Children's Corner @ Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library

Juvenile Picture Books and Easy Readers

Selected by Cindy Robertson, Reference & Youth Services Librarian.
Scheduled to be published in the Times Union on 11/2004.

Title: And the Good Brown Earth
Author: Henderson, Kathy
Publisher: Candlewick Press 2003
Ages 3-8. Gram and Joe visit their vegetable patch in the fall to turn the earth, in the winter to think and plan for the next garden, and in the spring to plant seeds. Summer turns into fall. Gram and Joe wait while &the good brown earth got on with doing what the good brown earth does best.& Despite very different methods of gardening, each reap a bountiful harvest.
Title: Sidewalk Circus
Author: Fleischman, Paul & Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Candlewick Press 2004
Ages 4-8. The only words that appear in this fascinating story reside on the various posters and signs within the illustrations, which are the real treat. A young girl hears a street hawker announce an upcoming circus and sits down to watch the magic unfold. As the butcher boy lifts a huge side of beef, his shadow appears as a circus performer lifting barbells. Skateboard antics mimic those of clowns, a chef “juggles” pancakes, painters are tightrope and trapeze artists, and even the dog casts the shadow of a lion. Don’t miss this delightful feast for the imagination!
Title: Hi, Harry!
Author: Waddell, Martin
Publisher: Candlewick Press 2003
Ages 2-6. A delightful book with large pictures and the heart of child in mind. Harry, a tortoise, tries to get the attention of several of his fast-moving neighbors, but they don’t even take the time to hear his questions. Luckily, Harry finds a friend in another slow-moving creature.
Title: You're Too Small!
Author: Roddy, Shen
Publisher: Tiger Press 2004
Ages 2-5. Tad, the mouse, offers to help the other animals with their activities, but he is constantly told he is too small for each job. At last Tad’s small size is just right to save the day-but only after he exacts a small measure of payback.
Title: Mud Soup
Author: Head, Judith
Publisher: Random House 2003
Ages 5-9. Josh isn’t thrilled with his lunch, but when Rosa offers some of her grandmother’s "mud soup" he decides his peanut butter sandwich is OK. Every time he looks at the dark soup he sees something that could be a bean, but also looks a little like a beetle. Josh manages to politely decline eating the mud soup until the day of a cultural fair at school. An easy recipe for black bean soup is provided.