Blue Apple Books: 17 books

Here's an offbeat Balloon Toon-er about a catboy whose best friend is a sunflower named Fred. It offers a canny portrait of how kids project personalities and feelings onto toys and other objects, and conveys the undeniable satisfaction felt when making a very unexpected friend.

The embossed line running through this picture book turns itself into all kinds of things: the waves above an octopus, the veins in a leaf, the wrappings curling around a mummy, and the trapping lines of a spider web. Catchy rhyming text is brought to life by a host of creepy critters.

Some shapes roll . . . some don't. Some shapes stack . . . others won't. Some shapes lie down . . .while others stand tall. Circles, squares, and triangles, even ovals and diamonds, are endlessly and intriguingly entertaining in Steve Wilson's world. Karen Nagel's rhythmic text is brought to life by Wilson's troupe of uniquely-shaped characters.

Acclaimed author and illustrator, Jessie Hartland, beautifully presents this informative and fascinating history of the Hatshepsut sphinx: from its carving in ancient Egypt to its arrival in the hallowed halls of New York Citys Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is essential reading for junior Egyptologists!

One, two, three, four, five. My jar's like a light bulb that's just come alive. The lilting verses in this concept book chronicle a girl's capture and release of ten fireflies. Kid-readers will count up and down along with the song-like text. Interesting information about fireflies is included in the...

When Lucy is adopted from the local animal shelter, her new family thinks that they have chosen a perfect pet. And she is, right up to the minute she starts to howl, and howl, and howl some more. Treats, tricks, a soft red bed, lullabies, and even doggy therapy cannot stop her "Wah-ooo-ooo-roo!" It is...

Good night, sleepy parakeet. Good night, sleepy dog. Good night, sleepy Charlie. But wait! Charlie doesn't want to go to sleepnot all by himself in his own bed.

This science-as-entertainment book chronicles how a meteorite ended up in the American Museum of Natural History, detailing the steps that brought it from outer space, across the eastern US, to the roof of a car in Peekskill, New York, and thereafter to be verified, tested, and exhibited in the hallowed...

Smudge, the dog, is busy. He has a secret errand to run, and it isnt anybodys business. But not one of his friends not Piggie nor Fuzzie nor Scribbles nor Foggie listens to his pleas. This is a charming and disarming story about a curmudgeon who is loved in spite of himself by his faithful flock of friends.

Every kid sometimes wants to be someone else. And so, it turns out, do some cats. Kids will relate to how hard it is for each cat to try to be like the other. They'll also love the true-to-life way that, after the fur stops flying, an unexpected change occurs, making both cats happy to be just exactly who they are.

Dinosaurs and Life in Spacec'mon, what could be a funnier combination? And what a rip-snorting rocket ride it is in this three-story collection chronicling the hilarious adventures of the dino-denizens of Planet Meatball and Plant Lettuce. For kids ready to move into read-alone books, this provides perfect fuel for developing independent reading, with a galaxy of laughs to boot!

Dinosaurs roamed the earth for millions and millions of years. Museum visitors are awed by the massive creatures on display. But how did the fossils of a colossal diplodocus make the 145-million-year journey from the prehistoric plains of Utah to the Smithsonian Institution of today? Acclaimed author...

Louie loves watching his young master paint, and when the boy puts his finishing touches on a particularly good self-portrait, Louie barks enthusiastically. One day, when the boy is at school, Louie tries his own paw at painting a still life. Is this purely an accident, or is Louie a "genius," just like his master?

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again. Do dogs really dream? In Mike Herrod's hilarious...