Atlantis : The Legend of a Lost City by Christina Balit, 1999. 
     Gorgeous, glowing illustrations and nicely told mythical text recount the myth of Atlantis.  (Elementary, middle school and up.)

Be Gentle! By Virginia Miller
     Bartholomew has a hard time learning to be gentle with his new kitten.  (Preschool and kindergarten)  Paperback.

Betsy Who Cried Wolf by Gail Carson Levine, 2002
     Witty and amusing take off on The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  (Primary through middle school)

Big Bushy Mustache by Gary Soto
     In order to look more like his father, Ricky borrows a mustache from a school costume, but when he loses it on the way home, his father comes up with a replacement.  (Primary grades)

The Bootmaker and the Elves by Susan Lowell
     A rousing Southwestern retelling of "The Shoemaker and the Elves."  (Elementary school children)    Paperback.

Bow-Wow Birthday by Lee Wardlaw
     A young girl throws a birthday party for her dog and invites her friends from the neighborhood.  (Kindergarten through 4th grade)

Brave Horace by Holly Keller
     In the days before his friend George's monster movie party, Horace prepares for the frightening events he expects will occur.  (Kindergarten to grade 3)

Bright Christmas, An Angel Remembers by Andrew Clements
     One of the Heavenly Host remembers the night of Jesus' birth.  (All ages)

Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
     Max and Ruby each make cakes for their grandmother’s birthday.  (Preschool to grade one)     Paperback.
     Look for other great Max and Ruby books by Rosemary Well, too.

Charlie's Checklist by Rory S. Lerman
     A farm dog is looking for the perfect city person but finds his best friend right there.  (Preschool to grade 3) 

Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella by Susan Lowell, 2000. 
     Another of Lowell's cuteWestern renditions of traditional fairy tales, with the fairy godmother toting a golden pistol instead of a wand and Cindy wearing diamond studded spurs instead of a glass slipper. (Preschool to middle school.)

Clouds For Dinner by Lynne Rae Perkins
     Janet learns to see her home and unusual parents in a new way.  (Grades 2-6)

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski.
     In his grief over losing his wife and child, woodcarver Jonathan Toomey becomes a recluse.  When the widow McDowell asks him to carve a manger scene, he begins to find joy again in carving and teaching her young son. Patrick James Lynch's illustrations are a marvel in themselves.  (Ages 5 to adult)

Detective Donut & the Wild Goose Chase by Bruce Whatley
     A mystery spoof taking off on the Maltese Falcon theme.  (Grades 2-6; fun for adults, too)   Paperback.

Eggs Mark the Spot. by Mary Jane Auch
     A chicken lays eggs with pictures on them and solves a mystery.  (Ages 4-10 and up)    Paperback.
     Don't miss Mary Jane Auch's other terrific picture books.

Emma's Rug by Allen Say
     Emma believes her artistic inspiration comes from a treasured rug but discovers it comes from within. (Grades 2 up)

The Fisherman and His Wife by Rosemary Wells.
     The fisherman's greedy wife is never satisfied with the wishes granted her by an enchanted fish.  (Preschool through elementary school)

Fishing For Methuselah by Robert Roth.
     After having competed with each other in everything and been outwitted by Methuselah, best friends Ivan and Olaf finally find something on which they can cooperate.  (Grades 2-6)

Five Little Piggies by David Martin.
     The lines of a familiar nursery rhyme are expanded into stories about the activities of a family of pigs.  (Preschool through grade 3)     Paperback.

Goldilocks Returns by Lisa Campbell Ernst, 2000.
     Terrific imaginative story about how a grown-up Goldilocks (Goldy) decides to revisit the three bears and make up for her childhood misdeeds in their house.  . . . lots of fun.  (Elementary and middle school)

Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth by Robert Burleigh.
     A poetic account of the legendary Babe Ruth as he prepares to hit a home run.  (Elementary school)

How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky.
     Santa tries his hand at many jobs before finding the perfect job as the world's greatest gift-giver.  (All ages)

James in the House of Aunt Prudence by Timothy Bush.
     Little James visits his Aunt Prudence in her Victorian mansion where his incredible imagination takes over and animals and objects in the house come to life.  Wonderful illustrations, loads of fun.  (Grades K-4)

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, 2000. 
     Lovely cultural and intergenerational story about Jenna, a contemporary Muscogee-Ojibway Indian girl who loves jingle dancing, and borrows what she needs for her jingle dress. 

The Khan's Daughter: A Mongolian Folktale by Laurence Yep
     A shepherd must pass three tests in order to marry the khan’s daughter.  (All ages from age 5 up)

Leola and the Honeybears by Melodye Benson Rosales, 1999. 
     Wonderful African-American retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, with  terrific illustrations.  (Preschool through middle school)

Little Chicken Chicken by David Martin
    An imaginative chicken uses string and stones to entertain her friends during a thunderstorm.  (Ages 3-6.)
    This is a paperback.

