DMPL closed Sunday, March 31

All locations of the Des Moines Public Library will be closed Sunday, March 31 for the Easter holiday.

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Our librarians have hundreds of book recommendations for your next read. Filter by category below, or view one of our Popular Book Lists.

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Popular Book Lists

Flamingo Flamenco

Brooke Jorden

A flamenco-dancing flamingo struts and swaggers, certain that he is the best dancer in the animal kingdom. From hip hopping hippos to tap dancing tigers, each animal finds its own jungle boogie, and Flamingo soon discovers that no two dancers are the same—and that's okay! A fantastic book for any child who loves dancing or animals, Flamingo Flamenco and its rhythmic text and boldly colored animals will get your little dancers wriggling and jiggling. 

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On the Way Home

A. H. Benjamin

A little girl and her grandpa come across a monkey, an alligator, a zebra, a tiger and a hippo. They will swing, dance, tap and bounce together on their way back home.

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Toasty

Sarah Hwang

A deliciously funny story about Toasty, a piece of bread who wants to be a dog, for fans of Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller and Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio.
 

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Play

Elizabeth Verdick

Pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo. You see me and I see you! Celebrate baby's busy day with this fun and playful English-Spanish bilingual baby book. Gurgle, babble, grunt, and coo. Watch how Daddy waves to you! Babies will enjoy and respond to the happy sounds, joyful movements, bouncy rhythm, and vivid black-and-white photos of babies in this rhyming book. A section in the back for parents and caregivers provides playtime tips in both languages.

 

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Let's Work

Cynthia Weill

An early concept book that brings every kind of job to life, including the work of the dedicated palm weavers of Flavio Gallardo’s workshop, whose miniature palm weavings illustrate this playful book, teaching children words for work in two languages. The weavers live in the village of Chigmecatitlán in the Mixteca part of the Mexican state of Puebla. With tremendous skill and patience, the artisans of this region practice palm weaving, a craft which came to Mexico even before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 15th century. Imagine being able to hold all of the illustrations in one book in the palms of your hands. You can do that with the tiny weavings in Let’s Work. Most pieces are no larger than a dime!

 

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Flo

Kyo Maclear

Meet Flo! Flo is the littlest panda. She likes to explore, relax, and enjoy everything around her. She is never in a hurry. But . . . sometimes she takes too much time, and the other pandas get impatient. One day they find themselves in trouble. Can Flo’s floppy ways save the day? With Kyo Maclear’s sweet, spare text and Jay Fleck’s bold, bright illustrations, Flo is sure to be a favorite for even the busiest little pandas!

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Let's Play Monsters!

Lucy Cousins

Inspired by a game she played with her own grandchild, the creator of Maisy brings her crayon-bright colors to a story that will have little monsters running for a listen.
 

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Grace and Box

Kim Howard

Grace and Box have become fast friends. Box delivered a refrigerator earlier in the week and by the end of it, Grace and Box had already been to space, gone camping, and explored the depths of the sea together.

But on Sunday, Grace notices something’s wrong with her buddy. Box has some rips and crumples that Band-Aids, ice packs, and rest on the couch can’t seem to heal. Grace certainly doesn't want these adventures to end, so she is determined to fix Box so that they can continue their play together!
 

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How Do You Dance?

Thyra Heder

There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp. You can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. You can dance because you're happy or even because you're sad.

But, what's the best way to dance? Exactly how you want to!

 

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Jump!

Tatsuhide Matsuoka

A frog jumps. Boing! A kitten jumps. Boi-ing! A dog jumps. Boiyyyyyyoiingg! . . . "And I jump too--BOING!"

This joyful book gets children joining in the fun of each animal's jump--sharing the sounds and actions.

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Time for Kenny

Brian Pinkney

Time for Kenny to get up and enjoy the day with his family! In four deceptively simple stories, Brian Pinkney guides readers through a young child's day. First, Kenny must get dressed. Maybe he can wear his mom's shoes? And his grandpa's hat seems to fit perfectly on his head. Luckily, with the help of his family, Kenny is finally set to go. Then he must overcome his fear of the monstrous vacuum cleaner, learn to play soccer with his big sister, and--after all that fun--get ready for bedtime.

