2016 Pennsylvania Young
Readers Choice
K – Grade 3
A Baby Elephant in the Wild by Caitlin O’Connell
and photographed by Caitlin O’Connell &
Timothy Rodwell
Meet adorable Liza, a baby elephant with
strikingly pink ears, toenails, and tummy. Born in
Namibia, Africa, she shares her scrub desert
habitat with giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and lions.
As a newborn weighing 250 lbs., Liza has tons of
growing to do, since her mother weighs 8,000
lbs. Within a few hours of birth, Liza must travel
with her extended family, covering up to 20 miles
a day, to reach food and water. All of the familyoriented elephants stick together to protect Liza
and the other young from attacks by prides of
lions or hyenas. Read about Liza and her elephant
family and discover many fascinating elephant
facts, such as, they are the largest mammal on
earth with the largest teeth (tusks). Elephants
pass down their wisdom from generation to
generation. That must amount to a lot of
knowledge, since they come from the
Proboscidea order, which has been on earth for
55 million years.
Buddy and the Bunnies in:
Don’t Play with Your Food! by
Bob Shea
Buddy is a very grumpy
monster who has no time for
niceties. When he stumbles
upon some bunnies, he knows
he must eat them! But the
bunnies have another idea.
You will giggle and cheer as
the bunnies find trick after
trick to keep Buddy distracted
from his dinner plans!
The Chicken Squad: The First
Misadventure by Doreen Cronin and
illustrated by Kevin Cornell
J.J. Tully, a dog, has his paws full. He
is in charge of protecting the Chicken
Squad and their mother, Moosh. Dirt,
Sugar, Poppy and Sweetie (the
members of the Chicken Squad) are
trying to solve the mystery of what
BIG, SCARY, ENORMOUS,
FRIGHTENING, HUGE, TERRIFYING,
ROUND, SHINY thing has scared the
squirrel, Tail. You won’t believe what
it is! Read The Chicken Squad and
discover along with Tully what has
gotten the chickens’ feathers ruffled.
Dory Fantasmagory written and illustrated by Abby
Hanlon
If you laugh at Junie B. you’ll laugh out loud when you
meet lovable six-year old Dory Fantasmagory in this
new beginning chapter book series. Everyone calls
her Rascal but all that Dory really wants is attention
and she has just enough wild imagination and endless
energy to never stop trying. She’s the youngest in the
family and unfortunately, her older brother, Luke, and
older sister, Violet, only roll their eyes and invent scary
sharp-toothed Mrs. Gobble Gracker to try and stop
their little sister from being such a pest. After all,
Rascal is supposed to be ready to go to first grade and
it’s about time she stopped acting like a baby by
asking so many annoying questions. Dory won’t quit
outsmarting monsters and you’ll be surprised when
she actually proves her bravery in real life! The
hilarious illustrations will also help you to see her
antics more clearly, and you can watch her grow in the
second Dory story, Dory and the Real True Friend due
out later this year. The author/illustrator, Abby
Hanlon, is already thinking about her third Dory book
too!
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas
by Lynne Cox and illustrated by
Brian Floca
Elephant seals belong in the
ocean, but Elizabeth is
different. No one knows what
draws her to settle in a busy
intersection in the middle of
Christchurch, New Zealand, but
she makes it clear that is where
she wants to be. This true
story of love and determination
will warm your heart!
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated
by Christian Robinson
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, is the story of
four puppies: Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La,
and Gaston. Three of these puppies are
French poodles and no bigger than
teacups but Gaston, who is actually a
French bulldog, is the size of a teapot! As
you get to know Gaston, you’ll want to
give him credit for trying to be such a
proper pooch just like his sisters. One
day, Gaston’s family meets a bulldog
family in the park with roundish faces and
three brothers named Rocky, Ricky, Bruno,
and their dainty poodle sister named,
Antoinette. Gaston and Antoinette
quickly realize there must have been a
mix-up between the families and decide
to switch places. The new families look
right…but they just don’t feel right. You’ll
have to read this book to find out where
these two adorable dogs find their
rightful place and happiness.
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo and
illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
The tiny thief, Leroy Ninker, who tries to steal the
toaster in Mercy Watson Fights Crime, has
mended his ways and returns in this spinoff series.
Still planning on a career as a cowboy, Leroy, the
drive-in movie concession salesman, makes plans
to fulfill his dream. His coworker, Beatrice, informs
him that he needs a horse, handing him a “Horse
for Sale” advertisement. Leroy can’t wait to find
the horse of his dreams and soon locates
Maybelline, an old horse with a velvety damp
nose and only four teeth. After hearing her former
owner’s advice (firstly, be kind to her, “you got to
talk sweet to Maybelline,” secondly, give her lots
of grub, and, thirdly, never leave her alone), Leroy
and Maybelline gallop away faster and faster
across the fields. He has never been happier! But
when he forgets an important tip about
Maybelline, he fears his cowboy dreams are over.
