Secret Agent Jack Stalwart The Mystery of the Mona Lisa by Elizabeth Singer Hunt #3*

Jack travels to Paris to recover the missing Mona Lisa.
My seven and a half year old devours this series.  He thought this one was cool because the villain had a gadget that shot lasers out of his knuckles.
Perfect for boys, reluctant readers and building stamina.
*Highly recommend.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin created/illustrated by James Dean*

Fun!  The lyrical words beg to be sung.
Funny too.
*Highly recommend.
2013 won an honor for the Geisel Award.

Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr. illustrated by Lois Ehlert*

This counting book introduces the vocabulary of "first, second, third" etc. up to ten.
Lovely illustrations by Ms. Ehlert, of course!
At the end there are five pages that depict the number, the corresponding caterpillar and butterfly/moth and shares what it eats.
*highly recommend.

Danny, the Duck with no Quack by Malachy Doyle illustrated by Janet Samuel

Danny the duck is so shy he never quacks.  This trait changes after he has an unfortunate encounter with a couple of foxes.
Questions/discussion tips are in the back for parents/teachers.

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray illustrated by Marla Frazee*

We have owned this book for a few years now and it is still a favorite.
Lyrical, poetic language and beautiful illustrations.
A look at stars in the sky and other places in our daily environment.
*Highly recommend.

The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco

The Graves family is unusual.  The residents of Union City are wary of them.  Seth and Sara, however, reach out and befriend the oldest boy, Hieronymus who they nickname Ronnie.
Seth and Sara try to help the family fit into their new surroundings.  Many humorous events ensue.
A great book about kindness and acceptance.
A second book about this family is also available-The Graves Family Goes Camping.

How Many Jelly Beans? A Giant Book of Giant Numbers by Andrea Menotti illustrated by Yancey Labat*

This book shows how many large numbers are: thousand, five thousand, up to million in the form of jelly beans.
The over-sized book is great for sharing and the foldout page is so fun!
*Highly recommend.