Pick of the Decade 1995-2005: Kindergarten

Picture Books

Numeroff, Laura. The Chicken Sisters , 1997.

Three fowl siblings are so eccentric, they frighten off the big bad wolf.

Numeroff, Laura. If You Take a Mouse to School , 2002.

If you take a mouse to school, watch out. Not only will he ask you for your lunch box, but also he will then want a sandwich to go in it and that's only the beginning. (See also: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie ; If You Give a Moose a Muffin ; If You Give a Pig a Pancake ; and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies. )

O'Brien, John. Poof! , 1999.

A husband and wife wizarding duo miscast one spell after another.

Ochiltree, Diane. Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins , 2004.

Rhyming text, accompanied by vivid illustrations, together demonstrate how many pumpkins it takes to fill a wagon and how quickly they add up each time the number is doubled.

Palatini, Margie. Piggie Pie , 1995.

Gritch the witch needs eight plump piggies for piggie pie, but the pigs on Old MacDonald's farm are determined to outwit her. (Sequels: Zoom Broom and Broom Mates .)

Palatini, Margie. The Web Files , 2001.

The farm is perfectly peaceful until it is discovered that a peck of pickled peppers has been pilfered. Then, Ducktective Web and his partner are called in to solve the case.

Parr, Todd. It's Okay to Be Different , 2001.

Neon colored illustrations accompany a text that encourages an appreciation of diversity.

Pattou, Edith. Mrs. Spitzer's Garden , 2002.

Mrs. Spitzer lovingly tends her garden all summer long, just as she nurtures her students during the school year.

Peters, Lisa Westberg. Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck , 2000.

A duck arrives at her pond to find that it is still frozen, but when she concentrates on spring, the ice begins to melt.

Plourde, Lynn. Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud , 1997.

A family is trying to return to their home in a Model T Ford, but a plethora of animals in the "rud" stop them until Granny finds a way to clear them out.

Poydar, Nancy. Snip, Snip.Snow! 1997.

Impatient Sophie can't wait for it to snow. She and her classmates decide to make paper snowflakes in the meantime.

Raschka, Chris. The Blushful Hippopotamus , 1996, o.p.

Roosevelt 's sister teases him about blushing all the time, but his best friend Lombard shows him how to feel better about himself.

Rathmann, Peggy. Officer Buckle and Gloria , 1995.

Officer Buckle's safety tips put students to sleep until his canine cohort, Gloria, livens things up (Caldecott winner).

Ray, Mary Lyn. Red Rubber Boot Day , 2000.

A young boy delights in playing in the rain wearing his red rubber boots.

Root, Phyllis. One Duck Stuck , 1998.

When a duck lands in the swamp, he promptly gets stuck in the muck and an increasing number of creatures try to free him. (See also: What Baby Wants and Oliver Finds His Way .)

Ross, Tony. Centipede's 100 Shoes , 2003.

When centipede stubs a toe, he decides shoes are the way to go, but the footwear proves more difficult than he thought.

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Mud Is Cake , 2002.

Siblings have a grand time stretching their imaginations.

Salley, Coleen. Epossomundus , 2002.

In a variant of a classic tale, a young possum is constantly muddling his mama's instructions.

Schaefer, Carole. Someone Says , 2003.

On their way to school one day, a group of children concoct more and more imaginative ways to proceed.

Schnur, Steven. Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic , 1997.

26 clever poems present various experiences of the season. (See also: Winter ; Summer ; and Spring .)

Schulman, Janet. A Bunny for All Seasons , 2003.

With each new season a brown bunny takes delight in his garden.

Shannon, David. Duck on a Bike , 2002.

Duck teaches himself to ride a bike and inspires all the farmyard animals to do likewise.

Shannon, David. No, David! , 1998.

Young David makes a mess in every room but his mother loves him just the same. (Sequels: David Gets in Trouble and David Goes to School .)

Shannon, George. Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! , 2003.

Mother hen and her chicks go to the garden every day, but when a loud dog suddenly blocks their path, it is the littlest chick that comes up with a way to save them all.

Shields, Carol Diggory. Lucky Pennies and Hot Chocolate , 2000.

A boy and his grandfather enjoy a variety of activities together.

Shulman, Lisa. Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop , 2002.

Ms. MacDonald, a ewe who is completely comfortable with her tool belt on, has her friend and neighbors join her in constructing her special project.

Sierra, Judy. Wild about Books , 2004.

When librarian Molly McGrew mistakenly drives the book mobile to the zoo, she entices the animals to a love of books by reading aloud her rollicking rhymes. (See also: The House That Drac Built .)

Slate, Joseph. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten , 1996.

Miss Bindergarten, a black and white canine, prepares her room, as her 26 animal students also prepare for the first day of school and are presented in alphabetical order. (Sequels: Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100 th Day of Kindergarten ; Miss Bindergarten Stays Home from Kindergarten ; Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip with Kindergarten ; and Miss Bindergarten Plans a Circus with Kindergarten .)

Smith, Maggie. Paisley , 2004.

