I was bullied as a child, both at home and in school. My parents always took my little sister’s side, and punished me. When I got bullied at school, my parents and teachers just told me to work harder on throwing a ball. My escape was books. I found it reassuring that kids in books who got bullied survived and learned and had fun in their lives even if they also had to deal with bullying.
Asking a kind person to do a good deed isn’t usually considered bullying. But there is such a thing as taking advantage of kindness.
Mayzie, the lazy bird, convinces Horton to sit on her egg while she takes a vacation. She promises to be back soon, but doesn’t keep her word. Soon all the other animals tease Horton for sitting on that egg. But Horton sits on that egg, through rain, snow, and heat. He even keeps his word when hunters capture him and take him, egg, nest, tree, and all to America and sell him to a circus.
Mayzie only shows up when her baby is hatching. Suess comes up with a happy ending.
Horton the elephant babysits an egg in this classic tale of kindness from Dr. Seuss.
Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus - but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!
With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the…
I found myself giving up a high-flying life and successful IT career at age 38 to live my dream in the African bush, getting to know wild elephant families intimately and ultimately helping to save them from the actions of corrupt officials, unethical sport-hunters, poachers, and land claimants. It took plenty of tenacity and endurance to make a difference. Books have long been an important influence in my life, as they are for so many. I want to share a different insight and inspire you to ponder which books changed you. Here are five books that helped shape my life, and the thought-provoking reasons why.
It might be a children’s book, but this is one of the most powerful sales and marketing stories ever written! It instilled in me persistence and dogged determination. From it, I learned, too, that you must never immediately dismiss those who you find downright annoying.
As an adult, this book helped me to motivate others to "give it a go;" to try something new and different. It inspired me to do the same and not to be easily intimidated.
I’ve never really been a fan of short stories, but then I read this book. Alice Fowler has the most extraordinary gift for language, and these beautiful, sparse stories are moving and engaging in turn.
There is no spare word in them; they are there to be enjoyed and revisited over and over.
Human and compassionate, the world needs this collection of stories right now. I’ve gifted copies to friends and family already – you’ll find yourself doing the same.
Where relationships are as delicate as turtle eggs, and just as easily smashed.
This poignant short story collection explores the pivotal moments that transform our lives. Jenny, whose life is defined by small disasters, discovers a bigger, more generous version of herself. A traveller girl might just win her race and alter her life's course. A widow, cut off in a riverside backwater, opens her heart to a stranger.
In this captivating collection by award-winning writer, Alice Fowler, readers will be moved by the raw vulnerability of human connection, and the resilience…
Plus, Kathleen's
3, 5, and 7-year-old's favorite books.
Why did Kathleen's
5-year-old love this book?
My five-year-old doesn’t get sick of this, no matter how many
times I read it to her before bed. It is a funny story about an egg who goes on
a hide-and-seek egg hunt to find his friends. It is filled with puns and
laughter for people of all ages!
Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book sensation The Good Egg, Jory John and Pete Oswald present: The Great Eggscape! Includes two sticker sheets, perfect for decorating your own eggs.
The Great Eggscape is when the Good Egg and his pals escape their carton and drop into the store for a morning of fun, enjoyed by everybody.
Well, almost everybody.
Shel (an egg) isn't a huge fan of group activities, especially when he's made to be "It" for a game of hide-and-seek. Nevertheless, Shel doesn't want to let his friends down, so…
I’m a penguin expert, TED speaker, and lifelong animal lover. After getting a BS degree in Animal Science, I became a Penguin Aquarist at Boston’s New England Aquarium. For 9 years, I took care of the penguins there and educated visitors during daily talks. In 2000, I helped manage the rescue of 40,000 penguins from an oil spill in South Africa. (With the help of 12,500 volunteers, we saved most of them!) I founded my educational company The Penguin Lady in 2005, and speak at schools, universities, libraries, for TED-Ed and TEDx, and on National Geographic’s ships in Antarctica. I love sharing my knowledge, and passion for penguins with others!
This charming book gives a very comprehensive overview of the life and breeding cycle of the Emperor penguin. And it does so in simple - but entertaining - language, making the information very accessible for younger children. The large, graphic illustrations on each page are very eye-catching, and are sure to engage young children. (Even younger than the recommended age range for this book.) While this book talks about the many challenges that both parents face during the long breeding season, it focuses more on the male penguin’s job of incubating and protecting the egg while his mate is off at sea for two months. (The next book on this list focuses on the female penguin’s job during the breeding season.) Best for ages 4-8.
All the other wild creatures have left the Antarctic. The wind is too cold and the sun does not shine during the long, dark months of winter. But the father emperor stays behind with thousands of other fathers. Each of them takes care of an egg . . .
Follow as a penguin grows from egg to adulthood in the coldest place on earth
In the middle of winter, in the coldest place on earth, the mother emperor penguin lays her egg. The father rolls the egg onto his feet and keeps it warm. He doesn't eat or even move…
I’m a full-time author and illustrator, and a recovering second grade teacher. I visit with tens of thousands of kids at schools every year and love sharing funny books with them. I’ve written and illustrated over 30 published books and know that kids appreciate subtle humor as well as in-your-face hilarity. I love writing stories that will make readers laugh and think. But mostly laugh.
