The third book in the General Mills Spoonful of Stories series! Can you imagine hugging a porcupine? Sure, it's easy to picture hugging a bunny or even a billy goat, but where would you begin to try to hug a porcupine? After seeing all his friends hug their favorite animals, one brave boy works up the courage to hug a porcupine, but the porcupine isn't so sure he wants to be hugged! The latest contest winner Laurie Isop and illustrator Gwen Millward aren't afraid to ask the pointed questions!

    They offer marigolds, sugar skulls, and special bread, and make delicious foods. By spreading marigold petals, they guide the dead home to join the festivities. Finally, after singing and dancing, it's time for bed. Bob Barner's luscious collages incorporate the traditional symbols of Day of the Dead. His poetic text is both English and Spanish. An author's note provides additional information on the holiday.

    Inspired by the eagerly awaited birth of her daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, New York Times bestselling author and award-winning actress Gabrielle Union pens a festive and universal love letter from parents to little ones, perfect for welcoming a baby to the party of life!Reminiscent of favorites such as The Wonderful Things You’ll Be by Emily Winfield Martin, I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb, and Take Heart, My Child by Ainsley Earhardt, Welcome to the Party is an upbeat celebration of new life that you’ll want to enjoy with your tiny guest of honor over and over again.

    This one recruits every animal that comes along to form, well, a stack. The result? Tail of the duck to the gluteus maximus of the duck-billed platypus (with many other rears in between). Readers will giggle with delight at the bird's eye view of some hysterical animal bottoms. Follow this back-sided journey up the tree - where the real surprise awaits. The pairing of Black's minimal text with Hawkes's visual story line will keep you chuckling from the bottom up.

    It is watching. It is seeing… Frogs are amazing creatures, and this book offers young readers an up-close and revealing peek at their everyday lives. Follow them from egg to tadpole to froglet crawling up onto land for the first time. Watch them resting on a favorite log, searching for food, and leaping through the air. And see how frogs are unique, individual beings with rich lives all their own in the wild.

    

    Staggering onto a nearby island, they soon win over the wary townspeople with their kind, courageous ways. So well do the critters blend in that when the greedy circus owner returns to claim them, villagers of all species conspire to outsmart the bloated blowhard. With buoyant rhymes and brilliantly caricatured illustrations evoking the early nineteenth century, Chris Van Dusen presents a hugely entertaining tale about the bonds of community — and a rare hidden-pictures spread for eagle-eyed readers of all ages.

    As each flower turns into a butterfly, children will discover different ways to group numbers to create ten, an essential building block of math, all while watching each flower's dream come true. (And keep an eye out for the caterpillar who wishes he could fly, too!)

    Rather than focusing on going to bed—and what kid wants to think about going to bed?—this book explores all of the dreamy, wonderful, strange things the next day might bring.

    The poem engages in flights of fancy - what about a husk being a house for an ear of corn, or a throat being a house for a hum? "And once you get started in thinking this way,/ It seems that whatever you see/ Is either a house or it lives in a house,/ And a house is a house for me!" whimsical drawings color the imaginative text.

    Sweet and positive in its message, with bright, beautiful art, this book is sure to be a hit. Perfect for sharing!

    And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. It follows her to school one day—and then the fun really starts! Illustrations rendered in acrylic, gouache, and fabric collage bring a fresh look to this classic children’s nursery rhyme A note about the poem’s origin is included.

    Eat a pretty petit four. Discover! Sightsee! Explore! On this fun and friendly tour, everybody says “Bonjour!” Whether at a soccer stadium (“players scoring”), a crêpe stand (“batter pouring”), or strolling the Champs d’ Elysee (where folks “bonjour” in every store), a little girl and her family are welcomed everywhere with the signature French greeting. Jump into these pages and enjoy the trip! Through lilting words and lively images, Everybody Bonjours welcomes young reader-travelers to a Paris that isn’t just for artists, grown-ups, and dreamers– it’s for kids!

    Some people call this kind of picture puzzle a rebus. Children will have fun guessing some of the words in twenty Mother Goose rhymes. It’s not hard! There are clues on every page in Will Hillenbrand’s sparkling, imaginative mixed-media artwork!

    He just started riding his bike one day and invited his friends--from the athletic pickle to a surprisingly agile nickel--to follow behind him. Nobody knows where they're headed, but it's a long, strange trip everyone is happy to take. Chris Monroe, creator of the Monkey with a Tool Belt series, brings her characteristic love of silly details to this rhyming read-aloud romp.