All the animals but one: grumpy badger Mr Grumpf just can't finish sweeping the dead leaves off his doorstep with everyone coming by to disturb him! Grumpf!This new series paints a tender and colorful portrait of everyday Life, showing that behind every flaw or weakness can lie charm and strength. Readers will recognize their own neighbors, friends, and family members in the endearing animal characters within this forest community. In this first volume, we meet a very busy badger, who may admittedly be a little slow, but who never refuses to lend a paw to help his neighbors. In time, his generosity will be rewarded!The stories in this four-book series take place in the same forest over the course of four seasons. Each can be read independently, exploring the complexity and richness of relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. As both writer and illustrator, the author doesn't rely on text to convey emotions, oscillating between a clever dose of dialogue and wordless passages to makes these stories accessible to young readers starting as young as 5 years old.Presenting a graphic universe somewhere between Michel Plessix's adaptations of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS and the cartoons of Walt Disney (in particular those created by Don Bluth, such as THE RESCUERS and ROBIN HOOD), Dav gently conveys each season through a changing palette of colors and rounded designs.

    . . SHARK! This fun Step 1 book about two sharks is a study in opposites. Big Shark has big teeth; Little Shark has little teeth. Big Shark swims fast; Little Shark swims slow. But they are both hungry! Will they each succeed in finding a tasty snack? Little Shark is hoping that he won't become fast food for Big Shark!Step 1 Readers feature big type and easy words for children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading. Rhyme and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story.

    Told in rhyming text, Inside Cat views the world through many windows, watching the birds, squirrels, and people go by--but when the door opens it discovers a whole new view.

    When they see a sign for chickens that need a home, Mommy says they don't need to live in the country to raise chickens. And what could be better--pets that lay eggs! So they prepare the coop, tell their friends, and soon enough, the chickens arrive. But it seems that no matter what the children try, these chickens don't want to be pets, and they refuse to lay eggs. Can anything change their minds? Will the chickens ever feel at home?With bright, funny illustrations and an informative note from author Barbara Samuels, The Chickens are Coming! is a story about doing something new, learning to be patient, and welcoming new members into the family.

    Mildred is loudmouthed and bossy," Father said to Harvey, "but she is not mean and rotten."When Mildred goes off to a big party where little brothers are not invited, Harvey finds a secret club in a secret place where big sisters are not allowed to be members. But when Harvey's lonesomeness overpowers his stubbornness, he discovers that a secret club with two members is much better.

    Who could they belong to? Ever inquisitive, he sets out on a quest through the forest to find the tighty whities' rightful owner. Could the underpants belong to Squirrel? Moose? Snake, maybe? Salmon?! Each animal denies that the bloomers belong to them, but readers will surely be giggling every step on the way...especially when they find out who the underpants actually belong to.Award-winning illustrator Troy Cummings delivers his signature warmth and humor to what could have been a very embarassing tail, er, I mean TALE, by author and child therapist Melissa Martin.

    It was a lovely story with absolutely NO BEARS in it-not a SINGLE BEAR anywhere. Then one day...MORE BEARS! KENN NESBITT is possibly the funniest and most sought-after children's poet writing today. When he's not writing, podcasting, updating his website (poetry4kids.com), or visiting schools sharing his wacky brand of humor with kids across America, Kenn can be found cuddling his collection of stuffed bears. He seriously cannot get enough of bears. Or chickens.TROY CUMMINGS has been drawing goofy animals pretty much nonstop since kindergarten. His illustrations have appeared in newspapers, in magazines, on websites, on frozen fish stick packages, and in hospital waiting rooms. He hibernates in Greencastle, Indiana, with his wife and cubs.

    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.

    In fact, Jim doesn't feel like Jim. He feels rather, well, beastly. But he is hungry. Very hungry....This tale of moods from Laurel Snyder and Chuck Groenink offers a depiction of the beastliness that lives inside all of us—and the power we have to put it in its place.

    He has lived in a lot of houses, but he still hasn't found his home. When he moves in with Maggie, she shows him respect, offers him kindness, and makes him see things in himself that he's never noticed before. Maybe this isn't just another house, maybe this is a place Calvin can call home, for a while.

    “But he thinks he could be finer. He wants to be EXCEPTIONAL.” When Steve finds a beautiful gold horn lying on the ground in the forest, he realizes he has found his path to the exceptional! He immediately ties the horn to the top of his head and prances off to show his friends. Not everyone is impressed, but most of his friends agree --- Steve and his horn are indeed exceptional. In fact, many of his friends are so inspired, they decide to tie items to the tops of their heads as well. So when Steve discovers his horn has suddenly gone missing, he's devastated and frantically searches everywhere to find it. He won't be exceptional without his horn! Or will he?

    As she plods through her miserable, gray day, the cloud follows. Mishaps and mayhem thwart her every move, irritating noises assault her --- and the pouring rain makes everything worse. But then, on her way home from school, Rosie finds a pair of strange glasses. When she puts them on, her world transforms into vivid, joyful color. All of a sudden, she can see the beauty and fun in everything around her --- and her dark cloud has disappeared. Are the glasses magic? Or could it be that changing how we look at the world can change the way we experience it?Award-winning author and illustrator Dave Whamond is known for his energetic, humorous and colorful art. Here he uses three different color palettes to powerfully tell a story of how moods can affect what we see. The wordless format encourages visual literacy and deeper readings of the story based on individual interpretation. It also invites nonreaders to develop vocabulary and narrative skill by ?reading? the illustrations. This book offers a perfect lead-in to a discussion about good and bad moods. It also works for lessons on self-awareness and personal development, and as an excellent reminder to children (and adults!) that we can all exercise some control over how we see our world.

    What he wouldn't give for a lovely bit of fish or some fresh, juicy fruit —and where better to find food than at the zoo! An excellent idea, except for the grumpy zookeeper who's intent on keeping Roscoe OUT. But Roscoe's come up with a plan to disguise himself as a zoo animal. . . . What could go wrong?David J Plant was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Cyprus, and now lives in Bristol, United Kingdom. He studied illustration at Falmouth University, United Kingdom.

    As soon as their ninja moms and ninja dads have left: KABOOM! KAPOW! The ninja boys and girls kick, push, punch, and quickly turn the place upside down in a full-blown ninja riot. Try as he might, the hapless master can’t control the children, and the disaster plays out through lunchtime and story time. No one heeds the master’s repeated mantra of honor, kindness, and respect — until one little ninja steps up and rallies his ninja pals to undo all that they have done, just in time for pickup.

    Readers will be up and out of their chairs as they follow--and stomp--along with the diverse group of children and adults featured in this rowdy read. From stomping really fast to stomping while you wiggle all your toes, this interactive title promises to be an engaging and fun read--perfect for group story times!Stomp is the newest title from Uncle Ian Aurora and a follow up to the award-winning read-aloud, Clap.