Exciting original stories encourage children to read without help

    An eight-page full-color insert of stills from the movie is included.Kate DiCamillo's literary classic about Despereaux Tilling has enchanted children and adults around the globe. In this tale of bravery, forgiveness and redemption, one small creature teaches a kingdom that it takes only a little light to show the truth: What you look like doesn't equal what you are. Published in 23 languages, with more than 2 million copies in print, a New York Times #1 bestseller and winner of the Newbery Medal, The Tale of Despereaux is now animated adventure from Universal Pictures.THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All Rights Reserved.

    - These great beginning reading books combine a fun-to-read story with easy-to-read text- Series One is designed for those who have just started reading alone- Collect them all!.

    Full color.

    But when the game doesn’t go Pete’s way, what will Pete do?Pete the Cat: Play Ball! is a My First I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for shared reading with a child.

    Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collections of prose and verse fables scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature. First published in English by Caxton in 1484, the fables and their morals continue to charm modern readers: who does not know the story of the tortoise and the hare, or the boy who cried wolf?

    - Collectible hardback editions with bookmarks for children who are gaining confidence in reading on their own.

    To the girl who lives next door, it's just plain horrible. She tries to be polite. She tries to talk them out of it, but the Greggs only laugh at her. Then one day the Greggs go too far, and the little girl turns her Magic Finger on them. When she's very, very angry, the little girl's Magic Finger takes over. She really can’t control it, and now it's turned the Greggs into birds! Before they know it, the Greggs are living in a nest, and that's just the beginning of their problems…

    In "Matchless", Maguire adds a different dimension to the story, intertwining the match girl's tale with that of a young boy, Frederik, whose own yearnings are the catalyst for a better future for himself and his family. Maguire uses his storytelling magic to rekindle Andersen's original intentions, and to suggest transcendence, the permanence of spirit, and the continuity that links the living and the dead.

    Ragweed is determined to see the world. He leaves his family and cozy country home and sets off by train for the big city. What wonders await him: music, excitement, new friends...and cunning, carnivorous cats!Silversides is the purring president of F.E.A.R. (Felines Enraged About Rodents), a group dedicated to keeping cats on top, people in the middle, and mice on the bottom. Can Ragweed and his motley yet musical crew of city nice—Clutch, Dipstick, Lugnut, and Blinker—band together to fight their feline foe?

    Alabasium, Wizard Extraordinaire, rents a room in Mrs. Beggs's boarding house. After the Wizard conjures up a few floating chairs and some inclement weather in the parlor, Mrs. Beggs retaliates with a little witchcraft of her own. Full color.

    . . .On her birthday, Cassie is whisked away on a magical adventure in the sky. She's going to become a Lucky Star -- someone who makes wishes come true! Every time she helps grant a wish, she'll collect a charm for her sparkly new bracelet. But these are no ordinary charms. Each one gives Cassie a different magical power! Can Cassie earn all seven charms and become a true Lucky Star?Each book comes with a charm just like Cassie's -- collect them all!

    Before long, something must be done before they eat the Poppers out of house and home!A classic of American humor, this story of a gentle housepainter and his high stepping penguins has delighted children for generations.

    With the help of two dozen pink lollipops, rubber bands, chewing gum, and a fine-toothed comb, Elmer disarms the fiercest of beasts on Wild Island.

    Piggle-WiggleMrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house and smells like cookies. She was even married to a pirate once. Most of all, she knows everything about children. She can cure them of any ailment. Patsy hates baths. Hubert never puts anything away. Allen eats v-e-r-y slowly. Mrs Piggle-Wiggle has a treatment for all of them.The incomparable Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children good or bad and never scolds but has positive cures for Answer-Backers, Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders, and other boys and girls with strange habits. '[Now] in paperback . . . for a new generation of children to enjoy.' -- San Francisco Examiner Chronicle.