In Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, the letters of the alphabet have a race up and down a coconut tree, with comical results. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Mr. Gilly revels in the joys of collecting the trash in Trashy Town. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
A clumsy fox can't quite catch an unsuspecting hen on this fun-filled walk through the farm.
The Caterpillar and the Polliwog finds two animals puzzling over the changes they go through as they grow up. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Pete Seeger's tale of a vain bullfrog comes to life on the screen in this animated adaptation of the popular American folk-song. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A boy who has grown tired of cleaning up his messy room decides to look for a new home rather than tidying up in this adaptation of the children's book by author Jack Kent. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Faced with a series of perplexing problems, two creative-minded wooden dolls use a set of wooden blocks to get the answers they're looking for while accompanied by music composed entirely on wooden instruments. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Harold and the Purple Crayon is the original tale of Harold and the worlds he discovers by drawing moonlit paths with the help of his purple crayon and vivid imagination. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
A Picture for Harold's Room concerns Harold's decision to draw a picture on his wall, and the predicament he falls into once he discovers that his size changes in proportion to the worlds he has created. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
In Harold's Fairy Tale, Harold draws a castle he can enter in order to ask the king a very important question. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
t's Louis's birthday and Uncle McAllister has brought him a very special gift&150a tadpole all the way from Scotland! Louis can hardly wait for Alphonse to grow into a frog. But it soon becomes clear that Alphonse is not turning into any ordinary frog. First Alphonse outgrows his jar, then the sink, and then the bathtub! This new edition of The Mysterious Tadpole boasts reimagined story twists and entirely new illustrations. The lovable giant of a tadpole has grown into something even more wonderful!
Through lively folk verse and glorious woodcut illustrations, Barbara Emberley and Ed Emberley describe how an elaborate cannon is put together piece by piece and finally fired off. Corporal Farrell brings the barrel, Sergeant Chowder supplies the powder, and General Border gives the order — but it's Drummer Hoff who finally fires off the cannon and explodes the story into a blast of brilliant colors.
Auntie tries everything she can think of to make the baby smile.
The popular hero of Harry the Dirty Dog does his best to be rid of Grandmother's birthday present: a silly green sweater with yellow roses on it. After being laughed at and barked at, Harry decides to lose the sweater.
Officer Buckle's safety presentation at Napville Elementary School is always ignored. It's so dull, in fact, that it puts audiences to sleep. Z Z Z z z z z... But soon, children are paying attention...to Officer Buckle's new police dog, Gloria, who stands behind him, impishly miming the dire consequences and accidents involved in not using one's head. Buckle is surprised to see the children suddenly so attentive, even applauding and laughing, and each time he checks on Gloria, she is sitting at attention. Humorous illustrations let readers know what Buckle does not realize: that Gloria is performing the children's socks off. That is until a news team videotapes Gloria's comedy routine. This sends Officer Buckle into a slump, deflated to learn that Gloria has been stealing the show. Gloria soon goes solo, and not only does she flop without him, but Napville Elementary has its biggest accident ever. It's apparent how much Officer Buckle and Gloria need each other, and before long, they are again a winning team. Rathmann's story of the importance of teamwork, along with her Caldecott Medal-winning illustrations, which have been created from a vibrant palette of cartoon art, make this book an appealing read aloud. Older readers will have their interest piqued by the many safety tips found on the endpapers, all hilariously illustrated with Gloria's antics.
Emergency! At the sound of the alarm bell, Dot the fire dog and her firefighter friends know exactly what to do. Within minutes, their fire truck races out of the station. They're off to rescue people -- and animals -- who need their help.
Every kid wants one, but few are as persistent and inventive about getting one or a substitute for one as little May. It seems to little May that everybody has a dog except her. She tries everything, even bringing one home, with no success. Then one day she accidentally discovers that a rollerskate can act like a dog, almost, so she works at acquiring the technical skill that will change it into one, almost. She leads it, walks it at first timidly, then boldly ties it up outside stores, takes it all the places a dog can go. In fact, she starts quite a fad on her street of rollerskate walking.
One day Angus discovered that he couldn't be curious any longer about the same places and the same things. So he went down the path to the gate and through the gate and followed another dog to find other places and other things.
