two young orphans lived together in the bleak, cold shelter of a public workhouse.

Lucy Wolcott and her little sister Glory have no one in the world but each other. Every day, they labor from dawn to dusk stitching blankets and sacks. There is scant little to eat and the nights are cold and damp. The only ray of light in their lives comes from the stories that Lucy invents, stories about a family she barely remembers, and a lot doll named Morning Glory who, Lucy promises, is destined to return to them someday.

Available on audio (Audible).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Christmas has been canceled in the town of Gloomsbury, and something must be done. So the Prince and Princess of Gingerbread attempt to save the day in this fun-filled holiday classic, written by Tim Raglin and Eric Metaxas and read by Susan Saint James.

Available on audio (Audible).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Fluff is the smallest and weakest of the farm kittens, but she surprises everyone with her strength and spirit. Ella falls in love with Fluff straight away, but Ella's mother won't let her have a cat. What happens to kittens that nobody wants?

FROM SARAH:

A sweet story with gentle text and charming illustrations.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

A nativity play that tells the real Christmas story! Told to you by those who saw it--a donkey, a star and some shepherds. Based on the best-selling audiobook, "A Christmas Surprise," this script is designed to capture young minds with the nativity story.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Christmas has come, and with it a sparkling white winterfrost over the countryside. But 12-year-old Bettina's parents have been called away unexpectedly, leaving her in charge of the house, the farm, and baby Pia. In all the confusion, Bettina's family neglects to set out the traditional bowl of Christmas rice pudding for the tiny nisse who are rumored to look after the family and their livestock. No one besides her grandfather ever believed the nisse were real, so what harm could there be in forgetting this silly custom? But when baby Pia disappears during a nap, the magic of the nisse makes itself known. To find her sister and set things right, Bettina must venture into the miniature world of these usually helpful, but sometimes mischievous folk. A delightful winter adventure for lovers of the legendary and miraculous.

Available on audio (Audible I Libro.FM).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

A rescued beagle and his boy owner seek love and understanding for their troubled small town in this holiday companion to the Newbery Medal-winning Shiloh from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

Available on audio (Audible I Libro.FM).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

P. L. Travers wrote with a signature blend of sugar and spice; her characters, including Mary Poppins, are endearing, outsized, and cozy. Her talent for capturing the perspective of children shines through Aunt Sass Christmas Stories.

Each of the stories in this audiobook was written as a holiday gift, sent to her friends and family and never published. Now her millions of readers and listeners and generations of filmgoers will recognize how she used her life story to inform her fiction. Whether it is Aunt Sass herself - who Travers admits is partly her inspiration for Poppins - or the Chinese cook whose "heathen" ways show the narrator the path to salvation or the crass ex-jockey whose life work is not at all what it appears, the characters are unforgettable

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Blackstone Audio presents another of its popular collections of childhood classics read by celebrity narrators. This time all the stories are centered around Christmas. Included are "The Little Match Girl" read by Robby Benson, "Waldo, Tell Me about Christmas" read by Ralph Waite, "Santasaurus" read by Jonathan Winters, "The History of Christmas" read by Jack Lemmon, "The Gift of the Magi" read by Dudley Moore, and "Miracle on 34th Street" read by Carl Reiner.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Morgan Freeman narrates this poignant retelling of the Nativity, weaving together the gospels of Matthew and Luke as it follows Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem, culminating in the touching events surrounding the birth of Jesus. An awe-inspiring musical score by The Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford, captures all the power and beauty of the very first Christmas.

Available on audio (Audible I Libro.FM).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Christmas is coming! Bells jingle, sleds dash through the snow, trees are topped with sparkling stars, and children everywhere dream of candy canes and presents. But the best gift of all - the most magical gift of the season - is when we spend Christmas with those we love.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The fourth book in Arthur Ransome's classic series for children, Winter Holiday takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker, and fearsome Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett to the North Pole. Joined by budding novelist Dorethes Callum and her scientist brother Dick, the children plan an "Arctic" expedition. But unforseen events seperate the travelers and disaster nearly strikes in the exciting climax of their race to the Pole.

Available on audio (Audible I Libro.FM).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

For more than twenty years, the children of J.R.R. Tolkien received letters from the North Pole -- from Father Christmas himself! They told wonderful stories of mischief and disaster, adventures and battles: how the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place, how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house, and many others.

FROM SARAH:

A delightful audio collection that brings together some of the best-loved Christmas stories, great for cozy evenings by the fire or long  car rides.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Here is a collection of some of the best-loved Christmas stories from around the world, accompanied by the magical singing of the Cardigan Choir school.

Of especially naughty children, it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves." The Incorrigible children actually were. Thanks to the efforts of Miss Penelope Lumley, their plucky governess, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf pups now. They are ac...

Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration - Female, 2013Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves." The Incorrigible children actually were. Since returning from London, the three Incorrigible children and their plucky governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, have ...

Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves." The Incorrigible children actually were. Turning 16 is a bittersweet occasion for Miss Penelope Lumley: Her parents remain disappointingly absent, and her perfectly nice young playwright friend, Simon Harley...

