With very spare, incredibly lively language, this is an entertaining read-aloud, with two amazing and oh-so-adorable characters at its heart. When a greyhound meets a groundhog, wordplay and crazy antics ensue. The two animals, much like kids, work themselves into a frenzy as they whirl around and around one another. ("Around, round hound. Around, greyhound.") The pace picks up ("Around and around and astound and astound"), until they ultimately wear themselves out. Jenkins s masterful text is deceptively simple. NPR on "Toys Meet Snow" by Emily Jenkins Appelhans, whose career up to now has been in animated films such as "Coraline, " is a revelation. "Booklist, " Starred, on "Sparky!, " illustrated by Chris Appelhans Appelhans makes an auspicious picture book debut with strikingly beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations. His style, reminiscent of Jon Klassen s, incorporates a muted color palette, but with a slightly softer, rounder quality, while also weaving in visual deadpan humor. "The Horn Book""

    . . but not quite. Follow a pair of birds on a snowflake-filled journey though a gorgeous winter landscape to explore how everything, everywhere is wonderfully unique--from branches and leaves to forests and trees to friends and loved ones.

    As the farmer makes his rounds each day, most of the animals chew on the foods a young reader would expect. But when it’s time to feed the cow, she feasts on a special treat! Wilson's signature style and Marcellus Hall’s spirited watercolors will delight children on and off the farm—because when it comes down to it, who doesn’t love milk and cookies?

    But when Stick gets stuck, can Stone return the favor? With simple rhyming text, subtle messages of kindness and compassion, and Tom Lichtenheld’s signature charm, this delightful story about making and helping friends will enchant readers young and old because it’s never too early—or too late—to stick up for your friends.Don't miss further adventures with Stick and Stone in Stick and Stone: Best Friends Forever.

    Yes, a dandy whoop-de-do!But Xander was the only panda. Just one panda at the zoo.The zoo’s paucity of pandas doesn’t impede Xander’s party planning for long. He decides to invite all the bears. But Koala protests. She’s not a bear—she's a marsupial! Does that mean she can’t come? Xander rethinks his decision to invite only bears, and “Calling all bears” evolves into “Calling all creatures.” The Newbery Medal author Linda Sue Park introduces animal taxonomy in a wonderfully engaging way, and the celebrated artist Matt Phelan’s charming ink and watercolor paintings are the icing on the cake. A read-aloud whoop-de-do!

    Four friends, three big and one little, are out for a walk. Suddenly, they spot it—a beautiful bird perched high in a tree! They simply MUST have it and—SHH!—they have a PLAN. So they tip-toe, tip-toe very slowly, nets poised—"Ready one ... ready two ... ready three ... GO!" But, at the turn of the page, we find a ridiculous bunch of very tangled characters and a blissfully oblivious bird, flying away.

      Bear is tired of waking up every morning in the same green forest, so he decides to search for a new place to live. He visits the birds in the trees, a mole underground, a camel in the hot desert sand, puffins in the cold arctic snow . . . only to realize his own home is the perfect place for him after all. Welcome Home, Bear offers rich illustrations, bright colors, and a simple, spare text—all wrapped up in a beautiful, kid-friendly package. Readers meet animals in their habitats around the world—and return with Bear to the one place he is truly happy.

    Filled with hilarious asides and an interactive question-answer format, this irreverent young picture book will delight toddlers who love to shout "NO!"

    Did I put them in my box?” Simple rhymes—including socks, box, fox, and ox!—spin the tale of a small duck who waddles through the countryside, forlornly searching for his blue socks. “I’m trying not to be depressed. / Without my socks I feel undressed.” Finally, a sharp-eyed peacock sees a bit of blue peeking out of duck’s lace-up shoes and the mini-mystery is solved! Soft-hued, adorable pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings adorn this winsome story that shares the familiar experience of not really losing something after all.

    Beginning with two cats, one black and one white, a chain of animals appears before the reader, linked together by at least one common trait. From simple colors and shapes to more complex and abstract associations, each unexpected encounter celebrates the magnificent diversity of our world—and ultimately paints a story of connection. Brendan Wenzel's joyous, rhythmic text and exuberant art encourage readers to delight in nature's infinite differences and to look for—and marvel at—its gorgeous similarities. It all starts with a simple "Hello."

    Sit, Smick.Chick is a little chick. Stay, Smick!So what happens when they see a stick? Written by New York Times bestselling author Doreen Cronin and ingeniously illustrated by newcomer Juana Medina, Smick is a story of unlikely friendship, a sense of adventure, and a lot of wonderful wordplay.

    It’s good to bite a carrot. It’s good to bite a steak. It’s bad to bite your sister! She’s not a piece of cake.Cause…People don’t bite people! That’s what this book’s about. So if you find you’re tooth-inclined— you’d better check it out!

    “Go sleep in your own bed!” he squeals, and sends her packing. But when Cow finally snuggles down into her stall, she finds Hen sleeping there. So begins a chain reaction of snoozing barnyard animals being awakened and sent off to their own beds, until every last one is in just the right place.

    But then that frog (who’s sleeping on a log) is in for a similar surprise! He’s attacked by a cat…who needs to jump away from a dog…and on it goes, until not even a shark is free from getting a little fright! Building on repetition that’s fun to read and fun to listen to, Jump! is a rip-roaring, read-aloud with simple rhymes and lively illustrations that leap off the pages.

    But . . . will Nanette get the baguette from baker Juliette? Or will Nanette soon be beset with regret?