Browse our regularly updated lists of staff picks, bestsellers, reading recommendations by grade, award winners, and more.
(Want personalized recommendations? Use our Kids Book Picks form for suggested reads from our librarians.)
Sweet Treats Picture Books
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A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Little Star loves the delicious Mooncake that she bakes with her mama. But she's not supposed to eat any yet! What happens when she can't resist a nibble?
In this stunning picture book that shines as bright as the stars in the sky, Newbery Honor author Grace Lin creates a heartwarming original story that explains phases of the moon. -
Pie in the Sky
Do pies grow on trees? Join a father and child as they watch over their backyard cherry tree--and all the colorful living things surrounding it--throughout the seasons. At the end of the summer, they harvest the cherries together and make a delicious pie for the whole family to enjoy.
This stunning book from bestselling author Lois Ehlert features color concepts, backyard natural history, vibrant collage illustrations, and, best of all, a recipe for making cherry pie. Yum
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Cake
Cake has been invited to his very first birthday party!
He buys just the right outfit—including the PERFECT hat.
But as the candles on his perfect party hat begin to burn, and the other party guests start to sing, Cake starts to think that this is one party he’d rather not be at… -
The Smart Cookie
Be a smart cookie--and don't miss the fifth picture book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Food Group series from creators Jory John and Pete Oswald!
This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren't the only ingredients for intelligence?
Jory John and Pete Oswald serve up another heaping plate of laughs and lessons with this empowering, witty, and charming addition to their #1 New York Times bestselling series!
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Gingerbread Baby
Jan Brett's Gingerbread Baby is not about to get eaten in this delicious twist on a favorite Christmastime tale!
It all begins when Matti opens the oven too soon and out jumps a cheeky little Gingerbread Bay. He leads Matti's mother and father, the dog and the cat, and a whole colorful cast of characters on a rollicking chase through the village and into the forest, staying just out of reach, daring them to catch him along the way.
But Matti's not with them. He's at home in the borders making what turns out to be a gingerbread house into which the Gingerbread Baby runs. Only Matti knows he is safely inside. And readers will too when they look under the lift-the-flap gingerbread house at the end of the story, and there he is!
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Eight Animals Bake a Cake
Eight animals - ocho animales- get together to whip up a cake. Everyone brings an important ingredient to add to the batter, and soon they will have a wonderful treat to share. But when the timer dings and EVERYONE wants to take the cake out of the oven - horno- they end up dropping the whole thing all over the floor. What a mess! With some creative thinking from Cow - Vaca- and a little dinero, too, the surprise at the end is worth the wait. Perfect for non-Spanish speakers as well as Spanish speakers learning English, this is a delightful book about cooking, eating, and the love of good friends.
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Paletero Man
Ring! Ring! Ring! Can you hear his call? Paletas for one! Paletas for all!
What's the best way to cool off on a hot summer day? Run quick and find Paletero José!
Follow along with our narrator as he passes through his busy neighborhood in search of the Paletero Man. But when he finally catches up with him, our narrator's pockets are empty. Oh no! What happened to his dinero? It will take the help of the entire community to get the tasty treat now.
Full of musicality, generosity, kindness, and ice pops, this book is sure to satisfy fans of Thank You, Omu! and Carmela Full of Wishes.
Includes Spanish words and phrases throughout, an author's note from Lucky Diaz, and a link to a live version of the Lucky Band's popular song that inspired the book.
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The Duckling Get a Cookie
Mo Willems, #1 New York Times best-selling creator and three-time Caldecott Honoree, presents a sweet Pigeon adventure.
The Duckling asks for a cookie—and gets one! It isn’t fair! The Pigeon NEVER gets what he asks for. Do YOU think the Pigeon should get a cookie, too? -
Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes
From Kimberly and James Dean’s bestselling Pete the Cat series, help Pete and his friends solve the mystery of the missing cupcakes!
Pete the Cat and his friends are busy as can be baking cupcakes for a party, and Pete can’t wait to perform with his groovy band. But some of the cupcakes have gone missing! Who could have taken them?
In this rhyming picture book by New York Times bestselling authors James and Kimberly Dean, Pete and the gang work together to find the missing cupcakes and learn about making mistakes, forgiveness, and that it’s cool to be kind.
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Arnie, the Doughnut
A deliciously imaginative story about friendship—from the author / illustrator of The Scrambled States of America.
