A Ball for Daisy

By Chris Raschka
Published by Schwartz and Wade 2012
This wordless picture book tells the story about the heartbreak of losing a special toy when Daisy’s favorite ball is destroyed by another dog. She goes with her owner to the dog park and sees the other dog there– with a new ball! She is overjoyed to be able to take the ball home.
This book is great for young children who have ever had a special toy break or get lost.
Awards: Caldecott Medal Winner
Accessed: Augusta County Library

Flotsam

By David Wiesner
Published by Clarion, 2011
This wordless picture book tells the tale of a young boy who goes to the beach with his family and collects treasures that he finds washed upon the shore. When an antique camera washes ashore, the boy develops the film inside, to find a treasury of self-portaits, each holding the portrait of the person before them. The boy continues the journey of the camera, takes his own photo, and throws the camera back to the whims of the sea.
This amazing book is great for middle and upper elementary students studying the ocean. Also a great wordless book for creating one’s own dialogue for the story.
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Accessed: Augusta County Library

Sector 7

By David Wiesner
This wordless picture book takes a young boy on a journey to Sector 7, where clouds are made. The clouds are bored with their current shapes, and enlists the boy in making some new ones.
A great book for students to create their own dialogue for the story. Young students can create the story verbally, while older students can write theirs.
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
Accessed: Augusta County Library

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

By Bill Martin, Jr.
Illustrated by Eric Carle
This book asks animals of all different ilk what they have seen on their travels, and discusses the colors of the things that they see.
Great pre-k book about colors and animals.
Awards: Caldecott Honor
Accessed: Augusta County Library

Miss Nelson Is Missing!

by Harry Allard

Illustrated by James Marshall

Published by Houghton Mifflin, 1985

Miss Nelson’s class of students are out of control.  Sweet Miss Nelson has had enough, and knows just what to do to get her kids to appreciate her again: get a substitute.  Enter Miss Viola Swamp, a witchlike woman who ran the classroom like a prison, and made the kids miserable.  When Miss Nelson returns, the kids are overjoyed to have their sweet-tempered teacher back.  Will Viola Swamp make another appearance?  Only time will tell.

A great book for elementary aged students.  No curricular connections, but generally a good reminder for students about good behavior in the classroom.

Awards: Caldecott Honor, 1989

Accessed: Augusta County Library

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present

By Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Published by Harper Collins, 1962
A little girl and her friend Mr. Rabbit try to figure out a good present for her mother’s birthday.
Great for small children (pre-k) learning to identify colors and object that match those colors.
Awards: Caldecott Honor
Accessed: Augusta County Library

The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher

By Molly Bang
Published by Four Winds Press, 1980
In a mysterious and creepy book, the grey lady brings strawberries home for her family. Little does she know, the strawberry snatcher is right behind her the whole way trying to get them away from her– until it discovers blackberries! The grey lady makes it home safely and her family enjoys the strawberries.
A fun book for art classes to look at, to see how color is used to tell a story and characterize its characters.
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book, Boston Globe Horn Book Honor for Illustration, ALA Booklist

Ten, Nine, Eight

By Molly Bang
Published by Greenwillow Books, 1983
This counting book counts down from ten, is very lyrical and fun, and also includes African American characters.
Great for small children learning to count backwards. Also useful as a goodnight book.
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
Accessed: Augusta County Library

Hey, Al!

By Arthur Yorkinks
Illustrated by Richard Egielski
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1986
Al and his talkative dog Eddie are discontented with their lives. Al is a custodian, and Eddie wants a taste of the good life. One day a gigantic bird takes them away to what seems like paradise filled with birds… until they realize that they are turning into birds themselves! They desperately flee, and succeed, realizing that “Paradise lost is sometimes Heaven found” and learn to be happy with their lot.
Great for all ages– an instructive moral about being happy with what you have.
Awards: Caldecott Medal Winner
Accessed: Augusta County Library

Truck

By Donald Crews
This wordless Caldecott-Honor book follows a truck through the city as it delivers tricycles to a store.
Great for students as they try to tell a story without words.
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
Accessed: Augusta County Library