But what is most important is being able to share them with family!Julie Markes reminds kids and adults alike about the little details that make each day enjoyable, while Doris Barrette's beautiful and striking illustrations bring her thoughtful words to life.

    Twelve-year-old Amy arrives from Melbourne, unsettled by the starkly different landscape and people. There she meets an Aboriginal girl, Lana, who seems as different as anyone could be—in Amy’s eyes. As they learn more about each other’s cultures, they also find that they share the loss of their mothers, and their friendship deepens. Soon they are working together to uncover a sinister plot—which may put unto jeopardy everything and everyone they hold dear.

    The coast seems clear...This companion to Bigmama's will enthrall young readers at home or in the classroom. An exciting story with a clear implicit lesson and a happy ending, children will be on the edge of their seats as they follow along. A fun read-aloud, it also helps children ages 3 to 6 learn about how to share details of place in storytelling. Celebrate the bonds of family over generations with Donald Crews's evocative picture books Shortcut and Bigmama's.

    . . by a team of mutts who shelter him and teach him how to survive the wilds of the city park.And so he becomes Waggit, the best hunter and tracker in the pack, and the dog with the most powerfully wagging tail. Waggit grows to love his team, especially its leader, Tazar, and his best friend, an old dog named Lowdown.But life in the park is dangerous and uncertain. In winter, food and warmth are scarce. Another team of wild dogs is a constant menace. And always, there is the fear of capture by park rangers. Waggit can't help feeling that something is missing . . . something warm and cozy and . . . human. Then one day everything changes and Waggit must face a new threat and a new choice.Peter Howe's tale of an abandoned puppy's search for a home is an exciting mix of humor, adventure, and suspense. Most of all, it is a story of how love can turn strangers into family.

    Unfortunately, her name doesn’t look quite like it sounds. At school, her classmates practice writing their names, but Phoebe struggles. Her teacher tells her to “just sound it out.” Phoebe doubts herself and procrastinates before resolving to try.

    Page's weekly vocabulary words. Her error leads to a humbling catastrophe: a momentous tragedy, in front of the entire class. Can Sage turn her vocabulary disaster: an event bringing great misfortune, into a triumph: a true success? Anyone who has ever been daunted: discouraged or disheartened, by a mere word in the dictionary will cheer wildly: in a manner lacking all restraint, as Sage transforms embarrassment into victory in Debra Frasier's touching story of loving--and mistaking--our glorious language.

    Bestselling team Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko create another funny adventure about a girl named Tina, who loves her brand-new socks so much that she's never ever going to take them off!Tina loves her brand-new socks so much that she's never ever going to take them off! But when her wonderful socks start to get smelly, her friends have to take action!

    Summer brings warm breezes, the best beach weather--and no more coats! In the fall, we play in the leaves and pumpkin patches--and wrap up in cozy sweaters. And winter brings ice skating and all kinds of snowy outdoor fun--but we need to bundle up in our heaviest coats! In a style reminiscent of her popular My Dog Laughs and I Hear a Pickle, Rachel Isadora's charming vignettes are packed with details that young children will want to pour over.

    . . I went to school. I came home. The end, says our storytellera girl with a busy imagination and a thirst for adventure. The art tells a fuller tale of calamity on the way to school and an unpredictably happy ending. The genius of this picture book is that each illustration captures multiple, unexpected, and funny storylines as the narrator tells her shorter-than-ever stories, ending with One day. . . I wanted to write a book. An original and incredibly deep combination of text and art invites readers to make up stories of their own."

    The family is considering a move back to Phoenix, where Chase's father lives and there are better opportunities both for parents and children. Chase, however, loves the high country and doesn't want to leave. In particular, he loves geocaching, a sort of a treasure-hunting game involving a GPS. While on a geocaching expedition, he encounters two young brothers, camping in the wilderness with their father. Something's not right, that much he can tell. He's curious enough to return repeatedly, hoping to figure out what is going on and how he can help. Eventually, he learns the brothers were kidnapped by their father from their mother, who has legal custody. Just as Chase's family is trying to decide what to do with their future, he has to decide what role he's going to play in the life of his new friends, Jack and Sam.Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 8/1/2010 Pages: 240 Reading Level: Age 9 and Up

    Fix things before they get too big for fixing. Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true.

    When the Joker(TM) hatches a new plan to take over Gotham City, Batman(TM) will have to learn how to make new friends and work as a team, or risk the city descending into chaos!

    Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars, and Jack Gantos's Joey Pigza Books comes a hilarious and poignant slice-of-life novel from critically acclaimed author and poet Peter Johnson.When an author comes to speak to his class in a rundown area of Providence, Houdini decides to make money by writing his own novel. Houdini chronicles his life as he and his friends start a leaf-raking business, befriend Old Man Jackson (a Vietnam War veteran with a seriously intimidating dog), and get even with the neighborhood bully, Angel. But it's hard to find a way to write about his dad losing his job or his brother, Franklin, who is first reported missing in action in Iraq and then still seems to be missing when he comes home.No matter what, Houdini and his friends rely on one another to figure out how to do the right thing. And Houdini discovers that writing and thinking about his friends and family lets him get to know them in completely new ways.

    He wanted a different kind of pet — one that could run and catch, or chase string and climb trees, a soft furry pet to sleep on his bed at night. Definitely not Norman. But when he tries to trade Norman for a "good pet," things don’t go as he planned. Could it be that Norman is a better pet than he thought? With wry humor and lighthearted affection, author Kelly Bennett and illustrator Noah Z. Jones tell an unexpected — and positively fishy — tale about finding the good in something you didn’t knowyou wanted.

    But when they get to know Alex, they find that even though he's a special critter, he's really just one of the gang. A Golden Look-Look Book. Full color.