Arnie was fascinated as he watched the customers stream into the bakery. One by one, doughnuts were chosen, placed in paper bags, and whisked away with their new owners. Some went by the dozen in giant boxes.
"Good-bye!" Arnie yelled to each doughnut. "Have a good trip!"
"This is so exciting!" Arnie beamed. "I wonder who will choose ME?"
At first glance, Arnie looks like an average doughnut—round, cakey, with a hole in the middle, iced and sprinkled. He was made by one of the best bakeries in town, and admittedly his sprinkles are candy-colored. Still, a doughnut is just a doughnut, right?
WRONG! Not if Arnie has anything to say about it. And, for a doughnut, he sure seems to have an awful lot to say. Can Arnie change the fate of all doughnuts—or at least have a hand in his own future? Well, you'll just have to read this funny story and find out for yourself. -
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If a hungry little mouse shows up on your doorstep, you might want to give him a cookie. And if you give him a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim....
This book is a great first introduction to Mouse, the star of the If You Give... series and a perennial favorite among children. With its spare, rhythmic text and circular tale, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is perfect for beginning readers and story time. Sure to inspire giggles and requests to "read it again!"
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Ice Cream and Dinosaurs
Meet Groovy Joe, a fun-lovin', guitar-strummin', doggy-ice-cream-eatin' pup as he wrangles three hungry dinosaurs and soon has them singing, grooving, and sharing!
Eric Litwin, author of the bestselling and beloved Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, and bestselling artist Tom Lichtenheld, illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, have created a captivating new canine character who will groove his way into readers' hearts and have them grooving and giggling all the while. In his debut adventure, Groovy Joe faces three roaring dinosaurs hungry for his doggy ice cream! Oh no! But Joe knows just what to do and soon enough he has them all sharing while moving and singing along. Signature rhyme, repetition, and musical writing style, combined with wild and witty illustrations come together to create an unforgettable new character who embodies positivity, creativity, and kindness. Groovy Joe is here, ready to get groovy!
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Apple Pie ABC
When an apple pie arrives piping hot on the kitchen table, a little pup does everything from A to Z to get his paws on it. He Ogles it. He Pines for it. But will his ABC antics land him a slice?
APPLE PIE ABC is a delicious twist on traditional verse brought to life by Alison Murray’s simple words and whimsical illustrations. Sure to delight readers of all ages, it’s a book to savor again and again.
Cooking Together
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The Jumbo Vegetarian Cookbook
The authors were first introduced to vegetarianism when their daughters announced they were giving up meat. Both moms were initially concerned that a vegetarian lifestyle wouldn't meet the nutritional needs of their growing teens. But a little research proved that kids could maintain a healthy diet without animal products. Following in the footsteps of their highly successful Jumbo Cookbook, the authors filled The Jumbo Vegetarian Cookbook with more than 125 nutritious and delicious meatless dishes, inspired by cultures from around the world! This invaluable resource also includes an introduction to vegetarian foods, basic cooking terms, helpful hints, safety tips and great menu ideas. Recipes include * breakfast burritos * curried vegetable chowder * homemade hummus * Thai stir-fry * vegetarian sloppy joes * tempeh kabobs * african stew * four-bean salad * applesauce muffins * banana chocolate delight
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Baking with Kids
Get ready to measure, mix, and decorate! Baking with Kids is just the book you need to help teach children to bake. Show your children how to safely use basic equipment in the kitchen and explain all about the important ingredients they'll need to make the most delicious baked goods. Recipes include muffins, scones, breads, pretzels, crackers, pizza dough, pie crust, cake, cookies, cupcakes, and more! Celebrated chef and instructor, Leah Brooks creates activities with simple step-by-step photo illustrations that will guide kids through each recipe and inspire creativity throughout. Put on your aprons--it's time to get baking!
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Super Good Cookies for Kids
This fun-to-share 208-page baking cookbook from superstar celebrity baker Duff Goldman guides kids on how to make dozens of super delicious cookies--from rainbow checkerboard cookies to yummy coconut macarons to Danish stroopwafel. Beloved New York Times bestselling chef and host of Ace of Cakes and Kids Baking Championship Duff Goldman delivers the perfect holiday gift for young bakers!
Celebrity chef and host of Kids Baking Championship Duff Goldman is back in the kitchen with a fresh batch of kid-friendly recipes that'll satisfy every family's cookie cravings.
