"The experience is one that neither he nor young readers will ever regret or forget." (Booklist, starred review). Our new Pictureback® format provides simple text written by the author.

    From swimming in the ocean with the fish, to flying in the sky with the gulls, to being found by a sailor, and then being carried off by the wind, the bear meets new friends and travels to many places he never dreamed of.Reminiscent of such classics as The Velveteen Rabbit and the award-winning Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, this tender picture book with beautiful seaside imagery will capture readers’ hearts with the bear’s summer adventure as he gets back home where he belongs. Also available by Susan Meyers Praise for Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! [STAR] “The rhyme shows the simplicity Meyers employs in a text so well structured that almost any adult (or new reader) can prance through with natural, bouncy enthusiasm.” —Booklist, starred reviewAlso available by Amy Bates Praise for The Dog Who Belonged to No One [STAR] “The pencil and watercolor illustrations, featuring a palette of golden earth tones, echo the gentle sentiment of the narrative.” —School Library Journal, starred review [STAR] “Careful parallel storytelling and beautifully paced page turns allow both text and illustrations to develop the characters, establishing both worth and loneliness.” —Kirkus, starred review F&P level: KF&P genre: RF

    These playful creatures are all around us, if you know just where to look. And if you want to have one come to you, build a fairy house of twigs and blooms and wait patiently for a fairy to take up residence.Children are fascinated with miniature worlds and the fairies who inhabit them. A forever friend awaits each reader in the pages of this lovely picture book with illustrations by a Disney animator.

    A super-simple look at noses of all kind, color, and shape, including their multiple uses and maddening maladies! Illustrations.

    Go!, and A Fish Out of Water, Sneaker is the story of a pet-store snake who longs for a real home. When he is finally adopted by Pete—a young boy charmed by Sneaker's uncanny ability to twist himself into different shapes—Sneaker not only proves himself a good pet, but proves to be a good student (sneaking into school with Pete and learning to read and write); a good citizen (saving a drowing toddler at a community pool); and a goodwill ambassador for the entire animal kingdom (inspiring the community to open the pool to all animals)! With delightfully understated, wickedly funny illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre, this is a fantastic, funny book that will sneakily get beginning readers reading on their own! Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.From the Hardcover edition.

    It's impossible not to flip the page, and flip it again, and again, and again. A first book of motion for kids, it shows a horse in full gallop and a turtle swimming up the page. A dog runs, a cat springs, an eagle soars, and a butterfly flutters. Created by Rufus Butler Seder, an inventor, artist, and filmmaker fascinated by antique optical toys, Scanimation is a state-of-the-art six-phase animation process that combines the "persistence of vision" principle with a striped acetate overlay to give the illusion of movement. It harkens back to the old magical days of the kinetoscope, and the effect is astonishing, like a Muybridge photo series springing into action—or, in terms kids can relate to, like a video without a screen. Complementing the art is a delightful rhyming text full of simple questions and fun, nonsense replies: Can you gallop like a horse? giddyup-a-loo! Can you strut like a rooster? cock-a-doodle-doo!Every child who opens the book will be amazed—and so will every parent.

    Perfect for growing families or as a baby shower gift. When Koala Lou’s mother becomes so busy that she forgets to tell her firstborn how much she loves her, Koala Lou enters the Bush Olympics, intending to win an event and her mother’s love all at one time. Filled with charming art and featuring a heartwarming story about family, read the classic that's been called, “a first-rate choice for bedtime, story hour, or reading aloud.”--The Horn Book.

    That is, until he finds himself at a new school full of monsters. Without fangs, horns, or a tail, suddenly Norm has become the odd one out. But as the day goes on, Norm's unusual classmates find that Norm isn't too unlike them after all, and Norm thinks he may actually fit right in.Monster School: First Day Frights is the perfect book for any beginning reader who has ever felt a little bit different. Learn to read with Norm, Hilda, and the whole beastly crew at Monster School!

    Even if Pinkalicious doesn't win the contest, she's going to have a lot of fun trying!

    Fish swims aboutWith his fish face stuckIn a permanent pout.Can his pals cheer him up?Will his pout ever end?Is there something he can learnFrom an unexpected friend?Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.The Pout-Pout Fish is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

    But Jesse is surprised to discover how much fun Sara can be!

    The two became best friends, and that little lamb followed Mary everywhere - even to school, where the poet John Roulstone visited and immortalized the two in verse. With his trademark folk art style, Will Moses paints the true story behind the famous nursery rhyme and shows how Mary went from being a small-town Massachusetts girl to an American folk hero.

    When the tree is taken to town at Christmas, it feels like all his dreams have come true. But what will happen the day after? Find out in this beautifully illustrated modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s festive tale. When he was surrounded by the splendor of nature, the little fir tree could only think about what he wasn’t and what he didn’t have and couldn’t see. After the initial excitement of venturing out, though, he finds that the world isn’t quite what he expected. As the story of the little fir tree unfolds—brought to enchanting life with the colorful, folk art–inspired artwork of acclaimed author/illustrator Christopher Corr—so does a touching lesson on appreciating what we already have and a hopeful message of rebirth.

    . . all except one. This little orangutan wants to dance! A hip-hop, cha-cha-cha dance full of somersaults and cartwheels. But who will dance with her? Written in bold poems in the tanka style, an ancient Japanese form of poetry that is often used as a travel diary, this exuberant orangutan celebration from acclaimed poet Margarita Engle will make readers want to dance, too!

    But who will help her get to grandmother’s house to deliver it? Will it be clever Rat, strong Ox, or cautious Rabbit? Ruby meets each of the twelve zodiac animals on her journey. This picture book includes back matter with a focus on the animals of the Chinese zodiac.