Running around, sliding down the stairs, eating cookies. Nothing could be better. Unless he had a cape...

    Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Book, New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, Golden Kite Award winner, California Young Reader Medal winner, Booklist Editors’ Choice

    And while Giraffe doesn't have much to say, Elephant is more than happy to make the first move. From inviting herself to bake pretzels with Giraffe to ordering him around while playing pirates, Elephant s bold and brassy style takes some getting used to. But still waters run deep and silent Giraffe seems to have no problem making himself heard. The result is a friend for the ages.

    When he spots a beehive in the distance, he heads right for it Sitting on top of the beehive is Bee who graciously offers Bear some honey, but Bear is worried. He believes that bees are big, scary creatures who do not share their honey. But Bear's new friend just happens to be a bee And Bee is small and most certainly is not scary. But do bees share honey? Turns out they do

    their younger brothers or sisters will also want to follow the baby bird's quest as he asks everyone and everything he meets, "Are You My Mother?".Back in 1957, Theodor Geisel responded to an article in Life magazine that lamented the use of boring reading primers in schools. Using the pseudonym of "Dr. Seuss" (Seuss was Geisel's middle name) and only two hundred twenty-three words, Geisel created a replacement for those dull primers: "The Cat in the Hat." The instant success of the book prompted Geisel and his wife to found Beginner Books, and Geisel wrote many popular books in this series, including "Hop on Pop," "Fox in Socks," and "Green Eggs and Ham." Other favorite titles in this series are "Go, Dog, Go!" and "Are You My Mother?" by P. D. Eastman, "A Fly Went By," by Mike McClintock, and "Put Me in the Zoo," by Robert Lopshire. These affordable hardcover books combine large print, easy vocabulary, and large, bright illustrations in stories kids will want to read again and again. Grades 1 - Grades 2.

    In this book with rhyming text, the dream train pulls into the station and all the different cars are loaded by the animal workers, each with the appropriate cargo.

    Chu is a little panda with a big sneeze.When Chu sneezes, bad things happen.In dusty library, diner pepper, circus tent, Will Chu sneeze today?

    Readers will certainly spot the glorious beast, plus an array of big-city icons they can count. Is the dragon taking the crosstown bus, or breathing his fiery breath below a busy street? Maybe he took a taxi to the zoo or is playing with the dogs in the park.

    Rabbit's new neighbors are Otters. OTTERS! But he doesn't know anything about Otters. Will they get along? Will they be friends? Just treat otters the same way you'd like them to treat you, advises wise Mr. Owl. And so begins Mr. Rabbit's reflection on good manners.In her smart, quirky style Laurie Keller highlights how to be a good friend and neighbor--just follow the Golden Rule! This title has Common Core connections.A Junior Library Guild SelectionDo Unto Otters is a 2008 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

    But if one little thing goes wrong, Nilson throws the biggest, most house shaking-est fit ever! Amelia helps Nilson control his gorilla-sized temper by promising him banana ice cream and letting him play with her froggy coin purse. But, sometimes, Amelia needs to be calmed down, too. Inspired by Ohora's own "negotiations" with his two sons, No Fits, Nilson! is a hilarious preschool pick for kids and parents navigating the treacherous tantrum phase.

    The dragonflies tell him to buzz off, the storks get in a flap, and the hippo is downright huffy. But then somebody else starts making a ruckus . . . and for once it is NOT Solomon. Could it be the perfect pal for a lonely croc? Matching vibrant art with rollicking words, Scottish artist Catherine Rayner has created a funny, reassuring story about a rambunctious youngster who chases off the friends he's trying to make.

    In this quirky twist on The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a boys excuses turn out to have an unexpected element of truth.

    Otis is a special tractor. He loves his farmer and he loves to work. And he loves the little calf in the next stall, whom he purrs to sleep with his soft motor. In fact, the two become great friends: they play in the fields, leap hay bales, and play ring-around-the-rosy by Mud Pond.But when Otis is replaced with the big yellow tractor, he is cast away behind the barn, unused, unnoticed . . . until the little calf gets stuck in Mud Pond. Then there is only one tractor—and it’s not big or yellow—who can come to the rescue. It is little old Otis who saves his friend. It is Otis who saves the day.In a wonderful new palette, and in the tradition of classics like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Story of Ferdinand, Loren Long has crafted an unforgettable new story—and character—celebrating the power of friendship and perseverance.

    Amiably illustrated in a bright, graphic style, Leslie Patricelli’s spirited board book, QUIET LOUD, stars an obliging, bald, and very expressive toddler who acts out each pair of opposites with comically dramatic effect.