Chester is excited about going to his very first sleepover. After his mother drops him off at Pepper Opossum’s house with a Kissing Hand in his palm, Chester and his animal friends have a long day of playing games and eating snacks. But when the animals decide to bed down, Chester can’t go to sleep. While his Kissing Hand has kept him from getting scared, he isn’t in his own bedroom, and he misses his family. When Chester returns home, Mrs. Raccoon welcomes her little cub and reassures him that his home is always there when he needs it.Young readers will enjoy reading about the party fun and take comfort when Chester finds himself in a situation they can relate to.

    Ashman's clever rhymes explain how tykes of many species travel ("Rolling by in baby strollers / Holding tight to Mother's shoulders / Grabbing on to clumps of hair / Riding bareback through the air"), and Dyer's warm watercolors portray a real sense of comfort and safety. Whether it's a little koala clinging to its mama, a young elephant being "towed along a bumpy trail," or a baby beaver "surfing on a paddle-tail," happy-faced passengers of every sort bask in the sure knowledge that they "always ride with love."This book is beautifully designed, with illustrations that slowly move each mother-baby duo along in an easterly direction -- until they reach their final destination; and a delightful "Meet the Babies" montage displays all Dyer's beautiful artwork on the final page. Sweet and tender but never sappy, Babies on the Go is a surefire charmer, perfect for reinforcing the bonds between parents and children. Matt Warner

    They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

    Gold! For as long as the castle had stood, alchemists had struggled to make gold from the simple elements of the earth. And for as long as the castle stood they had failed. Then comes the greedy, ambitious Spinifex, who promises the king riches and glory beyond his wildest dreams. Arthur, the alchemist's young apprentice, cannot see the point - after all gold cannot make you happy, heal the sick, or make people love you - and he watches in amazement as the experiments grow more elaborate and fantastic. As time ticks on Spinifex becomes a man obsessed, plundering the country for more gold to aid his experiments, even tearing the rings from people's fingers. Then, as the Millennium approaches, Spinifex constructs his last great experiment - a monstrous machine stretching up from the cellar through the castle to the roof. But the great gold-making machine only suceeds in destroying its creator, leaving just one tiny nugget of gold. However, gold of another kind floods the castle - glorious sunlight rains down on the kingdom, dispelling darkness and gloom forever. As for Arthur, he takes the tiny nugget and fashions a sunflower pendant for the king. One day the king loses it while out swimming, but he doesn't even notice, it is forgotten.

    Goodnight goon. Goodnight Martians taking over the moon."It's bedtime in the cold gray tomb with a black lagoon, and two slimy claws, and a couple of jaws, and a skull and a shoe and a pot full of goo. But as a little werewolf settles down, in comes the Goon determined at all costs to run amok and not let any monster have his rest.A beloved classic gets a kind-hearted send up in this utterly monsterized parody; energetic art and a hilarious text will have kids begging to read this again and again.

    But Martha Jane is not the owner. She's the owner's dog! When the owner has to go to the hospital to get her tonsils out, the whole town begins to fight over the chance to take care of Martha Jane. Rylant is the Newbery-winning author of Dog Heaven. Full color.

    Only Small, the youngest Hope, has the courage to face the black dog, who might not be as frightening as everyone else thinks.

    

    Take your child on a journey about a mother’s love in this sweet, touching children’s picture book filled with beautiful watercolor illustrations and warm and engaging rhymes that speak to the power of a mother’s love and explain to children in terms that they understand just how immense that love is.Written for children of any age, this beautifully illustrated book will inspire, comfort, and make a young heart sing with joy and love.

    Adorable artwork on every spread accompanies simple text. Swallowing a worm, smelling a sock, playing in the cat litter . . . That's Disgusting! Not for the faint of heart, this kid approved book focuses on a love of all things icky and gross. Firmly focused on fun, That's Disgusting! is the perfect distraction to help your young gross out expert learn to read.

    He hadn't always owned a moose. The moose came to him a while ago and he knew, just KNEW, that it was meant to be his. He thought he would call him Marcel. Most of the time Marcel is very obedient, abiding by the many rules of How to Be a Good Pet. But imagine Wilfred's surprise when one dark day, while deep in the woods, someone else claims the moose as their own...

    "Warmly satisfying....Hughes has a way of zeroing in on the foibles of childhood with remarkable accuracy; this doesn't miss its mark."--Booklist.

    If you see a cuddly kitten, say ahhh! If you see a dozing dormouse, say shhh! But what if you see a spooky spider...or a cranky crocodile?From a pretty peacock (oooh!) to some slimy slugs (yuck!), this simple, interactive look at various animals and the reactions they evoke will coax giggles and spirited responses from young children as they follow along.From acclaimed author-illustrator John Butler, If You See a Kitten is the perfect read-aloud book young children will want to hear again and again.

    The beautiful and adorable illustrations will charm your little ones into visiting this ABC book over and over again. This is a definite must have book for your favorite preschooler to 1st grader.

    The author of Traction Man Is Here! creates a totally original book that is fun to read. Full color.