Larry Burkett’s How Things Work Series: How Our House Works educates kids on home construction and maintenance. Burkett encourages good stewardship as he teaches readers to properly care for their home. Children learn that water and electricity come at a price and how to keep that cost to a minimum. Good spending habits and a…

Zuno challenges you to count your blessings with Helen Haidle’s The Real 12 Days of Christmas. When this carol was composed, religious freedoms were restricted in England. Parents hid the symbols of their faith in songs like this one. Decode the carol and tell me which line is your favorite.

Friends don’t let friends sleep through Christmas. In Bear Stays Up, Bear’s friends make it their mission to keep their hibernating friend awake just long enough to celebrate. A sleepy, droopy-eyed Bear hangs in there through one job after another as the friends search for a tree, decorate it, hang up the stockings, and tackle…

December. Furniture shifts to make room for the tree. Angels peer down from the fireplace mantle. Shiny balls cling to the tree as Zuno’s tail sends them swinging. He is heading for the kitchen with visions of sugarplums (or something edible) in his head—like a candy cane. Helen Haidle’s Candymaker’s Gift tells the legend of…

 Zuno suggests celebrating St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6) with Clement C. Moore’s Night Before Christmas. The Night Before Christmas: The Classic Illustrated Edition, compiled by Cooper Evans and Harold Darling, showcases illustrations from as early as 1890. Watch Santa change over time as he sports black trim instead of white and numerous hats in a variety…

Fairy tales go bad in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. When princess after princess fails to notice the pea under the mattresses, the prince takes matters into his own hands and substitutes a bowling ball. Little Red Running Shorts races the wolf to her granny’s…

Growing old has its challenges, but Mr. Putter and Tabby are not about to let their cranky legs and tail stand in the way of pear picking. Pink poodle underwear, a stick, and an old glove join forces to form a slingshot even David would long for. Though the pears prove elusive, Mr. Putter zings the day…

Lloyd Moss’s Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin introduces young readers to the orchestra. Each of ten members adds their own special shades and hues as author Moss and illustrator Priceman mix a magical, musical palette. Priceman received a Caldecott Honor for her instrumental color scheme. Brass, strings, woodwinds—which is your favorite? My daughter plays one…

Henry and his doggie companion, Mudge, are inseparable, but a trip to Grandma’s house may change that. Grandma’s house is small. Mudge is not, and outside he goes. Will Mudge be able to sleep without Henry? Will Henry be able to sleep without Mudge? Curl up with your favorite animal friend and enjoy Cynthia Rylant’s…

Zuno and I love word games and I’m betting author Peggy Parish does too. In Good Work, Amelia Bedelia, Parish takes her loveable character, Amelia Bedelia, through another day of work and play, word play, that is. Rising dough, potted plants, and chicken dinners challenge our heroine, but it’s Amelia’s baking skills rather than her…