Today is their mama’s birthday and they are going to bake a cake. They'll have to measure the flour, mix in the right number of eggs, and get it into the oven in time for the birthday surprise— all without waking up Mama! Eileen Christelow has created an original, high-energy romp, sure to delight any child who has tried to plan a surprise.

    Cozy and sensitive watercolor illustrations from David McPhail are the perfect complement to Liza Baker's rhythmic, rhyming text. This book is sure to become a family favorite -- and an enduring classic of the genre.

    With roots in American slave tales, Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of using one’s wits to overcome hardship. “As usual, Stevens’ animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. . . . It’s all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing.”--BooklistThis title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Stories)

    The little red hen finds none of her lazy friends willing to help her plant, harvest or grind wheat into flour or to prepare the dough or bake it, but all are eager to eat the bread she makes.

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    From cookies and crackers to olives, cheese, and sticky jam, MOUSE joyfully munches his way through the kitchen and makes a big MESS!

    The necessary tools are pictured and labeled, as are the seeds (green bean, pea, corn, zucchini squash, and carrot). Then the real gardening happens . . . planting, weeding, harvesting, washing, chopping, and cooking! In the end? "It was the best soup ever." Ehlert’s simple, colorful cut-paper-style illustrations are child-friendly, as is the big black type. A recipe for vegetable soup tops it all off!

    But one day while they're out for a walk, a dirty little girl named Dusty Locks barges in and helps herself to their supper of beans. The big bear's beans are so full of chile peppers that she burns her mouth. The middle bear's beans don't even have any salt. But the bear cub's beans are just right, so Dusty Locks gobbles them all up. When the bears come home to find their nice, neat house looking like it's been hit by a whirlwind, they get riled -- and Dusty Locks runs home so fast the dust doesn't settle for a week.The talented team that created Little Red Cowboy Hat works its hilarious magic again in this lively western retelling of Goldilocks.

    and Mrs. Brown first met Paddington, a most endearing bear from Darkest Peru on a railway platform in London. A sign hanging around his neck said, "Please look after this bear. Thank you" So that is just what they did.From the very first night when he attempted his first bath and ended up nearly flooding the house, Paddington was seldom far from imminent disaster. Jonathan and Judy were delighted with this havoc and even Mr. and Mrs. Brown had to admit that life seemed to be more filled with adventure when there was a bear in the house.

    But if that’s the case, how do you explain the huge, foot shaped pond in the yard, or the occurrence of strange and sudden storms in which the earth quakes and dirt rains from the sky? When his father is carried away in such a storm, Jack gives chase in the only logical way: by trading the family cow for some magic beans that will give him access to a land beyond the clouds. He arrives to find that the giants themselves have giant-sized troubles. With the help of an overachieving little sister, a magic goose and a chatty cook (who is not interested in grinding human bones into bread, thank you very much!) Jack sets out to save his dad and save the day.

    "A welcome blend of myth and reality, set in modern times but connected by folklore to the world of animals and magic."--Publishers Weekly

    A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a selfish raja is outwitted by a clever village girl.

    Shapes: Is that a carrot, or a triangle? Colors: Watch for peppers in every range of the rainbow. Numbers: A zero-to-ten zoo! ABCs: A full produce section of sculptures acts out the alphabet. And Opposites: You've never seen Up/Down and Big/Little like this before! Every time we think Saxton Freymann can do no more with bok choy or broccoli, he astonishes us all over again. And this book is one-stop shopping for all parents' early-childhood education needs. Try some FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

    An octopus is trickier (underwater with all those arms) but tickling a crocodile is the hardest one – with all those sharp teeth! This is a ticklish tale that children will love.

    . .It’s Llama Llama’s first day of preschool! And Llama Llama’s mama makes sure he’s ready. They meet the teachers. See the other children. Look at all the books and games. But then it’s time for Mama to leave. And suddenly Llama Llama isn’t so excited anymore. Will Mama Llama come back?Of course she will. But before she does, the other children show Llama Llama how much fun school can be!Activities for Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna DewdneyWatch a Video