Crush the stone. Chip and grind and munch. Make new concrete from the old. Whirr! Churr! Crunch!From the huge crane with a swinging ball (crack! ) to the toothy jaws that ram the walls (thwock! ), this rambunctious demolition, reverberating with sound words, is guaranteed to have small kids rapt. Bright spreads showcase the gargantuan machines in all their glory, and a pictorial glossary explains what each one can do.

    but gets a cat instead!"Look what I got for my birthday! A pet dog!" says a little girl holding a... cat? Rocky doesn't listen or obey like all the other dogs. (Because Rocky is a cat.) And Rocky hates her leash and doesn't seem to like other dogs. (Probably because Rocky is a cat.) And rather than play fetch, Rocky prefers to... lick between her toes? Ew. Rocky is a bad "dog"! BUT Rocky doesn't bark, and is so cute when she sleeps in sunny spots. Maybe Rocky IS a good dog? (Or, you know, maybe Rocky is a cat.)Cat lovers and dog lovers alike will howl with laughter at this little girl's willful insistence that her cat is a dog. The hilarious ways in which cats and dogs are different are brilliantly illuminated with each turn of the page and will leave young readers and their grown-ups giggling.

    Children will relate to Raybot's wonder as he discovers new sounds and animals in the world, and adults will appreciate the detail and beauty in the hand-painted illustrations.

    But as the bus travels along its route, other passengers get on -- like Miss Elephant Shark, Mr. Octo-Rhino and Miss Whale Goat! Soon senor Sasquatch finds himself at risk . . . of being squished!

    She also loves solving mysteries. That’s why she’s a nature detective! When she and her turtle, Alfred, notice that their new friend, Frannie the caterpillar, has vanished, Pipsie is on the case. She grabs her magnifying glass, goes to her tree-house headquarters, and begins to search for clues. It’s time to make this mystery history!Bursting with personality, this engaging story introduces a spunky new girl detective, a scooter-driving turtle who loves to eat, and a string of simple scientific clues that will keep kids turning the pages until the mystery is solved. Two pages of nature fun facts at the end of the story offer even more information for young nature detectives.

    Before long, an encounter with a cute forest creature throws George into a chain of outrageous events that allows him to find a way to be helpful after all.

    Four happy bearson four small chairs.Four chairs. Four adorable bears. All is well until Big Brown Bear shows up -- what a stare! -- and wants a seat. Can these clever bears put their heads together (among other things) and make space for one more? With endearing, expressive illustrations and a sustained rhyme in every line, here is a cozy tale that makes it clear there is room for all.

    He thinks Old Man Winter has told him to drive a jeep, to sweep, and to leap. Big Bear just can’t seem to hear what Old Man Winter is saying. Finally, Old Man Winter finds a noisy way to get Big Bear’s attention. Cozy illustrations rendered in pencil and mixed media by Will Hillenbrand bring this bedtime story to a fitting conclusion.

     Their mother, Sophie, knows one from another...but how do you think Mrs. Tuttle tells those kittens apart? Peter Catalanotto's sequel to his Matthew A.B.C. and Daisy 1, 2, 3 invites long looking, counting, and laughing!

    Workers use all kinds of trucks and tools to get the job done. And just in time for a family to move in. The alliterative text complete with shout-out language that young children will love is just right for preschoolers.

    Fish swims aboutWith his fish face stuckIn a permanent pout.Can his pals cheer him up?Will his pout ever end?Is there something he can learnFrom an unexpected friend?Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.The Pout-Pout Fish is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

    After the night sky fills up with stars, readers will be soothed by the pleasure of wishing on a star. Using only two words per page-"Blue Sky" "Cloud Sky" "Storm Sky"-Wood's enthusiastic playfulness will encourage young readers to make up their own simple descriptions of the sky above. Years ago, a teacher told Audrey how rarely her young students looked up. She asked them to begin watching the sky every day and keeping sky journals. They loved it! And soon that teacher saw great improvement in their learning, observing, and test-taking skills. Beautiful, joyful, and educational, BLUE SKY invites us all to be creative in the way we engage with the world--all the ingredients that have made Audrey Wood's books popular and timeless among readers young and old.

    The perfect read-aloud for fans of Snappsy the Alligator and Interrupting Chicken.Step one: fill the bathStep two: put the cat in the bathStep three: put shampoo on the catStep four: rinse the catStep five: dry the catSeems simple, right? One problem: the cat has no intention of doing ANY of these things! Watch as the steps keep changing, the cat keeps escaping, the girl keeps eating cookies and the mess keeps escalating. Soon it's not just the cat who needs a bath--it's the whole house!This spoof on an instruction manual features an increasingly bewildered human, a nonchalant cat and a know-it-all narrator . . . who really doesn't know it all. How DO you give a cat a bath? Read on to find out!

    In this lively picture book, children discover a world of shapes all around them: Rectangles are ice-cream carts and stone metates, triangles are slices of watermelon and quesadillas. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin, but all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this playful concept book will reinforce the shapes found in every child's day!

    A single word of text per spread teaches readers “how to be a cat”—how to stretch, clean, pounce, feast—while the striking paper cuts illustrate the kitten’s attempts to imitate an adult cat’s mastery of each skill. At times the kitten triumphantly succeeds, and at other times the kitten struggles, in vignettes that range from whimsical to profound. A celebration of all things feline, How to Be a Cat also tells a universal story of mastering life skills, and of the sometimes tender, sometimes stern relationship between parent and child, teacher and pupil. Cat lovers of all ages will connect to this loving portrayal of a mentor-student relationship. Praise for How to Be a Cat STARRED REVIEWS "Purrrrfect for beginning readers and little artists with an eye for fine cut-paper compositions and craftsmanship." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review "A delightful picture book in every way. Beginning with the paw-print endpapers, youngsters will know that they are in for an adventure. The simplicity and flow of page design are beautifully done as viewers follow a kitten and his mother as she teaches him basic feline behavior." —School Library Journal, starred review "McClure's cut-paper spreads can be mesmerizing." —Publishers Weekly "McClure wonderfully captures the shape and movement of the feline form, and kids will also enjoy pointing out the blue and white butterflies and the black-capped chickadee that also appear on several pages." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Perfect for cat lovers of all ages, the book helps us reconnect with memories of our own jouney of growth and learning." —Cat Fancy