Ember makes a new friend while delivering holiday cookies in the snowy winter! A new must-read in my favorite picture book series of all time!

Pickle enthusiasts, rejoice! We finally have a board book about our beloved briny, crunchy treat. I’m Hannah P. (The “P” stands for “pickles”) and I approve this silly, DILLy book!

A mysterious object full of images falls through the ocean onto Diffy’s rock. He begins to make up stories for his fish friends from the patterns. When the mysterious object disappears, he worries the stories may be gone forever. This is a beautiful ode to the art of storytelling.

Owl Capone’s successful restaurant serves sandwiches (with secret sauce) that the whole neighborhood can’t get enough of! But when one of Capone’s best friends betrays him to steal his recipe and open his own restaurant, Capone is distraught. How will he regain his customers and get the best of his newfound competition? Owl Capone is a great introduction to the gangster story, retold with kindness and animal puns.

I want to live in this book! Henri is on the hunt for his secret admirer (oo la la!) and he has so many awesome fall recipes that he shares along the way!

Also loved by Katie and Hannah P.!

Horizontal Crocodile is having a looooong, relaxing morning at home when he receives a call from his friend, Horizontal Alligator. Except, Alligator has changed his name… what’s up with that? Help Crocodile tidy his sweet digs for his friend’s visit, and discover why Alligator changed his alias! (A colorful, taaaaall tail, teaching kids the difference between two directions.)

Toast has the most! I love this bright, playful introduction to food. This board book is a treat ALMOST good enough to eat!

Bear’s magic show for his friend Fox is going all wrong, but the third time’s the charm in this delightful story about perseverance and friendship.

For Terrence and Frank, two turtles that are falling off a cliff, everything is a competition. Whose shell is the shiniest? Who can walk slowest? But for now, will they be able to work together (and look past the dirty laundry and toaster in their shells) to make it to the bottom safely? With adorable illustrations, the children in your life will be cheering for Terrence and Frank!

Also loved by Jake!

Welcome to Midnight Manor, the home of all your favorite Halloween creatures. Get up, get ready for the night, and celebrate all things ghoulish before the sunrises. A colorfully creepy favorite!

Also loved by Cheryl, Jake, Hannah P., and Jenness!

I Will Eat You in the End follows an unlikely friendship between a dinosaur and a worm, with both insisting that the other will eventually become their dinner. In the meantime however, they discover they actually have quite a bit in common. Covering life, death, and the friends we make along the way, I Will Eat You in the End is a tender, slightly macabre introduction to existentialism you won’t soon forget.

Please forward all my mail to Bosk Olivette. I live here now, inside this gorgeous book by Parnassus favorite, Rebecca Green. (Check out our Board Book Room mural for more of her beautiful art!)

Also loved by Treva!

Two castles sit on either side of a hill. When they can’t agree on who rules the hill, a duel is declared. Shawn Harris’s unique artwork makes this a story not to miss. And besides, who wins the duel?

Also loved by Abigail!

With notes on what science tells us about the healing power of nature, this camping story helps kids (and their grown-ups) activate all of their senses to experience the relaxation, freedom, and sense of well-being that comes from being outside.

Beautiful picture book of a horse and the bond with her rider Kiki. Pictures capture their adventures, some without words. See if you can discover the horse’s name.

Piccolo gets more than he bargained for when Mrs. Gallina asks if he can babysit her chicks. What starts as a trip to the park, turns into a mischievous adventure throughout Bella Città. This is another adorable Italian adventure from Dan Yaccarino!

As somebody who grew up dancing, I love this book. When a young dancer gets scared about going on stage, an older dancer finds her hiding and offers her a gift that gives her courage to go onstage. The cycle continues when that young dancer becomes the older, more confident dancer. Told with few words, this is a beautiful story that is perfect for all the little ballerinas in your life.

These siblings died in an accident and were not given the proper training of Ghostology. So they made a mistake of being tricked into being held as ghosts in the mansion of a female con artist. They help the orphan who was also kidnapped. It is cute thriller with an ending that screams sequel!

Lois Lowry does it again! Tessa’s twin brother has been missing for months, but it isn’t until her 135 year old neighbor gives her a box of illegal books that she may know where her brother went. This book is perfect for young readers who question what would life be without the books that shape us.

Also loved by Ashby and Rae Ann!

Lilac Black crashes her uncle’s séance and pretends to see a ghost. Shockingly, her family can see them, too! Caught in a web of lies, Lilac attends the secretive Spindlewood School for Seers. With a growing mystery afoot and a new pal to impress, can Lilac fake it til she makes it? Perfect for fans of Wednesday, The Swifts, and Hocus Pocus. This dark academic debut is hauntingly fun––just in time for Halloween!

Two sisters are dealing in different ways with the loss of their mother. They are not close but a winter storm literally falls on them as they are home alone that unites them in their survival.

Edgar Allan “Poe” hates his new school – except the mysterious library; loves his cool new house -which is definitely haunted; and misses his Grandma – the only one who understood his creepy ability to see and talk to ghosts. Weird, scary things happen and just maybe this gift of his will come in handy. I loved Poe and this book!

High school girl moves from Kentucky to live with the father she has never known. She was the top volleyball player in her old school but these players trained on the beach and are mean girls, too! She is finding out how to start from the bottom in order to excel and also learn about herself.

Also loved by Abigail!

Everything’s bigger in Texas…including Bowie’s senior year ennui and his crush on Comet Jenson. Follow Bowie and his ragtag pals as they work to save the local radio station. Radio Free Texas asks big questions about how music molds our youth and how geography shapes our DNA. Almost Famous meets Breakfast Club meets Boyhood. As a small town Texas kid, I give it 5 lone stars.

What would you do if your boyfriend turned into a bird? Lexie, and the small town they live in, have to come to terms with the reality in this beautiful and haunting stand alone novel-in-verse that stays with you long after you’re done reading.

On probation and bound to an ankle monitor, Lil is struggling within the confines of her life. Her older brother is the one person she can always connect with, but something is off with him. Will she test the limits of her own restrictions in order to get her brother the help she believes he needs? And will her family finally understand? Elizabeth Acevedo blends hope into this family’s seemingly hopeless situation.

The Divergent series is back and I’m so glad! Series fans will be riveted as Tris selects a different faction in the Choosing Ceremony in this alternate universe. New to this series? Start here for a thrilling dystopian adventure.

What if you were a older child star who changed her name and moved east to become a regular teenager and your famous co-star comes to film a movie in your town! Even her best friend doesn’t know. The closeness that they always felt is still there. How will handle all of this sudden revelation?

Sprout Book Club: October Selection

Spark Book Club: October Selection

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