Super Good Cookies for Kids features dozens of the gooiest and chewiest, crunchiest and munchiest, easiest-to-follow recipes ever. This hardcover book teaches young bakers how to make all kinds of delicious treats--from chocolaty s'mores to delicious rainbow meringue to a mind-blowing cookie salad! The cookies are all fun to bake, a thrill to decorate, and delicious every time.
With kid-friendly, step-by-step instructions; helpful kitchen-safe tips; and funny, fact-filled sidebars on everything from the best places to eat in New Orleans to the surprising facts about the history of cookies, this book will give kids of all ages the kitchen confidence to make crazy delicious cookies that everyone will love!
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The Juneteenth Cookbook
A commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, the Juneteenth holiday has been observed in the Black community for over 150 years. In The Juneteenth Cookbook, Alliah L. Agostini, author of the popular children’s book The Juneteenth Story—which won the 2022 Black Kid Lit Award for Best Historical title—brings the tradition to your home through historically accurate recipes and educational family activities.
With captivating illustrations of 18 quick and easy recipes, follow along with little Alliah and her grandparents as they explore the historical origins of the holiday through food. Make, share, and enjoy kid-friendly takes on some of the most popular Juneteenth celebration foods, including:
- Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Frances Price’s Calico Potato Salad
- Saucy Pulled Chicken Sliders with Bangin’ Barbeque Sauce
- Freedom Fizz (homemade red pop)
- Hot Links & Chow Chow Relish
- Corn Muffins with Hot Honey Butter
- Mac ’n’ Please
- Sweet Potato Pie Bars
- And more!
All recipes use simple and accessible ingredients, which can be easily substituted for a variety of diets and preferences. Each recipe can also easily be multiplied for larger groups, and the instructions are written with families in mind so everyone from toddler to grandparent can participate in crafting the ultimate Juneteenth celebration spread! Alongside all the delicious recipes, you’ll also learn a brief history of barbeque and it’s importance to the Juneteenth holiday and Black culture in America.
Comprised of 90 percent cooking and 10 percent family and community engagement, The Juneteenth Cookbook brings kids and families a sensory-rich, hands-on exploration of this important and historic American holiday. -
Maker Comics: Bake Like a Pro!
Maker Comics is the ultimate DIY guide. Inside this graphic novel you will find illustrated instructions for eight tasty treats!
Today is the first day of Sage’s magical internship! Her fellow wizards-in-training get to study pyromancy and transfiguration, but Sage has been assigned an internship in...baking? She doesn’t think that sounds fun, or particularly magical! But her instructor, Korian, insists that baking is a tasty form of alchemy. In an enchanted kitchen where the ingredients insist that you eat them, Sage learns the simple science behind baking—and that’s the best kind of magic trick!
In Bake Like a Pro!, you’ll learn how different combination of proteins, fats, and liquids will result in textures that lend themselves to perfect pies, breads, cookies, and more! Follow these simple recipes, and you’ll be able to bake a pizza and frost a cake—no magic necessary!
Follow the easy step-by-step instructions and you can make:
Chocolate chip cookies
Cornbread
Banana bread
Pizza dough
Cheesy biscuits
Apple pies
Sponge cake with Swiss buttercream frosting
Lemon meringue pie -
Annabel Karmel's Fun, Fast and Easy Children's Cookbook
You'll find everything from Hidden Vegetable Bolognese to Teddy Bear Burgers, as well as nutritionally balanced snacks and sweets like oat and raisin cookies and fruity ice pops. Recipes include child-friendly versions of food from around the world, such as stir-fries, paella and kebabs.
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The Star Wars Cook Book: Wookiee Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes
Boba Fett-Uccine and Princess Leia Danish Dos are just the beginning when the Force is with you in the kitchen. Wookiee Cookies is your invitation to fine culinary experiences in the Star Wars frame of mind. From C-3PO Pancakes to Jedi Juice Bars, this intergalactic Star Wars cookbook features healthy snacks, delicious dishes, sweet treats, and easy main courses no Rebel can resist. With hilarious photos and safety tips for cooking on Earth as well as in most space stations, Wookiee Cookies even includes a sheet of shiny Star Wars stickers.
Age is no issue when it comes to Star Wars cuisine-kids as well as adults will have a great time with this book. Whether you drove to your first Star Wars flick or just had your fifth birthday, there's no reason you can't whip up some Crazy Cantina Chili at near light speed.
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The Pokémon Cookbook
Fun and easy recipes inspired by favorite Pokémon characters!
