She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a traveling circus, but she longs for a different life -- one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It's not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh -- a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.

    In a series of conversations with everything from the melting brook to chirping birds, they say goodbye to winter and welcome the lushness of spring.

    With a stunningly cunning plan, Lou Pine finds a disguise that is sure to deliver a lamb stew or two. But this flock of sheep aren't quite the dumb mutton they seem. Full color.

    He gets his chance the day Big Sparkler, the geyser, starts to sputter and fade, disappointing all the alien tourists. As he launches into space and fixes the geyser problem in a most unusual way, Hedgie returns home a hero.

    And his owner, Harry, has all the best hopes that George will be a well-behaved dog when he leaves him alone for the day. But when George spies a delicious cake sitting on the kitchen table, his resolve starts to waver. You see, George loves cake. . . . Uh-oh. What to do now? It’s so hard to be a good dog when there are cats to chase and flowers to dig up! What ever will Harry say when he gets back? Chris Haughton’s fetchingly funny story and vibrant, retro illustrations are sure to lure dog lovers of all ages — and anyone who has ever met a temptation too good to resist.

    Fans of Sparky will flip for this whale of a tale!I have to win this goldfish.My parents won’t let me have anything fluffy. Or shaggy. Or feathery. Or that eats mice.But finally, tonight, they say I can keep anything I win at the goldfish booth.And I win!Just not a goldfish.I win…Nuncio?

    Pandas do NOT wear pants.   And so begins a hilarious battle of wills when a young panda tries to convince his father why pants make perfect sense. After all, pants are soft. Pants keep you warm. Some pants even have . . . POCKETS! But with a menacing snow leopard lurking in the background, will the longed-for pants end up having an even greater role to play?   Jacqueline Davies’s humorous story, with deliciously droll illustrations from Sydney Hanson, captures the push and pull between a parent and child as they face off over the age-old dilemma of what to wear . . . with the most heartwarming of results.

    The perfect gift for baby showers, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, weddings, and beyond. Before You also works perfectly as a comforting and joyful read-aloud for parents to tuck their children into bed with. For fans of perennial favorites like I Like You and Guess How Much I Love You.

    The pond is dry, and she doesn't want to roll in the mud with Pig, sing with Rooster, doze with Tortoise, eat laundry with Goat, or join any of the other animals in their pastimes. To make matters worse, the gray cloud that's following Duck is growing bigger by the minute, and now her friends are feeling gloomy as well. What will it take to cheer them all up? Two prolific picture-book creators look to the skies for a humorous tale of not-fair-weather friendship.

    As always, the tale includes a vivid group of characters on two legs and four: Mrs. Pickering and her three stately Basset hounds, James himself, and Debbie, the self-possesed stray cat who makes a special contribution to Christmas at the Pickering house. This is one of James Herriot's own favorite stories, and it is sure to be one of yours.

    Even more unusual? Out of the hat pops a baby penguin. But not just one baby penguin . . . or even two. But a third, and a fourth, and on and on!At first the mama penguin is happy for the company. Until she realizes that taking care of a family is very hard, very tiring work, and what she could really use is just a moment alone. Yet as newcomer Melissa Guion reminds us in her adorable debut picture book, alone time is all well and good, but, it's together time that's best of all.Perfect for any mama penguin with a family, or classroom, full of mischievous little ones.

    In the capable hands of his alter ego Maynard Moose, storyteller Willy Claflin takes us on a wacky journey where this Uglified Ducky, a hapless young moose, "blunders away" from his home, is mistaken for a baby duck, and endured endless humiliation as he tries to learn to waddle, quack, swim, and fly. Eventually he finds his true "fambly," who help him discover his own beauty.In his fractured English, translated in the glossary at front, Maynard relays a surprisingly tender story that echoes the original tale's theme of the struggle to belong. The Uglified Ducky's quest is playfully but sympathetically interpreted in James Stimson's luminous, droll gouache illustrations.

    But when a handsome prince rescues her and brings her back to civilization, Barbie¨ isn't sure she fits in - especially with the prim & proper queen! Will Barbie¨ choose true love - or will she return to the land of animals? Girls will enjoy reading this beautifully illustrated hardcover storybook based on the ninth Barbie direct-to-DVD movie.

    Meet Bobo.Bobo is a dog who likes his life just the way it is: at the center of his beloved parents' attention.But a new baby is about to change everything…In this warmhearted new-sibling book, Bobo proves that dogs are not only man’s best friend, but baby’s best friend, too.

    Residents of a great fir tree in a thick forest make their home noticeable in hopes that Santa will come for his first visit to them.