Here's the latest wacky adventure of Elephant and Piggy. The pig looooooves slop. The elephant is a little worried, especially when Piggie offers him a taste. The suspense is killing me... will Gerald try Piggie's favorite dish? More importantly, will he survive eating it?

Mo Willems knows what kids love to read -- and he dishes it up every time!


​Published by Hyperion, 2015.

Oh, this was an absolute hoot! Miss Breakbone is one of those teachers who hates kids and lives to make their lives miserable. She is just a nasty piece of work. She derides her students as knowing-nothing dunderheads, confiscates their treasures and is just generally unpleasant. However, each of her students has a special talent of which she is totally unaware. And when she crosses the absolute line in the sand, those students band together and rise up and show the clever, resourceful stuff of which they are truly made. Kids will enjoy this short, easy-to-read tale of revenge. A 2015 Illinois Bluestem Award nominee.

Illustrated by David Roberts. pp. 56. Published by Candlewick Press, 2012. 

Informational text and plenty of action graphics make for an enjoyable book for young readers. The author takes us through the signs of spring and the reason behind the change of seasons before showing a variety of activities that take place in the spring: planting and growing of crops, the life cycle of animals and all the fun things that people do in the spring.  Now if it would only arrive!

Illustrated by Jim Lingenfelter. Published by Capstone, 2011

A very chatty elephant meets a contemplative giraffe in this debut picture book. The duo first encounter each other at the watering hole, where elephant is headed for a swim. Confused and more than a little offended at the giraffe's standoffish behavior, she stalks away in a huff but then turns to a book (All About Giraffes) to try to understand why he snubbed her. She discovers that giraffes “don’t make much noise” and learns to accept her new acquaintance’s quiet nature. This opens the door to a friendship which leads to a cooking adventure and a pirate-themed play time. Humor abounds and centers on conflict arising from the very different personalities of this odd couple.

Published by Disney: Hyperion, 2013.

This charming book celebrates the delights of playing in the snow with a good friend. Bear and
Chipmunk are thrilled to see snow falling outside their window. Bear declares, "I love snow," and Chipmunk chimes in, "Me too!" Bear has a blizzard of ideas to try and Chipmunk steadfastly agrees that he'll have a go at them as well. Plenty of repetition and short declarative sentences make this an excellent choice for beginning readers. The text is complemented by wonderful watercolor and ink illustrations that bring the snow-filled, action-packed day to life and help readers decipher unfamiliar words.

Illustrated by author. 32 p. Published by Holiday House, 2013.