Christmas Mouse tells the story of a mouse getting ready for Christmas. Anne Mortimer's brightly colored and detailed paintings are full of festive energy, and the rhyming verse makes this a great read-aloud alternative to The Night Before Christmas.There's much to do before Christmas comes! The tree needs decorating, lights need hanging, and carols must be sung. There are presents to leave for animal friends, treats to nibble on, and stockings to hang by the fire.When everything is ready, Mouse makes a Christmas wish before snuggling down to sleep. Will Mouse's wish come true?This cozy story for young readers celebrates the little things we do that make Christmas a magical time for all.

    . . until a sound awakens Olaf. Read along as Olaf has the adventure of a lifetime with a mysterious stranger in red. This beautifully illustrated 32-page paper-over-board picture book comes with a read-along CD featuring audio narration by Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf! Fans of all generations will delight in Olaf's innocent and humorous account of "The Night Before Christmas."

    This simple but poetic text brings to life the story of Jesus' birth in a stable in Bethlehem. First published in 1952, this Little Golden Book adaption of the Christmas story was illustrated by beloved artist Eloise Wilkin. This classic picture book retelling of the Christmas story is a perfect gift for the holidays.

    Year after year, Frankie hopes that one particular gift a very special gift will be tossed to him from that train. It is this enduring hope that will guide him to the true meaning of the season. Full color.

    Open the flaps to see inside the shops, where unusual things are going on. Should those wild animals be upstairs in the pet shop? Will the plates fall off the wall in Mr. Cooper’s China Shop? Can Sally find everything on her list? Children will pore over this charmingly illustrated interactive book to find out.Each shop is depicted in Alice Melvin’s trademark highly detailed illustrations that both evoke a previous age and yet remain strongly contemporary. Rhyming text and repetition of Sally’s shopping list make this book perfect for reading aloud. Praise for The High Street“A satisfyingly unique ending. The inventive format and crisp retro details will put this at the top of every curious little girl’s reading list.”–School Library Journal

    Someone has sat in their chairs and slept in their beds too! Could the intruder have been Santa?

    He assumes he isn't missing much. However, his friends are determined to prove otherwise! Will Tortoise sleep through another winter, or will his friends convince him to stay awake and experience the frosty fun of winter? Best-selling author Katy Hudson's charming picture book will have everyone excited for winter.

    Not only does this mean that the cars will soon be running on fumes, but it also makes it impossible for the town's postal trucks to deliver everyone's Christmas letters to Santa Car! Mater's determined to get his letter to Santa, though. Luckily, Fillmore has just enough of his special Christmas gasoline for Mater and Lightning McQueen to make the trek to the North Pole, while the rest of the town investigates the mysterious missing fuel. But when Mater finally meets Santa Car, he learns that Christmas might actually need to be cancelled this year...unless Mater and McQueen can save the day! This 48-page picture book with foil stamping and embossing on the cover is sure to become a Christmas classic!

    But do you have any idea how the age-old tale of the Spider and the Fly ends? Join celebrated artist Tony DiTerlizzi as he -- drawing inspiration from one of his loves, the classic Hollywood horror movies of the 1920s and 1930s -- shines a cinematic spotlight on Mary Howitt's warning, written to her own children about those who use sweet words to hide their not-so-sweet intentions.

    As in Holly Hobbie's earlier Toot and Puddle, Toot has the travel bug while Puddle contentedly tends the home fires. In his postcard from Scotland, Toot promises to be home for Christmas. But ice storms and delayed flights threaten to spoil the holiday plans... until an unexpected fellow traveler saves the day. Hobbie's marvelous illustrations are filled with telling details and subtle wit: Toot caroling his heart out in an Edinburgh blizzard with a few sheep buddies; Puddle curled up in an armchair with crayons and holiday cards (signed with a blank space before "and Puddle," in anticipation of Toot's signature). The devotion the pigs share for each other is sweet, never sickly, and young readers with best friends will know exactly how they feel, being apart at a most important time. Several more Toot and Puddle titles will also enchant, including A Present for Toot and You Are My Sunshine. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

    Doc Holiday gets the challenge of his career when Saint Nick comes down with a bad case of Santa Claustrophobia. Full-color illustrations.

    But the dot, though perfect in every way, only had eyes for a wild and unkempt squiggle. All of the line's romantic dreams were in vain, until he discovered...angles! Now, with newfound self-expression, he can be anything he wants to be--a square, a triangle, a parallelogram....And that's just the beginning!First published in 1963 and made into an Academy Award-winning animated short film, here is a supremely witty love story with a twist that reveals profound truths about relationships--both human and mathematical--sure to tickle lovers of all ages.

    But what if somebody’s taste in pets runs to the more mechanical kind? What about those who like cogs and gears more than feathers and fur? People who prefer the call of a train whistle to the squeal of a guinea pig? Or maybe dream of a smudge of soot on their cheek, not slobber? In this spectacularly illustrated picture book, kids who love locomotives (and what kid doesn’t?) will discover where trains live, what they like to eat, and the best train tricks around—everything it takes to lay the tracks for a long and happy friendship. All aboard!

    A moody young boy living with his aunt on an island, "Red" Breathed sees himself as the "Red Ranger from Mars", his hero from the movie serials, and cannot picture life without the gift of a Red Ranger bicycle. Red is far too "swanky a human being" to believe in Santa Claus, but nevertheless he pays a visit to the aged island hermit, Lord Sander Clos, rumored to be the legendary man himself, now living in lonely, joyless retirement. This meeting triggers an emotional response within the self-absorbed Red and leads to the most remarkable bicycle ever delivered on Christmas morning.

    Debbie Tilley’s fun, whimsical illustrations highlight the book’s lighthearted, yet sensitive, tone. To encourage family discussions, Babies Don’t Eat Pizza is best read over time.