Paul O. Zelinsky Livres

Make way for a zany zoo-full of wonderful poems saluting the animal kingdom, composed by a reigning children's poet, Jack Prelutsky. Readers familiar with Prelutsky's staggeringly vast body of work know that he can always be counted on for clever nonsense poems that are guaranteed to elicit giggles. His track record remains unbeatable with this wacky collection of animal odes. Some poems resemble the work of Ogden Nash ("Oysters / are creatures / without / any features."), and others have a style and flavor that is pure Prelutsky ("The widdly, waddly walrus / has flippery, floppery feet. / He dives in the ocean for dinner / and stands on his noggin to eat."). These playfully preposterous rhymes are illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, winner of the 1998 Caldecott Medal for Rapunzel. The delightful line drawings that scamper across the pages bring creatures such as the huge hippopotamus, the gallivanting gecko, and the speedy cheetah to rib-tickling life. Kids will love parading through these poems, and adults will get a kick out of playing along too. (Ages 4 to 12)

Beverly Cleary’s timeless Newbery Medal-winning book explores difficult topics like divorce, insecurity, and bullying through the thoughts and emotions of a sixth-grade boy as he writes to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. After his parents separate, Leigh Botts moves to a new town with his mother. Struggling to make friends and deal with his anger toward his absent father, Leigh loses himself in a class assignment in which he must write to his favorite author. When Mr. Henshaw responds, the two form an unexpected friendship that will change Leigh’s life forever. From the beloved author of the Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse series comes an epistolary novel about how to navigate and heal from life’s growing pains.