Although he is an inventor, he has never made anything that works perfectly, and that's because he hasn't yet found a truly fantastic idea. But when he takes his family fishing on Lake Michigan, his daughter Virena asks, "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a fish?"—and Papa is off to his workshop. With a lot of persistence and a little bit of help, Papa—who is based on the real-life inventor Lodner Phillips—creates a submarine that can take his family for a trip to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

    Thunder Boy Jr. wants a normal name...one that's all his own. Dad is known as big Thunder, but little thunder doesn't want to share a name. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he's done like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder. But just when Little Thunder thinks all hope is lost, dad picks the best name...Lightning! Their love will be loud and bright, and together they will light up the sky.

    How can he help the other trucks on the construction site? By mixing some powdery white cement, of course!He mixes it up, adds a little water, and presto . . . a cake?! He must have mixed flour instead of cement.Not to worry, he'll try again . . . and presto! Frosting?! He'll keep trying until he gets it just right and it's time for one more mixing: a bubble bath!

    Douglas's hat gets caught on a tree and turns into one long string of spaghetti! How will he ever tell his dad? Douglas learns that it takes a BIG bear to tell the truth in this heartwarming and hilarious follow-up to "Hugless Douglas"!

    But her mother has other plans for her-and the wagon. Lucy must go to the market and buy vegetables for dinner. Lucy doesn't want to do chores! But she sets off for the market nonetheless, hauling her red wagon with her. Before long, her ordinary trip becomes a high-seas adventure, a ride through outer space, and a day at the circus. As long as she has her red wagon, not even chores can get in the way of Lucy's fun.New York Times bestseller Renata Liwska's most vibrant art ever takes center stage in this imaginative book for the youngest of readers.

    series -- about a child spending time with his grandpa. Written in a how-to style, the narrator gives important tips for "babysitting" a grandpa, including what to eat for snack (anything dipped in ketchup, ice cream topped with cookies, cookies topped with ice cream), what to do on a walk (find lizards and dandelion puffs, be on the lookout for puddles and sprinklers), and how to play with a grandpa (build a pirate cave, put on a scary play). Filled with humor, energy, and warmth, this is a great gift for or from a grandparent, and perfect for lap reading when Grandpa comes to visit!

    It's a world where all the characters are trucks, all the stories are action driven, and boys and girls can imagine themselves in all their crazy, loud, funny, creative, excited, full-throttle glory! It's a world where we work at play, and we play at work...and no one's afraid to get dirty or be LOUD! And it all kicks off with Smash! Crash! Best friends Jack and Dan are spending their day doing what they do best - smashing and crashing! All the while a strange shadow is following them around every corner...Who is this new addition to Trucktown? What does she want? Rhythmic, rollicking text will get kids' motors running and horns honking with each refrain! This is a book that begs to be read again and again!

    It's hard work, but the little dump truck is ready for action.Preschool children will revel in the day-to-day activities of this mighty dump truck. The lyrical text, bright pictures, and sturdy pages are just right for budding truck enthusiasts.

    Little Digger is eager to help with the work, but all the other construction vehicles are bigger and make a lot more noise. The dump truck, steam roller, steam shovel, bulldozer, crane, cement mixer, and excavator keep taking over his jobs. Children will identify with Little Digger as he struggles to find his place on the construction crew and will cheer when Digger discovers there are some jobs he can do better than anyone! Sebastien Braun’s charming illustrations show the loveable personalities of all the construction vehicles at the work site.The building site will not be ready until one last rock is removed, and although the big machines all have a go at it, only Little Digger has what it takes to get the job done--with some encouragement from Tom, the dump truck.

    When Gracie decides to go for a walk, the painters, the neighbors, and the garbage man all run after her. She can't figure out why, so she keeps running, causing the whole town to join in the chase. Full-color illustrations.

    A STEAM-centered, adorably illustrated picture book about Meg, a brilliant and creative boxitect who creates extraordinary things out of ordinary cardboard boxes.

    He loves to carve boats out of the driftwood he finds on the beach nearby. He makes:big boatslong boatsshort boats andtall boats,each one more beautiful than the last, and sends them out to sea. If they don't come back, he knows they've found their way to his papa, whom he misses very much. In this stunning debut, author/illustrator Jessixa Bagley explores the subtle and deep emotions associated with loss in a heartwarming tale that is sure to stay with the reader long after the book is closed.A Neal Porter Book

    . . freight train.In simple, powerful words and vibrant illustrations, Donald Crews evokes the rolling wheels of that childhood favorite: a train. This board book features sturdy pages and is just the right size for little hands.This Calecott Honor Book features bright colors and bold shapes. Even a child not lucky enough to have counted freight cars will feel he or she has watched a freight train passing after reading Freight Train.Donald Crews used childhood memories of trains seen during his travels to his grandparents' farm in the American South as the inspiration for this timeless favorite.

    He wanted a different kind of pet — one that could run and catch, or chase string and climb trees, a soft furry pet to sleep on his bed at night. Definitely not Norman. But when he tries to trade Norman for a "good pet," things don’t go as he planned. Could it be that Norman is a better pet than he thought? With wry humor and lighthearted affection, author Kelly Bennett and illustrator Noah Z. Jones tell an unexpected — and positively fishy — tale about finding the good in something you didn’t knowyou wanted.

    They scoop and hoist and push.But when Digger discovers something growing in the rubble, he sets in motion a series of events that will change him, and the city, forever.