Create delicious dishes that look like your favorite Pokémon characters—from desserts to pizza—with more than 35 fun, easy recipes. Make a Pokéball sushi roll, Pikachu ramen or mashed Meowth potatoes for your next party, weekend activity or powered-up lunch box. -
Kids Cook 1-2-3
Learning to cook can be fun and easy! This cookbook is for kids, but beginning cooks of all ages will love the simple and delicious recipes for every meal--all with only three ingredients each.
With more than 100 easy-to-follow recipes, kids can prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts and more, while learning about fresh ingredients and simple cooking techniques. From the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich to crunchy wasabi salmon, young cooks will gain confidence as they prepare homemade soups, delicious macaroni and cheese, and a heavenly chocolate mousse cake.
Award-winning chef and author Rozanne Gold inspires everyone to get cooking! Using her signature, keep-it-simple approach to cooking with fresh, natural ingredients, you won't need a gourmet kitchen or any experience to get started. With just 1-2-3 ingredients per recipe, you can make amazingly creative meals and feel like a very accomplished cook.
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Kid in the Kitchen
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND TOWN & COUNTRY
Whether you’re new to cooking or you already rock that kitchen, these 100 recipes make it easy to cook what you like, exactly how you like it.
In Kid in the Kitchen, Melissa Clark, who has been cooking with her own kid for years, takes you step-by-step through how to understand and create each dish. These recipes are fun, insanely delicious, and will help you become a confident cook. There are tons of tips and tweaks, too, so you can cook what you want with what you have. Make amped-up breakfasts, sandwiches that slay, noodles and pasta for every craving, plus sheet pan dinners, mix and match grain bowls and salads, one-pot meals, party classics, and the richest, gooiest desserts. This is the fun, easy way to awesome food.
Melissa will explain the most helpful kitchen tools and tips, from the proper way to hold a chef’s knife to why you need a Microplane grater right now. She’ll even clue you in on which recipe rules you can break and how to snap amazing food photos to share! -
Super Snacks in 15 Minutes Or Less
You want a super snack, but you're in a hurry. What do you do? Become a 15-minute foodie and quickly feed that hunger! Use a microwave to make crispy Parmesan bites. Slice fruit to create a rainbow bagel. These quick, fun, yummy recipes will be ready to snack on in 15 minutes or less. Using basic kitchen supplies and techniques and step-by-step instructions, young chefs will prepare tasty and healthy snacks in no time at all!
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Bluey and Bingo's Fancy Restaurant Cookbook
Learn how to make yummy food with Bluey and Bingo! Bake some Shadowland Cupcakes, make BBQ Sausages, Capsicum Salad, or write your very own Fancy Restaurant menu! This spiral bound cookbook includes 13 fun recipes to cook for everyone to enjoy, and lays flat to make it easy to read.
Shapes and Colors
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Perfect Square
A perfect square is transformed in this adventure story that will transport you far beyond the four equal sides of this square book.
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Mis colores, mi mundo
Little Maya longs to find brilliant, beautiful, inspiring color in her world....but Maya's world, the Mojave Desert, seems to be filled with nothing but sand. With the help of a feathered friend, she searches everywhere to discover color in her world. In the brilliant purple of her mother's flowers, the cool green of a cactus, the hot pink sunset, and the shiny black of Papi's hair, Maya finally finds what she was looking for. The book's appealing narrative and bold illustrations encourage early readers to observe and explore, and to discover the colors in their own"
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Mix It Up
Great for toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers to learn about combining colors in a fun and imaginative way.
A mess-free way to learn about transforming colors and following directions: Accept Hervé Tullet's irresistible invitation to mix it up in a dazzling adventure of whimsy and wonder. Follow the artist's simple instructions and suddenly colors appear, mix, splatter, and vanish in a world powered only by the reader's imagination. In Mix It Up! Tullet sets readers on an extraordinary interactive journey all within the printed page.- The perfect book for young children to develop an understanding of colors\
- Kids will giggle as they mash, smoosh and mix up colors as they participate in the story
- Paint colors are vibrant, fun and incredibly realistic
- Stimulating children's book that encourages imagination and creativity
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Round is a Mooncake
A little girl's neighborhood becomes a discovery ground of things round, square and rectangular. Many of the objects are Asian in origin, other universal: round rice bowls and a found pebble, square dim sum and pizza boxes, rectangular Chinese lace and very special pencil case. Bright art accompanies this lively introduction to shapes and short glossary explains the cultural significance of the objects featured in the book. Perfect for read-alouds or one-on-one sharing.
