Watson may look human, but it is a known and proven fact that she is actually a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students. Thank goodness for a second grader's warning, because this little first grader has a secret: She has a loose tooth! Her first! How will she make it through an entire year without opening her mouth? Told with the same gentle wit as in their first irresistible collaboration, Countdown to Kindergarten, this lighthearted take on losing one's first tooth will have children and parents laughing aloud.

    His nose is clogged, his ears are crackling, and his brain feels full. All he wants is his mom to take care of him, but whenever he calls out for her, his stuffed-up nose summons slobbery dog Bob instead! As Louie tries and tries to make himself understood in this funny picturebook, kids will love calling out with him, "Bob, not Bob!"

    But in this book, the things that make you grumpy can actually be funny. So be careful, or you'll end up laughing at your own grumpiness. And, as you'll soon find out, it's hard to be giggly and grumpy at the same time.

    How will they ever get along?

    Seuss tells the funny rhyming story of Annie G. Magee, a young girl who wants to meet Dr. Seuss and find out what makes him so unique. Not content to simply write to Dr. Seuss, Annie travels to his house, summons her courage and knocks upon the door. Dr. Seuss is not at home, but Annie isn’t ready to give up quite yet.

    Fascinated with dinosaurs, Patrick imagines that at one time dinosaurs were great friends of people.

    When he gets the news that he's better suited to being a service dog, he's worried that he's not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she'd imagined it, too. Now Jessica needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. And it turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time. An endnote from the authors tells more about the training and extraordinary abilities of service dogs, particularly their real-life best friend and black lab, Rescue.

    She had a coat-pocket poodle, a beagle, Chihuahuas, a Great Dane, and more, but her favorite was a boxer named Mister. Mister was always there to bolster her courage through good times and bad, even before her legendary appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Newton’s stylish illustrations keep the simply told story focused on the loving bond between Billie Holiday and her treasured boxer. An author’s note deals more directly with the singer’s troubled life, and includes a little-known photo of Mister and Lady Day!

    The storm rages outside, but Pete, the farmhand, knows this is the perfect time to tell his stories about a dog named Tornado.Blown into their lives by a twister when Pete was a boy, Tornado was no ordinary dog—he played card tricks, saved a turtle’s life, and had a rivalry with the family cat.Forgetting their fear, the family hangs on every word of Pete’s stories—both happy and sad—of this remarkable dog.

    Comprising boarding kennels, a dog training school, as well as a rescue mission for stray and mistreated canines, the Kennels provides the ideal venue for doggy adventures and misadventures of all kinds. Here the owners' children - Neil, Paul and Sarah - rescue, care for and love a host of adorable animals. In Teacher's Pet, Dotty the Dalmatian (owned by Neil's new teacher) fails all her tests at the King Street Kennels' training school. Dotty's been thrown out of dog schools all round the country. Can Neil turn Dotty into a star pupil - and get on his teacher's good side?

    His mom comes up with a way to keep him entertained--by drawing a picture of herself and him going outside, playing in the rain, and splashing in a giant puddle. They have so much fun drawing themselves that they decide to venture out and make the most of the rainy weather.

    Now he sleeps on their beds, lets them dress him up in doll clothes, and laps up warm milk on chilly nights. But where does Charlie go during the day? It's not until a storm keeps Charlie away one night that the two sisters discover his other, daytime, home. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. Because, just like Elizabeth and Sarah, Charlie has two houses, two beds, and two families who love him very, very much!

    One day on a walk through Paris (a "twelve little girls in two straight lines" kind of walk), Madeline slips and falls off a bridge right into the Seine. Everyone feared she would be dead, "But for a dog / That kept its head," saving her from a "watery grave." What choice do Madeline and the girls have but to take the heroic pooch home, feed her biscuits, milk, and beef, and name her Genevieve? Sadly, when Lord Cucuface gets wind of the new dog, he decrees that no dogs will be allowed in the "old house in Paris that was covered with vines," and kicks Genevieve out on the street. Madeline vows vengeance, and the girls scour Paris looking for the pup: "They went looking high / and low / And every place a dog might go. / In every place they called her name / But no one answered to the same." As we've come to expect from Bemelmans, all's well that ends well chez Clavel, and young readers will be tickled by this heartwarming, quirky dog story with a surprise finale. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

    Written by New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado, The Oak Inside the Acorn teaches young readers about the incredible miracle inside each of us while reminding us that we were created by God for a special purpose. The story highlights the adventure of a sweet little acorn becoming a big, strong oak tree. Readers will cheer on the growing tree when he can't grow oranges like the orange tree or flowers like the rose bush. Children will read with patient wonder as the tree grows empty branches, and later a very special purpose is revealed.The Oak Inside the Acorn is a wonderful picture book for readers, ages 6-10. Children will learn that:All of God's creations have purpose and contribute to the well-being of othersPatience is a process, and it takes time to grow into all God created them to beThis inspirational story makes an excellent bedtime story and will help children in your life understand all they were created to be.X

    McKissack comes a humorous and poignant picture book about the right time to tell the truth.“Tell the truth and shame the devil,” Libby’s mama has told her. So whatever is Libby doing wrong? Ever since she started telling only the truth, the whole world seems to be mad at her. First, it’s her best friend, Ruthie Mae, who gets upset when Libby tells all their friends that Ruthie Mae has a hole in her sock. Then Willie gives her an ugly look when she tells the teacher he hasn’t done his homework. It seems that telling the truth isn’t always so simple. Can Libby figure out what it really means to be truthful and make amends?