When a stuffed elephant the same pattern as his name accidentally ends up in the trash, he turns his abandonment into a successful search for his perfect match.

Steig, William. Toy Brother , 1996.

In an everyday medieval family, Mr. Bede, an alchemist, accidentally shrinks his oldest son to the size of a sausage to the delight of little brother Charlie. (See also: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble ; Doctor De Soto ; Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa ; Brave Irene ; Shrek! ; and Pete's a Pizza .)

Stevens, Janet. Cook-a-Doodle-Doo! , 1999.

Big Brown Rooster, the great-grandson of the Little Red Hen, decides to make strawberry short cakes, but runs into some problems of his own.

Stevenson, James. Don't Make Me Laugh , 1999.

Mr. Frimdimpny, a stern crocodile, insists that readers not laugh at all and then relates three humorous stories.

Stoeke, Janet. Minerva Louise and the Red Truck , 2002.

Minerva Louise is back-and this time she's taking her show on the road. The intrepid but airhead hen is off on a joyride in the back of the farm's red truck. And what a lot there is to see! In her usual fashion, she mistakes golfers for farmers digging and a construction site for a playground for trucks. (Newest in a series that began with: A Hat for Minerva Louise.)

Stojic, Manya. Rain , 2000.

The animals of the African savanna pass the word about the much needed rain, which comes to drench their world.

Stickland, Paul. Ten Terrible Dinosaurs , 1997.

Ten brightly colored dinosaurs romp through a prehistoric count down.

Sturges, Philemon. The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) , 1999.

In this version, the little red hen decides to go with an Italian entrée, but still has difficulty getting the help she needs.

Thomas, Lauren. Polar Bear Night , 2004.

After wandering out at night to watch a magical star shower, a polar bear cub returns home to snuggle with her mother in their warm den.

Voake, Charlotte. Ginger , 1996.

Ginger is a completely content cat until a cavorting kitten invades her home. (Sequel: Ginger Finds a Home .)

Vrombaut, An. Clarabella's Teeth , 2003.

Clarabella wants to go and play with her friends, but first she must brush her teeth. Unfortunately, that takes quite awhile since crocodiles have a lot of teeth, but her friends come up with a workable solution.

Waddell, Martin. A Kitten Called Moonlight , 2002.

On a dark and stormy night a mother and daughter take in a stray cat. (See also: The Pig in the Pond ; Owl Babies ; Farmer Duck ; , Little Bear Can't You Sleep? ; Let's Go Home, Little Bear ; You and Me, Little Bear ; Good Job, Little Bear ; Snow Bears ; and Hi, Harry! )

Waddell, Martin. Tiny's Big Adventure , 2004.

Katy Mouse teaches her younger brother, Tiny, the names of some of the things they see, including a boot, a snail, and a pheasant, when they go to the cornfield to play games.

Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs , 2001.

The three pigs escape the big bad wolf by jumping into other stories.

Wellington, Monica. Apple Farmer Annie , 2001.

Annie owns her own apple orchard and makes a myriad of apple-related items from her homegrown fruit.

Wells, Rosemary. McDuff Moves In , 1997.

Alone and unnamed, a white West Highland terrier escapes from the dog catcher. He wanders from place to place until the loving Lucy and Fred take in the bedraggled pup. (Sequels: McDuff Comes Home ; McDuff and the Baby ; McDuff Goes to School ; and McDuff Saves the Day .)

Wells, Rosemary. Yoko , 1998.

Yoko's classmates make fun of her for bringing sushi for lunch, but then someone tries it and everything changes. (See also: Timothy Goes to School ; Shy Charles ; Bunny Cakes ; and Yoko's Paper Cranes .)

Wells, Rosemary. My Kindergarten , 2004.

All the activities of a typical kindergarten year are compiled in this handy compendium. (See also: Emily's First 100 Days of School .)

Weston, Tamson. Hey, Pancakes! , 2003.

Three ambitious children make morning more palatable by whipping up a batch of pancakes.

Willems , Mo. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus , 2003.

When the bus driver takes a break he instructs readers not to let the pigeon drive the bus but the pigeon doesn't give up easily. (Sequel: The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! )

Williams, Vera. Lucky Song , 1997.

Evie hears a song that describes her kite-flying day. (See also: A Chair for My Mother and Cherries and Cherry Pits .)

Willis, Jeanne. Shhh! 2005.

A small creature finds the secret of world peace but everyone is making too much noise to listen to him.

Wilson , Karma. Bear Snores On , 2002.

The winter wind is blowing but Bear's animal friends have gathered for a party in his cave while he is sound asleep. (Sequels: Bear Wants More and Bear Stays up for Christmas .)

Winter, Jeanette. Nino's Mask , 2003.

Nino wants to wear a mask at Fiesta but he is told he is too young. He surprises everyone by making a mask of his own.

Wormell, Mary. Why Not? , 2000.

As Barnaby the kitten follows his mother around the barnyard, she warns him against disturbing the other animals but the curious kitten always repeats a familiar refrain.

Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, 2000.

Different dinosaurs demonstrate ways to say good night and ways not to say it. (Sequel: How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? )