MHLS - Thematic Book Kits

Thematic Book Kits include a collection of various titles relating to one theme. You can use these kits as part of your story hour or as a supplementary tool for any program. Most kits are geared toward early elementary school children.

Borrowing Information: Materials may be borrowed only by MHLS member libraries for library programs. To order, click here to send an e-mail to the Youth Services Department listing what you would like to borrow, what date you need to have it for and the MHLS member library to which it should be sent. Shipping Procedure - All YS materials that cannot fit in the delivery bins must have this completed form attached to the outside. Items will not be picked up without the form.

Parachute Kit: One 12-Foot Multicolored Parachute Parachute Play for Indoor/Outdoor Fun by Liz and Dick Wilmes Kidstuff pamphlet, Vol. 6, #7 titled Fun and Frolic	Rainstick Kit: 2 Rainsticks Fold-out Rain Forest Book The Rain Forest: A First Discovery Book (with transparent pages) Deep in a Rainforest (color recognition) Sticky Fingers Rainforest (activities, things to make, facts) Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 3 What Can You Do On A Rainy Day? Kidstuff Vol. 2 # 9 Wind and Rain
Collection 1: Bugs and Insects (6 Books) Beetle pop-up by David Hawcock & Lee Montgomery Fly Pop-up by David Hawcock & Lee Montgomery Insects A Close-up Look pop-up by Macmillan Publishing My First Insects pop-up by Cecilia Fitzsimons Pocketful of Bugs by Jack Hanna Wasp pop-up by David Hawcock & Lee Montgomery	Collection 3: Nature (5 Books) Each Living Thing by Joanne Ryder The Earth is Good: A Chant in Praise of Nature by Michael DeMunn Nature Spy by Shelley Rotner and Ken Kreisler Nature's Paintbrush: The Patterns and Colors Around You by Susan Stockdale Kidstuff Volume 1 Number 12: Of Field and Forest	Collection 4: Opposites (7 Books) Exactly the Opposite by Tana Hoban Monkey Pop-Ups: A Book of Opposites by Bernice Chardiet Opposites push 'n pull by Jo Gapper Popposites pull-the-tab by Roger Culbertson Traffic by Betsy and Giulio Maestro Kidstuff Vol. 7 # 2 Messy, Dirty, Clean & Neat! Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 4 Big and Little
Collection 5: Alphabet (8 Books) Alfie's ABC by Shirley Hughes Apples, Alligators and also Alphabets by Odette and Bruce Johnson Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. The Hullabaloo ABC by Beverly Cleary Maisy’s ABC pull-the-tab by Lucy Cousins My First Book of the Alphabet lift-the-flap by Chuck Murphy Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 6 A Parcel of P's Storytime Treasures (2/01) Vol. 2 # 2 The Yummy Alphabet	Collection 6: Trucks (7 Books) Big Trucks pop-up by Dawn Bentley I Love Trucks by Philemon Sturges Little Green Tow Truck pull tabs by Ken Wilson-Max Trucks by Byron Barton Truck Song by Diane Siebert Truck Talk: Rhymes on Wheels by Bobbi Katz Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 7 Traffic Jam	Collection 7: Feelings (5 Books) How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods by Saxton Freymann & Joost Elffers How Do I Feel? By Pamela Cote Making Faces pop-up by Dawn Bentley Kidstuff Vol. 4 # 3 Grins 'N' Giggles Kidstuff Vol. 1 # 3 Self -Awareness
