Good Books for Little Friends

Animal Parade by Jakki Wood Animals, birds, and creepy-crawlies (flying insects, too)—every letter of the alphabet is represented by at least two of these. And the art shows the creatures ambling, bounding, and cruising from each page to the next, including from right-hand to left-hand pages! An exceptional ABC (Animal Book for Children)!

Hello, Crow by Jeff Daniel Marion A quiet sort of book about a crow and about the boy’s greeting it—and every other crow he sees all the rest of his life—with “Hello, Crow.”

Three Names by Patricia MacLaughlan This story of a boy and his dog takes place about a hundred years ago on the prairie. It is a time of a one-room school, of an outhouse for boys and another for girls, and of potatoes baked in winter in the schoolhouse stove. The dog, Three Names, is allowed to stay at school with the boy.

Gwendolyn’s Gifts by Patty Sheehan Queen Gwendolyn was bored. Every time she said so, King Cornelius told her, “Perhaps you need a change, my dear,” and ordered something new to be made for her. Finally she took matters into her own hands and learned how to make things for herself, and she was never bored again. King Cornelius learned a lesson from her, and became a gourmet cook. Perhaps you need a change, too, my dear?