What Zuzu wants, Zuzu makes. In her happy hands a brown paper bag becomes a flower or a hat. Cardboard becomes a tent, a telescope, or a car. Zuzu makes everything into something else. But making a friend of the boy next door turns out to be harder than she thought. Can she get him to smile? With the pictures by award-winning illustrator D. B. Johnson, Linda Michelin tells this exuberant story of a red-haired girl and her irrepressible imagination.

When Zuzu smiles at the new boy next door and he does not smile back, she makes him a series of gifts that she thinks he needs.

Whether used for thematic story times, program and curriculum planning, readers' advisory, or collection development, this updated edition of the well-known companion makes finding the right picture books for your library a breeze. Generations of savvy librarians and educators have relied on this detailed subject guide to children's picture books for all aspects of children's services, and this new edition does not disappoint. Covering more than 18,000 books published through 2017, it empowers users to identify current and classic titles on topics ranging from apples to zebras. Organized simply, with a subject guide that categorizes subjects by theme and topic and subject headings arranged alphabetically, this reference applies more than 1,200 intuitive (as opposed to formal catalog) subject terms to children's picture books, making it both a comprehensive and user-friendly resource that is accessible to parents and teachers as well as librarians. It can be used to identify titles to fill in gaps in library collections, to find books on particular topics for young readers, to help teachers locate titles to support lessons, or to design thematic programs and story times. Title and illustrator indexes, in addition to a bibliographic guide arranged alphabetically by author name, further extend access to titles.

This step-by-step introduction to teaching thinking skills in the primary grades will be useful to teachers, librarians and staff development personnel. It will be of particular interest to teachers of the gifted. Each thinking skill is explained in a full-page reproducible format followed by a page offering booktalks to be used to introduce favorite picture books that can be used to teach that skill to young children and two pages of reproducible activities for the children to practice the newly learned skill. Over 30 skills are taught ranging from analogy to hypothesizing to inferring to patterning and reversible thinking. This book will be a logical companion to Teaching Thinking Skills with Fairy Tales and Fantasy (Teacher Ideas Press, 2005) that focuses on teaching these skills to older students.

When Henry cannot sleep, he takes the night jar and tries to capture the song of the night bird.

The Genie's Comical Antics Summary: A small, curious girl named Ellie finds an old lamp at a garage sale in Willowby, a quiet town that doesn't seem to have much going on. She had no idea what a strange lamp it was. By accident, she rubs it, which lets out Zuzu, a unique genie. The cute awkwardness and sense of humor of Zuzu show that he can grant wishes, even if the wishes aren't the big ones you'd expect from a genie. Instead, Zuzu's powers are meant to make small, funny things happen that make regular life a little less serious. Ellie and Zuzu go on a lovely trip through Willowby and become close in a way they didn't expect. Whether it's making a normal breakfast into a funny show of bouncing pancakes or a dull day at an indoor beach party, they learn how important it is to be creative and enjoy spending time with each other. They laugh at their jokes at school and in the neighborhood, and the other kids in the neighborhood are also happy, which shows that happiness can spread. During their funny journey, Ellie learns important things about what makes a true friend, how important it is to be creative, and how great it is to laugh. Being with other people makes her happy, and the best wishes are the ones that make the people around her happy. Ellie and the other people in Willowby see that Zuzu shows them that even the most ordinary dreams can lead to the most amazing meetings. As Ellie and Zuzu's trip goes on, they face many problems with a positive outlook and a sense of fun. No matter what the problem is—a lost cat, a school talent show, or a birthday full of disasters—they believe there is a miracle answer that will make everyone happy and laugh. Finally, "The Genie's Comical Antics" is a touching story that shows how magical childhood can be and how important it is to make friends with people you least expect it. It's a lesson that some of the easiest ways to be happy are to have fun, hang out with friends, and look at the world with wonder and creativity. What Ellie really wanted was for Zuzu to be with her forever. This shows how strong Page 9 of 35 friendships are and how amazing normal life can be. Being together made them laugh and want to try new things. Page 10 of 35 Chapter 1: What They Found On a beautiful Saturday morning in the quiet town of Willowby, a little girl named Ellie chose to search for her surroundings. The day seemed endless, with the sun shining and a light breeze teasing of exciting things to come. Her eyes were filled with awe as she walked around town, eager to take in all the sights and sounds. On this particular day, the neighborhood had set up a garage sale, which is a beloved Willowby tradition where people put things from their basements and attics on show in the hopes of finding new homes for them. Ellie was drawn to these yard sales like a moth to a flame because she liked taking risks. She liked the idea of finding lost treasures among lost things. As she walked around the stalls, she came across something strange among the toys and books. After years of not being used, an old lamp that was covered in spider webs and dust had lost its brightness. Ellie, on the other hand, was pulled to it like a beacon by its mysteries. Ellie was interested, so she walked up to the light and ran her fingers over the complicated designs. She thought this wasn't normal light because her hands felt heavy. She felt a strange need to rub the lamp, hoping to get rid of the dust that was covering up its beauty. She was shocked to find that as she rubbed, a bright, whirling cloud of smoke came out of the lamp's spout and lit up the colors around her. As Ellie watched with wide eyes, a shape started to take shape as it slowly came out of the magical mist. It was a genie, but not the kind you'd think from the story. Zuzu, this genie, was different from all the others. He was happy, had a kind smile, and his eyes flashed in a funny way. He was dressed in a lot of bright colors, and his cap seemed a little too big for his head, which made him look both cute and awkward. Zuzu greeted Ellie with a flourish, and his speech was nice and interesting. He made it clear that even though he was a genie, he wasn't like most of them. Even more unusual than giving people a lot of money or power, Zuzu was great at granting simple, funny wishes that made people laugh and smile. It was his power to make funny situations that made normal things more fun and surprising. Ellie paid close attention as Zuzu talked about how funny he was. She was thrilled at the thought of a genie who could use his magic to make everyday life more fun. She thought about how much fun it would be to have a friend like that—someone who could turn a normal day into an exciting adventure full of laughter and joy. After introducing himself, Zuzu told Ellie that the first time they met was the start of a great bond. He couldn't wait to show her his magic and make her day better with his funny pranks. When Ellie thought about the fun things that were coming Page 11 of 35 up, she felt very happy. They learned that finding the lamp wasn't just a lucky find; it was the beginning of a big adventure that would make her life full of laughs and thrills. That moment of finding at the garage sale changed Ellie's life for good. She knew that genie magic could make anything possible, so she was excited to find out what crazy things could happen in everyday life with Zuzu by her side. The old lamp, which was unused and covered in dust, had become the key to a world of friendship and fun. It served as a daily reminder that the most amazing things can come from the strangest places. People in Willowby went about their daily lives as usual, not knowing what magic had just happened. Ellie and Zuzu, on the other hand, went on their first trip together. Ellie, on the other hand, saw the world as a place with endless opportunities, a blank canvas ready to be filled with the bright colors of happiness and laughter. She knew that every day would bring a new chance to find the magic in the everyday, to find joy in the smallest things, and to give everyone around her the gift of laughter, especially since Zuzu was her genie.