Books like The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow — picked by fans

I absolutely loved Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun, so I jumped at the chance to read an advanced reader copy of her latest work. At its heart, it’s a story about the complicated relationships between siblings but one that weaves magic realism, family mythology, prodigious music and culinary skills and circular storytelling that all kept this reader frantically turning pages, desperate to solve the mystery at the book’s heart—who is the girl with the rainbow-colored hair and how is she connecting to all of the Fall siblings? Ultimately, the story’s resolution made perfect sense and was incredibly satisfying.

Enter the Body is a breathtakingly original novel-in-verse that features three famous female characters from Shakespeare plays rewriting their narratives on their own terms. No longer tragic figures doomed to die, mere bodies on stage, they create stories of empowerment and conscious choices. The three characters—Juliet, Ophelia and Cordelia—each had distinct voices and poetry styles and the way the author interweaves their stories with heated discussions among many of Shakespeare’s other female characters in the trap room under a stage is fascinating and like nothing else I’ve ever read.

While my daughter isn’t quite old enough to tell me the ins and outs of her favorites, this one is in heavy rotation this summer–the tale of an NYC dog and his owner who escape the heat for an island beach adventure, returning restored. She loves the pictures of taxis, the dog running free on the beach and “going under” (digging in the sand), truly all things dog.

Since we live on an island and spend our days, like this dog, at the beach, much is familiar. She’s mesmerized by the language (today, she kept repeating the line “trains rumble and hum”) and the beautiful, detailed illustrations, especially the lady on the subway eating popcorn. 

One boy alone in the wilderness—without any outside contact—is a crash course in “survival skills,” but this education also comes with a shift in philosophy that harkens back to paleo times when humans lived directly with the land.

When I read this book, I was coming of age in my relationship with the forest and was determined to learn about my ties to atavism and my potential as a defector from modern civilization. Though this book’s realities are stretched by the imagination, the soul of that human/wilderness relationship shines through.

This story about two kids’ efforts to save endangered Blanding’s turtles reminded me of beautiful days in my childhood.

One summer, I worked for a biologist on a census of rare spotted turtles. Miles’ and Pia’s adventures, and all this book’s careful details, brought me back to the sound of our paddles cutting the water, monstrous snapping turtles floating past, and the elbow-deep plunge to pull the black shell and gleaming yellow spots of our target from the weeds. 

I also related to the struggles of Renn’s protagonist, Miles, as he flips between the hyper focus and distractibility of ADHD. I rooted for him all the way through his mistakes and victories to protect the wildlife of Turtle Pond against a mysterious enemy.

I absolutely adored this book! As someone who has been rescuing dogs since childhood, this heartwarming tale of a stray dog searching for a home really touched my heart.

The artwork is both wonderful and unique, which is a must for any picture book. It brings to life the charming world of Butternut Street and captures Arfy’s (the dog) mood swings perfectly. Arfy’s facial expressions are so touching and endearing that you can’t help but fall in love with him.

There’s nothing I love more than a book about a gutsy girl.

Calpurnia, 11 years old in 1899, has to fight to learn natural science against her family’s expectations of becoming a good little housewife. My favorite part of this book is Callie’s relationship with her Granddaddy, a cantankerous Civil War veteran who also happens to be a passionate amateur naturalist. He encourages and sticks up for her as she learns what she yearns to know. 

For me, these two co-conspirators’ search for a new species captured the romance of science–the dream of contributing something new, the joy of the hunt, the collaboration with those who share your passions, and the beauty of even the smallest plant.

Oscar, the lone dachshund in the neighborhood, gets teased about his size and shape by the other dogs. 

"Weiner dog! Weiner dog!" they shout. His mother's no help. When he's leaving for school, she affectionately calls out for all to hear, "Farewell, my little Vienna sausage!"

For Halloween, Oscar's mother surprises him with a costume—a hot dog bun with mustard. Poor Oscar wanted to look scary but ends up feeling silly. On Halloween night, he's left trailing after the others with an empty treat basket. The tables are turned when a scary monster frightens the bullies and Oscar comes to their rescue.

This simple, well-told story is brought to life with wonderful Dav Pilkey illustrations that make you laugh and tug your heartstrings. It's a great book for any time of year.

This is a classic. The enchanting illustrations and delightful humor mesmerized my 3-year-old, who kept asking to read it over and over throughout his childhood and insisted on buying the rest of the books in the series.

The interactive lift-the-flap elements really capture young readers' attention, and the character, Spot, is simply irresistible.

This is a gentle, joyful story about perseverance and growing up. 

A young boy named Peter wishes he could whistle. When he sees that another boy can whistle to get his dog to run to him, he wants to do the same with his dachshund Willie. Peter tries and tries to learn. He tries so hard his cheeks get tired. He doesn't give up and triumphs in the end.

Several other books by Ezra Jack Keats feature Peter and Willie together and they're a pair worth knowing.