Bright, colorful, and energetic illustrations create a bold, accessible book for families to treasure and share. Rhythm, repetition, and clear, short sentences make Time for Kenny an excellent choice for emerging readers.

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Off to See the Sea

Nikki Grimes

Night has fallen and Mom and Dad need to get their little one in the tub. To make it more fun, Mom brings a magical adventure out at sea to life, where the faucet is a waterfall, a rubber ducky is a sea creature, and the splashing water is a raging sea! In their ocean journey, Mom and Dad manage to get their little one clean just in time to dock for bedtime.

 

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Call Me Tree

Maya Christina Gonzalez

In this spare, lyrically written story, we join a child on a journey of self-discovery. Finding a way to grow from the inside out, just like a tree, the child develops as an individual comfortable in the natural world and in relationships with others. The child begins "Within/ The deep dark earth," like a seed, ready to grow and then dream and reach out to the world. Soon the child discovers birds and the sky and other children: "Trees and trees/ Just like me!" Each is different too. The child embraces them all because "All trees have roots/ All trees belong." Maya Christina Gonzalez once again combines her talents as an artist and a storyteller to craft a gentle, empowering story about belonging, connecting with nature, and becoming your fullest self. Young readers will be inspired to dream and reach, reach and dream . . . and to be as free and unique as trees.

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The Ramble Shamble Children

Christina Soontornvat

Merra, Locky, Roozle, Finn, and little Jory love their ramble shamble house. It's a lot of work taking care of the garden, the chickens, and themselves, but they all pitch in to make it easier--even Jory, who looks after the mud puddles. When they come across a picture of a "proper" house in a book, they start wondering if their own home is good enough. So they get to work "propering up" the garden, the chickens, and even the mud puddles. But the results aren't exactly what they expected, and when their now-proper household's youngest member goes missing, they realize that their ramble shamble home might be just right for their family, after all.

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Milo Imagines the World

Matt de la Peña

Milo is on a long subway ride with his older sister. To pass the time, he studies the faces around him and makes pictures of their lives. There's the whiskered man with the crossword puzzle; Milo imagines him playing solitaire in a cluttered apartment full of pets. There's the wedding-dressed woman with a little dog peeking out of her handbag; Milo imagines her in a grand cathedral ceremony. And then there's the boy in the suit with the bright white sneakers; Milo imagines him arriving home to a castle with a drawbridge and a butler. But when the boy in the suit gets off on the same stop as Milo--walking the same path, going to the exact same place--Milo realizes that you can't really know anyone just by looking at them.

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Shake the Tree!

Chiara Vignocchi

There's a whole lot of shaking going on -- and a funny final twist -- as a series of hungry animals seek shelter in an obliging tree.

Mouse spots a nut high up in a tree. "Mmm," she says. "I'm going to gobble that up!" So she shakes the tree a little to the right, and she shakes the tree a little to the left. But it isn't the nut that falls from the tree, it's Fox, who thinks that Mouse looks pretty tasty! Soon a warthog and then a bear come along with similar ideas. Little readers will enjoy the just-made-it escapes (and be happy to get in on the shaking action), only to laugh out loud when their expectations are foiled at the end.

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Monkey and Me

Emily Gravett

Monkey and me,
Monkey and me,
Monkey and me,
We went to see...


A little girl and her toy monkey love imitating different animals, everything from jumping like kangaroos to waddling like penguins! Open this book and play along with them.

Can you guess what animal they are now?

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Can You Make a Scary Face?

Jan Thomas

What kind of a face would you make if a tickly green bug were sitting on your nose? Or if it were—eek!—inside your shirt? Could you make a scary face to frighten it away? Or, even better, stand up and do the chicken dance? Yes? Then better get to it! This exuberant, interactive picture book starring a bossy little ladybug and a GIANT hungry frog will have kids leaping up and down and out of their seats to dance and make silly scary faces of their own.

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