Early Learning (0-5)
Rainy Day Reads
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Hello, Rain!
A picture book celebrating all the reasons to love the rain! Flowers bloom in the garden. Umbrellas bloom on the streets. There are puddles for jumping and, later, a cozy home for hot chocolate and books.
* The ultimate rainy day read!
* Full of bright, eye-catching illustrations
* From international acclaimed writer Kyo Maclear and printmaker Chris Turnham
The air is full of waiting. The sky is full of breeze. The trees gust and billow. All before it rains.
Rumble, rumble. Distant thunder. Rain is coming, rain is coming.
No matter what kind of weather you prefer, Hello, Rain! is a great reminder of the natural beauty all around us.
* Children's books for kids age 3-5
* Great read aloud picture book
* Ideal for nature lovers -
Float
A boy’s small paper boat—and his large imagination—fill the pages of this wordless picture book, a modern-day classic from the creator of Pardon Me! that includes endpaper instructions for building a boat of your own.
A little boy takes a boat made of newspaper out for a rainy-day adventure. The boy and his boat dance in the downpour and play in the puddles, but when the boy sends his boat floating down a gutter stream, it quickly gets away from him.
So of course the little boy goes on the hunt for his beloved boat—and when the rain lets up, he finds himself on a new adventure altogether.
This seemingly simply story from Daniel Miyares is enriched with incredible depth and texture that transcend words. -
The Rain Came Down
An unexpected rain shower causes quarreling among the members of a small community.
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Rain Before Rainbows
For anyone going through a difficult passage, this uplifting, beautifully illustrated picture book is about finding optimism in the darkest of places.
Rain before rainbows, clouds before sun,
night before daybreak—a new day’s begun.
In this heartfelt story about courage, change, and moving on, a girl and her companion fox travel together away from a sorrowful past, through challenging and stormy times, toward color and light and life. Along the way they find friends to guide and support them, and when the new day dawns, it is full of promise. With gorgeous, richly realized illustrations and immense hope at its heart, Rain Before Rainbows holds out a ray of sunshine for anyone looking for light. -
Sometimes Rain
Celebrate the four seasons of the year and all of the fun that comes with them with this lyrical, rhyming picture book from the author of I Heart You.
Sometimes it rains, sometimes it snows, sometimes the sun shines, and sometimes the trees change color. But no matter what the seasons bring, there is lots of fun to be had! This lyrical exploration of the four seasons and all of the wonder that they bring is illustrated with vibrant watercolors. -
Rain!
One rainy day in the city, an eager little boy exclaims, "Rain!" Across town a grumpy man grumbles, "Rain." In this endearing picture book, a rainy-day cityscape comes to life in vibrant, cut-paper-style artwork. The boy in his green frog hat splashes in puddles--"Hoppy, hoppy, hoppy!"--while the old man curses the "dang puddles." Can the boy's natural exuberance (and perhaps a cookie) cheer up the grouchy gentleman and turn the day around?
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Rain
From Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant comes a vibrantly illustrated, poetic picture book tribute to the beauty and magic of a rainy day.
There is a softness and a quiet before the rain comes…
When rain is on its way, some people and animals hurry home and get cozy inside. But others stay out to soak up the glorious showers! Wet drops bounce on leaves and roofs, creeks fill up, trees take a shower, cats have a show, and everyone relishes the rain.
With lyrical words by award-winning author Cynthia Rylant and vibrant pictures by celebrated artist Lisa Congdon, this evocative picture book shows that rain is good for everyone. -
The Sneetches and Other Stories
An iconic collection of original stories from Dr. Seuss that includes the official versions of "The Sneetches," "The Zax," "Too Many Daves," and "What Was I Scared Of?" This is a beloved classic that deserves a place in every child’s library—from the bestselling author of Horton Hears a Who!, The Lorax, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
The Sneetches got really quite smart on that day,
The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
The original collection includes the only complete versions of the following entertaining and insightful tales:
"The Sneetches": The Star-Belly Sneetches and the Plain-Belly Sneetches learn to overcome their differences.
"The Zax": When a North-Going Zax encounters a South-Going Zax traveling in the opposite direction, will their refusal to budge keep them both from going anywhere?
"Too Many Daves": A mother who names all twenty-three of her sons “Dave” learns too late that a little individuality is a good thing!
"What Was I Scared Of?": This delightfully silly story about a spooky pair of empty green pants delivers an important message about fear and tolerance.
In these four timeless stories, Dr. Seuss challenges the assumption that we need to look the same or behave the same to find common ground. Filled with Dr. Seuss's signature rhymes and lively humor, this classic story collection is a must-have for readers of all ages, and is ideal for sparking discussions about tolerance, diversity, and acceptance. -
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Illus. in full color. "Don't be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it's not 'Climb Every Mountain, ' kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss' familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two-page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss' message is simple but never sappy: life may be a 'Great Balancing Act, ' but through it all 'There's fun to be done.'"--(starred) "Booklist.
