NCW Libraries

"With a good friend like Loonie the yellow balloon, anything is possible. From neighborhood walks to reading aloud in bed to dance parties in your room, Loonie makes each activity a little brighter, a little fuller of sunshine. But as one child discovers with sadness, when it’s time for Loonie to float away home, the sunshine goes, too. It’s not as fun to have a dance party alone. And while tending to the garden helps a little bit, the...

"From award-winning and bestselling author Kevin Henkes and the acclaimed painter Laura Dronzek, Little Houses is an unforgettable masterpiece about nature, family, wonder, and the ocean. The lyrical writing and stunning paintings make this a great choice for family sharing and for story times all year round. When a young girl visits her grandparents at the beach, she stays in a little house and walks along the shore gathering seashells--which were...

When five fruit-loving elephants spot a scrumptious hard-to-reach fruit high up in a tree, it's a race to see who can claim it first! But after one too many fumbles, the elephants begin to lose their cool, and the highly coveted fruit is whisked away by the teeny-tiniest of all jungle creatures--mice! The elephants soon realize they have a lot to learn from this cooperative little bunch.

"Stuck inside one wet afternoon, a group of friends are bored and miserable--until a pink glow leads them to discover a mysterious treasure chest and everything changes! Grey is for rainy days, but PINK is for all kinds of fun -- bows and buttons, yes, but also aliens and astronauts, dancers and dragons! In a parade of exuberance that celebrates all things pink, one surly fur ball stands out--and ultimately teaches the kids a valuable lesson in embracing...

Little Phil Groundhog and his shadow do everything together, but when they grow up the more adventurous shadow wants to travel, so he leaves--but neither is happy, so Phil goes searching for his friend.

Accidentally activated in a future world where only the savage survive, a life-size toy named Fred is programmed to be a friend and spread kindness and good will wherever he goes, but in this world that is going to be difficult--so Fred decides that his first task is to get Lord Bonkers and Papa Mayhem, two warlords, to make peace and become friends.

The widow McDowell and her seven-year-old son Thomas ask the gruff Jonathan Toomey, the best wood-carver in the valley, to carve the figures for a Christmas crèche.

"A young girl makes a choice to plant a seed by a long dead riverbed. Little does she know that from this single, small act, a vibrant ecosystem will grow ... This inspiring poem -- bursting with hope for a greener would -- is a love letter to our ailing planet. It shows us that even when the future appears most bleak, each one of us can make a difference. A positive and optimistic story full of hope that it is not too late to mitigate climate change...

Squirrel cannot think of a New Year's resolution until she realizes that by helping her friends, she has made one after all.

Thirteen-year old Ben Malone is the son of the head groundskeeper at the exclusive golf club, Strongwood, a course Ben has never played because they cannot afford the fee--but when his best friend puts up the money to enter him in a junior tournament at the club, Ben is forced to confront his own lack of confidence (and his wicked slice).