Recommended Reads from the Children's Collection @ the Education Library

Every year, Delphine Denise Debreaux and her friends ride their bikes together in the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade. But this year, there's a shiny prize for best float--and Delphine Denise just has to win it. How can her friends remind Delphine Denise what the parade is really all about?

It's almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There's just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner - not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving - what will her teacher and the other kids think?

One snowy night, a fox loses its way, entering a village. Chased away by the grown ups, Fox takes shelter in a greenhouse. A little boy sees this from his window. Without hesitating, he brings a basket of food to the greenhouse, where he leaves it for the fox. His gift is noticed and the night becomes a garden of new life, nourished by compassion and kindness.

When Papa sends Miguel a turkey to fatten up for Thanksgiving, the two end up becoming best friends.

It's Chinese New Year and Grandma has a special present for her family: a rooster to make into delicious soup! But when her granddaughter, Xiaoyue, meets the rooster, she begs to keep him as a pet. Together, Grandma and Xiaoyue take the rooster on a journey through the city to ring in the New Year.

Hanukkah in Alaska is unlike anywhere else. Snow piles up over the windows. Daylight is only five hours long. And one girl finds a moose camped out in her backyard, right near her favorite blue swing. She tries everything to lure it away: apples, carrots, even cookies. But it just keeps eating more tree! It's not until the last night of Hanukkah that a familiar Jewish holiday tradition provides the perfect-and surprising-solution.

A traveler rids a village synagogue of goblins by outwitting them.

After the police come, a family is forced to flee their Caribbean island and set sail for America in a small fishing boat.

This collection of poems invites young readers to celebrate winter at the seashore, in San Francisco and in the redwood forests of the Sierras.

Winter comes to Kitten's world, and the little calico leaves her cozy home for an afternoon of exploration and discovery. Kitten learns that even on a frosty day, animal life flourishes. At the same time, readers discover that for many animals, winter is a time of rest. Told in rhyming couplets, Kitten's Winter is a perfect introduction to animal behavior and habitats.

A lemonade stand in winter? Yes, that's exactly what Pauline and John-John intend to have, selling lemonade and limeade--and also lemon-limeade. With a catchy refrain, plus simple math concepts throughout, here is a read-aloud that's great for storytime and classroom use.

There once was an owl who lived in a tree. Until one day her home was uprooted and she was taken far away from what she knew. Follow Rockefeller ("Rocky") the owl as she journeys to the bustling center of New York City and she's discovered among the branches of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. With human kindness and a dash of holiday spirit, can this brave little owl find a new home?

Every child feels different in some way, but Thuy feels "double different." She is Vietnamese American and she has two moms. Thuy walks home one winter afternoon, angry and lonely after a bully's taunts. Mimicking the footprints of each creature in the snow, she makes her way home to the arms of her moms. Together, the three of them imagine beautiful and powerful creatures who always have courage - just like Thuy.

Little Maomao's father works in faraway places and comes home just once a year, for Chinese New Year. At first Maomao barely recognizes him, but before long the family is happily making sticky rice balls, listening to firecrackers, and watching the dragon dance in the streets below. But all too soon it is time for Papa to go away again.

In an African village live seven brothers who make family life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unusual will: by sundown the brothers must make gold out of seven spools of colored thread. If they fail, they will be left with no inheritance and turned out as beggars.Using the Nguzo Saba, or "seven principles", of Kwanzaa, Angela Shelf Medearis has written an unforgettable story that demonstrates how family members can pull together, for their own good and the good of the entire community.

A wordless story. A little boy rushes out into the wintry day to build a snowman, which comes alive in his dreams that night. The experience is one that neither he nor young 'readers' will ever regret or forget.

Illustrations of wintry scenes accompany each line of the well-known poem.

It is the winter of 1929, and cousins Hildamar and Santiago have just moved to enormous, chilly New York from their native Puerto Rico. As Three Kings' Day approaches, Hildamar and Santiago mourn the loss of their sunny home and wonder about their future in their adopted city. But when a storyteller and librarian named Pura Belpre arrives in their classroom, the children begin to understand just what a library can mean to a community.

