But they can also show us what we can’t see, what we can only imagine, or how to build something. In Joyce Hesselberth’s Mapping Sam, Sam the cat puts her family to bed, and then—when all is quiet—heads out to explore her neighborhood.As Sam follows her customary path, wandering farther and farther away from home, readers encounter different kinds of maps illuminating different points of view and the various spots Sam visits. Finally, when Sam reaches her favorite place and confirms that all is well, she heads back home, climbs onto a cozy bed, and falls asleep.

    But look out—here comes a pack of twenty pigs ready to prove that sharing makes everything twice as fun! This seriously silly picture book with artwork by the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site irresistibly combines the concepts of counting and sharing.

    The dog brings the string. The horse shares his straw. And then a surprise gatefold spread reveals how Robin knits them all together to make a safe and cozy home for her babies.

    Readers will certainly spot the glorious beast, plus an array of big-city icons they can count. Is the dragon taking the crosstown bus, or breathing his fiery breath below a busy street? Maybe he took a taxi to the zoo or is playing with the dogs in the park.

    But each activity is another opportunity for the over-enthusiastic Tyrannosaurus Rex to wreak havoc. Parents and young children will love the call-and-response nature of the book, and young dinosaur fans will appreciate the listing (and pronunciation guide) for a dozen different dino species. The format is extra vertical in order to accommodate T. Rex’s biggest messes. Praise for Tyrannosaurus Wrecks "Punchy writing, an equally in-your-face palette, and OHora’s characteristically brash painting style make this as much a stompalong as a readaloud." --Publishers Weekly "Along with the pleasure of pronouncing those multisyllabic dino names, young audiences may find food for thought in the behavioral dynamics on display." --Kirkus Reviews "Warmly colored with childlike bodies and emotive faces, Ohora’s dinosaurs are among the cutest you will come across in children’s books." --Booklist "The brief rhyming text, which scans well, tells a story with child appeal. There is a good balance of two-to-three word sentences with large, uncluttered illustrations, making the book a good choice for reading aloud. In their simplicity, the brightly colored pictures have the look of children’s art, but they enhance the classroom setting appropriately with interesting details." --School Library Journal "The shapely dinos, whose rough charcoal-style outlines and strong colors vividly contrast with the white or sometimes black backgrounds, are chunky and friendly in an eight-crayon-box color scheme and snazzy Peanuts-reminiscent outfits." --Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books "Together the chanting rhythm, ragged lines, and setting of an un-chaperoned dinosaur class create a satisfyingly high-energy, primal read-aloud strongly reminiscent of Bob Shea’s 'Dinosaur vs.' series." --The Horn Book Magazine

    During the course of each day, something sparks a thought or memory, and a loved one comes to mind. Perhaps it's a sound, a fragrance, or something that catches our eye; when this happens we can't help but pause for a moment and smile. So give this book to the special loved ones in your life, and they will share with you all the times they think to themselves how much they love you, when . . .

    Who is this Stranger? Why did he arrive after a winter storm and what wonderful surprises does he bring?Your children will love this photographic fantasy created by two noted wildlife photographers.You'll discover this tale is beta-carotene for the spirit in everyone.

    But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter's snowy landscape in this magical book.

    One child experiences a flower with all five senses—from its color to its fragrance to the entire universe it evokes—revealing how a single flower can expand one's perspective in many ways.

    Children are introduced to the imaginative world of art and how a picture really can be worth a thousand words.

    Bloom and her mud fairy magic might be able to turn weeds into flowers and spin sand into glass, but the people of the kingdom ceaselessly complain about the trails of dirt and puddles of mud that seem to follow her every step, and finally they cast her out.But when the glass castle begins to crack, then cracks some more, the King and Queen in a panic search for the long-banished fairy, but they can’t find Bloom anywhere. Desperate to save their home, they send their meekest, most ordinary subject, a girl named Genevieve whose sole task until now has been to polish the Queen’s crystal sugar spoon—to coax any worthy fairy to come and save the kingdom. Genevieve finds Bloom exactly where the king and queen failed to see her, and Bloom knows exactly how to save the kingdom. But it will take the two girls working together, along with a mighty dollop of self-confidence—and some very messy hands—to accomplish the extraordinary.

    Through his energetic images, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Buttons are dots. Wheels are dots. Ladybugs have dots. And so do the fried eggs on your plate. Lots of Dots is lots of fun!

    One night they stop a carriage and find an orphan, Tiffany, on her way to live with her wicked aunt. Tiffany is delighted to meet the robbers, but appalled at their ill-gotten wealth. What she does to change their ways will delight children of all ages.

    Also it rhymes. This lovely volume is a terrific gifty object (hey, have you ever tried to write book jacket copy?) as varied and delightful as a fine box of chocolates, yet with the decided advantage that there aren¹t any of those icky little pineapple jelly things.

    Red’s a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don’t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand—until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count. As budding young readers learn about numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors, they also learn about accepting each other's differences and how it sometimes just takes one voice to make everyone count.