Read to find out what hair-raising adventure
occurs, AND if Leroy and Maybelline ever run into
some old friends.
Little Red Writing by Joan Holub and illustrated by
Melissa Sweet
Little Red Writing is a story about Little Red in
Pencil School, where Ms. 2, her teacher, instructs
the class on how to write a story. The other
pencils, Birthday pencil, State pencil, and
Basketball pencil, can’t wait to write their happy,
nonfiction “Great State of Pencilvania,” stories.
Ambitious Little Red truly wants to write an
adventure story about a brave and courageous
character, who journeys through the school,
fighting evil to “save the day.” Little Red begins by
traipsing through the gym, bouncing, boogieing,
and finally cartwheeling into the “deep, dark,
descriptive forest,” the school library, on the next
page. Hearing growling, the suspense intensifies as
she spots a tail, and follows it into Principal
Granny’s office, where Little Red meets Wolf 3000,
showing his big sharp teeth instead of her
Principal. Big Red musters her courage and bravery
to combat the fierce pencil sharpener. Read to find
out if she saves Principal Granny, now a short stub
of a pencil, before it’s too late.
The Monkey Goes
Bananas by C. P. Bloom
and illustrated by Peter
Raymundo
Monkey spies a banana
tree. What will he do to
get his hands on them?
Monkey cleverly finds a
way to outsmart a shark
and get to the bananas.
This mostly wordless
picture book is truly
hilarious!
My Teacher is a Monster! (No,
I Am Not.) by Peter Brown
A young boy named Bobby has
the worst teacher. She's loud,
she yells, and if you throw
paper airplanes, she won't
allow you to enjoy recess. She
is a monster! Luckily, Bobby
can go to his favorite spot in
the park on weekends to play.
Until one day... he finds his
teacher there! Over the course
of one day, Bobby learns that
monsters are not always what
they seem.
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and
Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by
Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by
Mary Grandpré
Vasily Kandinsky was a pioneer of
abstract painting, but as a child he was
encouraged to be serious about his
studies. He studied to become a
lawyer and put his childhood hobby of
painting aside. He had an unusual
condition that allowed him to
experience music and sounds visually:
in addition to hearing sounds, he also
saw them as colors. Read The Noisy
Paint Box to find out how this
condition led him to return to his
childhood interest and invent a whole
new style of painting.
Poem-mobiles: Crazy Car Poems by J.
Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian and
illustrated by Jeremy Holmes
Two of children’s poetry’s most prolific
and entertaining writers pair up to
bring you a collection of wild and
wonderful poems about cars. But you
won’t see these cars on the highway!
The poets and illustrator Jeremy
Holmes have created a fantastical
world full of imaginary automobiles
like the bathtub car, the banana split
car and the eel-ectric car. Filled with
word play, rollicking rhymes and
illustrations that are even wackier than
the poems that inspired them, this
book is impossible to read only once!
The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale &
Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham
While young Princess Magnolia entertains
an unexpected guest with hot chocolate
and delicious scones in her majestic castle,
her monster alarm rings. Her guest,
Duchess Wigtower, enjoys visiting
unsuspecting friend’s homes to uncover
their secrets. Oh no, the princess does have
a big secret, and, hearing the alarm, she
scurries into the broom closet, secretly
changing from her frilly pink gown and tiara
into her black dress, tights, and cape. Clad
in her Princess in Black outfit, she slides
down the secret chute of her castle, climbs
upon her unicorn Frimplepants, and scoots
off to Monster Land. Will she reach
Monster Land before the big, hungry Blue
Monster gobbles up two tasty goats? Read
to find out if the Princess in Black saves the
tender goats and returns to her castle
before nosy Duchess Wigtower figures out
her true identity.
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by
Mac Barnett and Jon
Klassen
Sam, Dave and their dog
have a challenge. They want
to dig and dig and dig until
they find something
spectacular – something
huge – something thrilling.
They seem unsuccessful.
But are they really? Pay
close attention to the
illustrations and you’ll
discover what Sam and Dave
found. This book won a
Caldecott Honor Medal for
outstanding illustrations.
Three Bears in a Boat by
David Soman
When young bears Dash,
Charlie and Theo “did
something they really
shouldn’t have,” they
accidently break their
mother’s blue seashell.
Their quest to make
amends takes them on a
remarkable journey across
the sea where they meet
new friends and
encounter danger. Will
they make their way home
again? Will they find a
seashell for their mother?
Read to find out!