#20-16 | #15-11 | #10-6 | #5-1 5. Oh, No! by Candace Fleming; illustrated by Eric Rohmann [Schwartz & Wade | Grades PreK-2] Click here for additional resources from Watch. Connect. Read. Can a librarian tell you about an outstanding picture book by answering eight important questions? Oh, yes! Q1: Does it star a brave frog, a mean tiger, a helpful […]

#20-16 | #15-11 | #10-6 | #5-1 10. Step Gently Out by Helen Frost; photographs by Rick Leider [Candlewick Press | Grades PreK-2] Click here for additional resources from Watch. Connect. Read. It’s all deceptively simple. A spare, beautiful poem about noticing your surroundings, combined with remarkable images. While photography often strives for accuracy above all, Leider makes beauty his first […]

  #20-16 | #15-11 | #10-6 | #5-1 15. Island: A Story of the Galápagos by Jason Chin [Roaring Brook Press | Grades K-4] Click here for additional resources from Watch. Connect. Read. In an explain-off, my money’s on Jason Chin. In each of his three releases to date, Chin takes the complex and makes it engaging for young readers. Island […]

For the past few weeks, fellow elementary school librarian John Schumacher (he of Watch. Connect. Read.) and I have been busy preparing our annual Top 20 Books time capsule. You should see the size of the hole we had to dig. Looking back on 2012, these are the books we love. The books we love […]