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The King's Stilts
Dr. Seuss's classic treatise on the importance of a balanced life!
A Seussian spin on a conventional fairy tale, The King's Stilts is as topical today as when it was first published in 1939. It's the story of a devoted king who works hard and plays hard—and whose entire kingdom is threatened when his beloved stilts are stolen and he is too distraught to do his job. Written in prose instead of rhyme (unlike Seuss's later works), The King's Stilts nevertheless addresses subjects that we know Dr. Seuss was passionate about throughout his life: duty (as in Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches the Egg); the abuse of power (as in The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Yertle the Turtle); deceit (as in The Bippolo Seed and How the Grinch Stole Christmas)--and even cats (as in The Cat in the Hat and I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today)! Follow the Good Doctor's advice: After a hard day of work, have fun with a great book like The King's Stilts!
Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Children Poetry Just for You!
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The Dream Train: Poems for Bedtime
A dreamy treasure trove of thirty bedtime poems to snuggle over together—and return to night after night
When night arrives and the birds swoop home to nest, it’s time to have a bath, put on pajamas, brush teeth, and settle in for sleep. This soothing collection of Sean Taylor’s original verse and rhyme for the very young explores the ritual of bedtime with warmth, tenderness, and gentle humor. Thirty poems in many styles, from shape poems to free verse to ballad poems, are divided into three sections. From sleepy bats to dreaming ducks, from a favorite blanket to the chugga! chugga! of a dream train coming down the tracks, these imaginative variations on a timeless theme—brought to life in soft, shimmering illustrations—resonate with pure emotion, inviting sleepyheads of every stripe to indulge in sweet dreams. -
How to Write a Poem
In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world around you.
Begin
with a question
like an acorn
waiting for spring.
From this first stanza, readers are invited to pay attention--and to see that paying attention itself is poetry. Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido's playful text and Melissa Sweet's dynamic, inventive artwork are paired together to encourage readers to listen, feel, and discover the words that dance in the world around them--poems just waiting to be written down.
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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
The 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
A Newbery Medalist and a Caldecott Honoree’s New York Times best-selling ode to poets who have sparked a sense of wonder.
Out of gratitude for the poet’s art form, Newbery Award–winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present original poems that pay homage to twenty famed poets who have made the authors’ hearts sing and their minds wonder. Stunning mixed-media images by Ekua Holmes, winner of a Caldecott Honor and a John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, complete the celebration and invite the reader to listen, wonder, and perhaps even pick up a pen. -
My Grandma Is the Best!
From the best-selling author of the Here I Come! series, this collection of poems makes a perfect gift for grandmas, abuelas, and bubbes everywhere.
"A mirror that captures love and reflects it back to its source—a devoted grandmother."—Kirkus Reviews
Children can celebrate their grandma with this illustrated collection of short poems -- one to a page -- that honors the memories and experiences with the woman they know and love. From playing Doctor with Grandma to sitting on her lap to read a favorite story, this gift book from the best-selling author of the Here I Come! series is perfect for any grandmother. -
My Grandpa Is the Best!
From the best-selling author of the Here I Come! series, this collection of poems makes a perfect gift for grandpas, abuelos, and zaydes everywhere.
Children can celebrate their grandpa with this illustrated collection of short poems – one to a page – that honors the memories and experiences with the man they know and love. From planting seeds in the garden with Grandpa to reading favorite books together again and again, this gift book from the best-selling author of the Here I Come! series is perfect for any grandfather. -
A Poem Grows Inside You
Recipient of the 2023 Lee Bennett Hopkins Award honor award.
We all hold the seed of something wonderful inside us, just waiting for the right moment to bloom. In A Poem Grows Inside You, the seed of an idea waits for the rhythm of the rainfall to awaken it, then takes root and begins to grow. At once a celebration of the deep connection creatives have with their art and an acknowledgement of the courage it takes to let it into the sun, this beautifully illustrated picture book encourages readers to nurture their talents and boldly share them with the world. -
Remember
US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s iconic poem "Remember," illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade, invites young readers to pause and reflect on the wonder of the world around them, and to remember the importance of their place in it.
Remember the sky you were born under,
Know each of the star's stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun's birth at dawn,
That is the strongest point of time.
So begins the picture book adaptation of the renowned poem that encourages young readers to reflect on family, nature, and their heritage. In simple and direct language, Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke Nation, urges readers to pay close attention to who they are, the world they were born into, and how all inhabitants on earth are connected. Michaela Goade, drawing from her Tlingit culture, has created vivid illustrations that make the words come alive in an engaging and accessible way.
This timeless poem paired with magnificent paintings makes for a picture book that is a true celebration of life and our human role within it. -
Free at Last
This lyrical celebration of Juneteenth, deeply rooted in Black American history, spans centuries and reverberates loudly and proudly today.
