Mrs. Hlavaty's Favorites

To help with your selection, I have coded the books for appropriate age level:

*  (age Preschool-gr. 3)   +  (everybody)    #   (chapter book-gr. 3+)    %   (gr. 4-5)

* Max's Dragon (Kate Banks): Max is looking for words that rhyme.  His dragon is in his wagon - or was, for now its tail has left a trail, which Max follows.  A follow up to her award-winning Max's Words.

* The Pout-Pout Fish (Deborah Diesen): Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny.  I love the pictures, and if the cover doesn't get you, the playful rhyming text will.

+ How I Learned Geography (Uri Shulevitz): This Caldecott Medal winning artist's most personal work to date is based on his childhood memories of World War II and features stunning illustrations that celebrate the power of imagination.  Really amazing.

+ Owney, the Mail-Pouch Pooch (Mona Kerby): Pen and watercolor illustrations bring this delightful true story of a special dog to life.  The real Owney can be seen in the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum!