A fanciful dialogue between a super-adventurous Grandma and her fun-loving granddaughter who wants all the world brought home to her. Two great roles for the readalouder to contrast: the inquisitive Grandma and the teasing, acquisitive granddaughter. (Fun discussions to ensue of what can be brought home to you!)

Each month of the year is given a full two beautiful pages of gorgeous colorful illustrations coupled with a blank or rhymed verse. A frequent use of metaphor, allegory and imagery makes this a wonderful vehicle for discussing these concepts with younger with children who are never too young to learn about and appreciate multiple language usages.

Written primarily in English with a smattering of Spanish words, phrases and idioms (all translated at the back of the book) the portrait of a large, happy, extended Hispanic family is terrific. Dinner time is family time and when someone is missing from the table, Mama sighs in Spanish. One day Mama herself is missing, but soon thereafter she is happily back home, everyone is in attendance and – best of all – there is a new mouth to feed! Mama's part can be read with mock pathos and a twinkle in the eye.

A lovely, gentle, short read aloud, which probably will continue to win adult acclamation but may appeal more to older children and their parents than to younger children.

A fun-filled romp through pumpkinland without a mention of Halloween. Thus, the multipurpose pumpkin is liberated from that day to strut the rest of its stuff. Important to read without falling into the singsong trap. Instead, vary volume, pace and inflections to get full mileage from the humor.

Children enjoy an absolutely delightful romp through the snow, magically making a snow family, then watching the sun melt them away. The readalouder can read the story slowly and distinctly, the factual end page notes more quickly, and then discuss with listeners ways to interact with the most mystical of the elements: clean, white snow. Ehlert, whose illustrations are always outstanding, seems to have outdone herself in this Children's Book of the Month Club full selection.

An absolutely charming, vibrant and informative short tale of the gradual dissolution of one of the world's most glorious natural resources: our trees. In catchy, rhyming text, Edwards manages to show in three minutes how human wants, and occasional natural disasters, have transformed forests into empty skylines. Ten Tall Oak Trees provides a memorable way for children ages 2 and older to learn important ecological lessons while having a wonderful time. Listeners will not need coaxing to join in the last stanza of each section.

A beautiful brief blank verse creating the metaphor of a large animal gradually obliterating the light, until day breaks through once again.

An usual alphabet book which combines geography, anthropology and architecture with the adventures of 26 different boys from "Bernard who Balloons in Barcelona" to the more esoteric "Zachary who Zig-Zagged in Zandan." Lobel's back page guide to junket destinations beckons the readalouder to "read it again" as a guide book. The first time through, the readalouder will capture the listeners 3 and older with a matter-of-fact beginning to each line and a sense of incredulity at the line's end. The second time, with the author's guide, the reader and listener can explore the geography and architecture together.

An absolutely wonderful crow's-eye depiction of where mountain snow goes each spring. Tracing the snow's journey from mountaintop to ocean, Cunningham answers a question few think to ask and, in so doing, stimulates many more questions about our too-often-taken-for-granted universe.

A poem set to pictures of the creatures and comforts of night time. The readalouder will need to read it slowly because of repetitions of words and phrases as well as to evoke its full intent. Yolen portrays night in various ways which will raise questions among listeners about how they feel about night darkness and bedtime.

A beautifully told tale about the world which preceded its inhabitants, the need to care for it and for one another. It speaks of God in gender neutral terms – alternating He and She – in a universal, not a denominational way

In a poetic hymn to an often taken-for-granted source of life, Marzollo evokes a variety of warm images with few words. A lovely, quiet read-aloud for children ages 3 and older, as well as a good basis for discussion of many aspects of a natural world.

This story of a little mouse packs a large amount of power as the self-image of one small creature is elevated, by the elements, from insignificance to major proportions. The readalouder can read this brief tale with quiet narrative, and louder expressive dialogue as Sun, Cloud and Wind all courteously reject Ms. Mouse's marriage proposals; and then use Mouse's ultimate selection of her groom as a springboard for discussion of one's own characteristics and abilities.

Here the author introduces a tricky concept: that of dawn and dusk making liberal use of metaphor in what is actually a poetic celebration of these special times of day. Can be read in a quiet but expectant tone. When paired with What the Sun Sees / What the Moon Sees, an exceptionally interesting discussion will ensue. Taken together, both books can introduce the concepts of time, of planets, of the earth's rotation and a whole host of other scientific subjects from a combined literary and artistic point of view.

With simile and metaphor, Esbensen enables the readalouder to dance young listeners through a set of surprises. For Esbensen has found dance in places most of us would miss: the flash of lightening in one poem, bubbles in another. She even provides a basketball ballet. A wonderful vehicle for discussion on the multi-perspectives from which one can view the world.

In this delightful tale of a young Mexican boy's solution to a vexing problem, Johnston has at once combined an unusual Christmas story with an environmental lesson worthy of both home and classroom discussion. The readalouder can read the narration quietly and calmly, infusing it with the excited voices of children, especially the stories of the young hero, Miguel.

Timothy, enticed by a huge humpback whale, and granted a wish to become one, is transformed into a kind of underwater anthropologist – learning about the beauties and problems of a new culture. When he is reformed into a boy, he becomes the whale's ecological messenger. Through song – or a combination of song and poem; or blank verse, depending upon the readalouder's predilections – the messages are brought to the listeners in hopes of transforming a generation from users to keepers of the planet. The publisher has packaged the book with a tape of the authors reading and signing. Like many tapes now on the market, it is overproduced and is certainly no substitute for a live readalouder. However, the rousing taped songs could be used to stimulate singing at the end of the reading.

A celebration of New York's children as well as those of other large urban areas. As in Whoever You Are, reviewed above, the message is that in spite of outward diversities and backgrounds the city's children share and appreciate the same kinds of sights and sounds. To be read as blank which will most certainly stimulate wide open discussion of the homogeneity as well as heterogeneity of urban life.

A unique blank verse celebration of sectional changes within the city which proves that country and suburb are not the only places one can mark the time of year by looking around outside. A springboard for city-dwelling children to discuss their environment, as well as an eye-opener for others who periodically visit cities.

An amazing reconstruction of the speech Chief Seattle gave upon selling land to the white men. A true tale of ecological awareness that takes place over a century before it became a consideration to the purchasers. Beautifully done for age 5 and older.

As delicious a tale as it is a title! A wonderful way to introduce issues of trade between countries, as well as within them. Here children from very different cultures and climates — Santo Domingo and Maine – are connected through their taste buds and learn about one another's lifestyles through their region's products. An intriguing, well-presented idea, and an excellent adjunct to geography, anthropology, and history discussions within the classroom, the library or the home.

In this wonderful journey through a colorful Indian village, Bash introduces readers to the interconnectedness of village life and culture; the relationship between the land, the birds, animals and humans; the interdependencies of each with the other; and in so doing introduces readers to a whole new approach to life. A wonderful springboard for discussion within families and schools, not only of rural Indian village culture, but also of ways we might emulate it, to regain much of what our own society has lost, or perhaps never had.

In this original, beautifully crafted contribution to the literature of conservation – both the environment and various species whose lives depend upon it – Hamilton draws parallels between animals and humans. For, like African Americans who fled from South to North, like Europeans who fled drastic conditions for a better life in the United States, the rain forest creatures she creates run in search of a secure crown canopy.

Narrators from various cultures tell, on a page each, about their houses and the surrounding environs – from igloo to pueblo to skyscraper – each one culminating with the phrase "my house has stars." A good basis for discussion of the diversities and commonalities of earth's children, as well as the unifying factors: shared earth and stars.

Hall celebrates the day of the milkmen, and all that the era of home delivery meant: small rural communities, friendly city neighborhoods, neighbor helping neighbor, businesses small enough so that owners and clients were on first name bases. Hall also demonstrates problems which arose when new technologies threatened old ways. A great vehicle for discussing differences between change and progress and what we in the present can retain of the past as we move into the future.

A wonderful ‘round the clock tour through the city exploring the lives, habits and habitats of the nonhuman creatures who share city life. Taken with A Year in the City, this pair of books provides the foundation for a wonderful classroom unit and great springboards for discussion of the opportunities for city families to enjoy and interact with their environments.

A haunting testimony to the human spirit in which a young girl, alone after her grandmother's death, transports the seeds of life – corn, bean and chilies – from their village to a nearby city where she plants them as she was taught. In the process, she brings not only sustenance, but her goodness to other children. To be read slowly, giving listeners time to absorb subtle aspects of the drama. An excellent springboard for discussion with children ages 6 and older of homelessness, and subsistence practices both in our country and elsewhere in the world.

Each book makes a plea for saving the world's dwindling elephant population; each explains historic elephant killing for ivory. Elephant, set near an African game reserve, tells of Hannah, a young African girl who tries to right the wrong. There's a lot of dialogue in which readalouders can contrast the voices of Hannah, her mother and father with one another as well as with the thundering elephants. Sato, about a Japanese artisan who carves from ivory until one day he feels too guilty to do it anymore, is less action packed and more introspective. Both books are appropriate for children ages 6 and older. Each stands alone, but read in succession, the save-the-species message packs a double punch.

In nonfiction as absorbing as fiction, Appelbaum tells of once-prevalent New England pines nearly as tremendous as California redwoods. Used by the British Royal Navy for ship masts, the selecting, cutting and transporting of these gigantic pines was a pre-Revolutionary War feat for men and their teams of oxen. A most informative book for teachers and parents to read and discuss with children 7 and older. Questions like how and why such facets of human ingenuity valued in one historical period come to be viewed as sheer ravage in another will surely arise.

A terrific story of twin sons of a plantation owner, who sharply diverged on their political and humanistic views. A wonderful look behind Civil War scenes at the tensions within southern white households, as well as at the lives of the African-Americans whom they bought, bartered and sold. This is a really fine literary work, as well as an informative historical document which can be an excellent springboard of many human right issues.