A ball for Daisy Written & Illustrated by Christopher Raschka

Raschka, Christopher. A ball for Daisy. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011. Print. 32 pages.
Age Group:	2 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	A delightful Picture Book that portrays a story about a dog who has a red ball that eventually bursts and the dog is sad.
Personal Reaction:	The pictures with no words allow the young reader ages 2-4 to create their own story using their own vocabulary and learn new vocabulary as they are using their creative juices.  The illustrations are childlike in their execution and will appeal to the young creative mind. Many adult readers can relate to knowing someone or a pet that had a ball broken, thus the potential for creative adaptations to this wordless story could almost be endless.
Keywords/Tags:	Dog, Emotions,
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	This wordless books allows a child to develop print motivation, the desire to read, narrative skills, and vocabulary by creating their own narration to the illustrations to build upon visual literacy skills

And Tango makes three. Written & Illustrated by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, and Henry Cole

Richardson, Justin, Peter Parnell, and Henry Cole. And Tango makes three. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005. Print. 32 pages
Age Group:	3 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	This story is based on real life observations of penguins in the Central Park Zoo. Male penguins are known to raise chicks after the mother lays the eggs.  A pair of males; raise a chick from another penguin couple who laid two fertile eggs.
Personal Reaction:	The writing is very clear and understandable to young children and the illustrations very expressive. Notably there has been much controversy over the story by many anti-gay groups; however it does show that even the natural world has alternative life styles. A passive way to introduce young children to alterative family like styles in a truly natural setting. Wonderful for children in the 3 to 4 age group as the story is a bit wordy to hold younger children’s attention.
Keywords/Tags:	Penguins, zoo animals, families, animal behavior, alternative life styles
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	This book draws in vocabulary, letter knowledge, print awareness, narrative skills and print motivation by use of the compelling tale and soft illustrations.

Leo Cockroach-- toy tester Written & Illustrated by Kevin Malley

Malley, Kevin. Leo Cockroach-- toy tester. New York: Walker and Co., 1999. Print. 32 pages
Age Group:	3 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	Everybody hates cockroaches; however this story is about a cockroach who secretly tests toys!
Personal Reaction:	Watercolor illustrations provide the reader with caricature style pictures of the characters in the story as well as the toys and factories. The story portrays the moral that the grass may seem greener on the other side of the fence but there is no place like home.
Keywords/Tags:	Picture Books; Animals-Cockroaches; Toys
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	From this book, the young reader can develop print awareness, vocabulary, phonological awareness, narrative skills, and print motivation

A place for birds Written & Illustrated by Melissa Stewart and Higgins Bond

Stewart, Melissa, and Higgins Bond. A place for birds. Atlanta, Ga: Peachtree, 2009. Print. 32 pages
Age Group:	3 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	A great picture book to introduce the young reader to conservation as well as providing challenges to the more advanced young readers. Each set of pages is divided into 2 sections with colorful illustrations of birds in their environment.
Personal Reaction:	The main sections provide age appropriate prose that discusses basic living places for birds and how people help birds to live and grow. Each set of pages end with the same words providing repetition so the children can join actively in the reading. The second section on the set of pages provides information about specific birds using a higher level of words for the advanced reader.
Keywords/Tags:	Birds; Environment-Conservation-Wildlife; Habitats
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	The book works well for literacy skills as it grows with the reader. Due to it having both simple and complex text on the same page the reader can develop print awareness, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and print motivation.

Look-alikes Written & Illustrated by Joan Steiner and Thomas Lindley

Steiner, Joan, and Thomas Lindley. Look-alikes. Boston: Little, Brown, 1998. Print. 32 pages
Age Group:	3 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	Welcome to the land of look-alikes. The pages in the book are filled with different miniature scenes created with everyday items a child may see around their home.
Personal Reaction:	Four line quatrains set the theme for each set of pictures. Young readers will enjoy picking out the items that create the pictures which will also help develop vocabulary and visualization skills.
Keywords/Tags:	Picture Books; Picture Puzzles
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	By looking for the hidden objects via clues through the rhyming quatrains, the reader can enhance their vocabulary, print awareness, phonological awareness, and narrative skills

Happy Written & Illustrated by Mies van Hout

Hout, Mies van. Happy. New York: Lemniscaat, 2012. Print. 52 pages.
Age Group:	6 month to 2 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	Chalk on Dark Paper Illustrations of fish with different human emotions
Personal Reaction:	A very dark book due to the illustration technique of chalk on dark paper; however, this reviewer can see the potential of increasing the young reader’s vocabulary.  While the pictures of the fish are quite childlike the words accompanying the pictures lend themselves too much interaction between the readers to the 6 month to 2 year old age groups. As the adult reader I would show the picture and read the word, I would then make facial expressions and or body movements that would demonstrate the word.  As this reviewer is not a big fan of the childlike chalk drawings I can also see the potential of children liking the pictures by comparing them to their own basic drawings.
Keywords/Tags:	Fish, Emotions, Feelings, Adjectives
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	Builds vocabulary by matching words with images

I love to sleep Written & Illustrated by Amelia Graux

Graux, Amelia. I love to sleep Boston, Mass.: HMH Books, 2011. Print. 12 pages.
Age Group:	0 to 2 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	A touch and feel bed time book for young listeners 0 – 2 years of age with words in English, French and Spanish.
Personal Reaction:	13 pages of items associated with bed time, each having a touch and feel portion in the illustrations which will help the listener visualize and remember the new vocabulary words.  As stated earlier each page introduces the listener to the 3 versions of the written word describing the item.  This book is a great way to introduce young children to different languages; this reviewer’s only concern is that the adult reading the book may not know how to pronounce all three versions of the words.
Keywords/Tags:	Bedtime, Sleep, Multi-Language
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	This board book with help young reader with print awareness, vocabulary, and phonological awareness via the touch and feel features of the book.

