I Know a Rhino

I Know a Rhino

by Charles Fuge

Have you ever taken a bath with a giraffe? Played doctor with a dragon? Brunched with a bear? Rocked out with an orangutan? The female lead in I Know a Rhino is a little girl with a big imagination. She brings her stuffed animal friends along in all of her imaginative adventures.

Charles Fuge's luscious illustrations in I Know a Rhino made this Yuri's favorite board book from infancy. The text flows nicely, with well-formed rhymes and a good pace. You will quickly be able to read this book with your eyes closed (which is quite handy with a cranky child who's up all night long).

As an added bonus, this is a great book to start working on scientific names of animals (if you're so inclined). A close reader might notice that the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) on the cover seems to become an Indian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) on the final page.

I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge

Violet the Pilot

Violet the Pilot

by Steven Breen

Violet van Winkle has a problem. She's a mechanical genius and aspiring aviatrix, but she has no friends (aside from her faithful pup Orville). The kids at school mock her for her strange books and greasy coveralls, but her parent give her the run of their junk yard where her creativity blooms. She builds all manner of crazy flying contraptions - the Pogo Plane, Bicycopter, and Wing-a-ma-jig to name a few but has trouble keeping bugs out of her teeth.

When she learns of the upcoming airshow, she hatches a plan to earn the respect of her peers and sets to work building her greatest flyer yet - The Hornet. Her plan to win the blue ribbon is thwarted when she sees a Boy Scout troop in distress. Little does she know that her heroic rescue will earn her an even better prize - a visit from the Mayor and the esteem of her whole town.

Violet the Pilot promotes the DIY ethic, selflessness, and heroism and to top it off, has a female protagonist. It's a great story all around.

Violet the Pilot by Steven Breen