If You Were a Chocolate Mustache

By: J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by:
Matthew Cordell
The watermelon seed that skitters across the page becomes a concrete poem and  is just one of the funny poetic forms in this collection. The humor in each short poem (from riddles to haiku) is heightened by comic black/white illustrations.

Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs

By: J. Patrick Lewis Jane Yolen
Illustrated by:
Jeffrey Stewart Timmins
Enter into a cemetery for animals, read their epitaphs, learn their fates. Though not for the faint-hearted, the sometimes gory tales are always darkly humorous and enhanced by appropriately gloomy illustrations.

Please Bury Me in the Library

By: J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by:
Kyle Stone
Celebrate letters, words, libraries and reading in engaging, often slyly humorous poems. Varied forms are inspired by other beloved poets, but are original with equally fresh illustrations.

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry

By: J. Patrick Lewis
Animals from around the world are introduced by poets from different backgrounds and different times in this carefully crafted collection. Handsome photographs and thoughtful organization make this a book to share widely.

Brush of the Gods

By: Lenore Look
Illustrated by:
Meilo So

Inspired by an actual artist, Wu Daozi's brush created images that seemed to come alive. Travel to ancient China to meet Daozi as he grows from a boy into a muralist for the Emperor.

No Monkeys, No Chocolate

By: Allen Young Melissa Stewart
Illustrated by:
Nicole Wong
Most kids like something chocolate-y, right? But there wouldn't be chocolate without cocoa beans that come from cocoa pods that rely on insects and other creatures in rainforests — even monkeys!

Orangutan

By: Susi Eszterhas
In the rainforest of Sumatra, a baby orangutan is born. Photographs chronicle her life with mother and the baby's growth. At about five years old, the baby is old enough to live independently though she still occasionally sees her mother.

Python

By: Christopher Cheng
Illustrated by:
Mark Jackson
The Australian Diamond Python's day starts when the sun warms her and continues until she returns to her nest to warm her eggs. Large, mixed media illustrations combine with narrative, complemented by brief facts in this tantalizing introduction.

Red Kite, Blue Kite

Boy with two kites
By: Ji-li Jiang
Illustrated by:
Greg Ruth

When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, fly kites from their roof and look down at the crowded city streets below, they feel free, like the kites.

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