Ellen's Apple Tree is such a perfect find for fall and apple season! This beautifully illustrated tale follows her tree through each season, highlighting what the tree has to offer: pretty blooms in spring, gorgeous green leaves in summer and tasty apples in autumn. Then, a winter storm blows the tree down and Ellen must say goodbye to it. Thankfully, in the spring she gets to say hello to planting a new apple tree. Surprised and dissapointed by its' small size, Ellen soon learns the treasure of nurturing her new apple tree. This book is perfect for children aged 4-8.


My Uncle Emily centers around Emily Dickinson’s famous poem, “Tell all the Truth, but tell it slant.” Based on actual events in the life of Emily Dickinson, we learn that she was very close with her nephews both literally (they lived next door to her in Amherst, Massachusetts) and otherwise, as she always joked that they should call her “Uncle.” Gilbert, six, tells the story of how his Uncle Emily gave him a dead bee with a poem to take to his teacher. After the teacher reads the poem to the class, none of the children comprehend it. Later in the schoolyard, Gil gets into an argument with a bully because the bully calls Uncle Emily a name. At home, the injured Gil witholds the truth about why exactly he is limping, but Uncle Emily helps him find a why to share things, “so it comes around to the truth at last.” The illustrator's vibrant, digitally touched pen-and-ink pictures emobdy both the classroom and playground drama, as well as the warm, close family, all in period detail. I would say this book is perfect for children aged 4-8 also.