Picture Books by Jean Little

Bats About Baseball

2008-07-15T16:55:24Z

Picture Book, Penguin, 1995, 32 Pages

When baseball season starts, Ryder finds it's hard to get his grandmother to pay attention to anything else. This affectionate book shows you don't have to be bats about baseball to appreciate our national pastime, or the special bond between a boy and his baseball-crazy grandmother. Full-color illustrations.

Gruntle Piggle Takes Off

2008-07-15T17:00:29Z

Picture Book, Penguin, 1996, 32 Pages

Gruntle is a city pig, living in an apartment called Pigs' Digs, taking music lessons and reading. But when she goes to visit Grandpa Bacon on his farm in Swine Corners, she discovers she hates eating pig swill and rolling in manure. Worse, it seems her grandfather isn't impressed by her city ways. But Gruntle has plans to make peace with him--in her own inimitable way. Full color

I Know an Old Laddie

2008-07-15T17:12:23Z

Picture Book, Penguin, 2003, 32 Pages

We've all heard of the old lady who swallowed a fly, but what about the old laddie who swallowed a flea? Evidently, he had more eclectic tastes than his distant relative, bingeing on a diet that included piranha, 'possum, stork, wapiti, giraffe, and squid. Acclaimed author Jean Little breathes a fresh spirit into an old story, and Rose Cowles's wicked illustrations add a whole new life to this quirky retelling of the cherished old rhyme, "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly."

Jenny and the Hanukkah Queen

2008-07-15T16:40:47Z

Picture Book, Penguin, 1995, 32 pages

A charming story about a little Jewish girl that sees Santa Claus in a parade and can't help going home and drawing a picture of him. What she eventually discovers makes for a charming story about family, love, and the power of imagination.

Jess Was The Brave One

2008-07-15T15:25:48Z

Picture Book, Penguin, 1991, 32 Pages

Even though Claire is the older sister, it's Jess who's not afraid of shots, dogs, scary movies, thunderstorms, or hundreds of other things. Will Claire ever be braver than Jess? Color illustrations accompany the text.

The illustrations here are particularly impressive and greatly enrich this story of two sisters. The younger, Jess, is 'the brave one' who has her injections without fussing and loves thunderstorms while big sister, Claire, has 'an over-active imagination' and is therefore frightened of almost everything. Her love of her grandfather's bedtime stories, however, enables her to deal with the bullies who take Jess's teddy. Perhaps there is something to be said for an imagination after all. Lots to talk and think about means this will appeal to a wide age range.

Listen, Said the Donkey

2008-07-15T17:21:09Z

Picture Book, Scholastic, 2006, 40 Pages

Three familiar animals are gathered at a stable in Bethlehem — a donkey, a lamb and a camel. With them are a no-nonsense Persian cat and a small, frightened dog. The animals miss the baby who was recently born there. To comfort one another, each tells the tale of how it came to be at the stable for the baby’s birth.

Once Upon a Golden Apple

2008-07-15T16:24:08Z

Picture Book, Penguin, 1991, 32 pages

In this hilarious fractured fairy tale, everything seems to go wrong. Goldilocks lives with the seven dwarfs, a princess kisses a reluctant dragon, and she and her prince rescue the Wicked Witch of the West...until all mischief is sorted out and everyone lives happily ever after. Jean Little and Maggie de Vries’ whimsical text and Phoebe Gilman’s magical illustrations make this a magnificent feast for anyone who loves a good story — even when it’s wrong!

Pippin the Christmas Pig

2008-07-15T17:16:43Z

Picture Book, Scholastic, 2003, 40 Pages

All of the animals boast to little Pippin the pig about the important gifts their great-grandparents gave to the special baby born in a stable long ago. When Pippin asks what the pigs gave, the animals scoff--what could a pig have given a holy child? Soon all of the animals learn that the most important gift of all is a caring heart. Full color.

Revenge of the Small Small

2008-07-15T16:35:56Z

Picture Book, Penguin, 1992, 32 pages

Patsy Small is the youngest in her family, and she doesn’t like it one bit. Her older brothers and sister are always teasing her. Even when they come down with chicken pox, they don’t appreciate everything she does for them.

Then, after they all get better, Patsy herself gets chicken pox. Her father brings home something just for her to play with, but the older kids try to ruin it for her — until Patsy plans a little revenge of her own. All ends happily, however, when the bigger Smalls repent.

The Sweetest One of All

2008-07-15T17:26:44Z

Picture Book, Scholastic, 2008

A picture book for very young children and their parents. In it, barnyard animal babies ask their mothers who they are and each of them is told that he or she is the sweetest one of all. The book ends with a human mother telling her little one the same thing. And getting a loving hug in response. The playful text should continue to delight both children and adults even after many readings.
The colourful illustrations by Marisol Sarrazin are endearing and filled with lively detail. Each will hold small readers spellbound.