Collection 8A: Birthday A (6 Books) Benny Bakes a Cake by Eve Rice Happy Birthday, Sam by Pat Hutchins Kidstuff Volume 3, #12: Happy Birthday! Oliver’s Birthday by Marilee Robin Burton Patch Bakes a Cake pull tabs by Jo Lodge Teddy’s Birthday by Amanda Davidson	Collection 8B: Birthday B (6 Books) Benjamin’s 365 Birthdays by Judi Barrett The Birthday Cake pop-up by Ron Van der Meer Happy Birthday to You, You Belong in a Zoo by Diane deGroat Jenny’s Birthday Book by Esther Averill The Party by Barbara Reid The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle	Collection 9: Blankets (4 Books) Geraldine’s Blanket by Holly Keller D. W.’s Lost Blankie by Marc Brown Owen by Kevin Henkes Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 5 Blankets & Quilts
Collection 10: Numbers (8 Books) 1 2 3 How Many Animals Can You See? By Emilie Boon Japanese Cloth Counting My Counting Book (Cloth) The Noisy Counting Book by Susan Schade & Jon Buller Numbers by Rose Griffiths Uno, Dos, Tres: One, Two, Three by Pat Mora What Comes In 2's, 3's, & 4's? By Suzanne Aker Storytime Treasures (1/02) Vol. 3 # 1 Count on Animals	Collection 11: Ocean Life (7 Books, 1 Lobster, 1 Turtle) Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae Follow Me by Bethany Roberts In the Ocean lift-the-flap by Dawn Apperley Lobster rubber toy Moving Day by Robert Kalan Only Joking! Laughed the Lobster by Colin West Tiny Turtle Finger Puppet What's in the Deep Blue Sea? pop-up by David A. Carter Kidstuff Vol. 1 # 1 Fish and the Sea	Collection 12: Seashore (10 Books) At the Beach by Anne & Harlow Rockwell A Beach Day by Douglas Florian Beach Day by Helen Oxenbury In the Sand lift-the-flap by Dawn Apperley Kidstuff Volume 3, #3: We are Going to the Beach My Shell by Lynne Patchett Sand Cake by Frank Asch The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow Sun Sand Sea Sail by Nicki Weiss Storytime Treasures (7/01) Vol. 2 # 7 At the Beach
Collection 13: Outer Space (6 Books) Big Silver Space Shuttle pull-the-tab by Ken Wilson-Max I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton Martian Rock by Carol Diggory Shields Space Station by Peter Lippman The Solar System by Christine Corning Malloy Storytime Treasures (5/01) Vol. 2 # 5 Sun, Moon and Stars	Collection 14A: Dinosaurs (5 Books, 3 Finger Puppets) Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton What’s in the Prehistoric Forest? lift-the-flap pop-up by David A. Carter Dinosaurs by Byron Barton Dinosaurs Dinosaurs by Byron Barton Storytime Treasures (3/02) Vol. 3 # 3 Dinosaurs Dinosaur Finger Puppets (3)	Collection 14B: Dinosaurs (4 Books, 1 Triceratops) Creatures of Long Ago: Dinosaurs pop-up by National Geographic Dinosaur Beach by Liza Donnelly My Visit to the Dinosaurs by Aliki Kidstuff Volume 6, #5 & #6: Dinosaur Daze Stuffed Triceratops
Collection 15: Transportation (7 Books) Big Yellow Taxi pull tabs by Ken Wilson-Max Bikes by Anne Rockwell Bus by Chris L. Demarest Cars! Cars! Cars! by Grace Maccarone Kidstuff Volume 5, #7: Traffic Jam Storytime Treasures (11/01) Vol. 2 # 11 Cars, Trucks & Buses Kidstuff Vol. 1 # 5 Trains	Collection 16: Colors (9 Books) All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka Black Dog Red House by Lizi Boyd Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton Color Dance by Ann Jonas A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni Kidstuff Volume 7, #3: Colors Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni Monkey Pop-Ups: A Book of Colors by Bernice Chardiet Who Said Red? By Mary Serfozo	Collection 17: Circus (6 Books) Amazing Circus Performers pop-up by Ken Wilson-Max Circus by Lois Ehlert Circus Shapes by Stuart J. Murphy Clowning Around by Cathryn Falwell International Circus antique pop-up by Lothar Meggendorfer Kidstuff Volume 1, #2: Razzle Dazzle Circus
Collection 18: Snow (6 Books) The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals Please Let It Snow by Harriet Ziefert Snow by Uri Shulevitz The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats Kidstuff Vol. 6 # 2 The North Wind Doth Blow, And We Shall Have Snow	Collection 19: Hide and Seek (3 Books) Hide-and-Seek Elmer lift-the-flap by David McKee In the Snow pull-the-tab by Dawn Apperley Let’s Play Hide and Seek! lift-the-flap by Betty Birney	Collection 20: Jungle (4 Books) Junglewalk by Nancy Tafuri Walking Through the Jungle by Julie Lacome What’s in the Jungle lift-the-flap by Peter Seymour Storytime Treasures (10/02) Vol. 3 # 10 In the Jungle
Collection 21: Big Machines (3 Books) Big Machines by Byron Barton Machines At Work by Byron Barton Monster Machines by Caroline Bingham	Collection 22: Time (4 Books) Tick-Tock by Lena Anderson Wake Up/Sleep Tight by Ken Wilson-Max Storytime Treasures (1/01) Vol. 2 # 1 Calendars and Time Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 10 Once Upon a Month	Collection 23: Gardening (9 Books) Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? by Anne Rockwell How My Garden Grew by Anne & Harlow Rockwell From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons Jasper’s Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth Kidstuff Volume 2, #4: Green Grows the Garden One Bean by Anne Rockwell Patch Grows Flowers pull tabs by Jo Lodge The Surprise Garden by Zoe Hall This Is Your Garden by Maggie Smith
Collection 24: Guess the Animal (6 Books) Guess What I Am by Anni Axworthy Guess What I’ll Be by Anni Axworthy Tail Toes Eyes Ears Nose by Marilee Robin Burton Whose Footprints? By Molly Coxe Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri Storytime Treasures (12/02) Vol. 3 # 12 Our Polar Friends	Collection 25: Zoo (8 Books) At the Zoo by Douglas Florian A Children’s Zoo by Tana Hoban Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert A Day in the Zoo antique pop-up by Kestrel Books Kidstuff Volume 4, #12: At the Zoo When We Went to the Zoo by Jan Ormerod Zoo Animals by Byron Barton Storytime Treasures (11/00) Vol. 1 # 11 At the Zoo	Collection 26: Shapes (6 Books) Circles by Rose Griffiths My First Book of Shapes by Chuck Murphy Kidstuff Volume 6, #9: Simply Shapes Look Around! By Leonard Everett Fisher Sea Shapes by Suse MacDonald Shapes by John J. Reis
Collection 27: Tools (2 Books) Tools by Byron Barton The Toolbox by Anne & Harlow Rockwell	Collection 28: The Farm (7 Books) Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown Kidstuff Volume 1, #4: The Farm (Here a Puppet, There a Puppet) The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton Over on the Farm by Christopher Gunson Storytime Treasures (4/02) Vol. 3 # 4 Fruits & Vegetables Kidstuff Vol. 6 # 4 Giddyap! Giddyap! Whoa! Whoa!	Collection 29: Ducks (6 Books) Duck Song by Kenneth Grahame A Duck So Small by A. H. Benjamin Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell Five Little Ducks by Ian Beck Kidstuff Volume 2, #10: Going Quackers! One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