**Description from Amazon: From iconic award-winning and NY Times bestselling children's author of more than 350 books, Jane Yolen, and award-winning illustrator, Bob Marstall, On Bird Hill is a wonderful new picture book created in collaboration with the esteemed Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the world authority on birds. On B...

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

From the hoot of an owl to the horns of the city, from children giggling in the bath to the hushed notes of a lullaby, here is an exquisite anthology that captures the universal poetry of bedtime. Expertly gathered by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters, these sixty poems range from old favorite poets such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Sylvia Plath, and Eleanor Farjeon to beloved contemporary poets like Marilyn Singer, Lee Bennett Hopkins, and Children’s Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman. Beautifully illustrated by G. Brian Karas with richness and whimsy, Switching on the Moon is the perfect book to share with a child to usher in a night of sweet dreams.

**Description from Amazon: Elsie is a city girl. She loves the noise of the cobbled streets of Boston. But when her mother dies and her father moves them to the faraway prairies of Nebraska, Elsie hears only the silence, and she feels alone in the wide sea of grass. Her only comfort is her canary, Timmy Tune. But when Timmy f...

FROM SARAH:

A warm and inviting audio narration of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

An illuminating reading of the greatest Christmas classic ever written: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Narrated by Chandler Craig.

Also available on audio (Audible I Libro.FM).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The holidays are upon us, and this year Audible is very happy to present to our members one of Charles Dickens’ most popular Christmas stories, The Cricket on the Hearth. This holiday classic (original subtitle: “A Fairy Tale of Home”) tells the innocent, picturesque, and charming story of a poor family and their would-be guardian angel; in short, a delightful vision of Victorian Christmas. As always, a great story calls for a great voice, so we’ve brought in legendary actor and record-breaking Audie and Grammy award-winning narrator Jim Dale (The Night Circus). Happy holidays and happy listening!

FROM SARAH:

Ideal to listen to on car rides, during gift-wrapping sessions, or while washing up the dishes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

All of your favorite Christmas stories in one fantastic collection. From heartfelt stories such as O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" to tales of mystery from G. K. Chesterton and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island, angry Louise reveals how Caroline has robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampers Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) begins to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who has mysteriously returned after fifty years.

The war unexpectedly gives this independent girl a chance to fulfill her dream to work on the water alongside her father. But the dream does not satisfy the woman she is becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise begins to fight her way to a place for herself outside her sister's shadow. But in order to do that, she must first figure out who she is...

**Description from Amazon: A collection of essays relating to the author's experience as a writer of novels for children, and her ideas on children's literature in general.

**Description from Amazon: Who is the man called Sabura, the mysterious bandit who robs the rich and helps the poor? And what is his connection with Yosida, the harsh and ill- tempered master of feudal Japan's most famous puppet theater? Young Jiro, an apprentice to Yosida, is determined to find out, even at risk to his own l...

**Description from Amazon: Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction They tell Jip he tumbled off the back of a wagon when he was small, and no one ever came back for him. He never had a reason to question this tale--but then a stranger shows up and begins asking about him around town. Who is this man, and could...

**Description from Amazon: In an engrossing historical novel, the Newbery Medal-winning author of Bridge to Terabithia follows a young Cuban teenager as she volunteers for Fidel Castro's national literacy campaign and travels into the impoverished countryside to teach others how to read.When thirteen-year-old Lora tells her p...

**Description from Amazon: Boys and their communities are challenged today in ways they have not been before. Dr. Michael Gurian has studied and served children and their families for thirty years. His The Wonder of Boys (1996), is credited with sparking the "boys’ movement." In Saving Our Sons, he features the latest resea...

**Description from Amazon: "THE WONDER OF BOYS is a provocative book that electrifies the debate over how this nation raises sons." — USA Today In this insightful and practical book, Michael Durian describes what boys need to become strong, responsible, sensitive men. Instead of encouraging us to stifle boys' natural prop...

**Description from Amazon: A revolutionary approach to raising girls that combines groundbreaking research with practical parenting advice.In The Wonder of Girls, as in its predecessor, The Wonder of Boys, Michael Gurian presents radical and enlightening views of parenting. Using as his springboard up-to-date scientific resea...

**Description from Amazon: A thoroughly revised edition of the classic resource for understanding gender differences in the classroom In this profoundly significant book, author Michael Durian has revised and updated his groundbreaking book that clearly demonstrated how the distinction in hard-wiring and socialized gender dif...

**Description from Amazon: In an annotated list including movies such as High Noon and Glory, and books such as The Giving Tree and To Kill a Mockingbird, therapist and educator Durian highlights the particular ethical lessons two hundred great stories can impart to boys and young men.

**Description from Amazon: From Michael Durian, the best-selling author of The Minds of Boys and The Wonder of Girls, comes the next-step book that shows how any parent can tune into a child’s unique core personality, hard wiring, temperament, and genetic predisposition in order to help that child flourish and thrive. Based...

**Description from Amazon: Shawn McDaniel's life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle—he can't even move his eyes. For all Shawn's father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release. And as long as he is unable to communicate his t...

