Kate Banks

Lauren Castillo

An easy-to-read book about a globe-trotting cat that crosses paths with a vacationing family in the great cities of Europe. Includes facts about the cities.

City Cat

When Max cuts out words from magazines and newspapers, collecting them the way his brothers collect stamps and coins, they all learn about words, sentences, and storytelling.

Max's Words

Ollie adore les voyages et sait ce qu'il veut. Lucrezia, surnommée Lukey, ou Lou, tout simplement, déteste les départs et n'est pas très sûre d'elle. Mais Lou et Ollie sont les meilleurs amis du monde, depuis toujours. A Rome, ils ont grandi ensemble. Et chaque été, ils se retrouvent au bord de la mer, dans la chaleureuse maison, près de Milan, où leurs familles passent les vacances. Qu'est-il arrivé pour que Lou ait choisi de raconter cet été-là, celui de leurs treize ans, celui qui n'aurait jamais dû exister ? Le club de la plage, les sorties en bateau et les parties de ping-pong avec les copains, leur complicité, celle qu'ils partagent aussi avec parents et grands-parents. La saveur de cet été prend toute sa dimension lorsqu'on découvre le drame.

Amis de coeur

Nine-year-old Lenny Brewster is captivated by the world - the mysteries of machines, the magic of snow, the pure joy of a perfect ride down a slippery slide. He knows a lot, but not how to share it with others. Of course, it doesn't help having an absent father, a preoccupied mother, and a teacher and peers who don't like him. Lenny spends much of his time in the principal's office or alone, absorbed in his ideas. Then he meets Van, a kindred spirit, and Muriel, the canny school therapist. Their simple acceptance of Lenny helps him find his place at last. Written with incisive prose, smart humor, and profound wisdom, Lenny's Space is not only about recognizing the possibilities life affords us and the challenge of coming to grips with its sometimes difficult realities, but also about the triumphant, undying power of true friendship.

Lenny's Space

Peter, the son of a music man, is led on an adventure by the voice of his talking shoes.

Peter and the Talking Shoes

Forest animals help an injured nightingale survive the winter in a comforting story of friendship and resilience, lyrically told and gorgeously illustrated. As the days grow shorter and the air becomes colder, the spring birds fly south for winter--all except for a nightingale with a broken wing. Unable to fly, the nightingale worries about how to prepare for weather it's never had to experience before. Luckily, the forest animals who are used to frosty conditions help the nightingale navigate the cold as its wing heals. Though the unfamiliar season proves challenging, and even a little scary at times, the nightingale discovers there's beauty to be found in even the harshest weather--and with that comes newfound gratitude for the return of spring. Kate Banks weaves a story of perseverance and kindness, brought beautifully to life by Suzie Mason's stunning artwork.

The Winter Bird

A little tiger takes an imaginative journey The little tiger lay on his back in the tall grass. "Close your eyes, little tiger," said his mother, "and go to sleep." But the little tiger is worried about what sleep might bring. His mother reassures him that once he closes his eyes, he will dream of magical places. And when he awakens, she will be right there, waiting for him. Alternating between real-life scenes with the baby tiger and his mother and enchanted dream scenes of sleep's possibilities, Kate Banks's simple, comforting text and Georg Hallensleben's bright, colorful illustrations make this a charming bedtime story for small children. Close Your Eyes is a 2002 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year and a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Close Your Eyes

A story of woodland creatures discovering a lost doll is transformed into the perfect parable of love in this sweet, timeless picture book for fans of Corduroy and The Velveteen Rabbit. The wood mouse and the rabbit find a rag doll in the woods. Nothing about it is familiar: it doesn't smell like the fresh air of spring or feel like the rough bark of a tree. As the group of animals grows and searches for a clue to where the doll came from, they encounter more mysteries—and discover the one thing their hearts know to be true. Whether between parent and child, siblings, or friends, this beautifully illustrated story is about the way we show one other how much we care.

Lost and Found

After his owner dies, a cat wanders across the countryside of France, unable to forget the home he had in the stone house by the edge of the sea.

The Cat Who Walked Across France

At the end of the day a little boy falls asleep as his mama reads about a bear hibernating.

The Bear in the Book

When sixteen-year-old Baz becomes apprentice to a powerful but kind magician, he makes a long journey across the desert and into the mountains, ultimately discovering himself by learning to dispel illusions.

The Magician's Apprentice

This deeply emotional read-aloud about a lost wolf pup who is raised by a loving polar bear is sure to resonate with families – particularly non-traditional ones. You are not my mother, said the wolf pup. I am not your mother, said the polar bear, but I can cuddle you and keep you safe. Here is a picture book that celebrates differences and promotes kindness , sure to resonate with the many fans of the beloved classic, Mama Do You Love Me? During the ice melt that follows an Arctic winter, a wolf cub finds himself spinning out to sea on a sheet of ice. He awakes lost and alone to an unfamiliar smell: a polar bear. And while the polar bear is not the wolf's mother, she takes him on her back to her den, where she feeds him, keeps him warm, and does everything a mother would do. Time passes, the cub grows into a wolf, and soon it's time for him to venture out into the wide world alone. Years later, the now grown wolf comes upon a tiny lost polar bear cub--and the cycle begins again. With poetic prose this beautiful picture book about the love and kindness of a stranger is sure to touch a deep chord, particularly with parents and children who have found each other in unexpected ways.

Pup and Bear

A boy's ability to spell words with his alphabet soup comes in handy during the magical journey he takes in his mind with a friendly bear.

Alphabet Soup

Rupert Sheldrake

Eleven-year-old George has a dog, Bart, who seems to know everything about him-from when he is feeling sad to when he will arrive home from school. George's new neighbor and classmate, Lester, also has a dog, Bill Gates, and Lester thinks he is the smartest animal in the world. When their teacher assigns a school science project about animal behavior, George and Lester decide to conduct an experiment based on the world-famous Rupert Sheldrake's experiments about dogs. George even has an email exchange with Dr. Sheldrake to help him with the project-and he and Lester soon find out that, through a few simple experiments, kids can make scientific discoveries, too. This middle-grade boys and dogs story is inspired by Rupert Sheldrake's bestselling adult novel. Dogs that Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home.

Boy's Best Friend

Illustrations and simple, rhyming text follow a little boy through a day of imaginative play with various toys, followed by a quiet time of books and crayons as bedtime nears.

Rumble Grumble ... Hush

It's time for bed, and a little boy chooses his favorite book for his mother to read to him. The bear in the book is preparing for his own deep slumber, hibernating through the winter while humans and other animals explore the snowy landscape around him. Just when the bear wakes up to greet the spring, the boy drifts off to sleep. Kate Banks' soft and rhythmic text is brought to life by Georg Hallensleben's strong, expressive paintings in this bedtime read that will carry young readers through the seasons.

A boy provides instructions as he searches high and low for an elephant, which the reader can find in the illustrations.

How to Find an Elephant

A mother tiger entices her child to sleep by telling of all that can be seen with one's eyes closed.

Baz has always dreamed about following his two older brothers out of his dusty little town, so when a stranger comes to his family's home and asks him to be a weaver's apprentice, Baz is eager to start his journey. But when he reaches the village of Kallah and starts his apprenticeship, Baz learns that his master is very cruel. And when the master trades Baz to a magician for a sword, Baz expects no better from his new owner. But as Baz travels with this kind-hearted and wise magician, their journey takes him across the desert, up a mountain, and into the depths of life's meaning. He learns to re-examine his beliefs about people, the world, and himself, discovering that the whole world is connected and no person can ever be owned.

Kate Banks

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