Little Oh by Laura Melmed
    An origami doll has many adventures before becoming a real girl.  (Elementary school age)

Livingstone Mouse by Pamela Duncan Edwards
    A mouse sets out to find China.   (Ages 5-9 and up)     Paperback.

Look-Alikes by Joan Steiner.
       Simple verses challenge readers to identify the everyday objects used to construct eleven three-dimensional scenes in Look-Alike Land.  (All ages)

Mabela the Clever by Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by Tim Coffey, 2001.
     MacDonald masterfully retells an African cautionary folk tale.  When the cat comes to offer the mice membership in the secret cat society, they are ecstatic enough not to realize it's a trap.  (all ages)

Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell
     In 1914, May is mailed to visit her grandmother.  Based on a true story.  (Elementary school age)

McDuff Moves In by Rosemary Wells
     A little white terrier finds just the right home.  Don't miss the other McDuff books, either.  (Preschool to grade 3)

Metropolitan Cow by Tim Egan
     Bennett's parents aren't sure they want their son, a cow, to be best friends with a young pig who moves in next door.  Outstanding tale about friendship and discrimination.  (Elementary school children)     Paperback.

No More Water in the Tub by Tedd Arnold.
     William and hWalter create a disaster when they don't turn off the water in the tub.  The flood creates a tidal wave and the bathtub swoops down the stairwell.  Funny cumulative rhymes.   (Preschool to grade 3)     Paperback.

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, 2001.
     Clover's mother tells her not to go on the other side of the fence that separates her yard from where the white people live, but a white girl named Annie keeps climbing up on the fence and wants to play.  A nice story about overcoming prejudice and fear.  (All ages)

Pockets by Jennifer Armstrong.
     A stranger arrives at a remote village and becomes a tailor, sewing magical embroidered scenes into the pockets of their plain clothes, which transforms their humdrum lives forever.  Sophisticated allegorical tale.  (Grades 3 to adult)

The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau, 2000. 
     Lovely folktale-like story about generosity being its own reward. 

Rapunzelby Paul Zelinsky (CALDECOTT WINNER)
     Classic retelling of Rapunzel with Florentine illustrations.  (Elementary school and up) 

The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller.
     The states become bored with their positions on the map a decide to change places for a while. Also includes facts about the states.  (Elementary school)

The Puddle Pail by Elisa Kleven
     Ernest, a young blue crocodile, collects puddles because of their lovely reflections.  (Preschool through grade 3) 
     Paperback.

Rocking Horse Christmas by Mary Pope Osborne
     A boy’s grand imagination takes him many places on his Christmas rocking horse.  (Preschool to grade 3)

Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane DeGroat.
     Gilbert has to write Valentine poems for his classmates . . . but he doesn't like all of them.  Some of the poems hurt others feelings.  Lots of good humor and good values in this outstanding Valentine's Day story.  (Primary grades)   Paperback.

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran.
     Children transform rocks, desert glass, and boxes into a community with imagination and verve, a wonderful story of memories and children's cooperative play.  (all ages)  Paperback.

The Signmaker's Assistant by Tedd Arnold
     A boy who is the signmaker's assistant paints mischievous signs and people are foolish enough to do what they say. When he sees the results, Norman realizes the importance of good signs and honesty.  (Grades 2-5) 

Somebody's New Pajamas by Isaac Jackson
     Jerome is invited to spend the night at Robert's house and is embarrassed by family differences.  African-American contemporary.  (Ages 4-9)

The Summer My Father Was Ten by Pat Brisson.
     A father tells his son the story of how he damaged a neighbor's tomato garden when he was a boy and what he did to make amends.  (Grades 2-6)     Paperback.

The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor.
    An unsual book about the real riches of life.  Mountain Girl and her family have little money, but explain how they are the wealthiest people in the world, seeing the sky, smelling the coming rain, and appreciating nature.      Paperback.

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas.
     A hilarious reversal of the traditional story. The three little wolves have to outsmart the big bad pig.  Great fun. 
     Paperback.

Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski, 1999.
     Clever and silly take-off on a Dragnet type of detective story in which a cookie jar is used as a metaphor for a city. 

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet by Diane DeGroat.
     Gilbert is excited about the costume he is planning to wear in the Halloween parade at school, until he discovers that lots of others have the same costume.  (Primary grades) Paperback.

Walter Wick's Optical Tricks by Walter Wick.
     Presents a series of amazing and intriguing optical illusions and explains what is seen.  (All ages)

The Web Files by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Richard Egielski, 2001.
     The pun starts with the title, which despite the internet, seems to refer to the duck detectives, who are trying to "quack" the case.  A spoof on Dragnet, the book is about a Rat who steals salad ingredients replete with alliteration and puns, references to well-known tongue-twisters and song characters such as the Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens.