Best Poetry for Early Learning

From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin's rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. VERDICT A go-to gift for new parents, and a potential bedtime favorite for many children.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC.

Tucked inside this cute little blue box topped with a plastic handle and secured by a tuck closure are board book editions of the classic Dr. Seuss titles Hop on Pop ; Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Dr. Seuss’s long list of awards includes Caldecott Honors for McElligot’s Pool , If I Ran the Zoo , and Bartholomew and the Oobleck , the Pulitzer Prize, and eight honorary doctorates.

One by one, Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck, Bulldozer, and Excavator finish their work and lie down to rest—so they'll be ready for another day of rough and tough construction play! First-time author Sherri Duskey Rinker's Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site steadily climbed up the New York Times' Bestseller list throughout 2011, reaching #1 on January 29th, 2012. Here she shares the early inspiration that inspired a career in design, and how another artist brought her vision to life. I grew up loving picture books. Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House was my favorite, and I obsessed over the whimsically sweet illustrations of that little pink house happily sitting upon a hill covered in daisies. We had two boys and two good excuses for buying dozens (and dozens) of picture books. obsession with trucks, I wrote Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site in stolen moments during the workday and late at night, after the boys were tucked in. And with the words emerged a vision (dare I say "obsession") for how the book and my trucks would look. I included the concept illustration with my manuscript and sent it, unsolicited, to Chronicle Books. One of the reasons that Chronicle was the first (and ultimately only) publisher on my list was that I LOVE their picture books. The first was from Tom's NYT best-selling book, Duck! Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House Virginia Lee Burton's Mike Mulligan 's steam shovel. Rinker's original vision for Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site Illustrator Tom Lichtenheld's Duck! Lichtenheld's first sketch of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site.

From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin's rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. VERDICT A go-to gift for new parents, and a potential bedtime favorite for many children.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC.

With a text full of truck sounds and animal noises to read aloud, here is a rollicking homage. to the power of friendship and the rewards of helping others. The first half of the book is an enchanting, toddler-entrancing symphony of animal noises and beeps. While the message might be a little heavy-handed, this is still a fun, rollicking story that should find a place in most collections.— Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin's rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. VERDICT A go-to gift for new parents, and a potential bedtime favorite for many children.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC.

In a starred review, Booklist notes, “Seuss’s message is simple but never sappy: life may be a ‘Great Balancing Act,’ but through it all ‘There’s fun to be done.’” A perennial favorite and a perfect gift for anyone starting a new phase in their life! Kindergartners, graduate students, newlyweds, newly employeds--all will glean shiny pearls of wisdom about the big, bountiful future. Dr. Seuss, with his inimitable illustrations and exhilarating rhymes, is convinced ("98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed") that success is imminent.

Be enchanted and delighted by a bedtime story for every day of the year in this beautifully illustrated collection carefully retold for every little ones story time.

From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin's rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. VERDICT A go-to gift for new parents, and a potential bedtime favorite for many children.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC.

Tucked inside this cute little blue box topped with a plastic handle and secured by a tuck closure are board book editions of the classic Dr. Seuss titles Hop on Pop ; Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Dr. Seuss’s long list of awards includes Caldecott Honors for McElligot’s Pool , If I Ran the Zoo , and Bartholomew and the Oobleck , the Pulitzer Prize, and eight honorary doctorates.

.” Clement Moore’s poem was written in 1822 and has been a holiday classic ever since. Originally published anonymously on December 23rd, 1823, the poem that would come to be known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," was responsible for the creation of the Santa Claus myth as it is known in the United States and much of the English-speaking world.

From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin's rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. VERDICT A go-to gift for new parents, and a potential bedtime favorite for many children.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC.

After breaking or tying more than sixty records in hockey, it's no wonder that Wayne Gretzky is known as "The Great One." Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, of the Montreal Canadiens, was the first National Hockey League player to do it, in the 1944–1945 season. Finally New York Islander Mike Bossy tied the record thirty-six years later. One season later, Wayne Gretzky, just twenty years old, skated onto the ice. On this gusty winter day, Wayne felt lucky. By the end of the second period, he scored again for a hat trick: three goals altogether. Five minutes into the third period, Wayne slid the puck around a rushing defender. Philadelphia left their net wide open. Grant Fuhr, the Oilers’ goalie, pushed the puck to right wing Glenn Anderson. “Pass it to me!” Wayne shouted from the Flyers’ zone. Wayne Gretzky didn’t just break the record. And by the end of the season, Wayne scored ninety-two goals in eighty games for another record. Wayne would go on to break or tie more than sixty records. (In hockey, players earn a point for each goal or assist.). Wayne wasn’t the biggest or fastest or strongest. Wayne Douglas Gretzky was a different kind of hockey player, almost from the time he could walk. Chapter 1: Growing Up Gretzky In Canada, hockey is THE sport. When Canadian children dream of being a pro athlete, most don’t think of baseball or football. Wayne was born on January 26, 1961, in Brantford, a small city in the province of Ontario, Canada. Just skated.” And that’s where it all began—on the river running right past the Gretzky family farm. It’s where Alexander Graham Bell worked on his landmark invention. It hit Walter on the head, cracking his helmet. After Wayne, Walter and Phyllis had four more children: Kim, Keith, Brent, and Glen. On weekends, they’d all troop out to the family farm to visit their grandparents. Every Sunday after church, Grandma Gretzky made a huge dinner. So she served traditional Polish food like pierogi, a kind of dumpling. And every Saturday night, from the time Wayne was little, the family gathered around the TV. They watched a show called Hockey Night in Canada . Using a tiny hockey stick, he’d shoot a rubber ball or rolled-up sock between Grandma’s legs. Poor Walter waited for hours in the freezing cold. Now Walter could sit in his warm kitchen and watch Wayne out the window. The family called it “Wally Coliseum.”. Wayne wanted to learn everything about playing hockey. So his parents tried to sign him up for the Brantford Atom league team.

what do snowmen do at night? After a night of action, the tired snowmen return to their homes.

Dr. Seuss's magic elixir may--or may not--prolong life, but it is a fact that it makes you feel a whole lot better! Dr. Seuss’s long list of awards includes Caldecott Honors for McElligot’s Pool , If I Ran the Zoo , and Bartholomew and the Oobleck , the Pulitzer Prize, and eight honorary doctorates.