As the seasons change, there are fatter caterpillars, thicker corn husks, and brighter fall leaves, predicting a hard, cold winter.

Winter's Tale is Robert Sabuda's most spectacular original pop-up story yet. The simple, elegant text is illustrated with breathtaking artwork and extraordinary paper engineering. Stunning visual effects of foil, glitter, and a twinkling surprise further capture the magic of winter.

In this outstanding picture book collection of poems by Joyce Sidman, discover how animals stay alive in the wintertime and learn about their secret lives happening under the snow. Paired with stunning linoleum print illustrations by Rick Allen that celebrate nature's beauty and power.

This picture book about winter celebrates the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.

In this cozy bedtime story, follow a child and his grandma through a winter landscape to explore how the Earth goes to sleep for winter. Spot the sleeping animals as the tale unfolds, then learn about their hibernation habits from the information pages at the end.

A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home? Paintings rich with feeling tell this satisfying story of friendship and trust.

As fresh and sparkling as sunlight on ice, this beautifully illustrated tale of enchantment--reminiscent of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen"--celebrates the transformative power of love in the darkest of times, the unbreakable bond between grandparent and child, and the bright promise of springtime.

Christmas always comes to Nella's house, but Santa Claus brings gifts only once in a while. That's because it's the Depression and Nella's family is poor. Even so, Nella's hoping that this year she and her two sisters will get a beautiful Baby Betty doll. On Christmas morning, the girls are beside themselves with excitement!

Christmas is Carla's favorite holiday of the year. She goes to her grandparents' house and eats grandma's special recipe--a perfectly delicious cornbread. But when Carla accidentally takes a bite out of Santa's sugar cookie, she thinks she's ruined Christmas. How will Santa know to stop at their house if they don't leave him a midnight snack? With her grandmother's help, Carla comes up with a plan, but will it be enough to save Christmas?

As Christmas approaches, all the children on the Sioux reservation look forward to receiving boxes full of clothing sent by congregations in the East. Virginia spots a beautiful gray fur coat but holds back tears as it is claimed by one of her classmates. Based on an event from the author's childhood, this picture book captures the true spirit of Christmas.

Michael and Elijah are friends, but when Elijah gives Michael one of his special carved angels, Michael doesn't know what to do. How can he possibly take home a Christmas angel, a forbidden graven image--especially on Chanukah? A strikingly illustrated story that tenderly bridges the boundaries of age, race, and religion.

This Christmas, join a young girl and her grandmother as they embark on a holiday adventure to see The Nutcracker together!

It is just before Christmas when an organ grinder and monkey appear on the street corner outside Frances's apartment. Frances can see them from her window and, sometimes, when it's quiet, she can hear their music. In fact, Frances can't stop thinking about them, especially after she sees the man and his monkey sleeping outside on the cold street at midnight. When the day of the Christmas pageant arrives, and it's Frances's turn to speak, everyone waits silently. But all Frances can think about is the organ grinder's sad eyes -- until, just in time, she finds the perfect words to share.

An enchanting Christmas story about a magical yet unlikely friendship between a little girl and a lost reindeer sure to be a Christmas classic lovingly told and illustrated with red foil highlights and interactive die cuts.

Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie's abuela teaches her not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life--one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

This classic edition of the ever-popular poem is illustrated with a mid-nineteenth-century New England setting.

As a young Japanese boy recovers from a bad chill, his mother busily folds origami paper into delicate silver cranes in preparation for the boy's very first Christmas.

This luminous illustrated songbook presents five spirituals that tell the story of the Nativity. Young readers will delight in the exquisite cast of human, animal, and heavenly creatures. The collection includes: "My Lord, What a Morning!", "Mary Had a Baby", "Go, Tell It on the Mountain", "Sister Mary Had-a But One Child", and "Behold That Star!." Simple arrangements for singing, piano and guitar and a useful note for teachers, parents, and instrumentalists are also included in this book.