I love cats Written & Illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

Saltzberg, Barney. I love cats. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2005. Print. 24 pages
Age Group:	1 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	Cats come in all shapes, sizes, and colors! I love them all.
Personal Reaction:	Cat descriptions in basic rhyme and pictures on sturdy pages are an excellent way for the 1 to 4 age group.  The simple wording and matching pictures allow the young reader/listener to learn the rhythm of the story to assist with memorizing the words.  This reviewer can foresee young children reading this book by rote memory after several readings.  The cat characters are cute and portray real cats and kittens in everyday situations. Fun to read and will allow the adult and child to pursue the other books of this type to introduce them to other real life situations to expand the young vocabulary.
Keywords/Tags:	Cats, Rhyme, Pets, Animals
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	Through rhymes and illustrations the reader can associate the fondness of animals with print awareness, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and narrative skills

I love dogs Written & Illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

Saltzberg, Barney. I love dogs. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2005. Print. 24 pages
Age Group:	1 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and colors! I love them all.
Personal Reaction:	Another in Saltzberg’s series of “I Love” books that provides dog descriptions in basic rhyme and pictures on sturdy pages are an excellent way for the 1 to 4 age group.  As with the “I Love Cats” the simple wording and matching pictures allow the young reader/listener to learn the rhythm of the story to assist with memorizing the words.  Again, this reviewer can foresee young children reading this book by rote memory after several readings.  A Super Sturdy Picture Book that is fun to read and will allow the adult and child to pursue the other books of this type to introduce them to other real life situations to expand the young vocabulary.
Keywords/Tags:	Dogs, Rhyme, Pets, Animals
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	Through rhymes and illustrations the reader can associate the fondness of animals with print awareness, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and narrative skills

The hidden alphabet Written & Illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. The hidden alphabet. New ed. Brookfield, Conn.: Roaring Brook Press, 2010. Print. 32 pages.
Age Group:	2 to 4 years
Book Format:	Picture Book
Annotation:	A fun Picture Book dealing with learning the Alphabet in a very clever way.
Personal Reaction:	The author/illustrator has each page framed with a black lift up cover.  Each letter contains a picture of an item whose name begins with the letter; when the child lifts the frame the object’s picture is included in a picture of the specific letter. A great example is the page for “F”, when first looking at the page the young reader sees a variegated green scaled fish surrounded in blue.  Upon lifting the page the whole page is covered with the green scales and the capital “F” is blue.  The fish is actually the center of horizontal lines of the “F”. The pictures are very memorable that children will be able to associate the letters and pictures, thus improving their visual association and oral vocabulary.
Keywords/Tags:	Alphabet, Hide and Seek, Puzzles
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	This book will help with letter knowledge and vocabulary as well as print awareness.

I spy little numbers Written by Jean Marzollo & Illustrated by Walter Wick

Marzollo, Jean, and Walter Wick. I spy little numbers. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1999. Print. 26 pages.
Age Group:	1 to 4 years
Book Format:	Board Book
Annotation:	A fun little board book that includes rhyme and pictures all while allowing the young reader to find the hidden pictures in each illustration relating to a number theme.
Personal Reaction:	Rhymes are fun for children to memorize and the quick 4 line prose fit the bill.  Combine this with searching for the objects in the pictures, will help the young reader to increase visual acuity, vocabulary and basic math.  This book is geared for ages 1 through 4. Realistic illustrations help the reader to connect the items to things in their own world.
Keywords/Tags:	Numbers, Hidden Pictures, Rhymes
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	By looking for the hidden objects via clues through the rhyming quatrains, the reader can enhance their vocabulary, print awareness, phonological awareness, and narrative skills

Elmo's little dreidel Written by Naomi Kleinberg & Illustrated by Christopher Moroney

Kleinberg, Naomi, and Christopher Moroney. Elmo's little dreidel. New York, N.Y.: Random House, 2011. Print. 12 pages.
Age Group:	0 to 3 years.
Book Format:	Board Book
Annotation:	Elmo celebrates his very first Hanukkah!
Personal Reaction:	A wonderful board book for beginner readers/listeners between the ages of 0 to 3 to become equated with other cultures. Elmo is invited to celebrate Hanukkah with his friend Gil and brings a gift of chocolate coins. Elmo learns about the lighting the menorah, singing Hanukkah songs and eating special Hanukkah dishes for dinner. After dinner the children play a dreidel game using the gold coins. Between the prose and illustrations the book portrays a true, easy to understand depiction of a selection of activities those of the Jewish faith conduct during their celebration of Hanukkah. Understanding other cultures at an early age helps to reduce prejudice towards others.
Keywords/Tags:	Customs, Hanukkah, Dreidel, Friendship
Early Literacy Skills Enhancements:	By learning about Hanukkah with Elmo the young reader will also be improving their vocabulary, print awareness, phonological awareness, and possibly their print motivation - depending on how big of an Elmo fan they are.