Pied Piper Pics

This nighttime adventure book leads the reader on an action packed voyage. The reader travels with pirates through the sky to do battle with swords and cannons. The writer’s use of rhyming and word family words makes this a great book to read again and again.

Children ages 5-8 will enjoy the fast pace and awesome pirate pictures in this story. This is perfect if you are looking for a gentle pirate tale.

Check the WRL catalog for Pajama Pirates.

Read this delightful story to see how Hal and his little dog Billy save the day when a dinosaur shows up looking for food. This is a creative story that gives every boy and girl the power to control any situation. The illustrations in shades of green and brown are childlike in appearance and add dimension to the text. Dinosaur or Super Hero lovers will find Hal and Billy super awesome.

This book can be used with a group, one-on-one, or as the springboard to storytelling.

Check the WRL catalog for Super Hungry Dinosaur.

If you have a new baby in your house, this book is for you. It tells a sweet story of the care and love that baby Sadie is given by mom, dad and big brother Cameron. It is a gentle reminder of what every family experiences when a new bundle of joy comes into their lives. The artists frame the action with bright backgrounds that suggest quilts with scattered footprints and random letters. The mixed media collage illustrations are striking.
This book is best shared one-on-one with a new big brother or sister.

Check the WRL catalog for What a Good Big Brother.

Dazzle the Dinosaur has been a favorite among children for many years, and it still continues to be popular to this day. The story starts with a strange, shining egg being dropped into a Maiasaura nest. When the egg hatches, an unknown species of dinosaur hatches, a beautiful blue dino with a gleaming set of spines on its back. The mother Maiasaura raises the little one as her own and names him Dazzle. He grows up alongside one of the other hatchlings, Maia. Being curious young dinos, they go on many adventures together, meeting other dinosaurs, including some big, ferocious ones. When Maia shows him the cave where her herd used to live, now being inhabited by the terrifying Dragonsaur, Dazzle decides that he and Maia are going to reclaim their old home.
The lovely artwork in this book is enhanced by the shiny addition made to each page, whether it is in the form of Dazzle’s egg or his back spines. Children absolutely love the way his gleaming features stand out, which, aside from the story itself, is a big part of this book’s appeal. This story is great for sharing, and is guaranteed to dazzle both children and parents alike.

Check the WRL catalog for Dazzle the Dinosaur.

Laura Joy Rennert’s first ever picture book should not be missed. She creates a catalogue advertising dinosaurs as pets for children. She provides a cute and silly way of learning about dinos. First she dedicates whole pages to categories of the pets such as “horned,” “ginormous,” “winged,” “spiny,” and “sharp-toothed.” She uses humor to make even the fearsome T. Rex sound like an appealing pet, at least for someone willing to take on a big challenge.
Then the book lists the materials one needs to properly care for a pet dinosaur, such as food and a nice place to sleep. Rennert goes on to teach us how to train our dinos to perform fun tricks, just like a dog. She also covers topics such as feeding, bathing, vet visits, and much, much more.
To match the fun and quirky style of Rennert’s writing, beloved artist and creator of “Arthur,” Marc Brown, lends his exquisite illustrations to the book. Using a technique known as monoprinting, along with gouache, his paintings stand out and give every page larger than life coloring. Scientists say that dinosaurs used to be colorful creatures, and Marc Brown certainly must have had this in mind, because his paintings are as vibrant as can be. This beautifully illustrated and well-written story is great for sharing. It is easy for young readers, but is also good for reading to a smaller child. If you like Marc Brown’s style, then you absolutely must read this delightful book.

Check the WRL catalog for Buying, Training, & Caring for your Dinosaur.

For dinosaur-loving families, this book contains the story of a mother Maiasaura and her children. The growing process of these dinosaurs is explored in depth as we follow the babies from their first meal, walk with them as they take their first, wobbly steps, and watch as they learn how to gather their own meals of berries and leaves. We get to see first-hand what sort of dangers threaten the nest. But mother is always there to protect her young from enemies like meaner dinosaurs.
This cute story is both fun and educational. Not only does it provide a description of a Maiasaura’s life cycle, but it also shows how big these dinosaurs grow at the different stages of their lives in both metric and standard measurements. Another great aspect of this book is that it is very accessible for young readers. The dinosaurs have long, complicated names but children are able to read them aloud because pronunciations are given in parentheses. Another great educational aspect of this book is the brief entry on how paleontologists discovered the Maiasauras. It encourages young ones to pursue science in the future.
To match an excellent story, the art in this book is beautiful. Peter Barrett transports us back in time millions of years ago with his lush, green landscapes. One could almost smell the dusty dirt of the masterfully colored nesting grounds. The dinosaurs themselves look amazing, as if just by looking at these drawings, one could know what it would feel like to reach out and touch the tough hide of these giant reptiles. This book is truly a hidden treasure. Dinosaur fans will surely love it.

Check the WRL catalog for A Day in the Life of a Baby Dinosaur.

Mailman Fox discovers the wind is playful today. Letters are sent up/down, left/right, high/low, near/far, and over/under. As Fox tries to gather the scattered mail, many animals help him. On the last page, everyone gets a heart-felt “Thank you!” Each pair of opposites gets a spread. Wood’s illustrations are uncluttered and keep the concepts easy to understand.The narrative is suggested by the illustrations so encourage your child or small group of children to “read” the pictures and expand the story.

Check the WRL catalog for One Windy Day.

Author Bernard Waber has written about common family problems and the pains of growing up. Ira is invited to a sleep over but he has a dilemma…..is he going to bring his favorite teddy bear? He always sleeps with Tah Tah but wonders if he risks getting laughed at. He must choose whether to be a big kid and leave his teddy bear at home or try to look like a big kid. Ira Sleeps Over is an outstanding, read-aloud bedtime tale. It has multiple characters and children can relate to Ira’s growing-older pains. The pacing, vocabulary and freeflowing humor is great for a family read-aloud. It is a little on the long side at 48 pages, but it has easy words that make this book perfect for children 6 to 10.
The library also owns the story in a Spanish language edition with the title: Quique duerme fuera de casa.

Check the WRL catalog for Ira Sleeps Over.
Check the WRL catalog for Quique duerme fuera de casa.

The young son of the town barber opens a barber shop, imitating his father. Yes, the boy has his own barber shop…of a different sort. Once a month during the full moon, the barbershop serves only monsters. His clients include famous monsters such as Frankenstein and the Wolfman. Some monsters have lots of hair (Wolfman) and some have no hair at all (skelton). What does a barber do to a head with no hair? At the end of the night the monsters help the boy clean up all the mess they have made. The book has great illustrations and the wording is simple and funny. The monsters are very cartoonish and will not cause fright even in small children. Overall I highly recommend this book to any young child under the age of 9. It would be a perfect book for around Halloween.

Check the WRL catalog for Even Monsters Need Haircuts.