Old and New Storybooks

today’s children storybook summary is The Adventures of Tom Thumb By Marianna Mayer Pictures by K.Y. Craft The takeaway It doesn’t matter your size; you can still defeat a giant if you put your mind to it.

today’s children storybook summary is Master Man By Aaron Shepard Illustrated by David Wisniewski Theme: Vanity and modesty. Plot: Shadusa thinks he is the strongest man on earth and calls himself Master Man. But when his wife tells him one day that there is someone else stronger, Shadusa goes out to meet him, only to discover an amazing thing. This story is an adaptation of a folk tale from the Hausa group in northern Nigeria.

today’s children storybook summary is Stellaluna By Janell Cannon Stellaluna by Janell Cannon   Theme: This is a story about acceptance and kindness Plot: How a baby bat got separated from her mother, fell into a bird’s nest, and was raised among the chicks despite the significant differences between bats and birds. Storyline One night, Stellaluna and her mother went into the forest out looking for fruits for dinner. But bats like Stellaluna are not the only nocturnal creatures; from high on a treetop, an owl was spying on them.

today’s children storybook summary is Strange Creatures, The Story of Walter Rothschild and His Museum By Lita Jude Theme:  Love and care for animals, the environment, and nature Plot: Walter, a shy boy, has spent most of his time alone, scouring the family’s enormous garden. His father wants him to take over the family banking business, but the boy loves animals and being in nature. This is a true story about the life and work of Walter Rothschild. Storyline Walter Rothschild grew up in England in a wealthy family, being almost the richest boy in the world. But what made him special was his interest and love for all creatures and plants.

today’s children storybook summary is Never Ever Talk to Strangers! By Anne Marie Pace Illustrated by Guy Francis Never Ever Talk to Strangers   Theme: Jamie had just learned what to do if a stranger approached him, but when it came to applying his learning, things turned out to be more complicated the Jamie thought.   Plot: A short while after receiving his Super Safety Expert Badge from officer Crane for learning stranger safety, Jamie comes face to face with a stranger. Would he remember the rules, uphold his badge and stay safe?

Today’s children storybook summary is Fancy Nancy By Jane O’Connor Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor   Plot: Nancy has always been fancy, but now she tries to teach her parents and siblings the art. (This is the first in a series of 80 titles featuring Fancy Nancy.) Storyline We don’t know how old Nancy is(maybe 5 or 6?), but she is very fancy for her age. How do we know? Let’s take a look at her room. The décor is astonishing: paintings and posters on the walls, flowers, garlands, mirrors, feathers, and artwork everywhere. Hats and purses hang on hooks, and laced shoes peek from under the bed.

today’s children storybook summary is Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis By Dav Pilkey Theme: This is a story of redemption, acceptance, and finding the bright side in a difficult situation Plot: The Tosis family wants to get rid of their dog, Hally because it has bad breath. Talking points  Acceptance. Are we judging others based on who we are? Are we accepting others as who they are?

today’s children storybook summary is Patrick Gets Hearing Aids By Maureen Cassidy Riski and Nikolas Klakow Illustrations by Kim Klakow Theme: Helping children understand hearing loss. Plot: A school-age rabbit does not hear well, which causes him many problems. He must get checked. Talking points: Often time children with hearing loss are isolated by their peers. This book is not only for kids with hearing impairment, but for their classmates as well. Some questions to ask are: What happens when you cannot hear? What can we do about it? How do you get your ears checked? How can we help our friends with hearing loss?

today’s children storybook summary is Maya and the Town That Loved a Tree By Kiki and Kathryn Shaw Illustrated by Kiki   Theme: Nature, Environment, Clean Air Before everybody was speaking about climate change, this book warned young readers that we can impact our environment in a way that destroys beautiful things in nature and changes our lives for the worse. But we can always try to repair our mistakes if it is not too late.

                                                           today’s children storybook summary is Meg and Mog By Helen Nicoll Illustration by Jan Pienkowski

today’s children storybook summary is Hug Me, Please! By Przemyslaw Wechterowicz Illustrated by Emilia Dziubak Theme: Shared love, kindness towards others; Plot: Father and son bear go on hugging the animals in the forest. Moral: Love and kindness brings people together.

today’s children storybook summary is Yes, I Can! A Girl and Her Wheelchair By Kendra J. Barrett, Jacqueline B. Toner, and Claire A.B. Freeland Illustrated by Violet Lemay Theme: Overcoming disability; school inclusion; Plot: How a happy first grader in a wheelchair can make friends, enjoy her days at school, and participate in ordinary school activities; Moral: This story teaches us to be positive toward people with special needs. Instead of excluding them from daily activities, we should find activities suited to their condition. Instead of turning a blind eye and pretending they aren’t there, we should see them for who they are and help them with their goals.

today’s children storybook summary is The Tiger’s Egg By Nele Bronner Theme : Acceptance, kindness, love. Plot: A cranky zoo tiger is forced to take care of a chick hatched from an egg he’d found. Symbolism: The author uses the egg as a symbol for novelty, new beginnings, and new ideas that come to shake a dull and rigid world.

today’s children storybook summary is Who Wants To Be A Princess? By Jesse Harwood Illustrated by Tim Patton Theme: Being judgmental, making assumptions. Plot: Father tries to convince daughter that a princess is just an ordinary person with privileges and duties as well. Moral: There is more to a story than just your perspective.

today’s children storybook summary is Pablo Finds a Treasure By Andre Poulin Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant The takeaway: All over the world, children work from an early age to support themselves and their families. Most of them work without pay, miss school, and live in poverty.  The characters in this book are fictional, but the situation is real.

today’s children storybook summary is Something Smells By Blake Liliane Hellman Illustrated by Steven Henry The takeaway: When something doesn’t feel right, we are often quick to blame others. Instead, we should take a hard look at ourselves because often, we are the ones causing the problem. And sometimes, just by changing a little detail, we can make it right again.

today’s children storybook summary is Auntie Loves You By Helen Foster James Illustrated by Petra Brown The takeaway: Rather than being a story with a point, this book is a keepsake, an auntie gift for her niece or nephew.

today’s children storybook summary is Migrant By Maxine Trottier Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault The takeaway: This is a very sweet story about a migrant family of Mennonites from Mexico and their lives on the road, told through the eyes of a young girl.

today’s children storybook summary is Dear Substitute By Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick Illustrated by Chris Raschka The takeaway : When teachers must miss a day at school, a substitute takes over. But the sub cannot replace the beloved teacher and the class grows anxious. This book shows exactly what children feel when their teacher is gone for the day and helps them get through the day and even enjoy it.

today’s children storybook summary is Samurai Scarecrow, A Very Ninja Halloween By Rubin Pingk The takeaway: If you don’t treat someone with kindness, you may get “tricked” by them (or don’t be mean to your baby sister!) – A perfect example of the Halloween trick or treat, applied to human behavior –