Debbie H’s Picture Book Picks
Citrus Picks are hand-picked and curated book suggestions from our amazing team of library staff members. Scroll through this list to read about each selection. If you’re interested in checking out any of the books or items listed below, simply click on the cover to place through our online catalog. Happy reading!
Exclamation Mark
Amy Krouse Rosenthal & illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld
A punctuation mark feels bad that he doesn’t fit in with the others until a friend reveals the possibilities that exist when differences are accepted.
Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!
Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky with illustrations by Lane Smith
The students of Diffendoofer School celebrate their unusual teachers and curriculum, including Miss Fribble who teaches laughing, Miss Bonkers who teaches frogs to dance, and Mr. Katz who builds robotic rats.
Hanukkah bear
Eric A. Kimmel with illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka
On the first night of Hanukkah, Old Bear wanders into Bubba Brayna’s house and receives a delicious helping of potato latkes when she mistakes him for the rabbi. Includes a recipe for latkes.
The Parakeet Named Dreidel
Isaac Bashevis Singer with pictures by Suzanne Raphael Berkson
On the eighth night of Hanukkah, a family rescues a Yiddish-speaking, dreidel-playing parakeet.
Kindness is cooler, Mrs. Ruler
Margery Cuyler with illustrations by Sachiko Yoshikawa
Mrs. Ruler guides her students in discovering ways of being kind to their family members, their community, and each other.
Baghead
Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Josh hides the bad haircut he gave himself by wearing a bag on his head, until his sister has a better idea.
Superbuns!
Diane Kredensor
Despite what her younger sister thinks, Blossom is sure that kindness is not a superpower, until the sisters meet a fox that changes Blossom’s opinion.
Another
Christian Robinson
A young girl and her cat take an imaginative journey into another world.
The Bagel King
written by Andrew Larsen with illustrations by Sandy Nichols
Told with a schmear of love and baked with humor, The Bagel King celebrates family tradition and the special bond between grandparent and grandchild.”
A Chair for My Mother
Vera B. Williams
A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire.
I Hate My Cats : (A Love Story)
Davide Cali with illustrations by Anna Pirolli
Ginger and Fred, a pair of cats, can be picky, messy, and troublesome, and although they frustrate the author, in the end their presence is comforting–and essential.
Dear Girl,
Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal with illustrations by Holly Hatam
Encourages readers to accept and love themselves as they are and advises them to be confident, curious, adaptable, and willing to speak up.
A Dog Named Doug
Karma Wilson with illustrations by Matt Myers
Egged on by a ground squirrel, a dog named Doug digs miles underground–taking a detour through the White House–until he returns home, goes to bed, and dreams of digging some more.
The Spirit of Christmas
Nancy Tillman
Despite the arrival of the Spirit of Christmas, who brings all sorts of trimmings and reminders of seasonal joys, something is still lacking.
Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf
Greg Wolfe with illustrations by Howard McWilliam
When Shmelf, one of Santa’s elves, learns that Jewish children do not celebrate Christmas, he investigates and learns all about Hanukkah, then gets a special new task from Santa.
Pebble : A Story About Belonging
Susan Milord
Despite the arrival of the Spirit of Christmas, who brings all sorts of trimmings and reminders of seasonal joys, something is still lacking.
If I Never Forever Endeavor
Holly Meade
A young bird, safe in its nest, debates whether or not to risk trying its wings.
Stick and Stone
Beth Ferry with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld
Stick and Stone are both lonely until Pinecone’s teasing causes one to stick up for the other, and a solid friendship is formed.
That Cat Can't Stay
Thad Krasnesky with illustrations by David Parkins
A father protests that he does not want cats in his house, but each time a family member brings a cat home he reluctantly lets them stay.
Separate is Never Equal : Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation
Duncan Tonatiuh
Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an instrumental role in Mendez v. Westminster, the landmark desegregation case of 1946 in California
That Aminal
Lorna Balian and Lecia Balian
When Patrick tells a friend about the wild creature he is bringing home as a pet, the “aminal” becomes an increasingly larger and more fearful monster as different children pass on what they have heard.
The Cheese
Margie Palatini with paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
After they all agree to ignore the story of “The Farmer in the Dell,” the rat, cat, dog, child, farmer, and his wife have a party featuring the tempting hunk of cheese.
The Steel Pan Man of Harlem
Colin Bootman
A mysterious man appears in Harlem and promises to rid the city of its rats by playing the steel pan drum.
The Flower Man
Mark Ludy
A man moves into a dark, colorless town, and brings with him flowers and color that affect all of his neighbors.
Debbie Hurley
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Debbie Hurley#molongui-disabled-link
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Debbie Hurley#molongui-disabled-link
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Debbie Hurley#molongui-disabled-link
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Debbie Hurley#molongui-disabled-link
