Wonderful You: An Adoption Story


Lauren McLaughlin - 2017
    This lovely poem illuminates the role of an adopted child's birth mother, respecting her choice to give her child to a loving family. We follow a mother's journey as she carries her child, searches for deserving parents, and ultimately creates a new family. The story offers a version of the process that is full of warmth, care, and joy.An adoptive mother herself, author Lauren McLaughlin was glad for an opportunity to memorialize her family's own fairy tale, and Meilo So's ethereal illustrations breathe magic into an already wondrous experience.

If I Had a Gryphon


Vikki VanSickle - 2016
    She's not really impressed. The hamster isn't very exciting--he mostly eats and sleeps and gets his shavings wet. BORING!After reading a book about mythological creatures, Sam gets some ideas for more exciting pets. But she soon realizes that taking care of these magical beasts might not be as wonderful as she though. Unicorns are shy, gryphons scare the dogs at the dog park and having a fire extinguisher handy at all times makes dragons seem like an awful lot of work. Maybe the hamster really is the best pet for her. A nice, safe pet... right?

Magnus Maximus, a Marvelous Measurer


Kathleen T. Pelley - 2010
    He measures wetness and dryness, nearness and farness, and everything in between. When a lion escapes from a traveling circus, Magnus and his trusty measuring tape come to the rescue. Now a hero, all is well until the day Magnus accidentally breaks his glasses, and he sees—for the first time—that he's been missing out on life's simple pleasures.Kathleen T. Pelley's marvelous tale and S. D. Schindler's inspired illustrations remind us that the best things in life are not meant to be measured, but treasured.

You Are My Miracle


Maryann Cusimano Love - 2005
    Presented in gentle rhymes and illustrations as warm and glowing as a winter's fire, here is one such Christmas. Maryann Cusimano Love and Satomi Ichikawa, the team behind the international bestseller You Are My I Love You, pair up once again to bring you this instant classic.

Butterfly Park


Elly MacKay - 2015
    But when she opens the gate, there are no butterflies. Determined to lure the butterflies in, the girl inspires her entire town to help her. And with their combined efforts, soon the butterflies -- and the girl -- feel right at home. Elly MacKay's luminous paper-cut illustrations and enchanting story encourage community, friendship, and wonderment in the beauty of everyday life. Free poster on reverse side of book jacket.

McToad Mows Tiny Island


Tom Angleberger - 2015
    Why? Because on every other day of the week, McToad mows Big Island, but on Thursdays, McToad mows Tiny Island. To do so, he puts his mower on the back of a truck, which drives to a train, which goes to a helicopter, which flies to a boat, which uses a crane to put the lawn mower onto Tiny Island. There McToad mows and drinks some lemonade, and before you know it, it’s time to turn around and go back home. But first, the mower has to get lifted by a crane, to get put back on a boat, which is lifted by a helicopter, and . . . well . . . you get the idea. From master storyteller Tom Angleberger and celebrated illustrator John Hendrix comes this playful narrative that treasures the journey over the destination, with lots of planes, trains, and automobiles to boot. Also available by John Hendrix: Miracle Man

I'm Trying to Love Math


Bethany Barton - 2019
    Children's Choice Award winner Bethany Barton applies her signature humor to the scariest subject of all: math!Do multiplication tables give you hives? Do you break out in a sweat when you see more than a few numbers hanging out together? Then I'm Trying to Love Math is for you! In her signature hilarious style, Bethany Barton introduces readers to the things (and people) that use math in amazing ways -- like music, and spacecraft, and even baking cookies! This isn't a how-to math book, it's a way to think differently about math as a necessary and cool part of our lives!

Sleeping Cinderella and Other Princess Mix-Ups


Stephanie Clarkson - 2015
    Once upon a time, four fairy tale misses, tired of dwarves, witches, princes, and kisses,so bored and fed up, or just ready to flop, upped and left home for a fairy tale swap.The fairy tale world is turned upside-down when Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Snow White swap places in this hilariously clever new classic! Is the grass really greener in someone else's castle?

Puff, the Magic Dragon


Peter Yarrow - 2007
    Yet singer/songwriter Peter Yarrow and co-composer Lenny Lipton have never allowed a picture book adaptation of this magical tale…until now. With Yarrow’s and Lipton’s blessing, Puff, Jackie Paper, and the land of Honalee finally live on the page. The exquisite package includes a cloth case with a tipped-in illustration and an embossed jacket with foil touches, as well as an exclusive CD featuring not only Puff, but several other songs performed by Yarrow, his daughter Bethany, and cellist Rufus Cappadocia. This is a publishing event sure to attract broad attention and please Puff’s many fans.In richly-hued paintings of the deepest sea blues and greens, Puff and his friend Jackie Paper frolic in the land of Honalee—traveling in a fantastic boat with billowed sails, climbing red castle stairs onto a balcony to meet with noble kings and princes, and watching pirate ships lower their flags for the roaring dragon. Artist Eric Puybaret has brought an entire magical world into being with enthralling landscapes, color, and characters. And everyone will love the way the art cleverly turns the song’s end, which at first seemed so sad, into a surprising and joyful moment.Best of all—this is only the first of many more collaborations with Peter Yarrow to come!

A Very Special House


Ruth Krauss - 1953
    A pioneer of great children's literature, Ruth Krausspublished more than thirty books for children during a career that spanned forty years. Krauss and Sendak collaborated on eight books, and we are delighted to reintroduce four of these gems in brand-new editions, together with a favorite Maurice Sendak picture book.

The Curious Cares of Bears


Douglas Florian - 2017
      Join a family of bears as they have all kinds of fun throughout the seasons! From climbing up trees and stealing honey to giving bear hugs and lazing in lakes, these bears have many curious cares. But when winter comes, it’s time to hibernate. Can the cares of these bears wait until spring?

The Way I Feel


Janan Cain - 2000
    Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name all things in their world. The Way I Feel uses strong, colorful, and expressive images which go along with simple verses to help children connect the word and the emotion. Your child will learn useful words, and you will have many chances to open conversations about what’s going on in her/his life. Recommended by parents, teachers and mental health professionals, The Way I Feel is a valuable addition to anyone's library. This book is ideal for children with autism. (Ages 2-8)

Oliver's Fruit Salad (Oliver, #4)


Vivian French - 1998
    But Oliver doesn't eat vegetables - only chips. How will Grandpa persuade him into a week of healthy eating?

Mike Mulligan and More: A Virginia Lee Burton Treasury


Virginia Lee Burton - 2002
    Many of her books—with themes that honor a simple way of life and celebrate heroes who endure through determination and by adapting to change—have become classic American tales. With an introduction by Barbara Elleman, author of Virginia Lee Burton: A Life in Art, this handsome collection commemorates four of Burton’s most popular stories, each featured complete and unabridged. Their appeal today, as strong as when the books were first published, is a tribute to one of America’s most innovative illustrators, designers, and writers of stories for children.

M Is for Music


Kathleen Krull - 2003
    Don't kids learn their letters by singing the ABCs? But you've never seen--or heard--a musical alphabet like this one. Beloved tunes. Unusual instruments. Legendary virtuosos. From anthems to zydeco, the language of music and the music of language harmonize in one superb symphony. It's a funky fusion for songsters of all ages! Playful text opens up the world of music to the youngest readers, and conversational endnotes offer older readers a springboard to further musical explorations.