Fun and informative back matter takes the shape of an interview so that readers learn more right from the bird's bill. Ken Pak's lively illustrations, paired with Rita Gray's words, render a visual and sonorous picture book to be enjoyed by young naturalists.

    Kids will sing, clap, and count their way among pufferfish that puff, gruntfish that grunt and seahorses that flutter, and begin to appreciate the animals in the ocean. And the clay art will inspire many a project.Parents, teachers, giftgivers, and many others will find: captivating illustrations of sculptures fashioned from polymer clay.backmatter that includes further information about the coral reef and the animals of the ocean.music and song lyrics to Over in the Ocean sung to the tune Over in the Meadow!a book for young readers learning to count!

    The forest sees the ever-moving life in nature and the beauty it emanates. With lyrical language and rich and textured illustrations, What Forest Knows takes you on a hike through the trees, beyond the meadows, between the deer and foxes, and into the heart of the outdoors.

    . . .As a panda in a blouse, a skunk on a trunk, and more hop on board, it becomes clear that what this story really needs is a bigger boat! Join Pig on an exciting boat ride as she discovers that life is more fun with friends in this fantastic funny read-aloud with cumulative text from author-illustrator Emma J. Virján.The "What This Story Needs..." books are bright and lively and inspire giggles. "A story with echoes of Seuss and Willems," School Library Journal said in a starred review of What This Story Needs Is a Hush and a Shush.

    While his mate is off swimming in the ocean and catching loads of fish, he stands around in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months, keeping it warm and waiting for it to hatch. This charming, oversize picture book is full of fabulous facts about nature’s most devoted dad.

    With art merry and spirited, this distinctive collection of up and down poems reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary, resulting in a book young readers won’t want to put down!

    Collects poems describing the many creatures living beneath the sea, including the crab, dolphin, and angel fish.

    Set to the traditional tune of "Over in the Meadow", Somewhere in the Ocean will teach young children much more than how to count from one to ten as they follow ocean-dwelling mothers and their offspring throughout their days.Complete with a glossary, musical score, and numbers hidden in the illustrations, Somewhere in the Ocean introduces readers to an array of marine life -- from manatees and sea otters to jellyfish and sea horses -- in their natural habitat.Following the success of best-selling Way Out in the Desert this author/illustrator team has once again created a lively counting book.

    But first, Bear had a story to tell...Bear found his friend Mouse, but Mouse was busy gathering seeds and didn't have time to listen to a story. Then Bear saw his friend Duck, but Duck was getting ready to fly south. What about his friend Toad? He was busy looking for a warm place to sleep. By the time Bear was through helping his friends get ready for winter, would anyone still be awake to hear his story?This endearing story of friendship and patience is a worthy companion to Philip and Erin Stead's last collaboration, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.Bear Has a Story to Tell is a Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2012. This title has Common Core connections.

    Every day they picnic together, every day they do yoga together, and every evening they eat dinner together. But when Claire longs to break free from this routine and dreams of traveling the world, she worries that Ollie would never join her. So she takes matters into her own hands and finds a mysterious travel partner when she sees a sign posted on a tree. Who could it be? And how can she ever tell Ollie? With a fun twist leading to a surprise ending, Ollie and Claire is a sweet and fun tribute to dynamic duos everywhere, who might feel the need to mix things up every once in a while.

    Janeczko pairs with Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet for a collection of short poems to sample and savor. It only takes a few words, if they’re the right words, to create a strong image. Whether listened to in the comfort of a cozy lap or read independently, the thirty-six very short poems in this collection remind readers young and old that a few perfect words and pictures can make the world glow. Selected by acclaimed poet Paul B. Janeczko and gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems invites children to sample poems throughout the four seasons.

    The follow-up to They All Saw a CatA Stone Sat Still tells the story of a seemingly ordinary rock—but to the animals that use it, it is a resting place, a kitchen, a safe haven...even an entire world.

     What is the biggest land animal? What animal runs the fastest? Can elephants really eat more than 300 pounds of grass each day? Dive into this fascinating book that introduces fourteen members of the animal kingdom who hold “world records” for their astonishing traits. Young readers will find easy to understand comparisons, helpful charts, and a guide to where these amazing animals can be found in the wild. Made with his award-winning cut-page collage illustrations, Steve Jenkins brings the fascinating facts about our natural world alive in this educational and entertaining book.

    From soaring vistas and cloud-swept skies to tiny lizards and almost-invisible petroglyphs, the canyon is filled with so many sights waiting to be discovered…and so many amazing memories to carry back home.Filled with gorgeously depicted, factually accurate info and including a glossary of the flora and fauna contained within, this homage to the Grand Canyon will evoke awe and wonder.

    The owls have nested there and have hunted in the fields and circled in the night skies as time slowly slipped by. Every night, as the moon rises, a barn owl awakens and flies out to hunt. Feathered against the endless starry night, he swoops and sails to the darkened wheat field below and catches a mouse in his nimble talons. With outstretched wings, this barn owl returns to his barn nest and his hungry family, repeating the ageless ritual his ancestors have practiced here, in this barn, for at least one hundred years. Following the life cycle of the barn owl, this gentle poem evokes a sense of warm sunshine and envelopes readers with the memory of the scent of a wheat field.