But it is hard to seek closeness with others when you're covered with spikes that shoot off your back every so often. Elmore suffers rejection and heartbreak, but the goodness of his forest community ultimately shines through as the animals find a way to connect with this prickly bundle of love.Holly Hobbie is the creator of the beloved Toot & Puddle series and now brings us a character for the next generation. Just as charming, funny, and good-hearted as her little pigs, Elmore the porcupine will snuggle and prickle his way securely into the picture-book canon.

    Max the Brave, Max the Fearless, Max the Mouse-catcher...But, in order to be a Mouse-catcher, Max needs to know what a mouse is, so off he goes to find out.

    With builders building, breakers breaking, and a whole host of impressive machines and vehicles hard at work, this book bursts with color and offers children plenty to enjoy. In his trademark intricate style, Steve Light captures the satisfaction of working hard to create something new -- and, of course, taking a well-deserved break.

    He enjoys his solitude. He likes playing with his friends, who are puppets, stuffed animals, and other toys. With his rich imagination, Oliver’s day is never dull. There are bridges to cross, sharks to fight, and treasures to find! But maybe toys don’t always give a boy everything he needs. Maybe he needs another kind of companion. Will Oliver discover a way to be, well, different? When his tennis ball rolls across the lawn into the yard of the girl next door, he just might be surprised.

    A part of this magic is that with just a little imagination, we all might be found to possess true superpowers!This isn't the first or last book where a child delightedly discovers her own superpowers. But it may be just about the driest, funniest, and sweetest, where the discovery is handled with humor and charm.One of the book's true pleasures is that it's a girl who discovers her own extraordinary abilities, and when her powers fail, as they must, she discovers them in her mom. All of which leads to a lovely intimacy between the two.

    Train! WHO WILL WIN?!If you think Superman vs. Batman would be an exciting matchup, wait until you see Shark vs. Train. In this hilarious and wacky picture book, Shark and Train egg each other on for one competition after another, including burping, bowling, Ping Pong, piano playing, pie eating, and many more! Who do YOU think will win, Shark or Train?

    He's tired of bananas; today he'd like to eat a child. But he's smaller than he thinks, and the little girl he chooses for his first meal puts him in his place—she picks him up and tickles his tummy! The little crocodile is going to have to eat a lot of bananas and grow a lot bigger before he can add children to his menu! Simple yet hilarious artwork brings this droll story to life.

    Everyone deserves a hug—and this book!

    BEWARE OF CRANKENSTEIN! Who is Crankenstein?HE IS A MONSTER OF GRUMPINESS THAT NO ONE CAN DESTROY!MEHHRRRR!!! HE'S ALIVE!He may look like any ordinary boy, but when faced with a rainy day, a melting popsicle, or an early bedtime, one little boy transforms into a mumbling, grumbling Crankenstein! When Crankenstein meets his match in a fellow Crankenstein, the results could be catastrophic-or they could be just what he needs to brighten his day!

    With clever, inventive art and universally relatable themes, A Little Space for Me by Jennifer Gray Olson is a heartwarming picture book about the importance of mindfulness, understanding, and finding a moment of peace within a big, busy world.Sometimes, when it's too loud, too crowded, too messy, too smelly, or for no reason at all, you might just need a little bit of space to feel like yourself again.

    But no puddle is perfect  . . .  until he finds one with three friendly piglets. But protective Mama Pig says NO PUGS and chases Percy away! Irresistibly illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi, Kim Norman's tale about a persistent pug and his pursuit of friendship in puddle paradise brims with warmth and charm.

    Caldecott Honor Book artist Anita Lobel combines learning to count with color concepts in this mouth-watering celebration of good things to eat. One big purple cabbage, two white onions, three yellow peppers, and so on through 10—garden vegetables have never looked so appetizing! Here Anita Lobel makes a delightful story for preschoolers with the two most basic early learning concepts, counting and color. And her beautiful illustrations of vegetables might even tempt picky eaters into new adventures in eating!

    At the Jungle Dance, the warthogs waltz, the chimps cha-cha, and the lions tango. "Giraffes can't dance," they all jeer when it's Gerald's turn to prance. But with some sound advice from a wise cricket, Gerald starts swaying to his own sweet tune.

    But cat food is dry and dull and not at all yummy. So what in the world should Cat eat instead? Turtle eats worms, but worms are too wiggly. Fox eats rabbits, but rabbits are too bouncy. What everyone else loves to eat is thoroughly unappetizing to Cat. Until, by chance, the thing Cat really wants to eat appears right in front of him. What could it be? Christopher Silas Neal's retro-style illustrations and easy-to-follow story are the perfect match for even the pickiest eaters -- and the patient souls that feed them.

    A shady tree. A bright kite. And a full picnic basket. Four little pigs and their parents head outside to enjoy a beautiful day. With a little help from some new (and unexpected) friends, they climb trees, fly kites, and enjoy a delicious picnic. Even a sudden rain shower can’t ruin their fun. Because rain means . . . MUD! Hooray!The award-winning and New York Times–bestselling Matt Phelan has created a timeless, must-have picture book for the youngest reader. Expressive watercolors; a simple, repetitive text; and gentle, satisfying twists will delight fans of Tad Hills’s Duck & Goose and Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama books.