Themed Lists

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Picture Books


Children's Fiction (Chapter Books)

Both!

Holidays and Holy Days

 

New Baby

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His Royal Highness, King Baby: a terrible true story by Sally Lloyd-Jones: On one horrible day, a new ruler is born into a young princess’s family — a ruler she dubs His Royal Highness, King Baby. This small interloper is so smelly. He is so noisy. And all the talk in the Land is about him ("Such a nice burp!" "Oh, what a lovely poo-poo!"), nonstop, ALL THE TIME! Has there ever been such an era of wicked rule? With whimsy and sympathy, Sally Lloyd-Jones tells a satisfying tale of usurped attention — and rapprochement — that every big brother or sister will relate to, while illustrator David Roberts captures all the hilarious details of a child’s active imagination.

King Baby by Kate Beaton: Baby is King, and all his needs must be met by his subjects, otherwise known as his parents, but soon he will grow up, and who will rule them then?

Now We Have a Baby by Lois Rock: A simple introduction to babies and what it is like to be part of a family with a new baby.

The New Small Person by Lauren Child: Feeling jealous when a new sibling arrives, little Elmore Green becomes frustrated when the "small person" knocks over his things and licks his jelly bean collection until a special night when their relationship changes.

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman: When her parents find a baby wolf on their doorstep and decide to raise him as their own, Dot is certain he will eat them all up until a surprising encounter with a bear brings them closer together.

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Starting School

cartoon drawing of a school

Amanda Panda Quits Kindergarten by Candice Ransom: When Amanda Panda's first day of kindergarten does not go according to plan, she decides to quit and join her older brother in the second grade.

Come to School Too, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark: When Lily starts at a new school she asks Blue Kangaroo to come too. Lily thinks Blue Kangaroo is worried about going but, secretly, he can t wait to explore and try new things which is just as well, because the fun lasts even longer than he expected!

Dad’s First Day by Mike Wohnoutka: Oliver and Dad have spent a fun summer together but when it comes time for the first day of school, Dad discovers that he is not ready and does everything he can to postpone the big day.

Dinosaur vs School by Bob Shea: Fearless Dinosaur takes on new challenges as he starts preschool, from meeting new friends to pasting glitter and googly eyes, but one task requires assistance from everyone.

Kindergarten Diary by Antionette Portis: Annalina's diary entries reflect her feelings and experiences as she goes from being afraid to go to kindergarten to loving it during her first month of school.

Oh, no, school! by Hae-Kyung Chang: With a stomp of her foot and tears in her eyes, Holly declares that she does not want to go to school but her mother, aided by a favorite puppet, helps Holly find ways to solve her kindergarten problems.

Planet Kindergarten by Sue Ganz-Schmitt: A young child imagines going off to Kindergarten as a journey to another planet.

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex: It's the first day of school at Frederick Douglass Elementary and everyone's just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself.

The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten by Maureen Fergus: Inviting her mother to visit her new class, a little kindergartener discovers that there are some things that kids are better at than parents.

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Bereavement and Grief

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Bear and Bird by James Skofield: Bear and Bird meet up every spring. They have created a strong friendship. When Bird can't find Bear one spring, Bird must come to terms with his feeligs of loss and remember all the fun memories he has of Bear.

Champ's Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too! by Sherry North: A story of a young boy whose dog is diagnosed with cancer. The boy becomes a loving caretaker to his dog, who undergoes the same types of treatments as a human under similar circumstances.

Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories by Audrey Penn: After his mother explains why his classmate is not returning to school, she teaches Chester how to make a memory.

If Nathan Were Here by Mary Bahr Fritts: A young boy grieves the death of his best friend and with the help of caring adults finds ways to express his sorrow.

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems: City dog and country frog become good friends, and create a special bond but after winter city dog can no longer find country frog. Feeling sad and un-sure he find a friend who he can share memories of country frog with.

Maya by Mahak Jain: The electricity in Maya's house has gone out again. Worse, she is afraid of the dark -- and her fear has been even worse since her father died. Now it feels as if the darkness will never go away. Maya's mother distracts her with a legend about the banyan tree, which saved the world from the first monsoon by drinking up the floodwaters, and growing tall and strong. Later that night, Maya revisits the story in her imagination. She ventures deep into the banyan tree, where she discovers not darkness but life: snakes slither, monkeys laugh, and elephants dance. Maya pushes her imagination even further to call up memories of her father, helping to soothe her fear and grief.

Missing Mommy by Rebecca Cobb: Daddy comforts and reassures a very young boy after mommy dies.

My Father's Arms are a Boat by Stein Erik Lunde: Unable to sleep, a young boy climbs into his father's arms and asks about birds, foxes, and whether his mother will ever awaken, then under a starry sky, the father provides clear answers and assurances.

Rabbityness by Jo Empson: Rabbit is best known for doing un-rabbitiy things when rabbit disappears his friends struggle with the loss, but soon realizes that rabbit left some gifts so they could find their own un-rabbitiyness

Someone Special Died by Joan Singleton Prestine:  A young girl describes the anger and sadness she feels after someone special dies.

Samantha Jane's Missing Smile by Julie and Donna Kaplow and Donna: With the help of her neighbor, Samantha Jane is able to talk about how sad she is since her father died and she starts to feel better.

The Goodbye Boat by Mary Joslin: Saying goodbye to someone you love is always hard. Saying goodbye when someone you love dies is perhaps the hardest thing of all. A message of hope that sadness will ease and comforts with the reassurance that death is not the end.

The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup: Fox has lived a long and happy life in the forest. One day, he lies down in his favourite clearing, takes a deep breath, and falls asleep forever, his friends come around to talk about their special memories they have of fox. 

To Everything There is a Season by Leo and Diane Dillon: The famous verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes are accompanied by exquisite illustrations, each rendered in the style of a different world culture...An ecumenical, artistic, and cultural experience, rich in beauty and expansive in its appreciation of ethnic variety.

Which Way Should I Go? by Sylvia Olsen and Ron Martin: Joey is a happy Nuu-chah-nulth boy, eager to help and quick to see the bright side of things. But when he loses his beloved grandmother, the sun goes out in his world. Fortunately, she has left something of herself behind--a song, which keeps knocking on Joey's heart, and a dance, which urges him to get up on his feet and choose again.

 

Non-Fiction

These books can help explain what happens at funerals and offer advice and information. You’ll find them and more in the 155.93 section of the children’s non-fiction collection

I miss you : a first look at death by Pat Thomas
The fall of Freddie the Leaf : a story of life for all ages by Leo Buscaglia
After you lose someone you love : advice and insight from the diaries of three kids who've been there by Amy, Allie, and David Dennison
What happens when a loved one dies? : our first talk about death by Dr. Jillian Roberts
When dinosaurs die : a guide to understanding death by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown

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