She loves them so much!But Katie's enthusiasm frightens the kitties, and she's sad when they run away from her. Don't they know that she just wants to play?Katie Loves the Kittens is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

    Denise Fleming's knack for understanding the preschool set shines through in this gentle good-night story, illustrated with her signature pulp paintings.Take a colorful look at all the tired babies who are closing their eyes, and start a new bedtime ritual with your own sleepy little one.

    Again! Again, they squeal. That’s the rapturous joy Nicola Smee captures, in simple rhythmic text and charming pictures. One after the other, a group of barnyard friends climb aboard Mr. Horse for a ride. Faster, they beg…, faster! But will faster lead to disaster? No…--just a satisfying ending that toddlers will love!

    At the next stop, who should get on but a group of seals, who holler "errp, errp, errp" at the top of their lungs. Each time the bus stops a new kind of animal joins the passengers and adds to the din, to the children's delight and the parents' annoyance. But when several hissing skunks want to come aboard, even the children cry "help! help! help!"

    “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.

    If I Had a Horse is an inspiring picture book with simple text and gorgeous, impressionistic artwork from acclaimed author-illustrator Gianna Marino about a girl imagining what life would be like with a horse.

    She tries everything she can think of: climbing trees, playing with wool, even tea parties and dress-up games, but as Matilda gets more and more creative in her entertainment attempts, her cat moves from unimpressed to terrified. Will Matilda ever figure out what her cat likes? In the style of Dogs and Monkey and Me, this young picture book from Emily Gravett is an insightful, fond, and funny look at the relationship between a little girl and her cat that’s sure to strike a chord with anyone who’s ever loved a pet.

    Dempsey's poetic and playful text is brought to life by Richmond's rich, kid-friendly illustrations. It all comes together for an inspired story that will have everyone on their feet!

    A perfect read-aloud.A lumbering little polar bear has one shoe untied, and he needs some help! Sadly for him, though, the other animals are all too scared of him: the lemmings, rabbits, and seals all run away as he approaches them for assistance. What's Bear going to do? Luckily, two plucky birds are more than happy to help out and offer advice -- though probably not quite in the way that readers anticipate.In this sweet and funny book about asking for help (and receiving it), expectations are flipped in a simple but clever way.Praise for Bear Needs Help A Junior Library Guild selection!"Laced with humor and . . . decipherable in more ways than one." --Kirkus Reviews"The silliness will likely win the day and earn a few giggles . . . Use this to bring some surprising goofiness to a bear-themed or winter-themed storytime." --BCCB

    . .including the noisy ducklings! From the creator of A Book of Sleep and Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit comes a beautiful book of baby animals. Travel with the curious duck and visit babies around the world on their very first day of life.The Boston Globe calls Il Sung Na’s art “so joyous, so jubilantly colorful, it feels celebratory and poetic even when the story is simple and spare.”

    Other times, it's nice to be quiet and cozy, cuddly and dozy, especially when you're snuggled up on Mommy's lap. Mommy's little mouse.

    The day’s palette shifts from greys to a hint of blue, then more blue. Then green! Then yellow! Until the day is a technicolor extravaganza that would make Mary Poppins proud. A joyous homage to the power of a positive attitude.

    He waits and watches and waits some more as his heart goes thump, thump, thump. And then . . . CHAAA! Out of the shadows comes the baby, squealing and whirling and bumping his nose! Go Buster, go Buster, go! Is behind the blue chair a good place to hide? With beautifully tender artwork and an engaging repetitive text, author Amy Hest and illustrator Polly Dunbar follow two little ones in a breathless game of chase -- winding up in a heart-tugging role reversal sure to sweeten readers' dreams.

    Will he finally find what he is looking for?Author and illustrator Ryan Sias uses bright, dynamic illustrations and minimal text to create a delightfully funny story that will have young readers guessing until the very end.

    How to read this book? That is up to you!