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The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker

By Susan Jeffers 40 pages Children

Danny Says

Jeffers is a wonderful illustrator, and this beautiful book would make a great holiday gift (yes, that is just around the corner; haven’t you been to Costco lately?). One of my favorite memories as an elementary school teacher was watching the enchantment on my students’ faces as I introduced them to Tchaikovsky’s wonderful ballet. This is a mandatory purchase.
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Adventures of the Sky Kids

Adventures of the Sky Kids

By Keven J. Christopherson 58 pages Children

Danny Says

Subtitled “Lost Treasure of Kolob Canyon,” this is a really easy chapter book that boys seem especially drawn to, as it deals with camping, lost treasures and Indians. This reminded me of the simple books I read when I was a cub scout growing up. Why aren’t there more books like this nowadays? I guess I am starting to sound like a reminiscent curmudgeon.
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Pinkalicious

Pinkalicious

By Victoria Kann,Elizabeth Kann 40 pages Children

Danny Says

. I have a daughter who turns four this month, and she loves anything to do with princesses and the color pink. She loves this book about a girl who eats so many pink cupcakes that she turns pink. The only cure is to eat her vegetables. This is one of the most popular books that I read aloud to students right now. A MUST purchase.
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The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z!

The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z!

By Steve Martin,Roz Chast 64 pages Children

Danny Says

I began this month’s list with a Steve Martin recommendation, and I figured I might as well push one of his children’s books. In this delightful alphabet book with illustrations offered by one of my favorite New Yorker cartoonists, Roz Chast, Martin creates zany tongue twisters to entice young readers to learn each letter of the alphabet. Terrific fun that prompts kids to beg for repeated read alouds.
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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

By Judi Barrett 32 pages Children

Danny Says

One of the most popular read alouds in any classroom or bedroom, Barrett’s delightful tale of the town of ChewandSwallow is sure to interest young children in a place where food literally falls from the sky. This should be in every home library.
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Eliza's Kindergarten Surprise

Eliza's Kindergarten Surprise

By Alice B. McGinty 34 pages Children

Danny Says

This is my four-year-old daughter’s current favorite book to read before bedtime (my wife and I always read at least five picture books before she and her brother go to sleep). A lovely story of a girl who finds different items in her school that remind her of her mother, and she constructs the items into a doll that she keeps in a pocket by her heart. A trick I use to keep my daughter interested in the story is by substituting her name (Kate) for the main character’s name (Eliza). Children tend to enjoy stories more when they read about characters with their names.
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Snoozers

Snoozers

By Sandra Boynton 18 pages Children

Danny Says

Maybe it is because I am a father of two young children, but I think Sandra Boynton is just about one of my favorite authors in the world. Her books are always wonderfully illustrated and filled with funny rhymes and mischief. I’d recommend any books Boynton writes (my children especially love Dinos to Go).
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Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy

Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy

By Matthew Reinhart 6 pages Children

Danny Says

Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda have redefined the pop-up book. Combine 40 pop-ups, Star Wars and tons of trivia and you get a book that every dad (or Star Wars geek) will treasure reading with his children. I know I do!
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Aurora and Boris Touch the Sky

Aurora and Boris Touch the Sky

By Jeff Mazurowski 22 pages Children

Danny Says

This is a sweet little book that my children enjoy. In the land of Oris, Aurora and her brother Boris fly like birds, slide down moonbeams and explore all parts of the sky…and that’s why the Northern Lights are known as the Aurora Borealis.
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Froggy's First Kiss

Froggy's First Kiss

By Jonathan London 32 pages Children

Danny Says

I have discovered that my best test audience includes my own two children, and they love this cute little book that would make a perfect read aloud for Valentine’s Day. Froggy has a crush on Frogilina, but his heart is reserved for someone else who gives him “kisses.”
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Patches' Easter Adventure

Patches' Easter Adventure

By Hans Wilhelm 32 pages Children

Danny Says

Just in time for Easter, this beautifully-illustrated and wonderfully-told tale of a forgotten toy bunny ranks among my favorite stories written by Wilhelm, who has one of my favorite websites, www.hanswilhelm.com. Go to the website and check-out the “Story Time” area, which boasts FREE downloadable FULL-TEXT and PICTURES of Wilhelm’s out-of-print books. 
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Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

By Mo Willems 48 pages Children

Danny Says

I guess I am recommending bunny books for Easter this month (is it me, or do Easter and daylight savings time get earlier every year?). Mo Willems can do no wrong, as this former Sesame Street writer is one of the top children’s book authors in America today. If you have never read one of his books, you are in for a treat (and, come on, his books take less than five minutes to read from cover to cover).
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Bunny Money

Bunny Money

By Rosemary Wells 32 pages Children

Danny Says

Rosemary Wells, please forgive me for taking so long to include you on my recommended reading list. Rosemary Wells should be REQUIRED reading, as her tales of Max and Ruby are hilarious. My kids especially love this store of Ruby and Max going into town to buy Grandma a birthday present, only to see Max squander most of Ruby’s Money on food and fake vampire teeth. I have never met a child who did not adore these books.
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The New Kid on the Block

The New Kid on the Block

By Jack Prelutsky 160 pages Children

Danny Says

I love using poetry as a way to motivate people to read, as poems tend to be shorter and less intimidating than stories to many students. One of my favorite poets is Jack Prelutsky, as his poems always bring a smile to my face. Every child loves Prelutsky, but boys especially adore him. Get anything he has ever written and you will have a happy, literate and enlightened child.
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How I Became a Pirate

How I Became a Pirate

By Melinda Long 44 pages Children

Danny Says

Illustrated by the wonderful David Shannon, this book always delights kids, as it tells the funny tale of a little boy who agrees to become a pirate as long as he can be back in time for his soccer practice. I thought of this book while watching a wonderful recent guest appearance by Tina Fey as a pirate on Sesame Street.
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