D. Eastman, author of Go, Dog. Go! and Are You My Mother? As Aaron the Alligator’s thoughts turn to apples, pumpkins, football, and . . . ghosts, his usual mishaps occur while playing outdoors with his friends. Young readers will giggle along as they tackle the simple words and sentences all on their own. Aaron the Alligator is also a star of The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary and a long out-of-print series called Everything Happens to Aaron, the basis for this book. Look for more of Aaron’s Step into Reading escapades: Aaron Is a Good Sport, Aaron Has a Lazy Day, and Aaron Is Cool.   Step 1 Readers feature big type and easy words for children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading. Rhyme and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story.

    Wittilda's attempt to work at a beauty shop ends in disaster, so she goes to Dingaling Pizza, where the applicants are told, "'Five pizzas each to deliver. The first one back gets the job!'" Wittilda balances the boxes on one hand as she flies over town on her broomstick. She is slowed down when she helps a kitten caught in a tree, but still makes her deliveries in time to land the position. The last page shows the witch and 48 cats all eating pizza together by candlelight. The rhythmic language has an effortless flow, and both text and artwork are a great mix of the traditional and the contemporary. The illustrations (oil over acrylic) are a delight, with comic touches to discover at every rereading. The evening scenes showing Wittilda flying through a luminous moonlit night are especially effective. The best book to date by this husband/ wife team, this one is a winner for group sharing."

    One blew away, And then there were nine.And so the countdown begins . . . A mummy, a witch, a ghost, a werewolf, a vampire, and others all gather, but one by one their crowd diminishes. At last there is only one creepy monster left. But what kind of monster is it?Squeals of laughter are sure to accompany the reading of this book from bestselling illustrator Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis, as 10 creepy monsters set out for fun. Praise for Ten Creepy Monsters "Armstrong-Ellis injects just the right amount of humor into her portrayals of the ghoulish bunch, keeping the tone appropriately light."—Kirkus Reviews"Generously detailed acrylics provide a touch of nefarious charm, while a tender surprise ending should gratify trick-or-treaters."—Publishers Weekly"Fun for Halloween or for counting anytime."—School Library Journal"Armstrong-Ellis’ textured images, full of spooky spirit and clever detail, add to the fun. A happy Halloween outing." —Booklist "With rich language and a delightfully dark nighttime palette, this pleasing rhyme begs to be acted out or performed with puppets. The illustrations are appropriately ghoulish." —BookPage "A perfect Halloween read-aloud but a great way to relieve malaise on any day, this picture book also helps young readers learn to count as the monsters fall by the wayside in gruesome fashion." —Reading Today Online "Author/artist Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis clearly had fun crafting this silly, lighthearted Halloween tale of monsters who disappear…" —The Seattle Times"Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis delivers a delightful rhyming lesson in subtraction."—USA Today

    She has heard lots and lots about that very human holiday Halloween, and even though she thinks she knows what humans are like, she has never, ever seen Halloween for herself. Until one very special Halloween comes along . . .

    Each colorful page encourages the child to find the "right" witch in a group of witches, all unique and in very imaginative settings. Sharleen Collicott's wonderful illustrations depict them with inventive charm and whimsy. The clever, rhyming clues are in the form of questions and even after the correct answer is revealed, children will want to revisit, over and over again, this most delightful and unusual bunch of witches.

    But on the first day of school, her classmates start calling her “Itty Bitty” because she’s small and still uses her kinder-broom. Betty doesn’t like the nickname—or how it makes her feel itty-bitty inside. So she comes up with a BIG idea to prove herself: winning the Halloween Dash.

    Sometimes they swim in swamps, and other times they explore the haunted old forest. And what's served for dinner in the dining hall? Gooey eyeballs! There's no telling what might happen at Miss Thornapple's school. But one thing is for sure: Even young witches have lessons to learn.

    . . zurrigee. . .zate. . . .These are the words to make a playmate!Margaret was an independent little witch, but even the most independent witch can get a little lonely. When Margaret casts a spell to conjure up a friend, the spell gives her lots of cats instead!Taking care of a bunch of lively cats sounds like lots of fun . . . but could turn out to be lots of trouble!

    With rhythm, rhyme, and picture clues, this book is written to support the newest reader.

    . . a baby monster!Minneapolis Simpkin is hiding it down there. But a monster is a hard thing to keep secret, especially one that hiccups and cries, and gets bigger every hour.This Level One I Can Read is perfect for kids learning to sound out words and sentences. From the beloved creator of Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish, and illustrated by Caldecott medalist Marc Simont.

    But Hooper Humperdink isn’t on the guest list!

    He was black too. And that is how the trouble began. Everything in Winnie's house is black - the carpet, the chairs, the bed and the sheets, the pictures on the walls, and even the bathtub! And of course her cat, Wilbur, is black too - all except for his bright-green eyes. Whenever poor Wilbur closes his eyes and tries to take a catnap, Winnie stumbles right over him. Or accidentally sits on top of him. Until one day, when Winnie gets a brilliant idea. What if Wilbur were a different color?

    But Lula prefers to study cookbooks rather than spellbooks (and hates to fly on a broom). Lula wants to be a famous chef. In desperation, the Aunties insist she try to make one last potion. Lula secretly adds her cooking flair and in true witchy fashion creates a brew that bewitches the entire town, and her Aunties too! This fun rhyming tale transcends the typical Halloween story to appeal to cooks and "foodies" throughout the year.

    But parade day brings heavy rain. So, Delia takes action. Using her best magic, Delia changes the rain to cats and dogs. But that doesn’t work too well! Then hats and clogs. That doesn’t work, either! Each new type of rain brings a new set of problems. How can Delia save the day?

    Illustrated.