It was a lovely story with absolutely NO BEARS in it-not a SINGLE BEAR anywhere. Then one day...MORE BEARS! KENN NESBITT is possibly the funniest and most sought-after children's poet writing today. When he's not writing, podcasting, updating his website (poetry4kids.com), or visiting schools sharing his wacky brand of humor with kids across America, Kenn can be found cuddling his collection of stuffed bears. He seriously cannot get enough of bears. Or chickens.TROY CUMMINGS has been drawing goofy animals pretty much nonstop since kindergarten. His illustrations have appeared in newspapers, in magazines, on websites, on frozen fish stick packages, and in hospital waiting rooms. He hibernates in Greencastle, Indiana, with his wife and cubs.

    Lay on a BIG spidey smoocheroo.b. Smile, but back away slowly.c. Grab the closest object, wind up, and let it fly.d. Run away screaming.If you chose b, c, or d, then this book is for you! (If you chose a, you might be crazy.)I'm Trying to Love Spiders will help you see these amazing arachnids in a whole new light, from their awesomely excessive eight eyes, to the seventy-five pounds of bugs a spider can eat in a single year! And you're sure to feel better knowing you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being fatally bit by a spider. Comforting, right? No? Either way, there's heaps more information in here to help you forget your fears . . . or at least laugh a lot!

    But pretending to be something he is not never works out. What if he just tried to be himself?In the end, Willy is still a gorilla -- and that's something everyone can appreciate! Still a Gorilla! is a funny, wacky, rhyming picture book that teaches the importance of being yourself.

    But Max the cat isn't quite what the family expected. He shuns the toy mouse, couldn't care less about the hand-knitted sweater, and spends most of his time facing the wall. One by one, the family gives up on Max, but the boy loves his negative cat so much, he'll do anything to keep him. Even the thing he dreads most: practicing his reading. Which, as it turns out, makes everything positive!

    Each of the big cats has something to say about Simon not being “cat” enough. According to them, he just doesn’t measure up. He doesn’t have Lion’s mane or Cheetah’s spots. He doesn’t sleep in trees like Panther or climb mountains like Puma. He’s small and fuzzy, not big and strong. But ultimately, Simon shows the big cats that he’s just like them . . . only smaller.   A celebration of both individuality and community, I Am a Cat is a strong debut that shows we’re all more alike than we think . . . if we look closely enough.

    From Caldecott Honor award winner Eric Rohmann comes a brand-new picture book about friends and toys and trouble, illustrated in robust, expressive prints.My Friend Rabbit is the winner of the 2003 Caldecott Medal.

    If only he could find a good resting place to hide from playful (and wide awake) Kitten!Opposites and hide-and-seek make this a fun story for nap time -- or anytime.