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B u r i e d T r e a s u r e s |
Wonderful Books You Probably Didn't Know About
Baseball Saved Us. by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee.1993. Easy Fiction J MOC
"One day my dad looked out at the endless desert and decided then and there to build a baseball field." So begins this moving tale of "Shorty," a Japanese-American boy who learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II. Surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guards in towers, Shorty soon finds out that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-resepct at well. Inspired by actual events, this story of hope and courage shows us an almost-forgotten part of the American past.
Beauty, Brave and Beautiful.by Dick Gackenbach. 1990. Easy Fiction J Gac
This is a beautiful, heart-warming story that shows how the power of love can make even an ugly person or animal seem beautiful. Jacob and Kate make friends with a very ugly dog they find in the woods. She was the cross-eyed, ugly runt of her litter, and had been chased away from the farmhouse door when her brothers and sisters found homes. To the children, she is beautiful, so they name her "Beauty." Over the summer their affection for her, and hers for them, grows stronger and stronger. Then one afternoon a great bear stalks into the clearing. While the children make their getaway, Beauty holds off the vicious creature. The bear goes away, but poor Beauty is badly hurt. When the children return to the clearing, Beauty is nowhere in sight, and everyone assumes that the bear has killed her. When the townspeople realize that the dog saved the children's lives, they commission a sculptor to make a statue of the brave dog. Going by the children's description, he creates a huge golden statue of a beautiful dog, which looks nothing like Beauty. When Beauty finally finds her way back to the children, "As the town began to love her, they no longer noticed any difference at all between the little dog and the noble statue. And from that time on, if a cross-eyed, sorry-looking pup happened to scratch at someone's door, it was never shooed away. Instead it was welcomed and given a happy home."
The Book of Bad Ideas. by Laura Huliska-Beith. 2000. J 818.5402 HUL
Have you ever done something and then thought, "Uh-oh, that was a bad idea"? We thought so. How about the time you asked your best friend to give you a haircut? Or when you went skating with your dog (who had just been kicked out of obedience school)? What if you put all your bad ideas into one book? Then you would have The Book of Bad Ideas. P.S. Reading this book while crossing a busy street is a bad idea. P.P.S. Using gum as a bookmark is a bad idea. P.P.P.S. Holding this book in your math book during class is a bad idea.
CDB! by William Steig. 1968/2000. J 793.734 STE
Letters and numbers are used to create the sounds of words and simple sentences 4 U 2 figure out with the aid of illustrations. If U R reading this, solving the puzzles N this book should B E-Z 4 U.
Excuses, Excuses: How to Get out of Practically Anything. by John Caldwell. 1981. J 818 CAL
Your mother wants you to take out the garbage, your father wants you to practice your trumpet, both of them want you to clean your room, and -- oh, no! -- it's Sunday, and you're supposed to put on your best suit and go visit your aunt and uncle. But wait! You don't have to do any of it. Here in this handy book are dozens of excuses, techniques, strategies, and subterfuges to help you through the challenges of everyday life. Used correctly, they will protect you from such painful experiences as taking a bath, going to school, doing the dishes, going shopping, and finishing your homework -- with your parents none the wiser!
Heroes. By Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee. 1995. Easy Fiction J MOC
Donnie is tired of playing the bad guy every time he and his friends get together to play war. According to the other kids, Donnie should play the enemy. After all, as a Japanese American, he looks like "them." When he argues that his family served in the U.S. Army, Donnie's friends dare him to prove it. But when he asks his father and uncle for proof, they tell him that kids should play something else besides war. "Real heroes don't brag," Uncle Yosh says. "They just do what they are supposed to do." Set against the backdrop of the 1960s and a new conflict in Viet Nam, this story explores how one family deals with the painful legacy of war.
Little Lit: Folklore & Fairy Tale Funnies. edited by Art Spiegelman & Francoise Mouly. 2000. J 741.5 LIT.
Innovative cartoonists and renowned children's book artists from around the world have gathered to bring you the magic of fairy tales through the wonder of comics. The stories range from old favorites to new discoveries, from the profound to the silly. A treat for all ages, these picture stories unlock the enchanted door into the pleasures of books and reading.
Max. by Giovannetti. 1977. J 741.5 GIO
A series of very funny pictures of Max, a Golden Hamster, as he confronts the problems of life. These include fencing with a dressmaker's dummy, skiing, and cutting fancy figures on the ice. Without one word, these pictures manage to tell a hilarious story.
