Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is a fun-to-read book by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Imagine Farmer Brown's surprise when his cows begin typing letters and posting them on the barn for him to find. Before he knows it, Farmer Brown has a fram full of unhappy cows and hens. They want blankets, and Farmer Brown wants their eggs and milk so they need to work together to resolve the problem and figure out how they can all work together again to make the farm run smoothly. In the end, Farmer Brown compromises and his disagreement with tthe cows and hens is resolved. It's important for children to know about different things they can do to resolve conflicts.

Mrs. Katz and Tush is a wonderful book that tells the story of a life-long friendship between a young boy, Larnel, and an elderly woman, Mrs. Katz. This book focuses on many things that help children to grow up healthy and strong, including family support, adult relationships and role models, and religious communities. Mrs. Katz is Jewish and shares many of the traditions important in her religion with Larnel.

Owen by Kevin Henkes is about a boy growing up and is having a hard time letting go of his childhood blanket. With their neighbor's help, Owen's parents try many things to convince him that it's time to do things without his blanket, but Owen isn't easy to convince. Growing older usually means being able to do more fun things. Sometimes, though, the thought of getting older can be confusing and scary. Having a positive view of their future is very important for children.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr won the Caldecott Medal in 1988 for its wonderful illustrations. The story is as beautiful as the pictures. A young girl and her father leave their house late one night to walk into the woods to go "owling." The girl's brothers had gone owling before, but this is her first time to stay up past her bedtime and go with her father to find a great horned owl.

Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Said the Sloth is a story set in the Amazon rain forest and was written and illustrated by Eric Carle. This book has wonderful illustrations and tells the story of a tree sloth, who is constantly being asked to explain why he moves so much more slowly and does things so differently from the rest of the animals in the rain forest. In the end, the sloth teaches the other animals a valuable lesson about appreciating differences and slowing down life just a little. The book contains important messages about cultural competence, self esteem and sense of purpose. It is important for children to celebrate the things that make them unique and special.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (Shrek) is about a donkey that lives with his mother and father. One of Sylvester's hobbies is collecting strange and unusual rocks. One day, Sylvester found a little round pebble and discovered the pebble was magic. When Sylvester was holding the pebble all of his wishes were granted. The story gets interesting when Sylvester is trying to escape from a lion and he says, "I wish I were a rock." As a rock, Sylvester is away from his family for a long time. All he wants is to be reunited with his parents. As soon as Sylvester gets a chance, he says, "I wish I were myself again!"

The Empty Pot is a wonderful story by Demi about how a Chinese emperor set out to choose the child who would take his place as the ruler of China. Ping was a little boy who loved to grow flowers and he was very good at it. When the Emperor gave each child in the kingdom some flower seeds to plant, Ping was very excited to see what kind of beautiful flowers would grow in his pot. The emperor said, "Whoever can show me their best in a year's time will succeed me to the throne." But Ping tried everything he could to get his seeds to grow and at the end of the year, all he had to show the Emperor was his empty pot. The book teaches a lesson about honesty and how parents can encourage their children to be proud of doing their best.

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble is a book about a girl who took care of the horses that belonged to her people. For hundreds and thousands of years, Native American people have passed down their stories through paintings, drawings and storytellers. The words and the illustrations remind us of the pictures and stores from long ago. The story is about a girl who loves wild horses and is especially good at taking care of them. A bad storm drives the herd of horses and the girl far away from her peopl'e camp. The girl is safe and happy with the horses, who are joined by a beautiful stallion. The girl's family finally finds her and rescues her from the wild horses, but she is not happy. She wants to be with her friends, the horses.

The Mitten is a Ukrainian folktale adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett. When Nicki drops the mitten his grandmother made for him in the snow, many forest critters are happy to make theemselves at home inside. Even though the mitten is small and there are many animals seeking shelter, none are turned away. One by one the animals make room inside their new shelter for each of their friends. Honesty, caring, integrity and responsibility are all personal values that help children grow up healthy and strong. In The Mitten, the animals were very crowded in their new shelter, yet they continued to share the space with each new animal who stumbled upon them. Sometimes sharing isn't an easy thing to do.

Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora tells the story of a family of migrant farm workers. The family arrives in Iowa and while the mother and father pick corn, the two boys, Tomas and Enrique, sit under a shade tree and listen to their grandfatther's stories. Soon it becomes apparent that Tomas knows all his grandfather's stories. His grandfather encourages Tomas to go to the library and learn some new stories. There, Thomas is befriended by a kind librarian who encourages his love of books. Instilling a love of reading is one of the most important ways to insure they will become life-long learners. The story relates important messages about learning through reading, family support and having adult role models.

Love You Forever is a book that both children and adults enjoy over and over again. Written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw, this is the story of how a little boy goes through childhood and grows up to be a man. The story is also about how love from parents or other family members can last forever.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is a story about how love can help us in difficult situations. The words and the beautiful illustrations by Ruth Harper and Nancy Leak tell the story of Chester the Raccoon and his mother. Chester stood at the edge of the forest and cried because he did not want to go to school. His mother made him feel better by telling him about all of the fun things he would do at school and about a secret - the kissing hand. By holding on to his mother's kiss and placing his hand on his cheek, Chester is reminded throughout the school night (racoons go to school at night) that his mother loves him and will be waiting for him when he gets home.