Be Quiet, Mike!
Author: Leslie Patricelli
Illustrator: Leslie Patricelli
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 6
Website
Ding Dong Ding Dong
Author: Margie Palatini
Illustrator: Howard Fine
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Good Night Gorilla
Author: Peggy Rathmann
Illustrator: Peggy Rathmann
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 2 to 5
Website
(oversized board book)
At the end of a busy day, a zookeeper says “good night” to each of his animals. Unbeknownst to him, the animals don’t go to sleep; they follow him: out of the zoo, into his house, and into his bed! When one “good night” leads to many, surprises abound. A great (wordless) read-aloud. ☺
Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Book for 1994; Bulletin Blue Ribbon 1994; Horn Book Fanfare 1995 Selection; Parenting Magazine “Best Children’s Books of 1994;” New York Public Library 1995 “Children’s Books 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing”
Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla
Author: Katherine Applegate
Illustrator: G. Brian Karas
Publisher: Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Based on her Newbery Award winning book, The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate offers the younger reader the same, inspiring, true story of Ivan, a gorilla kept in a shopping mall for thirty years. Through thoughtful and poetic language, we learn not only of Ivan’s years in captivity, but of his time at the Atlanta Zoo where he was treated with kindness and respect. A beautiful afterward by his main keeper reminds all of us just how much we can be touched by the presence of another life – be it animal or human.
Awards: A Top Twenty Amazon Best Children’s Book of 2014; 2015 Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book; NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2015; Winner of the Northern California Book Award for Children’s Literature 2015; An ABC Best Book for Children for 2014; An Honorable Mention on the Huffington Post’s Best Picture Books of 2014; A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2014
Look!
Author: Jeff Mack
Illustrator: Jeff Mack
Publisher: Owlkids Books Inc. (U.S. Edition)
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 5
When a gorilla can’t get the attention of his TV-watching friend, he takes matters into his own hands. Using a book, and some crazy antics, the gorilla does almost anything to get the boy to play with him, that is, until…CRASH! But, not to worry, the book saves the day and the friendship; to see, you’ll just have to take a Look!
Awards: An Amazon Best Book of the Month
The Escape of Marvin the Ape
Author: Caralyn and Mark Buehner
Illustrator: Caralyn and Mark Buehner
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Website
The Escape of Marvin the Ape is an incredibly fun adventure through New York City with a very clever Ape named Marvin. In many ways, Marvin becomes a bit of an unsuspecting tour guide as the reader visits a toy store, museum, the Staten Island Ferry (Statue of Liberty included!), and a baseball game, among many other sites on the city’s “to do” list. A fun read that will have children possibly naming their next stuffed ape “Marvin.” ☺