A little girl with a newborn baby brother longs to have a child of her own, but wonders if she's ready for motherhood in this animated short narrated by Lynn Whitfield. Elizabeti's brother is so huggable and kissable that the young girl can't help but feel her motherly instincts take hold. But this is one girl who knows she's not be ready to have her own child just yet, so she adopts a tiny rock and names it Eva. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
An orphaned goose adopted by a family of woodchucks begins to feel like an outcast, but experiences a notable confidence booster when she realizes that she can fly by herself. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A little girl offers a playful summary of the three humans and five felines that reside in her family abode in this charming children's story told through the eyes of an imaginative child. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A little girl and an adorable bear cub set out to pick blueberries on a lovely Maine hillside, only to get mixed up with each other's mothers when the time comes to take the trip home. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Take a virtual voyage to a picturesque Maine island as the sights and sounds of nature come magically to life in vivid watercolor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Whenever Burt Dow, who lives in a snug little house on the Maine coast, sets out to sea, his pet giggling gull goes along. But this time, it will take all his might and some plain old ingenuity to save him and the gull from a raging storm.
Colonel Carter's marching band can't play a single note to save their lives, but Lentil and his harmonica might just be able to make sure there's still some music to keep the mood lively in this animated story adapted from the book by Robert McCloskey. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Enchanted by the snow that blankets his city, an adventurous youngster rushes outside to build a snowman, make some snow angels, and rush down the hillside on his favorite sled. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
When a young boy discovers that by learning to whistle he can call his dog, he quickly determines to master the art of whistling and move one step closer towards adulthood. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A little boy expecting a baby sister finds cause to panic when his cradle and crib are both painted pink. But while Peter's parents seem to have come down with a burning case of pink fever, there's no way he's letting them get anywhere near his favorite chair with their wet paintbrushes. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Archie knows that his cat may have a shot at winning the neighborhood pet show, but when the wily feline goes missing it's up to the young boy and his faithful friends to track it down before the entry deadline has come and gone. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Young Peter is preparing to have a birthday party, and when he heads out to the mailbox to send a special invitation to Amy, he experiences an extraordinary turn of events that leaves him feeling all mixed up. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
After constructing a shoebox diorama of his old neighborhood, young Louie uses his rich imagination to take a nostalgic stroll down the streets he used to play on as a little boy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A blind man and two boys living in the same inner-city building gain the understanding needed to look past their differences when the playful sounds of a harmonica begin echoing through the air. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Actors Jonathan Lipnicki and Diana Canova narrate this playful adaptation of Mike Thaler's children's book about a young boy preparing for his first day of school, and dreading the thought of coming face to face with his teacher Mrs. Green. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
This story discusses children's bedtime fears when Mary Anne and Louie are afraid after Grandpa tells them a scary bedtime story. ~ Julie Clark, Rovi
A young girl about to be gobbled up by a hungry cat, a restless witch, a horrible hobgoblin, and all of their frightful companions decides to play a mischievous trick on the nasty creatures who think she's a tasty treat in this adaptation of the children's book by author Caroline Stutson. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Their vicious crime spree sparking terror into the hearts of peace-loving folks all across the countryside, three notorious criminals meet a charming young girl who playfully helps them learn the error of their wrongdoing ways. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
His frightful scare tactics no longer effective on the unflappable Whittaker clan, a playful ghost embarks on a spirited search for a new house to haunt in this adaptation of author Robert Bright's popular children's book. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Despite their mother's warnings, three brothers go into the forest to play and encounter the witch-woman who eats little children.
No one quite knows why the old lady swallowed a fly, but in this animated children's tale viewers can find out just how much other interesting stuff the old lady can fit in her stomach. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Antarctic Antics features animated adaptations of that and six more children's stories. Among the celebrities who narrate these tales are John Lithgow, Diana Canova, and Laura Dern. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Loathe to keep up on the housekeeping, quick thinking Lizzie Firkin sends her friend Robin Puckertucker to straighten-up a bit so she can perfect her dance moves. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Crystal Taliefero provides the music for this tale of beginnings, middles, and ends that follows an egg as it hatches into a caterpillar, and the caterpillar as it blossoms into a beautiful butterfly. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Includes animated versions of Sendak favorites Chicken Soup With Rice, Alligators All Around, One Was Johnny, and Pierre. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Adapted from the controversial children's book by author Maurice Sendak, this lighthearted fantasy follows the dreamy adventures of a young boy named Mickey as he discovers just how the local bakers prepare their delectable morning cakes. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi