Recommended Reads
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Bats at the Library
The Caldecott Honor winner and New York Times bestselling author of Bats at the Beach “pays homage to the pleasures to be found within libraries and books” (School Library Journal).
Another inky evening’s here—the air is cool and calm and clear. Can it be true? Oh, can it be? Yes!—Bat Night at the library!
Join the free-for-all fun at the public library with these book-loving bats! Shape shadows on walls, frolic in the water fountain, and roam the book-filled halls until it’s time for everyone, young and old, to settle down into the enchantment of story time. Brian Lies’s joyful critters and their nocturnal celebration cast library visits in a new light. Even the youngest of readers will want to join the batty book-fest!
“As with its predecessor, this book’s richly detailed chiaroscuro paintings find considerable humor at the intersection where bat and human behavior meet. But the author/artist outdoes himself: the library-after-dark setting works a magic all its own, taking Lies and his audience to a an intensely personal place.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The rhymed narrative serves primarily as the vehicle for the appealing acrylic illustrations that teem with bats so charming they will even win over chiroptophobes.”—Booklist
“There is enough merriness here to keep the story bubbling . . . Pictures light-handedly capture the Cheshire Bat, Winnie the Bat and Little Red Riding Bat.”—Kirkus Reviews -
Books Aren't for Eating
How can Leopold, goat and bookstore owner, find the perfect book for a fellow goat—one the visitor will enjoy reading, not munching?
Leopold the goat owns a delightful bookstore, and he has a talent for matching his customers with the ideal book—an adventure story for the girl in the rain boots, a novel about gnomes for the man who loves to laugh, and a book of birds for the woman in the feathered hat. But one day, another goat arrives and proceeds to eat every book Leopold offers. Can Leopold find just the right one to tempt this reluctant reader? This funny, charming tale of the transformative power of books is a celebration of that first special story that sparks a child’s love of reading. -
Worm Weather
Drip,drop,
skip and hop.
Splish, splash,
sidewalk dash!
It's worm weather!
Join in the rainy-day fun, as kids splash through the puddles, affecting another weather enthusiast, a nearby worm. An imaginative and playful story, readers will love seeing the worm delight in the weather just as much as the kids. -
There's Only One You
Celebrate your individuality with this picture book that honors all the wonderful things that make you . . . you.
"A picture-book celebration of individuality and diversity. . . . Affirming and welcome." --Kirkus
"In all the world over, this much is true:
You're somebody special. There's only one YOU."
This feel-good book reassures kids that, whoever and whatever they are, it's awesome being YOU Expertly written to include all kinds of children and families, it embraces the beauty in a range of physical types, personalities, and abilities. Kids will love discovering and recognizing themselves in these pages--and they'll feel proud to see their special qualities acknowledged. Adorable illustrations by Rosie Butcher show a diverse community that many will find similar to their own. -
Ish
A creative spirit learns that thinking "ish-ly" is far more wonderful than "getting it right" in this gentle new fable from the creator of the award-winning picture book THE DOT.
Ramon loved to draw. Anytime. Anything. Anywhere.
Drawing is what Ramon does. It¹s what makes him happy. But in one split second, all that changes. A single reckless remark by Ramon's older brother, Leon, turns Ramon's carefree sketches into joyless struggles. Luckily for Ramon, though, his little sister, Marisol, sees the world differently. She opens his eyes to something a lot more valuable than getting things just "right." Combining the spareness of fable with the potency of parable, Peter Reynolds shines a bright beam of light on the need to kindle and tend our creative flames with care. -
The Bad Mood and the Stick
New York Times bestselling author Lemony Snicket sheds light on the way bad moods come and go.
Once there was a bad mood and a stick.The stick appeared when a tree dropped it.Where did the bad mood come from?Who picked up the stick?And where is the bad mood off to now?You never know what is going to happen.
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Wild Feelings
Do you ever feel as stubborn as a mule? Or as chicken as a chicken? Of course you do. Everyone does.
