DOWN ON THE BAYOU - SOUTHERN GOTHIC FOR KIDS

There are many emotional animal stories dealing with adventure and tragedy, but none as poetically beautiful as THE UNDERNEATH by Kathi Appelt. Many creatures lurk in dark places, waiting to come out into the light. Some are evil, but some, like two frisky kittens and their mom, are innocent and curious. Unfortunately, from their home underneath the porch of a mean old man called Gar Face, the cat family and their trusty watch dog and companion Ranger rarely get to experience the light. When they dare to risk it, their lives are changed forever. Written with captivating imagery and the dark enchanting tone of a much more mature novel, this story will draw readers in to its tangled web of raw feelings and vivd personification of the many animal characters. Appropriate for grades 6 and up.

BASHO AND THE RIVER STONES

The fox is a very tricky character indeed, and one can only expect certain tomfoolery and hijinks from the fox in this picture book for older readers. A poor poet lives near some delicious cherry trees that he shares with the foxes in the woods. It isn't long before one fox gets greedy and is surprised by the poet's reaction to his greed. BASHO AND THE RIVER STONES by Tim Myers was nominated for the 2007-2008 California Young Reader Award, and is bound to be a great rendition of a classic story. For 3rd grade and up.

ANIMALS THAT TALK

THE DARING ADVENTURES OF PENHALIGON BRUSH by Sally Jones Rogan.

Penhaligon Brush, a distinguished fox,was orphaned at birth and never knew what happened to his parents. He was raised by a local apothecary who trained Penhaligon to be a strong natural healer. But Penhaligon is bored with his sleepy little town. Until one day his adopted brother sends him a strange note inviting him to his home a few towns away. When Penhaligon arrives, nothing is as it should be, and his brother is MISSING! An exciting adventure begins, with Penhaligon learning a few life lessons along the way. Definitely for kids just starting to read chapter books. 2nd grade and up.

A TALE SPINNING RAT

"How does a book-loving, cookie-baking rat named Bob save his tail from being gobbled by twi hungry cats? By telling them fairy tales about his family, of course!"

Scheherazade like story but in animal form. How to Save Your Tail by Mary Hanson is a perfect silly beginning chapter book for animal loving readers in 2nd - 4th.

FUNNY FOX SHOWS OFF!

Sometimes animals seem a lot like humans. In the book FOX BE NIMBLE by James Marshall, the human-like character is Fox, and he has three chapters of funny happenings. Fox really thinks he's hot stuff. But apparently not everyone knows just how great he is, so he makes a point of showing everyone! First he must babysit for the Ling children who are hard to keep still and end up getting Fox on the evening news. Next, Fox injures himself falling on a skate and makes a big deal out of it, even though he wasn't very hurt, just because he is such a show off. He finally puts his antics to good use as the baton-twirling leader of a parade. This is good for 1st - 3rd graders who are almost ready to read chapter books, but aren't ready for anything too long.

KIDS FOR LUNCH

The biggest crocodile in all of Africa is out to find a tasty child for lunch. He considers himself to be quite an intelligent crocodile as he has devised many secret plans for capturing his meal. Unfortunately he shares these plans with many other jungle animals along the way, and they all end up ruining his great ideas and his lunch! Roald Dahl, author of THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE is always a fantastic author and talks about the slimy, yucky, creepy things that are often funny, sneaky, and a little crazy. Quentin Blake illustrates most of Dahl's books and does a wonderful job of capturing the character of the sneaky mean crocodile.

FLOWER OF PARADISE.

Here is a well translated Armenian tales that will keep you reading until you are finished with the very last tale. Most of the stories are short and funny, therefore they will be perfect for storytime and read-alouds. The stories are of everyday life, animal tales, fairy tales and legends. There are not a lot of pictures in this book but you can always use your wild imagination to picture things however you would like. THE FLOWER OF PARADISE AND OTHER ARMENIAN TALES is translated and retold by BONNIE C. MARSHALL and it edited with a forward by VIRGINIA TASHJIAN.

For grades four and up.