Houston Family Book List - January 2010

Toddlers (Ages 1-3)

Otis by Loren Long
When a big new yellow tractor arrives, Otis the friendly little tractor is cast away behind the barn. But, when trouble occurs it turns out Otis is the only one who can help.

Something to Do by David Lucas
When a small bear and his father are looking for something to do, they find a stick on the beach and use it to draw in the sand, creating a world of imaginary adventures.

Me and You by Janet A. Holmes
Young rabbit explains “the many things I like about being me” while romping with his friend Mouse, in this celebration of friendship and playing outdoors.

Picture Books (Pre K-K)

Lulu the Big Little Chick by Paulette Bogan
When Lulu gets tired of being told she is too little to do things, she decides to go far, far away. Luckily, Mother Hen keeps an eye on her.

My Forever Dress by Harriet Ziefert
Every year Grandmother recycles her granddaughter’s party dress into something special and new.

The Clock Struck One: a Time-Telling Tale by Trudy Harris
This playful expansion of “Hickory Dickory Dock” centers on a cat chasing a mouse up a clock, followed by other animals, until midnight arrives and the tired creatures all fall asleep. Includes facts about clocks and basic information about telling time.

Early Readers (Grades 1-3)

Class Mom by Margaret McNamara
Nia is afraid to tell her mother, who is shy because she speaks little English, that Nia volunteered her to organize a party for the first graders of Robin Hill School.

Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar! by Bob Barner
Easy-to-read text describes how butterflies coexisted with dinosaurs. An upbeat tone, colorful layout and popular topic make this a useful and engaging book.

Poppy and Max and the Fashion Show by Sally Grindley
Poppy and Max see a sign asking for models for a fashion show and Poppy is desperate to volunteer. Poppy loves dressing up in exciting outfits, but Max doesn’t like wearing clothes…until he gets the chance to be the star of the catwalk!

Children's Fiction (Grades 4-6)

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
While running a spy network from their elementary school, five unpopular misfits find ways to turn weaknesses like allergies into superpowers and combine their talents and cutting-edge gadgetry to fight evil around the world.

Signal by Cynthia DeFelice
After the death of his mother, twelve-year-old Owen and his father move to upstate New York, where he spends most of his time roaming the woods alone. When he meets a strange girl named Cam, who insists she is an alien whose spaceship left without her, he decides to help her build a signal to direct her parents’ spaceship back to her.

Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm
Once upon a time, a princess tried to make a comic. With the help of a magical cartooning elf, she learned well enough to draw her way out of an encounter with a dangerous dragon, near-death by drowning, and into her very own adventure.

Teen Fiction (Ages 12 & Up)

Riot by Walter Dean Myers
In 1863, fifteen-year-old Claire, the daughter of an Irish mother and a black father, faces ugly truths and great danger when Irish immigrants, enraged by the Civil War and a federal draft, lash out against black Americans and wealthy “swells” in New York City.

I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous + Obscure Ed. By Smith Magazine
A book with nearly 600 authors (all aged thirteen to nineteen) and 600 characters (all real) and 600 stories (to be read in any order). What every story, ranging from the humorous to inspiring and dramatic, has in common is that each was written about the author’s own life and each is six words in length.

Gone by Michael Grant
In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have “The Power” and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not.