In this lighthearted look at feelings, David Milgrim tenderly and humorously sketches the emotional range—from awkward to unnoticed, to really, rrrreally mad. Ultimately reassuring, this is a loving look at the normal, natural feelings we all have. -
Frog on a Log?
A read-aloud story that will have kids rhyming around the house!
"It's very simple, really. Cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools, gophers sit on sofas, and frogs sit on logs."Each animal's designated seat rhymes with that animal's name. "It's not about being comfortable," explains the cat. "It's about doing the right thing."The frog does not want to sit on a log. Doing his best to find an alternative place to sit, the frog asks the cat a litany of questions. For every answer the cat has, the frog has another question--until the frog finds out what dogs sit on!Peppered with catchy rhymes, FROG ON A LOG? shows young readers that every animal has a special place to sit. With rhymes that are reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's beginner books, FROG ON A LOG? is a fun, educational read-aloud story that helps teach phonics!
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Good Night, Little Blue Truck
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
Beep! Beep! Beep! It's time for sleep. Say goodnight with Little Blue Truck and friends!A storm is brewing and Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are hurrying home for bed. But who can sleep with all that racket? It's not long before other friends show up seeking safety from the storm. Thunder and lightning sure can be scary, but it's easy to be brave together. When the clouds roll on and the sky is clear, it's all aboard for a bedtime ride! Beep! Beep! Shhh . . .
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How to Talk Like a Bear
Told in the same fourth-wall-breaking style of B. J. Novak's The Book With No Pictures, How to Talk Like a Bear is the perfect how-to guide to speaking fluent bear.
Want to learn how to speak Bear? Well, you came to the right place. It's far more than just growling and roaring (a common misconception). There's a lot more to it. It's very easy to accidentally say the wrong phrase when you're trying to get your point across. For example, saying "ROOOAARR" instead of "ROAAARRRR" is the difference between wanting a sandwich and wanting to get into beekeeping.
This silly romp is perfect for read-alouds and is the exact right gift for anyone looking for a laugh (or looking to learn a new language). -
I Don't Want to Read This Book Aloud
Another hilarious picture book from actor Max Greenfield, author of I Don't Want To Read This Book and This Book Is Not a Present, dedicated to introverts of all ages, about the horrors of reading aloud.
Nobody in the world actually enjoys reading aloud, do they? Impossible! After all, any number of terrible things could happen: you might come across a word you don't know how to pronounce. Or get distracted by a volcano eruption and lose your place. Even worse, you might accidentally hear the sound of your own voice! Actor Max Greenfield (New Girl, The Neighborhood) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Mike Lowery, the duo behind I Don't Want To Read This Book and This Book Is Not a Present, are back with another side-splitting picture book that's sure to have kids shouting for repeat read-alouds. -
The Book with No Pictures
A #1 New York Times bestseller, this innovative and wildly funny read-aloud by award-winning humorist/actor B.J. Novak will turn any reader into a comedian—a perfect gift for any special occasion!
You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . .
BLORK. Or BLUURF.
Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.
Cleverly irreverent and irresistibly silly, The Book with No Pictures is one that kids will beg to hear again and again. (And parents will be happy to oblige.) -
Octopants and the Missing Pirate Underpants
In this hilarious follow-up to Octopants, puffer fish discovers that someone has taken his pirate underwear from the clothesline, so he enlists the help of Octopants the octopus and his friends to help find them.
Puffer Fish wakes up one morning to find that his pirate underwear has been taken from the clothesline! So Octopants the octopus offers to help look for them. They check Lobster’s Laundry, look through Mermaid’s hair, and even stop by Mussel’s Fitness Club, but the underwear isn’t anywhere. They even find a shipwreck that’s full of underwear collected by friendly pirates, but there’s still no sign of Puffer Fish’s underwear. Then Shark appears and wants to join the group. But what’s that on her head?