Houston Family Book List - September 2009

Toddlers (Ages 1-3)

Hug by Jez Alborough
Bobo, a tiny chimp, searches the jungle for a hug. Watching other animals hug their children reduces him to tears, until his own mother arrives to make things right.

No More Diapers for Ducky! by Bernette Ford and Sam Williams
When Piggy can’t come out to play because he is using the potty, Ducky decides it’s time for him to use the potty, too.

Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon
Except for his bath, Fergus experiences the perfect doggy day, from chasing cats and motorcycles to being scratched on his favorite tickle spot.

Picture Books (Pre K-K)

I Can Do it Myself by Diane Adams
Emily Pearl is a big girl who insists on doing everything for herself until evening, when having someone help her get ready for bed is nice.

Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
Sam, a shy but creative mouse who lives in the library, decides to write and illustrate his own stories which he places on the shelf with the other library books. When children read the tales, they all want to meet the author.

Moo Who? by Margie Palatini
After being hit on the head, Hilda the singing cow forgets what sound she should make, so she imitates different animals until she gets her “moo” back.

Early Readers (Grades 1-3)

Corn Aplenty by Dana Meachen Rau
Two children watch a local farmer grow a crop of corn and as the corn develops, so does the relationship between the children and the farmer.

Ruby’s Perfect Day by Susan Hill
When Ruby Raccoon wants to share a perfectly sunny day with her busy woodland friends, she discovers that perfect days can be spent all by yourself.

On the Way to the Pond by Angela Shelf Medearis
While going on a picnic together, Herbert Hippo teases Tess Tiger about all of the things she has brought along, until he learns just how important they can be.

Children's Fiction (Grades 4-6)

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume
Cornelia, eleven years old and lonely, learns about language and life from an elderly new neighbor who has many stories to tell about the fabulous adventures she and her sisters had while traveling around the world.

The Blackout Gang by Josh McCall
Three genius friends escape from their oppressive summer camp and get caught in a New York City power outage, which they discover has been caused by a classmate with evil plans that put the three of them in grave danger.

Moxy Maxwell does not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
With summer coming to an end, about-to-be-fourth-grader Moxy Maxwell does a hundred different things to avoid reading her assigned summer reading book.

Teen Fiction (Ages 12 & Up)

Firestorm by David Klass
After learning he has been sent from the future for a special purpose, eighteen-year-old Jack receives help from an unusual dog and a shape-shifting female fighter.

Nathan Fox: Dangerous Times by L. Brittney
Fourteen-year-old Nathan Fox is a young actor in the same company as William Shakespeare. Nothing can prepare him for the shadowy world he is about to enter at the request of Sir Francis Walsingham, England’s spymaster general.

Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger
When their fathers insist they get summer jobs, three fifteen-year-old friends in Tacoma, Washington dedicate their summer vacation to fooling their parents into thinking that they are working, which proves to be even harder than having real jobs would have been.