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.

    He could play the piano, throw a curveball, and tie a triple bowline knot in three seconds flat. But in the 1950s and 60s, he could not bake bread at the Wonder Bread factory. Factory bosses said white people would not want to eat bread touched by the hands of the African Americans who worked there. In this powerful intergenerational story, Joseph learns that people joined their hands together to fight discrimination so that one day, their hands—Joseph’s hands—could do anything at all in this whole wide world.

    But with distractions and tricks up her sleeve along the way, the competition becomes both fierce and funny at the same time. On your mark, get set, read!

    Beetles squeak and beetles glow.Beetles stink, beetles sprint, beetles walk on water.With legs, antennae, horns, beautiful shells, knobs, and other oddities—what’s notto like about beetles?The beetle world is vast: one out of every four living things on earth is a beetle.There are over 350,000 different species named so far and scientists suspect there maybe as many as a million.From the goliath beetle that weighs one fourth of a pound to the nine inch longtitan beetle, award-winning author-illustrator Steve Jenkins presents a fascinating arrayof these intriguing insects and the many amazing adaptations they have made tosurvive.

    Then one day something occurred that caused the girl to take her heart and put it in a safe place.However, after that it seemed that more things were empty than before. Would she know when and how to get her heart back?

    The search for the perfect classroom dinosaur kicks off a prehistoric pet parade . . . and school will never be the same! With bouncy text, strikingly bold illustrations, and a section of fun facts about the amazing Jurassic giants, this perfect read-aloud is as educational as it is silly and satisfying.

    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.

    Climb through the trees, find the way across the crocodile-infested river, and bushwhack through the blackberries, feel your way through the dark cave, escape from the monster, and slide into safety on your way to the jungle gym. Note a special treat: a new creature joins the children from each landscape, contributing to an ever-lengthening parade to the playground in this fun and interactive book.

    She can catch any chicken on her grandmother's farm except one - the elusive Miss Hen. In a hilarious battle of wits, the spirited narrator regales readers with her campaign to catch Miss Hen, but this chicken is "fast as a mosquito buzzing and quick as a fleabite." Our chicken chaser has her mind set on winning, until she discovers that sometimes it's just as satisfying not to catch chickens as it is to catch them.A fresh voice full of sass and inventive, bold collage illustrations full of surprises create a childlike escapade brimming with funny high jinks that leads the reader on a merry, memorable chase.The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

    “The swift, puckish story and its plucky hero will appeal tremendously, especially to the many children inspired to play toll-bridge by The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”--Publishers Weekly

    Plus, Zola already has a friend to play with—an elephant!

    Oblivious to the rain and wind of a raging storm, the raccoon is protected and sheltered by the tree. Beloved author-illustrator David McPhail crafts a simple, yet powerful, allegory about the safety of home and the strength of unconditional love.

    Fur prickles. Belly low, I creep…peek…FREEZE!My eyes full of Doom.A new puppy arrives, and nothing will be the same.Told entirely in haiku and with plenty of catitude, the story of how Won Ton faces down the enemy is a fresh and funny twist on a familiar rivalry.NCTE Notable Poetry List Book

    This fresh retelling of the classic tale features bright, humorous illustrations. The sky is falling! Chicken Little’s comic misadventures are a favorite with toddlers, who always know better than the silly chick. This fresh retelling of the classic tale features bright, humorous illustrations.

    Elizabeth Brown doesn't like to play with dolls and she doesn't like to skate. What she does like to do is read books. And now that she's grown up, her collection has gotten so big all the shelves are collapsing. Her front door has disappeared entirely. What in the world will she do? The reclusive Elizabeth Brown surprises everyone wit her splendid solution. In charming verse and elegant watercolors Sarah Stewart and David Small celebrate one of America's grandest institutions. The Library is a 1995 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year.