After 300 years of forced bondage;
hands bound, descendants of Africa
picked up their souls--all that they owned--
leaving shackles where they fell on the ground,
headed for the nearest resting place to be found.Deeply emotional, evocative free verse by poet and activist Sojourner Kincaid Rolle traces the solemnity and celebration of Juneteenth from its 1865 origins in Galveston, Texas to contemporary observances all over the United States. This is an ode to the strength of Black Americans and a call to remember and honor a holiday whose importance reverberates far beyond the borders of Texas.
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In the Tall, Tall Grass
Rhymed text (crunch, munch, caterpillars lunch) presents a toddler's view of creatures found in the grass from lunchtime till nightfall, such as bees, ants, and moles.
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No More Poems!
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Rhett Miller teams up with Caldecott Medalist and bestselling artist Dan Santat in a riotous collection of irreverent poems for modern families.
In the tradition of Shel Silverstein, these poems bring a fresh new twist to the classic dilemmas of childhood as well as a perceptive eye to the foibles of modern family life. Full of clever wordplay and bright visual gags--and toilet humor to spare--these twenty-three rhyming poems make for an ideal read-aloud experience.
Taking on the subjects of a bullying baseball coach and annoying little brothers with equally sly humor, renowned lyricist Rhett Miller's clever verses will have the whole family cackling. -
Step Gently Out
Stunning close-up photography and a lyrical text implore children to look more closely at the world around them.
Be still, and watch a single blade of grass.
An ant climbs up to look around.
A honeybee flies past.
What would happen if you walked very, very quietly and looked ever so carefully at the natural world outside? You might see a cricket leap, a moth spread her wings, or a spider step across a silken web. In simple, evocative language, Helen Frost offers a hint at the many tiny creatures around us. And in astonishing close-up photographs, Rick Lieder captures the glint of a katydid's eye, the glow of a firefly, and many more living wonders just awaiting discovery. Fascinating facts about all the creatures pictured may be found at the end. -
Something Fishy
This collaboration between Barry Louis Polisar and illustrator David Clark is a long awaited sequel to Barry's three earlier collections of poems, Peculiar Zoo, Curious Creatures and Insect Soup. This time the poems are about creatures that live in-or by-the water and many of the poems work on multiple levels. Polisar writes about everything from the Pot Bellied Sea Horse to the Sweetlips Fish; the poems are smart and fun. The book ends with a delightful homage to one of Gerard Manley Hopkins poems and the artwork by David Clark is done in vivid colors that seem to jump right off the page. Through The Looking Glass Children's Book Review said these "well-crafted poems and illustrations make this book a must" and Pen Pals & Picture Books wrote "the poems are clever and delightful, the illustrations are expressive and hilarious."
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Girls and Boys Come Out to Play
Mother Goose herself invites kids to come out to play with all their favorite nursery rhyme characters in this popular Mother Goose rhyme.
Girls and boys, come out to play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day.
Parents looking for bedtime stories with a fresh twist on a familiar nursery rhyme need look no further. Using the popular Girls and Boys Come Out to Play Mother Goose poem as a backdrop, illustrator Tracey Campbell Pearson spins an exciting visual narrative in which Mother Goose invites children on a city block to come out and play, taking them on a moonlit adventure in verse. Young readers will love pouring over Tracey's richly detailed artwork full of diverse kids, animals, and beloved nursery rhyme characters, including Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, and Old King Cole. After the fun is over, Mother Goose leads everyone home to sleep snug in their beds -
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
All around the world, from the sleeping city to the icy pole, baby animals and their parents share the wonder of a twinkling star.Sparkle, sparkle, little star,
how I wonder what you are.
Peeking through the silent trees,
high above the deep blue seas . . .
On a beautiful night an owl sings to his owlet, a deer to her fawn, a whale to her calf. Animal parents all over the world sing this lullaby to their young, celebrating parents' love for their children. Jane Cabrera's handsomely painted full-sized picture book is perfect for story hours or sharing at bedtime.
Jane Cabrera's Story Time celebrates children's best-loved read along nursery rhymes and songs. These interactive favorites are given a new twist by award-winning artist Jane Cabrera and feature her bold, bright, kid-friendly illustrations. Other titles in the series include Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, If You're Happy and You Know It, and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe. -
Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo and Flo!
The mission: catch a tiger by the toe.
The team: brothers Eeny, Meeny, Miney,
and Mo.
But what about little sister Flo? Can't she help, too?
Join these mischievous mice for a rollicking twist on a familiar nursery rhyme.
Just be sure to watch your toes
Resources for Early Learning
Bright By Text
![Bright By Text logo](/sites/default/files/styles/db_image_style/public/2022-03/bbtlogo.png?itok=kCrmkx9J)
Idaho Public Television (IdahoPTV) has teamed up with Bright by Text to send free activities, games, and resources right to your cell phone. Messages are targeted to your child’s age and include information on child development, language and early literacy, health and safety, behavioral tips, and more.
Kanopy Kids
Libby, by OverDrive
![Libby logo](/sites/default/files/styles/db_image_style/public/2022-04/LibbyLockedLogo_H.png?itok=61n4L1Pt)