When Lisa's red-and-white woolen stocking blows off the clothesline, Hedgie finds it and sticks his nose inside, only to discover his prickles prevent him from pulling out of it. Soon all the farm animals are coming around to chuckle at silly Hedgie's stocking cap. But in the end, nimble-witted Hedgie gets the last laugh. Now young fans of this glorious Scandinavian picture book can curl up with the illustrious Hedgie, himself! This fluffy 5-inch fellow, with long, lush, decidedly unprickly fur, sports the very sock--uh, hat--that got him in trouble. A soft body and cheerful smile guarantee many friends for this huggable guy. Packaged with the only available board book version of the award-winning The Hat, this delightful book and sweet plush toy set make a perfect gift any time of year! (Ages 3 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

    Famed for his big, scary teeth, he sneaks into the jungle every day to scare the jungle animals ..."I'm big, scary Alan! Fear my razor-sharp teeth!" But after a long day of scaring, Alan likes nothing better than to run a warm mud bath and take out his false teeth, which nobody knows about! That is, until his teeth go missing. What will Alan do now? Scaring is the only thing he knows how to do! Can he still be scary without them?

    As the moon rises a mother raccoon and her two young begin an all night feast in a cornfield. Acclaimed nature artist Jim Arnosky gives young children an unforgettable wildlife-watching experience.

    Then he’s ready to climb into his own bed and turn out the light. Five warm beds, holding five sleepy bears, until a sound goes whoosh in the middle of the night, and all the bears wake up in a fright. Will they ever get back into bed? Luckily, Big Brown Bear knows just what to do! A fun, rhyming read-aloud that parents will love and tired little cubs will be happy to snuggle up with.

    . . . On Tuesday, Mrs. Greenstalk was too tired to make dinner. . . .   Who will help the poor Greenstalk family? Chickens to the rescue! The amazing chickens on the Greenstalk farm race to help various family members and farm animals every day of the week. Every day until Sunday, that is, when Emily Greenstalk has a little trouble . . .   John Himmelman's expressive illustrations are filled with the kind of hilarious details that will delight young readers.

    But when the four best friends who live there decide they all want to try living somewhere new, their differences drive them apart and they go their separate ways, each taking a piece of the house with them. They soon learn, though, that a house is more than the sum of its parts.

    But having babies around might not be as much fun as Little Rabbit thought. They take up all of Mama's and Papa's time. "It's not fair!" cries Little Rabbit. But one night when a tired Mama and Papa are at their wit's end, Little Rabbit comes to the rescue and begins to understand what an important job it is to be a big brother.Young readers will relate to Little Rabbit's challenging situation as he learns to cope with change and upheaval in his home. Harry Horse's colorful and buoyant illustrations vividly bring to life the indomitable hero in this gently uplifting and reassuring story.

    An industrious black sheep has wool aplenty, but little else for her friends. Horse needs hay, Mouse needs cheese, and Pig needs slop, but the poor black sheep has none of these. When her dissatisfied friends confront Sheep about her inability to share, they find that their lovely friend has knitted a special gift for each of them with her very own wool. Clever illustrations reveal delightful surprises as endearing new characters frolic from page to page in bold, generous color.

    But not before he says good night to all of his special forest friends—badger, deer, rabbit, mouse, fox, owl, squirrel, and wolf. Now Little Bear can happily fall asleep in his warm and cozy den all snuggled up to his mother...knowing that his friends will watch out for him during his long winter’s sleep.

    Smart Mouse and Friend Mouse think they have solved the problem when they make a collar with a bell for the cat. But who will put the collar on the cat? Wee Mouse, Tiny Mouse, and Teeny Mouse nearly meet their demise in the first attempt. The Rat Pack offers to do it for a fee, but quickly surrenders. Then Smart Mouse and Friend Mouse figure out a way to get a human to help them.

    When Pig Number 10 jumps into the crowded tub, the first pig comes up with a plan to enjoy his bath.

    It's time for the little red chicken's bedtime story—and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can't help herself! Whether the tale is "Hansel and Gretel" or "Little Red Riding Hood" or even "Chicken Little," she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters from doing some dangerous or silly thing. Now it's the little red chicken's turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting? Energetically illustrated with glowing colors—and offering humorous story-within-a-story views—this all-too-familiar tale is sure to amuse (and hold the attention of) spirited little chicks.

    But in this book, the youngsters are a wide variety of dinosaurs. And how do dinosaurs say good night?Filled with wonderful detail and humor, children and their parents will love the expressions and antics of the eleven different dinosaur children depicted here, and each species is spelled out somewhere in the young dinosaur's bedroom. In the end, young dinosaurs behave a lot like people do: They give a big kiss, turn out the light, tuck in their tails, and whisper "good night."Here is a new staple for bedtime reading, a book children will ask for again and again.