This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages.This title has Common Core connections.

    But it is hard to seek closeness with others when you're covered with spikes that shoot off your back every so often. Elmore suffers rejection and heartbreak, but the goodness of his forest community ultimately shines through as the animals find a way to connect with this prickly bundle of love.Holly Hobbie is the creator of the beloved Toot & Puddle series and now brings us a character for the next generation. Just as charming, funny, and good-hearted as her little pigs, Elmore the porcupine will snuggle and prickle his way securely into the picture-book canon.

    . . until a dog fetches her for its owner, and she is tossed into a bird's nest. A mountain? No, Petra is now an egg! An egg of the world in a world of possibility. Until she's flung into a pond, and becomes an amazing island . . . and, eventually, a little girl's pet rock. What will she be tomorrow? Who knows? But she's a rock, and this is how she rolls!

    But kisses make Rissy uncomfortable. Can one little lovebird show everyone that there's no one right way to show you care?Rissy No Kissies carries the message that "your body and your heart are yours, and you choose how to share." A note at the end provides further information for kids, parents, and educators about body autonomy, consent, and different ways to show affection.

    . .Out there in the deepest sea lies the Black Rock: a huge, dark and spiky mass that is said to destroy any boats that come near it! Can Erin uncover the truth behind this mysterious legend?

    When Pokko takes the drum deep into the forest it is so quiet, so very quiet that Pokko decides to play. And before she knows it she is joined by a band of animals —first the raccoon, then the rabbit, then the wolf—and soon the entire forest is following her. Will Pokko hear her father’s voice when he calls her home? Pokko and the Drum is a story about art, persistence, and a family of frogs living in a mushroom.

    What does Goose need more than anything this Valentine's Day? A hug from a good friend.

    She is convinced there is something more out there. So she sets out on a quest—a quest for color. When she finally finds what she's been looking for, it's everything she hoped for and more. But that doesn't mean she will ever stop looking.

    Henry is a bit of a dreamer and not much of a talker.Then there's Chloe, who says what she thinks and knows how to turn a spectacular cartwheel.This is the story of how one blueberry muffin makes all the difference.

    I’m grim and grumpy,” says Small to Large, “and I don’t think you love me at all.” But nothing could be further from the truth--and Large knows just how to reassure Small.

    It's the worst when Bootsie Barker comes to my house. Bootsie's the one who pulls my hair and tears my books. She hates Charlene, my pet salamander. She says that I'm a turtle and she's a turtle-eating dinosaur.Uh-oh, I think I hear a car pulling up. That's her now! Eeek!"The colorful cartoon and wash drawings, filled with amusing detail, perfectly express the terroristic tactics and the narrator's frustration. When Bootsie is on a rampage, even the stuffed animals cover their eyes." --School Library Journal

    Funny and entertaining.