With quirky wordplay and infectious rhymes, Elizabeth Bluemle crystallizes an unexpected moment of community, while G. Brian Karas’s warm illustrations show the smiles to be had when a storm brings strangers together as friends.

    His mom comes up with a way to keep him entertained--by drawing a picture of herself and him going outside, playing in the rain, and splashing in a giant puddle. They have so much fun drawing themselves that they decide to venture out and make the most of the rainy weather.

    But for how much longer will the forest still be there, he wonders?Jeannie Baker's lifelike collage illustrations take the reader on an extraordinary visual journey to an exotic, primeval wilderness, which like so many others is now being threatened by civilization.

    He is far too busy at home baking fine pastries. Or so he tells everyone when they invite him along on their wonderful adventures. But when his friend Pascal digs a little deeper, the real reason George will not leave home is finally revealed.

    . . but not quite. Follow a pair of birds on a snowflake-filled journey though a gorgeous winter landscape to explore how everything, everywhere is wonderfully unique--from branches and leaves to forests and trees to friends and loved ones.

    But not little Brannon. He looks for a place to hide. Each adult tries to calm Brannon in turn, by comparing the thunder to something that's not scary."It's only a big cat purring," Daddy says. But Brannon has once been frightened by a cat--and again, he runs to take cover. It's not until the thunder is compared to dinosaurs that Brannon loses his fear. He knows all about dinosaurs. He loves them, and always wanted to see one. Now, he finds himself comforting himself--and his big brother--as he Clomps and he Stomps and he Rages and Rumbles with with all the ferocity of Dinosaur Thunder!Lyrical writing with powerful emotional resonance will inspire the youngest reader to take charge of their wildest fears!

    But tonight, when the skies turn dark and the night grows stormy, the little ones can't sleep. SWISH-SWISH! CRACK-TRACK! FLASH-SNAP! goes the storm. Only Mama Elephant with her words of wisdom can reassure them, "You're safe with me."

    Bad news, it is starting to rain. Good news, Rabbit has an umbrella. Bad news, the stormy winds blow the umbrella (and Mouse!) into a tree.So begins this clever story about two friends with very different dispositions. Using just four words, Jeff Mack has created a text with remarkable flair that is both funny and touching, and pairs perfectly with his energetic, and hilarious, illustrations.Good news, this is a book kids will clamor to read again and again!

     12 leaping lords, 22 dancing ladies, 30 fiddlers, 36 drummers, 40 milkmaids, 42 swans, 42 geese, 40 gold rings, 36 calling birds, 30 French hens, 22 turtle doves, and 12 partridges in pear trees? In this playful companion to Hilary Knight's The Owl and the Pussy-cat the presents never stop. When Bedelia Bear is faced with an accumulation of holiday offerings from her sweetheart, Benjamin, she turns her gifts into a very special event that everyone is able to share.

    Starting with a rock, a red rock, in the middle of the deep blue sea, the story takes a closer look at this tropical locale. The simple, repetitive text makes for a fun read-aloud for storytime or sharing, and identifying the vivid images and strong colors provides an exciting concept learning experience for young readers.

    When one young penguin realizes his hair is all the wrong colors, how far will he go to stop the stares?Spike the Penguin wishes he wasn’t different. Even though his parents tell him his bright red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple mohawk is beautiful, he still wants to hide his head under his flippers. Determined to find a way to be like everyone else, the sad little guy sets out on an Antarctic adventure!Diving deep into the ocean to seek a solution, Spike tries out seashell hats, squid-ink dye jobs, and a seal hair salon. But when no one can make him look just right, he fears he’ll never be happy… until his friends share something unexpected.Can this little penguin learn to appreciate his perfectly awesome plumage?Spike, The Penguin With Rainbow Hair is a heartwarming children’s picture book written in playful rhyme that shares a great message about self acceptance.

    He's sure he won't get cold outside. He doesn't mind how long the winter is, how deep the snow might get or how hard the wind might blow. Until, that is, he finds himself all alone in a snowstorm. After a few panicky moments, he finds his mother again. "Mamma, I'm back," he says. "Winter is very long and you might get lonely."Claudia Rueda's classic picture-book illustrations, with their simple strong lines and shapes, show a very determined little bear and his mother in an increasingly snowy landscape. Little bear is a character that children everywhere will identify with.

    As little readers help search for Jazzy - lured by die-cut windows showing glimpses of what’s to come-they also explore a bold new world full of vivid tropical colors and lively jungle creatures. Featuring an all-new format, this innovative, thirty-two-page picture book boasts three sections - each with shaped, die-cut pages - and offers a double gatefold at the end to encompass all the animals of the jungle. Behind a final flap, Mama JoJo says to Jazzy, "Found you, Baby Jazzy," and Jazzy answers back, "I love you, Mama JoJo." Bravo to Lucy Cousins!

    Lost and alone, he makes his way through a dark forest, injures his paw, has glancing encounters with humans, and finds himself trapped in a cage, before an act of kindness returns him to the wilderness.

    Being a florivore herself, she only wants to invite them over for cakes and tea. The ironic air wafting through Kirk's rhymed tale will not be lost on young readers, and the insects in the big, brightly colored illustrations beear comically apprehensive expressions as they hastily depart . . . At last, Miss Spider is able to convince a rain-soaked moth of her good intentions . . . A sweet tale" --School Library Journal