Collection 30: Friends (9 Books) Be Gentle! by Virginia Miller Dog and Cat by Ricardo Alcantara Do You Want to be my Friend? by Eric Carle Friends by Kim Lewis Kidstuff Volume 3, #7: Friends Mike and Tony: Best Friends by Harriet Ziefert Tom and Pippo Make a Friend by Helen Oxenbury Twice My Size by Adrian Mitchell Kidstuff Vol. 1 # 11 Friendly Faces	Collection 31: Grandparents (10 Books) Gramma’s Walk by Anna Grossnickle Hines Grandfather and I by Helen E. Buckley Grandmother and I by Helen E. Buckley The Grandpa Days by Joan Blos I Unpacked My Grandmother’s Trunk by Susan Ramsay Hoguet Kidstuff Volume 3, #6: Grandparents are Great! Liliana’s Grandmothers by Leyla Torres When I Am Old With You by Angela Johnson Storytime Treasures (5/02) Vol. 3 # 5 Moms and Grandmas Kidstuff Vol. 2 # 12 All Kinds of Families	Collection 32: Doctors & Dentists (5 Books) The Bear’s Toothache by David McPhail Curious George Goes to the Dentist by Margret and H. A. Rey The Emergency Room by Anne & Harlow Rockwell Kidstuff Volume 3, #9: Doctors, Nurses, Dentists & Me My Doctor by Harlow Rockwell
Collection 33: Big and Little (6 Books) Big & Little by Steve Jenkins Big and Little by Margaret Miller Blue Sea by Robert Kalan How Big Is Big? by Harriet Ziefert Kidstuff Volume 5, #4: Big and Little Storytime Treasures (3/00) Vol. 1 # 3 Big and Little	Collection 34: Monsters (4 Books, 1 Cassette) Kidstuff Volume 4, #6: Monster Muster! Monster Can’t Sleep by Virginia Mueller Monster’s Lunch Box pop-up by Marc Brown The Very Worst Monster by Pat Hutchins book and audio cassette	Collection 35: Fire Engines (3 Books) Big Red Fire Truck by Ken Wilson-Max Fire Engine to the Rescue by Steve Augarde The Little Fireman by Margaret Wise Brown
Collection 36: Trains (7 Books) All Aboard! foldout book by Chris L. Demarest Big Blue Engine by Ken Wilson-Max Freight Train by Donald Crews Kidstuff Volume 1, #5: Trains Train by Chris L. Demarest Trains by Byron Barton Trains by Gail Gibbons	Collection 37: Airplanes (3 Books) Airplanes by Byron Barton Airport by Byron Barton First Flight by David McPhail	Collection 38: Boats (5 Books) Boats by Ken Robbins Boat Book by Gail Gibbons Ferryboat by Betsy and Giulio Maestro Harbor by Donald Crews Sailor Bear by Martin Waddell
Collection 39: The Library (7 Books) Blue Bug Goes to the Library by Virginia Poulet Clemens’ Kingdom by Chris L. Demarest D.W.'s Library Card by Marc Brown Libraries by Patricia Fujimoto Molly at the Library by Ruth Shaw Radlauer Sophie and Sammy's Library Sleepover by Judith Caseley Storytime Treasures (1/00) Vol. 1 # 1 Books, Reading and the Library	Collection 40: School (5 Books) Kidstuff Volume 5, #9: School Time School Bus by Donald Crews Starting School by Janet and Allan Ahlberg This Is the Way We Go to School by Edith Baer When You Go to Kindergarten by James Howe	Collection 41: Spring (9 Books) At Grandpa’s Sugar Bush by Margaret Carney Lily and Trooper’s Spring by Jung-Hee Spetter My First Spring by Matthew Lambert Poppleton in Spring by Cynthia Rylant Possum and the Peeper by Anne Hunter Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur Spring by Karen Bryant-Mole Storytime Treasures (4/00) Vol. 1 # 4 Spring Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 3 What Can You Do On A Rainy Day?