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Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns
Magnificently capturing the colorful world of Islam for the youngest readers, this breathtaking and informative picture book celebrates Islam's beauty and traditions. From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, everyday colors are given special meaning as young readers learn about clothing, food, and other important elements of Islamic culture, with a young Muslim girl as a guide. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns is equally at home in a classroom reading circle as it is being read to a child on a parent's lap.
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Green Is a Chile Pepper
Green is a chile pepper, spicy and hot.
Green is cilantro inside our pot.
In this lively picture book, children discover a world of colors all around them: red is spices and swirling skirts, yellow is masa, tortillas, and sweet corn cake. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin, and all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this playful concept book will reinforce the colors found in every child's day! -
Circle Rolls
A clever and spirited rhyming story of friends who literally come in all shapes and sizes
When Circle rolls into one of Triangle's points and pops, chaos momentarily ensues until Octagon's "Stop!" brings everyone to their senses. An effortlessly rhyming text introduces us to a collection of shapes and subtly weaves their physical characteristics into traits that both lead to and solve a would-be catastrophe. Master illustrator Serge Bloch's shapes are accompanied by a chorus of miniature people who play along, creating the perfect complement to Barbara Kanninen's economy of words. Worthy of comparison to Shel Silverstein's The Missing Piece, this raucous chain of events is satisfyingly cyclical, ending just exactly where it began.
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Pride Colors
Through gentle rhymes and colorful photographs of adorable children, Pride Colors is a celebration of the deep unconditional love of a parent or caregiver for a young child. The profound message of this delightful board book is you are free to be whoever you choose to be; you'll always be loved.
Celebrated author Robin Stevenson ends her purposeful prose by explaining the meaning behind each color in the Pride flag: red = life, orange = healing, yellow = sunlight, green = nature, blue = peace and harmony, and violet = spirit.
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The Hidden Rainbow
All the colors of the rainbow are hidden in the garden, but can the little bee find them--with help from the reader? Christie Matheson brings a garden to life in this bright, interactive picture book about the natural world--and our place within it.
One little bee peeks out on a world of gray and snow.
She's looking for bright colors and needs you to help them grow.Bees need a healthy and colorful garden to survive. Luckily, all the colors of the rainbow are hidden in this garden--but the bees need the reader's help to find them. Brush off the camellia tree, tickle the tulips, and even blow a kiss to the lilac tree. With every action and turn of the page, a flower blooms and more bees are drawn to the feast.
Christie Matheson is a master at creating simple picture books that encourage children to engage with the natural world. In The Hidden Rainbow, she introduces the colors of the rainbow, counting, and the basic ecosystem and vocabulary of a garden. Beautiful collage-and-watercolor art captures all the bold colors of a garden throughout the seasons, and the interactive text will captivate young readers at every story time.
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Wednesday
Wednesday is a sweet story about two best friends, Little Round and Big Square. But it's also about what it is to really play imaginatively with another. Every Wednesday, our two friends get together to play. Sometimes they have some tough moments, like all true friends, but they mostly have the best time that two friends can ever have together! Illustrated in a strong, two-color graphic style, Wednesday has strong appeal for the youngest readers as well as for parents and teachers.
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It's an Orange Aardvark!
Five carpenter ants at home in their tree stump hear a noise. What is it? One ant thinks it is a hungry aardvark lurking outside the stump, just waiting to eat them. One ant makes a hole in the stump to see. Orange light floods the stump—it's not an aardvark, proclaims the ant chorus. It's orange! So what is lurking outside the stump? This very funny picture book features die-cut holes on almost every page, suspenseful page turns, a wonderful surprise ending, and an introduction to a rainbow of colors. It's an Orange Aardvark! is a tour de force for Michael Hall, the acclaimed and bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo, Perfect Square, and Cat Tale.
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Dog's Colorful Day
Poor Dog. Somehow he always manages to be underfoot when someone makes a mess. Red jam, blue paint, pink ice cream, orange juice -- the history of his day is splattered on his bright, white coat. And by evening, there are ten colorful spots for children to count before the careless canine must have his bath.
This fresh and funny introduction to colors and numbers, illustrated by the talented young artist Emma Dodd, makes learning as breezy as a walk in the park with Dog, a pooch with poor personal hygiene but a great deal of charm.
Lists
Battle of the Books
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Illinois Kids Book Awards
National Kids Book Awards
NYT Best Sellers