. . . Kids will be happily grossed out to follow the icky trail as she pets one hapless, bleary-eyed creature after another. With whimsical, stylized illustrations showing Felicity’s handprints on every spread, this cautionary tale will have readers roaring out loud — and racing off to wash their hands!

    But it is hard to seek closeness with others when you're covered with spikes that shoot off your back every so often. Elmore suffers rejection and heartbreak, but the goodness of his forest community ultimately shines through as the animals find a way to connect with this prickly bundle of love.Holly Hobbie is the creator of the beloved Toot & Puddle series and now brings us a character for the next generation. Just as charming, funny, and good-hearted as her little pigs, Elmore the porcupine will snuggle and prickle his way securely into the picture-book canon.

    Mama brings flowers, tea, a quilt, even lullaby bells to help her sleep. But none of these things are blue, and Alice can sleep only in a blue room. Yet when the light goes out, a bit of magic is stirred up. Pale blue moonlight swirls into her bedroom window. Then the night swirls out, around the moon and into the universe, leaving Alice fast alseep in a most celestial blue room.

    "ARGHHH!" answer her little pirates. It's time to walk the plank for these two pirate pretenders. To the refrain of "Yo ho, yo ho, it's off to the bath we go!" the pirates and their mommy make their way to a bath full of ships and suds and even a pirate rubber ducky. After all hands on deck have been soaped and swabbed, it's time for a little pirate treasure of ice cream before bedtime!Whether bath-lovers or bath-haters, children are sure to get caught up in this spirited adventure on the high seas of the bathtub.

    One warm summer evening, a lonely praying mantis named Manuelo listens to the music of an outdoor concert.  Manuelo wishes that he, too, could make music like the crickets and the katydids.  But the instruments he makes don't play.  Then Manuelo meets someone who shows him how to fashion a cello using a walnut shell, a stick, and a special ingredient.  Manuelo makes his first true friend and, together, they create the music they both love.

    She dresses up her toys, stuffed animals, and even her baby brother as unicorns! But living with enchanted animals can be tricky business. And Sophie is so caught up in teaching others that she fails to notice the magic right under her nose. This funny and fresh picture book tells the story of a unicorn hiding in plain sight and a little girl who is totally oblivious to his presence!

    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.

    A simple story about a bear, that meets a girl, who introduces him to the world, and changes how he sees; everything.

    Little Green helps them do their jobs with gusto. Until . . . there is a little too much gusto. They can go, go, go . . . but how will they stop?This bright, fun book with a bold package captures the endless energy of little boys and the timeless appeal of trucks and machines--both for building and knocking down. Plus, it has an underlying message about working together to get things done.

    But her mother and father say NO! What is Madlenka to do? It just takes some imagination . . . Madlenka's friends on the block all play along, remembering the dogs of their childhood, and in the end it seems quite possible that there's more to Madlenka's dog than we can see. With his considerable charm, Peter Sís uses lift-up flaps and peek-through windows to bring us into Madlenka's magical world where play and fantasy make wishes come true.Madlenka's Dog is a 2002 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

    Higher and higher he bounces gleefully, until his hair brushes the ceiling. But when he lands back on the bed--thump, creak, crack--it crashes right through the floor! Suddenly Walter finds himself visiting all the downstairs neighbors in his apartment building in a most unusual way!"Hip, hip, hooray for this delightful urban fantasy, a comic morality tale that explores the consequences of ignoring that age-old 'momilie, ' 'If I've told you once I've told you a million times, no jumping on the bed!'"--School Library Journal

    Wave good-bye to the sun, gently press the firefly, make a wish on a star, rub the owls on their heads, and . . . shhhh. No two readings of this book will be the same. That along with the gentle, soothing rhythm, makes Touch the Brightest Star a bedtime winner—no matter how many times you and your child read it.

    But even after the tea has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on! See what happens when he finally wakes up and finds his cave full of uninvited guests -- all of them having a party without him!

    Some pets stay. Some pets fetch, And some pets play. Come one, come all, to the pet show! With dogs and cats, horses and chickens, hamsters and chinchillas—and many, many more!—this book celebrates animal companions of all shapes and sizes. Who will take home the coveted Best in Show ribbon? Join the fun to find out!

    He is as real as a tree, a cloud, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the wind. But when the two are accidentally separated, no one in Henry’s family believes Leo is real enough to find his way home.         With beautiful mixed-media paintings, the Caldecott Honor–winning artist Pamela Zagarenski explores the transcendent nature of friendship and love.