The Gingerbread Girl


Lisa Campbell Ernst - 2006
    Never fear, this smart cookie has a plan to outfox the fox. Will it work? Let's just say that the ending is sweet for everyone. Ernst's familiar art, here placed against gingham-check backgrounds, utilizes the oversize format to best advantage, with large characters leaping out of their frames. On the cover, the candy-studded Gingerbread Girl with licorice-whip hair stares boldly out at readers. Kids won?t be able to resist following her inside. Booklist

Cow Boy Is Not a Cowboy


Gregory Barrington - 2020
    When she meets Merle—a bull—she mistakes him for a cowboy since he’s both a cow and a boy. Cowboys aren’t ordinary so Goat Girl can’t wait to introduce herself. “HOWDY COWBOY!"An annoyed Merle insists he's not a cowboy.But will this not-a-cowboy change his mind when his rootin’-tootin’ dream has a chance to come true?Saddle up and find out in this hilarious, rollicking unlikely friendship story perfect for fans of Jory John’s Goodnight Already!, Ryan T. Higgins’s Mother Bruce, and Suzanne Lang’s Grumpy Monkey.

Ronan the Librarian


Tara Luebbe - 2020
    He raided. And back home, he traded.He always found the greatest treasures.Until one day, Conan found something no barbarian wants:A BOOK.This humorous picture book from sister duo Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie and illustrator Victoria Maderna follows Ronan the Barbarian as he he grows from being just a rough-and-tumble warrior to a rough-and-tumble warrior who loves books.At first, his fellow barbarians are skeptical of his newfound passion for reading, but in the end, even they aren't immune to the charms of a good book.

Invent-a-Pet


Vicky Fang - 2020
    Then one day Katie comes home to find a gift from her mother: a mysterious machine designed to help her create that one-of-a-kind creature. Each time she feeds different items into the machine, out comes a marvelously colorful new animal—like a purple monkey, rainbow-spotted horse, and green bunny! But none of them is just right. Through trial and error, Katie figures out the formula for her absolutely perfect SURPRISE pet.

Also an Octopus


Maggie Tokuda-Hall - 2016
    What happens next is up to you! A delightfully meta picture book that will set imaginations soaring.It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something—maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass? Debut author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, with the help of illustrator Benji Davies, sets up an endearingly funny story, then hands the baton to readers, who will be more than primed to take it away.

The Barnabus Project


Eric Fan - 2020
    A stunning picture book from international bestsellers The Fan Brothers, joined by their brother Devin Fan.Deep underground beneath Perfect Pets, where children can buy genetically engineered "perfect" creatures, there is a secret lab. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab, but none of them is perfect. They are all Failed Projects. Barnabus has never been outside his tiny bell jar, yet he dreams of one day seeing the world above ground that his pal Pip the cockroach has told him about: a world with green hills and trees, and buildings that reach all the way to the sky, lit with their own stars. But Barnabus may have to reach the outside world sooner than he thought, because the Green Rubber Suits are about to recycle all Failed Projects . . . and Barnabus doesn't want to be made into a fluffier pet with bigger eyes. He just wants to be himself. So he decides it's time for he and the others to escape. With his little trunk and a lot of cooperation and courage, Barnabus sets out to find freedom -- and a place where he and his friends can finally be accepted for who they are.This suspenseful, poignant and magical story about following your dreams and finding where you truly belong will draw readers into a surreal, lushly detailed world in which perfection really means being true to yourself and your friends.

Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug


Jonathan Stutzman - 2019
    Meet Tiny, a diminutive but determined T-Rex in a big world, as he embraces all obstacles against him in his quest to learn how to hug.

The Giant of Jum


Elli Woollard - 2015
    And the tastiest of all is a boy known as Jack! But Jack and his friends don't see a scary giant, they see a magically tall man - a man who can fetch lost balls and rescue cats from trees! Perhaps this hungry giant is softer than he seems...An incredible rhyming text and a brilliant, big-hearted twist on a classic fairy tale, this book sees the launch of a major new picture book pairing: the uniquely talented author and poet, Elli Woollard, and award-winning illustrator, Benji Davies.Also contains an important message for all: don't eat kids, eat cake!

Once Upon a Time, the End (Asleep in 60 Seconds)


Geoffrey Kloske - 2005
    So the grown-up picked up this book and read this flap and took the book home and read it out loud and they both laughed and fell fast asleep fast. Just like you. The end.

Miss Hazeltine's Home for Shy and Fearful Cats


Alicia Potter - 2015
    They come from all over, and Miss Hazeltine gives them lessons in everything, from “Bird Basics” to “How Not to Fear the Broom.”The most timid of all is Crumb. He cowers in a corner. Miss Hazeltine doesn’t mind. But when she gets in trouble and only Crumb knows where she is, will he find his inner courage and lead a daring rescue?Filled with adorable illustrations and ideal for fans of Disappearing Desmond and The Invisible Boy, Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats is a story that’s perfect for shy and fearful children as it both helps them face scary situations and accepts them just as they are.

Little Red Reading Hood and the Misread Wolf


Troy Wilson - 2019
    Little Red Reading Hood loves--you guessed it--reading! She applies everything she learns from books to the real world. So, when she sets off to take her sick grandmother a homemade treat, she's prepared for anything that comes her way. In keeping with the original story, Red is in for a surprise when she arrives to find a wolf disguised as her grandmother. But this is no ordinary wolf. . . This is the Misread Wolf, who's after something more delicious than your average snack. He's desperate for a bedtime story and knows Little Red Reading Hood might just be his only hope.

Clever Jack Takes the Cake


Candace Fleming - 2010
    What would you do if you were invited to the princess’s tenth birthday party but didn’t have money for a gift? Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake.Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece. What could possibly go wrong?Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas, creators of the bestselling picture book Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, have teamed up again to bring us a modern fairy tale starring a determined boy and a story-loving princess with a good sense of humor. While girls will fall for a story featuring a princess’s birthday party, Jack’s adventures with trolls, bears, and gypsies make this the perfect read for young boys as well—and ideal for storytime.

There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor


Wade Bradford - 2018
    Snore ever get some shut-eye at the busy Sharemore Hotel? The room on the first floor is too noisy. The room on the second floor is too crowded. The room on the third floor is too damp. Everywhere Mr. Snore goes, with a dutiful bellhop leading the way, he encounters something that's bound to keep him awake. Why is it so hard to find some peace and quiet? Perhaps Mr. Snore will have better luck on the thirteenth floor. . . . From author and playwright Wade Bradford and award-winning illustrator Kevin Hawkes comes a laugh-out-loud tale that plays with expectations and revelations -- and reveals a surprisingly thought-provoking final twist.

Cinderelephant


Emma Dodd - 2012
    Meet Prince Trunky, The Warty Sisters, The Furry Godmouse and Cinderelephant in this rip-roaring hilarious take on a well-loved fairy tale.

We Don't Eat Our Classmates


Ryan T. Higgins - 2018
    But it’s hard to make human friends when they’re so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all... Readers will gobble up this hilarious new story from award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.