But, she must keep it a secret until Friday! So curious family members each ask Annie for a clue. Convinced that she’ll be a news reporter like he once was, Grandpop gives her his old camera and notebook to use for her presentation. Grandma is sure Annie wants to be a champion baker like her, so she offers a mixing bowl and oven mitts to Annie. Hopeful she'll become the mountain climber he aspired to be, Dad gives Annie an old backpack. Mom presents Annie with a pair of high-top sneakers to pursue Mom's favorite sport in high school — basketball.  Grateful for each gift, Annie cleverly finds a way to use them all to create her Career Day costume. When the big day arrives, Annie finally reveals her out-of-this-world dream to everyone.(Fountas Pinnell Level M)

    Instead she gets a chicken. But this chicken is no ordinary chicken; it has plans! With a lot of hard work, and help from lots of other animals, this chicken may just end up building the girl the best birthday gift ever!

    As she takes in the beauty of the world, she discovers a unique talent that’s been inside her all along.Baby Wren and the Great Gift combines the sweet and gentle words of bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones with the beautiful illustrations of Jen Corace. This rich and colorful picture book encourages each and every little boy and girl to discover the amazing gifts within them to share with this wonderful world.Baby Wren and the Great Gift:Is written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, bestselling author of the beloved Jesus Storybook Bible, which has sold over one million copiesContains inspirational text that inspires children to recognize and bask in the wonders of the world while encouraging them to discover and share the unique wonders within themselvesFeatures the work of Jen Corace, the illustrator of many books for children

    With the tenderness of a mother speaking directly to her child, Karen reminds us not to miss last days of kindergarten and last at bats in Little League amidst the whirlwind of life. Adapted from a poem in Rejoice, mothers and grandmothers everywhere will identify with the tenderhearted reflections in Let Me Hold You Longer. An ideal gift book for special occasions from baby showers to graduations. Now includes a bonus CD read by Karen!

    Birds are singing, squirrels are frolicking, dogs are causing a commotion--and wide-eyed children are enthralled by it all. Too bad the parents are missing everything! It's going to take something really BIG to get them to disengage from their phones . . .This timely story, brought to life with beautiful bold art, is a great reminder to slow down and savor time together.

    Little Mortimer Mouse munches on sunflower seeds and longs to see something green. Upon overhearing the story of how springtime rain and sunshine nurture little seeds to grow into great big green plants, Mortimer is skeptical but decides to plant one of his seeds, just to see if such a miracle really can happen. Mortimer finds a perfect sport to plant the seed, and then...he waits. And waits. And waits. Impatient, Mortimer thinks nothing is ever going to happen to the little seed. But then something does happen. Something wonderful. Something divine. Something green! First introduced in the bestselling Mortimer's Christmas Manger, Mortimer Mouse returns with gutso in this inspirational offering that celebrates the miracle of springtime.

    Peep has so many questions for her older brother Hoot: Does snow drop, polppety splop, like the rain's song? Does it scrinkle scrattle like falling leaves? But Hoot can't remember snow very well. The one thing he knows for sure is that it is worth waiting for.But Peep doesn't have his patience, and as she flies around the gorgeous Paris skies, she tries her best to make up her own snow song. But once those first snowflakes start to fall, Peep realizes just how wise her older brother really is for waiting...and just who she wants to cuddle up to when the snow starts to really sing.With all the wonder and the joy of a first snow day, and perfect for fans of The Quiet Book and Little Owl's Night, this tender follow-up to Hoot and Peep is certainly worth waiting for, too.

    Valeri Gorbachev’s adorable artwork pairs beautifully with Sandra Horning’s charming text, and makes for a fun, funny, and educational read-aloud. An unexpected twist at the end will delight readers and have kids asking for this book again and again.

    Mouse and his family move into the warm spot beneath the kitchen stove in a big house, they discover something new and wonderful: an evergreen tree decorated with lights, ginger and peppermint smells in the air, and cookies baking in the oven. They hear about a child born long ago, and a jolly man named Santa who brings gifts to celebrate Jesus’s birth on a day called Christmas. And so Mr. and Mrs. Mouse decide that their family should celebrate Christmas too.With delightful rhyming verse, detailed illustrations (with hidden pictures to search for!), and a childlike sense of wonder, the story of the Mouse family’s first Christmas is sure to become a holiday tradition.

    With bold and beautiful art, mega-selling author and artist Felicia Bond crafts a picture book filled with animals hugging across the globe that celebrates the universality of love. Perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, bedtime, naptime, or any time that parent and child simply want to snuggle together.

    "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, please let down your hair!"Called the prince from down on the bottom stair.But Rapunzel just sat -As still as a wall;She didn't think much of the prince at all.Rapunzel sits on the sixteenth floor of an inner city block, bored, dreaming and looking out at the rain.ÿ No one can rouse her from her apathy, not the milkman or the postman or the baker or her aunt - or even the prince. But when at last a letter is delivered, it contains news that has Rapunzel on her feet again. She has a new job at the library! And suddenly her life is busy, sparkling, exciting and stimulating. "For despite her long hair and her ravishing looks, she loved nothing better than reading good books!"

    Can this cutie pig find someone to adopt him who means business, too?   Right from the start, everyone at the barnyard could tell Jasper wasn’t like his siblings: “I believe what we have here is a gen-u-WINE Business Pig!” No wallowing in the mud or rooting for grubs for Jasper; he’d rather help with the bookkeeping or conduct a meeting. Though everyone at the animal sanctuary loves him, Jasper longs for a forever home. But no matter how many business cards he hands out, no one wants to adopt him. Can this above-average pig find his special person to cut deals with?

    Then one day Katie comes home to find a gift from her mother: a mysterious machine designed to help her create that one-of-a-kind creature. Each time she feeds different items into the machine, out comes a marvelously colorful new animal—like a purple monkey, rainbow-spotted horse, and green bunny! But none of them is just right. Through trial and error, Katie figures out the formula for her absolutely perfect SURPRISE pet.

    A small blue whale sits in a silver sea . . . wishing, wanting, waiting for a friend. Waiting is hard, but he doesn't mind; he's sure a friend will be worth the wait. First, the whale meets a quiet pink cloud, and he thinks this might be the friend he's been waiting for. But when he finds himself in trouble, a group of penguins comes to his rescue and the small blue whale finally gets his wish. This heartwarming story about friendship--what it looks like, sounds like, tastes like, and feels like--will have readers agreeing that a true friend is definitely worth the wait.

    On your mark, get set . . . WAIT! As Jasper races ahead--crashing into the mailman, speeding past the ice cream truck--Ollie takes his sweet time, pausing to admire a butterfly, smell a daisy, and help the mailman pick up his letters!