Nobody is Perfick. by Bernard Waber. 1971. J 817 WAB
This is a very funny book of drawings and dialogues dramatizing everyday situations. The short chapters include: Say something nice; That was some dream. Ha! Ha! Ha!; That was some daydream. Mmmmmmmmmmm!; No rain again today; My diary; Sitting up straight; Ten best; and Peter Perfect, the story of a perfect boy.
Parallel Universe: An Interactive Time Adventure. written by Nicola Baxter, illustrated by Mike Taylor. 1997. J 909 BAX
Search each scene for twenty time-slip objects. What a great way to learn history! The reader enters thirteen different time periods and in each one finds twenty objects which are chronologically out of place. For example: sun glasses in ancient Egypt? A gym bag at a Roman bath? A rubber raft on a Viking ship? This book is endlessly fascinating.
Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes. illustrated by Quentin Blake with photographs by Jan Baldwin and recipes compiled by Josie Fison and Felicity Dahl. 1994. J 641.5
Here's a cookbook with a big difference! Who but Roald Dahl could think up such treats as Lickable Wallpaper, Hot Ice Cream for Cold Days, or Pencils for Sucking in Class? This is a guide to creating these dishes, featured in the pages of Dahl's timeless books.
The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups. revealed and illustrated by David Wisniewski. 1998. J 818.5402 WIS
Ssssshhhhhhhhh! You are about to open secret files, heretofore hidden from kids for thousands of years. Steel your mind for the truth. Prepare yourself for knowledge never before held by America's youth. Get ready to learn the REAL reasons grown-ups tell you to do things! Rules include Eat Your Vegetables, Comb Your Hair, and Don't Blow Bubbles in Your Milk.
Stories to Solve: Folktales from around the World. told by George Shannon, illustrated by Peter Sis. 1985. J 398.2 SHA
Brief folktales in which there is a mystery or problem that the reader is invited to solve before the resolution is presented.
Still More Stories to Solve: Fourteen Folktales from around the World. told by George Shannon, illustrated by Peter Sis. 1994. J 398.2 SHA
Fourteen brief folktales in which there is a mystery or problem that the reader is invited to solve before the resolution in presented.
Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs. by Alan Katz; illustrated by David Catrow. 2001. J 782.42164 KAT
Songwriter and television comedy writer Katz provides ludicrous lyrics to 14 traditional tunes, including "Oh Susannah" and "Row Row Row Your Boat," offering playful parodies on some familiar routines, such as "I'm So Carsick" and "Go Go Go to Bed."
Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 1325-1354. by James Rumford. 2001. J 910.92 RUM
This beautiful and fascinating picture book is an account of Ibn Battutat's incredible journey from Morocco to China, from the steppes of Russia to the shores of Tanzania, some seventy-five thousand miles in all. His twenty-nine years of travel are shown in words, pictures, and ancient Arab maps.
True Lies: 18 Tales for You to Judge. told by George Shannon, illustratated by John O'Brien. 1997. J 398.2 SHA
Presents a collection of eighteen brief folktales in which the reader is asked to explain how the folk character lied and told the truth at the same time. For example, in The Donkey and the Carrots, a donkey tied to an eight-foot rope manages to devour the carrots from a cart 30 feet away. How?
The Wit and Wisdom of Freddy and His Friends. by Walter R. Brooks, illustrations by Kurt Wiese. 2000. J 813.52 BRO
A collection of quotations from the twenty-six books that Walter R. Brooks wrote about Freddy the Pig and the rest of his talking animal friends on and around Bean Farm. The quips and pithy aphorisms instruct and entertain while reminding us of our favorite Freddy moments.
The World of Willliam Joyce Scrapbook: Text and Art. text and art by Willliam Joyce, photographs by Philip Gould. 1997. J 741.642 JOY
The author/artist explains how he creates books.
Your Pet Dinosaur. by Dr. Rex as told to and illustrated by Hudson Talbott. 1992. J 818.5407 TAL
Just what you've always wanted -- your very own pet dinosaur! But now what do you do? How do you care for a pet as big as a house? Who can you turn to for guidance and inspiration? This book offers humorous advice on the care and feeding of different kinds of dinosaurs as pets.
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