Marcelina's father comes home from a trip to Manila with beautiful hand-made sleeping mats for each member of his large family, including the three daughters who died when they were very young.

    Their walks take them through the seasons, to a pond with a downed tree just right for sitting, to a garden lush with tomatoes ready for canning, through a snowy nighttime woods where the only sounds are the squeak of boots on snow and the hooting of a distant owl. Whatever the month, there are plenty of woodland critters to observe: squirrels or rabbits or deer, geese or goldeneyes or mergansers. The forest of North Woods Girl is an active, populated place, brought to life by Claudia McGehee’s colorful scratchboard artistry. Time with Grandma teaches about quiet observation, generous sharing of resources, the beauty of the forest and pond at any hour. Grandma is the quintessential north woods girl, breathing deep the piney scents, relishing the chirping activity of her animal neighbors. Small wonder that her admiring granddaughter is inspired to follow in her footsteps. With a tale as understated as Grandma herself, Aimée Bissonette shares a message of appreciating the treasures of our natural surroundings. Aimée Bissonette is a writer, teacher, and lawyer living in the Twin Cities. This is her first children’s book. Writer-illustrator Claudia McGehee lives in Iowa City. Her previous works include A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet and A Woodland Counting Book.

    Just in time, a turnip turns up, and a second one, too. Who in the woods wouldn't want to tuck away an extra turnip for the long winter? Not Rabbit. He chooses a different path--and starts a wave of generosity that spreads among all his forest friends.    Admired picture-book team George Shannon and Laura Dronzek have created a heartwarming tale about the true meaning of friendship.    Includes an author's note and a chart that translates the Chinese calligraphy in the book.

    . . . Hillenbrand's immense attention to detail is gratifying" -- KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)When a very curious little girl meets a cow named Luella who is even more stubborn than she is, who will be the first to back down? Phyllis Root's spirited tall tale finds a family of countless hungry children - and a magic cow who demands a kiss on the nose to keep the sweet milk flowing.

    Each spring the snow child must leave, but every winter she returns with the first snowfall and comes to life with a kiss.

    There's a special party that anyone can attend. Anyone, that is, who knows the rules and isn't afraid of plum-purple shadows, can cook spaghetti and would like to teach a new song to the otters. Back by popular demand, this whimsical picture book illustrated by Caldecott Medal-winner Barbara Cooney's lush watercolors is as resonant today as when it was first published almost thirty years ago.

    . .The Christmasaurus wants more than anything to be able to fly, and help pull Santa's sleigh across the sky on Christmas Eve. But flying turns out to be much harder than he thought, even with Santa's help! One special Christmas, however, he falls down a chimney and meets a dinosaur-obsessed little boy who teaches him the magic of believing . . .With Shane Devries' breathtaking illustrations, a pitch-perfect, read-aloud rhyming text and two magical surprise gate-fold pages, The Christmasaurus Picture Book is the perfect Christmas gift.

    A collection of folk tales from the southern Appalachians that center on a single character, the irrepressible Jack.

    ... She swallowed a spider to catch the fly!But that is only the beginning, for the old lady soon abandons herself to more extraordinary measures, with the hilarious result that each new cure begets an ailment more preposterous than the last.Nadine Bernard Westcott's fresh, rollicking interpretation brings this favorite folk song to life, with its full-color illustrations brimming with silly good fun and marvelous antics sure to be enjoyed again and again.

    Then they felt the ground rumble. And before they knew it, they were all taking a tumble! "The earth is crumbling! The earth is crumbling! It's a quake!" quacked the duck. In this inspired take on Henny Penny, who thought the sky was falling, Chucky Ducky, Lucy Goosey, and Vickie, Nickie, and Rickie Chickie spread the alarm that the earth is quaking. But just like Henny Penny, these concerned animals find that the cause of the crisis they fear is not what they expect at all. Filled with clever wordplay, Margie Palatini's rollicking romp is given an added dimension through Barry Moser's dynamic and playful illustrations.

    . . hey, where?d all the sheep go?? In a place called Happy Valley, there live ten sheep. Every night, the ten sheep are counted into their beds by one Super Sheep Dog named Doug. But one day, the sheep are missing! Who could have stolen them? Might it be Wolf, who lives in the Dark Forest? And for what nefarious purpose? Does he want to knit them into a blanket? Bake them into a pie? Or maybe he wants to . . . count them?With kooky, creative illustrations and an unexpected ending that will get kids giggling, this is a lively story about the fun of counting .. . and a bedtime surprise.

    Sneaking off to the fairgrounds for secret tightrope walking lessons, Marguerite finessed her performance skills, ultimately performing for crowds as a young rope dancer. And eventually, Marguerite would perform as Madame Saqui, waltzing and pirouetting across- and never falling off- countless ropes above adoring crowds. A nouvelle chérie de Paris, Madame Saqui cemented her place in circus history, winning the adoration of the French people and royalty alike, including Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.This remarkable biography unveils the inspiring story of a trailblazing woman who revolutionized the circus world--without ever missing a step.

    But the wings he gets are made of gold and his bird friends turn against him. “You think you are better than we are,” they say. What Tico does with his golden feathers—and the important lesson he learns—is a fable that children will take to their hearts.

    From the get-go she was a spitfire.Unlike most girls, Nelle preferred overalls to dresses and climbing trees to tea parties. Nelle loved to watch her daddy try cases in the courtroom. And she and her best friend, Tru, devoured books and wrote stories of their own. More than anything, Nelle loved words. This love eventually took her all the way to New York City, where she dreamed of becoming a writer. Any chance she had, Nelle sat at her typewriter, writing, revising, and chasing her dream. Nelle wouldn’t give up—not until she discovered the right story, the one she was born to tell. Finally, that story came to her, and Nelle, inspired by her childhood, penned To Kill a Mockingbird. A groundbreaking book about small-town injustice that sold over forty million copies, Nelle’s novel resonated with readers the world over, who, through reading, learned what it was like to climb into someone else’s skin and walk around in it. From Bethany Hegedus and Erin McGuire comes the inspiring true story of Harper Lee, the scrappy tomboy who grew up to be one of the most beloved writers of the twentieth century.

    She doesn't have parents.No one knows her name. But the people in townCall her Wee Sister Strange. Like Emily Winfield Martin's bestselling Dream Animals, here is a bedtime read-aloud sure to entrance young listeners. Each evening, as the shadows grow long, Wee Sister Strange climbs from her window and runs into the woods. She talks to the owls and rides on a bear. She clambers up trees and dives into the bog. She is searching for something.... She looks far and wide, over forest and marsh. What is it she seeks? Why, it's a wee bedtime story to help her fall asleep!