At turns sly and sweet, this clever story about friendship will leave no doubt that true magic lies in our connections with others, not just the wishes we make. There's no such thing as a wish. Or is there? In this playful fairy tale, ever-skeptical Cat learns that wishes can come true—and not always in the ways we expect. After all, true magic lies in our connections with others, not just in the wishes we make.

    In his nest in his cave in his mountain, a dragon dreams of a girl.When a lonely dragon follows a trail of princess tears, a beautiful friendship is born. They march and sing, roar and whisper, hide and seek, then settle into snug companionship at bedtime. Barbara Joosse’s fiercely protective and gently loving dragon cavorts across the pages, endearingly illustrated by Randy Cecil. At the end of the day, who can resist curling up in the embrace of a lovabye dragon?

    "Ick!" says one of the Franks. "It's seaweed!" They're not even impressed by her red bean ice cream dessert. Of course, Mrs. Jenkins has a plan that might solve Yoko's problem. But will it work with the other children in class?"This brightly colored schoolroom charmer [is] a perfect book for those American-melting-pot kindergarteners who need to develop a genuine respect for one another's differences." —Publishers Weekly, starred reviewDon't miss the other stories about Yoko, including Yoko Finds Her Way

    But there are no bears here. Not on Muffin's watch.One night, Muffin hears a suspicious noise. Mouse? Raccoon? Bat? Nope, not the usual suspects. But Muffin hears . . . growling. Could it be? Yup. A bear. Just a cub. Whose stomach is definitely growling. Muffin's got this case solved--clearly this bear needs some donuts.

    The dishes would break.Oh, what a terrible mess we would make!If all the animals came inside, bears would run down the stairs, kangaroos would bounce on the couch, and hippos would play hide-and-seek through the halls! Join one family's wild romp as animals of all shapes and sizes burst through the front door and make themselves right at home.Extraordinary collage artwork from beloved illustrator Marc Brown (Arthur series) pairs with Eric Pinder's hilarious rhyming verse to make this the perfect book to read aloud again and again.

    Rather than focusing on going to bed—and what kid wants to think about going to bed?—this book explores all of the dreamy, wonderful, strange things the next day might bring.

    Here is the best and worst of any hike: from picnics to puffing and panting, deer-sighting to detours. Featuring a glossary, a sketchbook by one of the characters, abundant labels throughout, and scientific backmatter.

    I've only seen it out of the corner of my eye, but I think it is a cat , says a little boy in this comforting tale of love and loss. There's something oddly familiar about this ghost cat--it does lots of things that remind the boy of the cat he used to have. The boy's not sure why the ghost cat never stays for more than a few moments, or why the ghost cat has visited him in the first place. He follows the ghost cat all over his house, until finally it leads him to something new and wonderful.Bestselling author/illustrator Kevan Atteberry's artwork and story strike a perfect balance of evocative and haunting, as well as warm and hugely comforting to anyone struggling to cope with a loss.With a few carefully chosen words and simple, expressive illustrations, Ghost Cat captures both the poignancy of losing a pet and the importance of moving on without erasing or forgetting what came before.Winner of the Crystal Kite Award, Western DivisionA Bank Street Best Book of the YearWashington State Book Award Finalist

     When Chester (the cat) announces he's taking over for Mélanie Watt on this book due to some technical difficulties*, Mélanie begs to differ. She tells him that no one will want to publish his messy book. And she demands that he return her supplies so she can get to work. Chester insists he can create the best, most original story anyone has ever read in their entire nine lives. Only, his attempts don't quite work. Even with Mélanie's prodding, Chester struggles to find his own story to tell. Hmm ... will the real author and illustrator have the last laugh after all? *Mélanie's art supplies and computer mouse have mysteriously gone missing. Here's another hilarious Chester picture book from award-winning and bestselling author-illustrator Mélanie Watt. The story is told through the dialogue between Watt, who communicates on sticky notes, and Chester, whose comments are tucked around his creations, which sprawl across the spreads and include loads of tape, staples, and torn-out notebook paper. Chester himself, as drawn by Watt, and his trusty red marker dominate the action, and the pure silly fun makes this a popular read-aloud. Bits of humor can be found all over the pages - including running commentary from an actual mouse - encouraging visual literacy. With its wry take on the creative process and how good stories are constructed, this is also a perfect companion to lessons on the parts of story, including genre, setting, plot and characters.

    She takes her baths in apple juice. She wears a pancake as a hat. She tries to ride the farmer’s cat."But the barnyard animals complain that she’s too silly. When she stops entertaining her friends with her antics, the farm becomes a quiet and unhappy place. David Slonim’s acrylic, pencil, and ballpoint pen illustrations add to the hilarity in this story about a one-of-a-kind silly goose.

    One day, Little Bear wanders out of the woods and finds himself lost in the Big City. Will he find the city too noisy? Too quiet? Or just right? And what are the chances of him bumping in to someone who remembers exactly how he likes his porridge?

    What would you do if you were invited to the princess’s tenth birthday party but didn’t have money for a gift? Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake.Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece. What could possibly go wrong?Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas, creators of the bestselling picture book Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, have teamed up again to bring us a modern fairy tale starring a determined boy and a story-loving princess with a good sense of humor. While girls will fall for a story featuring a princess’s birthday party, Jack’s adventures with trolls, bears, and gypsies make this the perfect read for young boys as well—and ideal for storytime.

    As time passes, he teaches himself how to play the strange instrument, and eventually the beautiful sounds are heard by a father and son who are picnicking in the woods. The bear goes with them on an incredible journey to New York, where his piano playing makes him a huge star. He has fame, fortune and all the music in the world, but he misses the friends and family he has left behind. A moving tale of exploration and belonging from an exciting debut author-illustrator.

    (It's a pretty sweet deal, actually.) But each time you blink, you have to turn a page. Those are just the rules. So whatever you do, DON'T BLINK!

     All night he is alone. Every hour he makes his rounds. He sees the stars twinkling. He hears the sounds of the night: ki-DEE ki-DEE ki-DEE shhhhheeeeeEEEERRRROOOOooooommmmmm Woof! Woof! Woof! Meeeoooow. When he is joined by a stray kitten, the night suddenly seems different. Has the kitten found a new home? Kitten and the Night Watchman is inspired by the true story of author John Sullivan meeting a stray cat while working as a night watchman. The cat, Beebe, was John’s companion for seventeen years.