Little does she know, when she sets off toward the sea, that the first crew she joins will be composed of cats. Or that she herself will be hailed by a shipload of pirate steers as their captain's dairy queen. It's amoozing where a dream can take a girl -- a truth which Lisa Wheelerand Ponder Goembel relish here in rollicking words and witty, windblown pictures.

    It could set the scene for a fairy tale or a wild expedition. The most wonderful thing is its seemingly endless capacity for magical adventure, a feature imaginatively captured in cardboardesque art by Chris Sheban and rhythmically celebrated in this poetic tribute by renowned children's author Jane Yolen.

    There are sleepy pups, hyper pups, glamorous pups--and some that are a mix of everything! This energetic book, with its fun rhyming text and adorable illustrations, is sure to thrill the young dog lover. Anyone who's ever adopted a furry friend will already know the true trick to picking a pup . . . the pup picks YOU!

    All is uneventful until they meet Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town, and run for home. The story is told by a brilliant, cumulative rhyming text and terrific pictures.

    Wave good-bye to the sun, gently press the firefly, make a wish on a star, rub the owls on their heads, and . . . shhhh. No two readings of this book will be the same. That along with the gentle, soothing rhythm, makes Touch the Brightest Star a bedtime winner—no matter how many times you and your child read it.

    Might he be driving a train?... or sailing on a pirate ship? An imaginative and heart-warming story, with glowing illustrations from Helen Cooper, twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal.

    One day, his humans leave the door open a crack and Fuddles seizes the chance to slip out, but things aren’t quite as he expected. In a series of hilarious mishaps, including a run-in with the neighborhood dog, he realizes that life as he’d known it was actually pretty good. Told with deadpan humor and charming art, Fuddles is sure to steal readers’ hearts.

    Now meet the old dragon who swallows pretty much an entire kingdom! Will he ever learn a little moderation?! This rollicking rhyme is full to bursting with sight gags, silly characters, and plenty of burps! Parents and kids alike will delight in Ben Mantle’s precisely funny illustrations and in Penny Parker Klostermann’s wacky rhymes.In days of yore, before a certain fly's ultimately fatal encounter with an Old Lady, there was an old dragon who felt rather peckish. "There was an old dragon who swallowed a knight. / I don't know why he swallowed the knight // It's not polite!" He follows the knight with the knight's steed ("that galloped around at a terrible speed"). Then a squire, a cook, a lady, a castle, and finally a moat are each swallowed in turn. But…"With all of that water, he started to bloat. / And that's when the dragon roared, and I quote: / ‘Okay, enough! I've had enough— / More than enough of this swallowing stuff!' " So realizing that eating all those things might have been "a tad impolite," the old dragon burps them all out in reverse except the knight (which is "ahhh…just right"). Klostermann's debut is a rollicking and warped Medieval take on the well-worn cumulative rhyme. Prolific British animator and illustrator Mantle's expressive and bright cartoon illustrations of the red, horned dragon (and the contents of his stomach) are a perfect match. The antics within the dragon's stomach—every image of the steed is accompanied by a little "clippity, clippity, clippity, clop" in teeny type—and his copious burping will leave 'em laughing. No matter how many swallowed-fly titles you own, this one belongs on your shelf too. KIrkus, May 1,2015

    But when Sir Zack and Caspar are taken inside for bed, King Jack - alone on his throne - finds himself feeling a bit less brave . . . especially when he hears a thing approaching, a thing with four legs.A rollicking read-aloud with a charming surprise ending and Helen Oxenbury's spare, expressive illustrations, this kid-pleaser is a classic in the making.

    But when a sudden rain shower sends the rabbits scurrying for shelter under the hedge, the other wild animals come to visit them! Jim Arnosky's graceful watercolors and simple text are sure to delight children experiencing nature's wonders for the first time.

    Not a peep. Three little robots are... BEEP! BEEP!When his three rambunctious robots give every possible excuse not to go to sleep, what's a little boy to do? With a fun refrain that will have readers of all ages chanting along, here's a book that kids will be begging to read every night before bed.

    It's a gentle introduction to the ideas of adaptation, hibernation, and migration, and an exhuberant celebration of changing seasons.

    If one moose is this marvelous, then more moose must be even better! Pretty soon, Martha has more moose than she can handle in this playful pet story.

    Fans of Kevin Henkes and Beatrix Potter will adore this gorgeous book.Come, little bunny, don’t be shy . . . “Hush Little Baby” is a lullaby that parents have sung to their children for generations. Now Caldecott Honor winner David Ezra Stein has reimagined the classic featuring an irresistible papa bunny and his little one.This new classic is the perfect gift for Easter, baby showers, Father's Day, and all year long.

    Nothing to play with, no books on the shelves, Just 10 little mummies wrapped up in themselves. "This is the pits!" said a mummy one day. "I am bored stiff. Let's go outside and play! For the first time in prehistory ten adorable mummies are painting the town red. But what is there to paint in ancient Egypt? Find out in this refreshingly funny counting book, where the counting goes backwards from ten down to one little mummy. (Hint: some of the fun involves pyramids and a sphinx!) With a minimalist approach and a deep, distinctive palate, G. Brian Karas tickles the funny bone in this debut counting book by Philip Yates.