Waiting for Christmas
illustrated by Jayoung Cho
Little Simon, 2006
baby to preschooler, ISBN 978-0-689-86384-4

Look out of the window—what do you see? You can play with the watery windows in this book, each with different Christmas shapes inside. You might just catch a glimpse of a special Christmas visitor and his reindeer through the window!

The Blue Ghost
Random House Stepping, 2005
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-375-83179-9

Liz is staying with her grandmother in her old house in the woods of northern Minnesota when one night a noise awakens her. It is someone calling her name, calling for Elizabeth. Liz opens her eyes. There is a blue ghost in her room! What does the ghost want from her?

A Bear Named Trouble
Clarion Books, 2005
ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0-618-51738-1

Ten-year-old Jonathan practically lives at the Anchorage Zoo, where his father is a keeper. He loves animals, and even imagines himself inside their bodies, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel.

Meanwhile, a young brown bear is wandering through the woods near Anchorage, alone and hungry. One night, while searching for food, the bear crosses paths with Jonathan, who eagerly follows him onto the zoo grounds.

But when the bear accidentally kills Mama Goose, Jonathan’s favorite zoo creature, the boy loses the empathy he had felt earlier. He wishes that the bear—now nicknamed Trouble—would meet the same fate as his beloved goose, and he impulsively takes steps to make sure that happens.

Based on an actual incident, and told in alternating chapters from the bear’s and Jonathan’s points of view, this is both an involving animal story and a thought-provoking investigation into the consequences of one’s actions.

If Frogs Made Weather
illustrated by Dorothy Donohue
Holiday House, 2005
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-8234-1622-6

If frogs made weather it would rain all the time and ponds would stay full to the brim. If polar bears made weather, winter would never end and the ground would always be covered with snow. This picture book encourages children to speculate on what it would be like if animals made weather.

Easter is Coming
illustrated by Jayoung Cho
Simon & Schuster, 2005
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-689-86385-1

This novelty storybook is safe for children and showcases three sealed water pouches filled with glitter and confetti visible on each page. With the touch of a finger, children can make the pieces inside the pouches swirl around. Perfect for an Easter basket goodie.

A Recipe for Valentine's Day: 
a Lift-the-Flap Rebus Book
illustrated by Jennifer Herbert
Simon & Schuster, 2005
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-689-85895-6

Use some red hearts, ribbons — and don't forget Cupid — to make a recipe for Valentine's Day. Lift the multiple flaps on each spread to reveal the words beneath the pictures and complete the rebus. Add a pinch of concentration and a heaping cup of fun for an extra-yummy holiday!

Double-Digit Club
Holiday House, 2004
ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0-8234-1805-3

Nine-year-old Sarah is excited about summer vacation, but she faces unexpected crises that compel her to learn some painful truths about friendship and about herself.

Drip, drop, plop, rain falls from the sky. Rain turns dirt into mud and makes puddles on sidewalks. It also helps flowers grow. But where does rain come from? The answer is at your fingertips. Just open this book and read about the wonders of rain.

Clouds
illustrated by John Wallace
Aladdin, 2004
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-689-85441-5

Clouds come in many different shapes and sizes. They can be white and fluffy or dark and scary. But where do clouds come from? The answer is at your fingertips. Just open this book and read about the wonders of clouds....

Wind
illustrated by John Wallace
Aladdin, 2004
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-689-85442-2

Though you can't see the wind, you can certainly feel it when the wind blows! But where does wind come from? The answer is at your fingertips. Just open this book and read about the wonders of wind....

Snow
illustrated by John Wallace
Aladdin, 2003
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-689-85436-1

Everyone loves snow! It's fun to play in and makes wonderful snowmen. But where does snow come from? The answer is at your fingertips. Just open this book and read about the wonders of snow....

Land Of The Buffalo Bones: The Diary of Mary Elizabeth Rodgers, an English Girl in Minnesota, New Yeovil, 1873 (Dear America)
Scholastic, 2003
ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0-439-22027-9

Promising religious freedom and fertile land, Mary Rodger's (Polly) father, Reverend Rodgers, moves their Baptist community from England to the Minnesota prairie in America. Polly, who must now adjust to a new home and her father's new wife, writes this diary with incredible heart and compassion.

Toes, Ears, & Nose!
illustrated by Karen Katz
Little Simon, 2003
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-689-84712-7

This lift-the-flap book will delight young children as they play along with finding their ears, nose, and toes—and more.

Runt
Clarion Books, 2002
ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0-618-21261-3

In this beautifully written story set in the north woods of Minnesota, four healthy wolf pups—Leader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinker—are born one spring. And then one final, undersized pup emerges—Runt. Despite his size, Runt manages to keep up with his brothers and sisters and learn the ways of the pack. But he finds it impossible to please his father, the pack's leader, and gradually withdraws from the others. When he ventures into forbidden human territory, Runt at last comes to understand his mistakes and to recognize his own worth. Award-winning author Marion Dane Bauer combines her gift for evocative writing with her in-depth knowledge of wolves to create a compact tale that has the power of an epic. Like the best animal stories, it reflects our own world and shows us what it means to be alive.

Awards
2005 Rebecca Caudill Award nominee