Some like little white dogs or big black cats or hoppy brown bunnies best. Others prefer squishy snails or tall giraffes or sleek black panthers. With beautiful illustrations and charming personal stories, 14 children's book artists share their favorite animals and why they love them.

    With a stunningly cunning plan, Lou Pine finds a disguise that is sure to deliver a lamb stew or two. But this flock of sheep aren't quite the dumb mutton they seem. Full color.

    Johnson writes and illustrates the surreal story of famous surrealist painter Rene Magritte and his very mysterious (and mischievous!) hat. While the art reflects some of Magritte's own work, the text sets readers on a fun and accessible path to learning about the simpler concepts behind Mr. Magritte's work.This delightful picture book captures the playfulness and the wonderment of surrealist art. Four transparent pages add yet another level of surrealism to the illustrations as pictures can be altered with the turn of a page.

    But you'd be wrong. A pig parade is a terrible idea. Pigs hate to march, refuse to wear the uniforms, don't care about floats, and insist on playing country music ballads. Those are just some of the reasons. And trust me, this hysterical book has plenty more!

    He has friends and discovers that there are far more nerdy birdies than cool birdies in the sky. And then another bird moves in....

    When the poor man was unable to stand it any longer, he ran to the Rabbi for help.As he follows the Rabbi's unlikely advice, the poor man's life goes from bad to worse, with increasingly uproarious results. In his little hut, silly calamity follows foolish catastrophe, all memorably depicted in full-color illustrations that are both funnier and lovelier than any this distinguished artist has done in the past.It Could Always Be Worse is a 1977 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year, and a 1978 Caldecott Honor Book.

    How can a small sheep become a big orange balloon?With a lot of imagination and determination—anything is possible!

    "Stop! Bot!" Springing to action, the kind doorman runs up to each floor of the building to try and catch it—along with the help of each floor's resident. But while everything looks normal at first, every floor (and resident) is a little more wacky and unusual than the last! Musicians, baseball players, zoo animals, and finally a very large monkey all play a part—but will they rescue the Bot before it's too late?!

    No one's paying any attention to Nora, so she decides to do something her family can't ignore: make noise. Nora slams windows, bangs doors, and upsets furniture, to no avail. It's not until she crashes out the door--and the house goes strangely silent--that her family realizes: a noisy Nora is much better than no Nora at all."A wonderful story." --Booklist

    Whether he's trying to make breakfast, mow the lawn, or carry the groceries, both parents and children alike will relate to this beloved story.

    Which author-illustrator will come out on top -- Chester or Melanie Watt -- is anybody's guess! This time, there's no denying (in Chester's mind) that he's the star of the show. His already outsize ego has ballooned even more due to a spate of "fan mail" on the heels of his self-titled debut. As Chester sees it, who needs Melanie Watt when they have Chester? He's got no shortage of his own storytelling ideas. With heavy paw and red marker, this control-freak cat does not hesitate to commit them to paper. When Chester starts acting far too Hollywood, Melanie calls an open audition to replace the high-maintenance feline. This isn't a move that Chester will take lying down. Get ready for a seesaw comedy of dueling author-illustrators. Who will come out on top is anybody's guess!

    Adrian Simcox lives in a tiny house. Where would he keep a horse? He has holes in his shoes. How would he pay for a horse?The more Adrian talks about his horse, the angrier Chloe gets. But when she calls him out at school and even complains about him to her mom, Chloe doesn't get the vindication she craves. She gets something far more important.

    When Gracie decides to go for a walk, the painters, the neighbors, and the garbage man all run after her. She can't figure out why, so she keeps running, causing the whole town to join in the chase. Full-color illustrations.

    A small boy and his elephant play an absurd game of hide and seek - a brilliant debut from a Sebastian Walker Award-winning illustrator

    Feed your craving for a hilarious, heart-warming story with Crab Cake. Humorous, intricate illustrations are perfect to engage readers aged 3-7 while teaching gentle lessons of civic engagement and rallying together as a community. Under the sea, fish do what fish do: Seahorse hides, Pufferfish puffs up, Parrotfish crunches coral, and Crab . . . bakes cakes?      Scallop swims, Dolphin blows bubbles, and . . . Crab bakes cakes.      And so life goes on, until one night when everything changes with a splash!      In the face of total disaster, can Crab's small, brave act help the community come together and carry on?