The Citadel stands unconquered as the last great summit of the Alps. Only one man has ever dared to approach the top—Rudi Matt's father. At sixteen, Rudi is determined to pay tribute to the man he never knew, and complete the quest that claimed his father's life...

FROM SARAH:

My husband has read this book aloud to all of our kids (modifying a little here and there as needed, depending on our kids' ages and maturity). I think it's best for ages 10+.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared—and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor.Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes...

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre has dazzled generations of readers with its depiction of a woman's quest for freedom. Having grown up an orphan in the home of her cruel aunt and at a harsh charity school, Jane Eyre becomes an independent and spirited survivor-qualities that serve her well as governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him whatever the consequences or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving her beloved?

FROM SARAH:

This is, perhaps, the book I've read more than any other. It's my favorite high school read-aloud (actually, we prefer it on audio). I get something new from it every time I read it. It's my favorite of everything C.S. Lewis wrote... and that's saying something! 😍 Recommended for ages 15+ for the best impact.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old Devil to his nephew, Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man.

Recommended for ages 12+.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

It’s the spring of 1944 and fifteen-year-olds Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders have lived five blocks apart all their lives. But they’ve never met, not until the day an accident at a softball game sparks an unlikely friendship. Soon these two boys—one expected to become a Hasidic rebbe, the other at ease with secular America—are drawn into one another’s worlds despite a father’s strong opposition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

Both astonishing and prophetic, The Abolition of Man is one of the most debated of Lewis’s extraordinary works. National Review chose it as number seven on their "100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century."

NARRATED BY: John Lee, BEST FOR AGES: 10+

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The baker, Van Amsterdam is known in Colonial America for baking his St. Nicholas cookies; however, his greed drives him to become stingy in his business, selling people short of quality cookies. Until one day, when a strange, old woman buys a dozen cookies from him.

She expects to receive 13, but the baker withholds the last one. Unbeknownst to the baker, the woman curses the baker, and his business goes downhill. The woman returns for another dozen cookies, but this time he gives her an extra measure. This is the story behind a "baker's dozen," and the custom of offering 13 items instead of the usual 12, spreads throughout the colonies. The baker learns that his customers respect him more for his kindness, not his wealth.

This holiday story is the perfect companion to a day of cookie making and Christmas lessons about giving and humbleness. In addition, readers will learn the importance of fairness, trustworthiness and selflessness.

**Description from Amazon: Abigail Thaddeus is aware of her borderline geek status--which only keeps her secretly yearning for a life of fame and adventure. But as an eighth-grader in the tiny town of Westbrook, tucked away in her grandparents' ramshackle old mansion, her chances for glory are slim. That is, until she discove...

**Description from Amazon: Famed adult fiction writers team up with their children and grandchildren to create a collection of thirteen creepy and scary stories

This one probably isn't for your kids-- just for you. I've lost track of how many times I've read it, but every time I get it out, I feel re-inspired to live my creative best. Highly recommended.

FROM SARAH:

On a moonlit night in the segregated south, Stella and her little brother see something they’re never supposed to see, something that is the first flicker of change to come— unwelcome change. This story will leave you and your kids with an inspired sense of hope and wonder. (Make sure your kids are ready to hear about the Ku Klux Klan before starting this one. There's nothing graphic, but it's intense.)

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Stella lives in the segregated South--in Bumblebee, North Carolina, to be exact about it. Some stores she can go into. Some stores she can't. Some folks are right pleasant. Others are a lot less so. To Stella, it sort of evens out, and heck, the Klan hasn't bothered them for years. But one late night, later than she should ever be up, much less wandering around outside, Stella and her little brother see something they're never supposed to see...

This one has my vote for the 2017 Caldecott. A work of art, and a picture book that will leave you with fresh hope and eyes wide open to the beauty that surrounds you everyday.

FROM SARAH:

I'm a new fan of Kyo Maclear's, and this book is one of the reasons why! My kids love hearing it read aloud before bedtime, and I'm always happy to oblige. The magic of winter is told through beautiful text and illustrations that make you want to stare a little longer than necessary.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Charles wants to find a wish tree. His brother and sister don't believe there is such a thing, but his trusty companion Boggan is ready to join Charles on a journey to find out. And along the way, they discover that wishes can come true in the most unexpected ways. The poetic text and heartwarming illustrations evoke the true essence of the holiday season and will inspire wishers everywhere. This gem of a book deserves center stage year round.

FROM SARAH

I'm just going to say it: I have no idea why my kids and I love this book so much, but we do. It's a favorite every time I read it aloud, and we usually get to the end and then start it all over again. Ben Hatke's illustrations are hilarious!

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Goblin, a cheerful little homebody, lives in a cosy, rat-infested dungeon, with his only friend, Skeleton. But one day, a gang of "heroic" adventurers bursts in. These marauders trash the place, steal all the treasure, and make off with Skeleton―leaving Goblin all alone!

It's up to Goblin to save the day.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The moms in the book are superheroes. They may not leap over tall buildings, and they may not have super-human speed. But these moms construct buildings, fly planes, and make tanks roll. They do all kinds of things to help create a safer world. These superheroes are moms. Military moms. Hero moms.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
A boy compares his father, a U.S. soldier, to a superhero.