Collection 42: Summer (5 Books) One Hot Summer Day by Nina Crews Summer by Chris L. Demarest A Summer Day by Douglas Florian Storytime Treasures (7/02) Vol. 3 # 7 Summer Kidstuff Vol. 3 # 3 We Are Going To The Beach	Collection 43: Winter (8 Books) Emma’s Magic Winter by Jean Little A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart When Winter Comes by Robert Maass White Snow, Blue Feather by Julie Downing The Winter Bear by Ruth Craft & Erik Blegvad A Winter Day by Douglas Florian Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling Kidstuff Vol. 6 # 2 The North Wind Doth Blow, And We Shall Have Snow	Collection 44: Fall (9 Books) Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins Fall Is Not Easy by Marty Kelley Look What I Did With A Leaf! by Morteza E. Sohi One Fall Day by Molly Bang Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert When Autumn Comes by Robert Maass Storytime Treasures (9/02) Vol. 3 # 9 Autumn Storytime Treasures (10/00) Vol. 1 # 10 Apples & Pumpkins
Collection 45: Seasons (4 Books) Bear All Year: A Guessing-Game Story foldout picture book by Harriet Ziefert Kidstuff Volume 5, #10: Once Upon A Month The Turning of the Year by Greg Shed When the Earth Wakes by Ani Rucki	Collection 46: Snowman/Sledding (5 Books) Kate’s Snowman by Kay Chorao Sledding by Elizabeth Winthrop Snowballs by Lois Ehlert The Snowman lift-the-flap by Raymond Briggs Tom and Pippo in the Snow by Helen Oxenbury	Collection 47: Animal Sounds (9 Books, 1 Frog) Early Morning in the Barn by Nancy Tafuri Farm Noises by Jane Miller I Heard a Little Baa by Elizabeth MacLeod Hoot Howl Hiss by Michelle Koch Old MacDonald’s Farm by Michelle Knudsen Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Bill Martin Jr. Roar and More by Karla Kuskin Splash, Splash by Jeff Sheppard Storytime Treasures (8/01) Vol. 2 # 8 Ears and Hearing Stuffed "ribitting" Frog
Collection 48: Boxes (3 Books) Boxes by Rose Griffiths Boxes! Boxes! By Leonard Everett Fisher When This Box Is Full by Patricia Lillie	Collection 49: Mother Goose (5 Books) The Candlewick Book of First Rhymes Kidstuff Volume 4, #11: Mother Goose on the Loose My Very First Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie The Real Mother Goose published by Rand McNally & Co. Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose	Collection 50: Animal Homes (6 Books) Animal Homes pop-up by the National Geographic Society Kidstuff Volume 1, #6: My Home Sweet Home! Sleep Safe, Little Whale stand-up by Miriam Schlein Time To Sleep by Denise Fleming Where Do Bears Sleep? By Barbara Shook Hazen Storytime Treasures (2/02) Vol. 3 # 2 Houses and Homes
Collection 51: Shoes (3 Books) Kidstuff Volume 6, #3: Foot Notes Shoes by Elizabeth Winthrop Whose Shoe? by Margaret Miller	Collection 53: Touch (3 Books) Clifford’s Furry Friends by Norman Bridwell I Touch by Rachel Isadora I Touch by Helen Oxenbury	Collection 54: Shadows (3 Books) Bear Shadow by Frank Asch Shadows Are About by Ann Whitford Paul Storytime Treasures (8/00) Vol. 1 # 8 Seeing & Eyes
Collection 55: Cats and Kittens (7 Books) Great Cat by David McPhail Kitten Day by Jan Ormerod Kitten in Trouble by Maria Polushkin Have You Seen My Cat by Eric Carle Kitten Can...by Bruce McMillan Kidstuff Volume 4, # 7: Kitty Cat Capers One Little Kitten by Tana Hoban	Collection 56: Fish (7 Books) Brian Wildsmith’s Fishes Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert Fishing at Long Pond by William T. George Just Like Daddy by Frank Asch Kidstuff Volume 1, #1: Fish and the Sea My River by Shari Halpern Swimmy by Leo Lionni	Collection 57: Rain (7 Books) Amy Loves the Rain by Julia Hoban Kidstuff Volume 2, #9: Wind and Rain Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin Jr. The Puddle by David McPhail Mushroom in the Rain by Mirra Ginsburg Taste the Raindrops by Anna Grossnickle Hines Kidstuff Vol. 5 # 3 What Can You Do On A Rainy Day?
Collection 58: Pets (4 Books) Emma’s Pet by David McPhail Kidstuff Volume 4, #9: Pet Parade Pet Show! by Ezra Jack Keats Storytime Treasures (3/01) Vol. 2 # 3 Small Pets	Collection 59: Painting (3 Books) Ed Emberley’s Great Thumbprint Drawing Book Finger Paint and Pudding Prints by Ann Sayre Wiseman A Painter by Douglas Florian	Collection 60: Henry the Siamese Cat Series (3 Books) Cross-Country Cat by Mary Calhoun High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun Blue-Ribbon Henry by Mary Calhoun