This is probably the most perfect picture book. The illustrations are terrific – full of detail and bold colors. The humor is spot-on and works on multiple levels. Kids will adore Bruce’s cranky (but genuinely kind) attitude while adults laugh at the small asides that ring in a slightly more sophisticated way.
Bruce the bear likes to keep to himself. That, and eat eggs. But when his hard-boiled goose eggs turn out to be real, live goslings, he starts to lose his appetite. And even worse, the goslings are convinced he's their mother. Bruce tries to get the geese to go south, but he can't seem to rid himself of his new companions. What's a bear to do?
I have a thing about bunnies! My first plush toy was a rabbit named Boing Boing and I had a pet lop-eared bunny named Br’er. The first book I wrote in my series was The Night Before Easter because I wanted to write a story for kids who love bunnies and Easter - like me! When I was a child I also liked to read books by Beatrix Potter and hope to one day visit her house in England.
Speaking of classics, it seems like whatever Jan Brett publishes is an instant classic! Her detailed illustrations are luscious and worthy of pouring over time and again. Hoppi wants to decorate the winning egg so that he can be chosen to assist the Easter Rabbit in hiding eggs. As he views other rabbits’ eggs trying to figure out how he will decorate his, each rabbit gives him material he could use. Instead of trying to make a winning egg, Hoppi decides to make an egg he’s proud of. He comes upon a robin’s egg that fell out of the nest and keeps it warm. When Easter Bunny comes to choose the most special egg he chooses the robin egg – a surprise to all!
Every year the Easter Rabbit arrives to pick up the eggs that the rabbits have been busy decorating. The rabbit who makes most beautiful gets to help hide the eggs on Easter morning. This year Hoppi is old enough to decorate an egg, and more than anything he wants to win. But everywhere he looks, he sees dazzling eggs from Miss Flora, Aunt Sassyfrass and others. Discouraged, Hoppi goes into the woods to think. Instead he finds a robin's egg that has fallen from its nest and a frantic Mother Robin flying overhead. Unselfishly, Hoppi takes over and keeps it…
I’m a children’s book author, illustrator, translator, and book reviewer. I’m the author of Tofu Takes Time, illustrated by Julie Jarema, and Long Goes To Dragon School, illustrated by Mae Besom. I was born and raised in Hefei, China, and moved to the US in my 20s. Being fascinated by the differences and similarities between cultures, I love to share stories that empower children to understand the world and our connections. Children’s picture books have the potential to pass on the joy from generation to generation. As an art lover, I also find it very entertaining and soothing to simply enjoy the artwork of picture books.
It’s a funny egg tale. Humphrey has long known the cautionary tale of his grandfather, Humpty Dumpty. Eggs are fragile and bought specifically to be cracked... but what if they don’t want to be cracked and have their own ambitions and goals for life, like becoming a great egg-splorer? Humphrey’s daring and determination to become a great explorer allows him to come up with creative solutions to his problem. His imagination knows no bounds and creates delightful spreads sure to appeal to readers. This rollicking story expands the famous tale of a fragile egg to a new story about bravery, creativity, and forging your own path.
A rollicking story that expands the famous tale of a fragile egg to a new story about bravery, creativity, and forging your own path.
Eggs are fragile and bought specifically to be cracked. . . but what if they don't want to be cracked and have their own ambitions and goals for life like becoming a great egg-splorer? Humphrey has long known the cautionary tale of his grandfather, Humpty Dumpty. Being an egg means he can easily slip and crack at any time . . . but what does that mean for his dreams of becoming an egg-splorer and going…
Plus, Tiffany's
3, 7, and 10-year-old's favorite books.
Why did Tiffany's
3-year-old love this book?
This book teaches me about all of the different types of eggs in the world. Some eggs are big, and some are small. They are all really beautiful and interesting.
Did you know some are even shaped like tubes?
I learned a lot about eggs from this book, and the pictures are really cool! I like to look at them and learn.
A beautifully simple introduction to eggs of all kinds; from tiny hummingbird eggs to giant ostrich eggs, from fossilised dinosaur eggs to gooey fish eggs, it's an entirely fresh look at the familiar.Attractive and informative, this will find a home in classrooms and Easter baskets alike. Now in paperback!
Simon is obsessed with picture books: reading them, writing them, buying them, smelling them. His own have been published in more than 20 languages. You Must Bring a Hat won the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year, and I Really Wany the Cake was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. He particularly enjoys funny, deadpan picture books. After gaining a 1st class degree in History, he put his skills to use as a barman at a local pub, grew tired of the owner calling him Andy, left to fail a teaching degree, then turned to writing. He lives in England, although occasionally leaves to buy milk.
Emily Gravett is a picture book maestro. I’m a big fan of her work, and The Odd Egg is yet another brilliant picture book, with glorious artwork.
All the birds have laid an egg and are awaiting the arrival of their chicks. All except for Duck, that is. But Duck claims a big, spotted egg as their own – and whilst they have to wait a little bit longer than the others for their egg to hatch, when it finally does, the creature inside it is…unexpected...and…spectacular….
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett is a beautifully illustrated tale with a surprise ending bound to ruffle some feathers!
All the birds have eggs to hatch. All except Duck. Then Duck is delighted to find an egg of his own to look after. It's the most beautiful egg in the whole world! But all the other birds think it's very odd indeed - and everyone's in for a big surprise when it finally hatches.
With split pages, this fun format will keep children in suspense as the story unfolds. And they'll love joining in - creak! crack! as each…
