May Book Recommendations

0-5 Years 

The Missing Piece by Jordan Stephens and Beth Suzanna

A heart-warming, fresh and original story about family and friendship from brand-new picture book author, writer and performer Jordan Stephens. Sunny loves jigsaw puzzles - the bigger the better. When she completes one, she gets a warm, happy honeybee buzz. One day, her Gran gives her a ONE-THOUSAND-PIECE puzzle. Piece after piece, all by herself, she puts together the picture, until ... DISASTER! The final piece is missing. Sunny may be small, but she is very determined - so she sets off to find it. As the day whizzes by in a whirl of new places and friends, Sunny discovers that looking for something is every bit as fun as finding it, and that perhaps the missing piece was there all along ...

Colin & Lee Carrot & Pee by Morag Hood

Lee is a pea. All of his friends are peas; except Colin. Colin isn't a pea. And so begins the deliciously funny story of two very different friends: a small green pea and a tall orange carrot stick. Colin the carrot can't do everything the peas can, but he has some special carrot-y qualities that make him a very good friend to have. All about the beauty of making friends with people (or vegetables) who are different from you, boys and girls alike will love Colin and Lee's clear shapes, bright colors and the playful approach to everyday objects that make this book an instant favorite. Made using just a collage of supermarket plastic bags and painted facial expressions, Morag Hood has created a timeless picture book with unique and engaging artwork that is brimming with warmth and humor. 

6-8 years

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot by Jeff Kinney

After a disastrous field day competition at school, Greg decides that when it comes to his athletic career, he’s officially retired. But after his mom urges him to give sports one more chance, he reluctantly agrees to sign up for basketball.

Tryouts are a mess, and Greg is sure he won’t make the cut. But he unexpectedly lands a spot on the worst team.

As Greg and his new teammates start the season, their chances of winning even a single game look slim. But in sports, anything can happen. When everything is on the line and the ball is in Greg’s hands, will he rise to the occasion? Or will he blow his big shot?

9-12 years

Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

Danny, who was born in the mid 1960s, was only four months old when his mother died suddenly. He is an only child. At the beginning of the book, he lives with his father, William, in an old caravan behind the service station and garage owned and operated by his father in the south of England. Danny and his father are very close and share pastimes like building and flying kites, fire balloons and go-karts. William is also an excellent storyteller and a version of The BFG is told to Danny as a bedtime story. The father and son have generally idyllic times despite not having much.

The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Andy wakes up one morning, and on his way to getting breakfast, he meets Terry, painting a white cat yellow to turn it into a canary, or a "catnary". After being dropped from the treehouse, the cat grows wings and flies away. Andy and Terry are then greeted by their animal-loving friend Jill, who wants to find her pet cat, Silky. It turns out that the cat Terry painted was that exact cat. Andy and Terry try to remain innocent when Jill questions them. Right after Jill leaves, Andy and Terry receive a call via a 3D video phone by their publisher, Mr Big Nose, who is upset that the duo is behind schedule.

They soon try to come up with ideas for a book, but Terry only has a few self-portraits of his finger. Since they're Terry's only pictures in his folder, he and Andy end up in an argument which starts a drawing competition. Once they compete for the best banana drawing, Andy gets upset and gets in a fight with Terry, armed with the Giant Banana Terry grew in the intro.

13+  

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 

Four sisters and their mother, whom they call Marmee, live in a new neighborhood (loosely based on Concord) in Massachusetts in genteel poverty Having lost all his money, their father is serving as a chaplain for the Union Army in the American Civil War, far from home. The mother and daughters face their first Christmas without him. When Marmee asks her daughters to give their Christmas breakfast away to an impoverished family, the girls and their mother venture into town laden with baskets to feed the hungry children. When they return, they discover their wealthy, elderly neighbor Mr. Laurence has sent over a decadent surprise dinner to make up for their breakfast. The two families become acquainted following these acts of kindness.

Anne of Ingleside by L.M Montgomery

Anne is the mother of five, with never a dull moment in her lively home. And now, with a new baby on the way and insufferable Aunt Mary Maria visiting—and wearing out her welcome—Anne's life is full to bursting. Still, Mrs. Doctor can't think of any place she'd rather be than her own beloved Ingleside. Until the day she begins to worry that her adored Gilbert doesn't love her anymore. How could that be? She may be a little older, but she's still the same irrepressible, irreplaceable redhead—the wonderful Anne of Green Gables, all grown up. She's ready to make her cherished husband fall in love with her all over again!