Elmer Elevator braves Wild Island to save an overworked baby dragon in Ruth Gannett's clever and humorous 1948 adventure. A talking alley cat persuades Elmer to undertake a journey to a dangerous island. He packs wisely: filling his father's knapsack with chewing gum, two dozen pink lollipops, a handful of... Read More
Maybe you got to know Mercy, that free-spirited porcine wonder, in her first easy chapter book, Mercy Watson to the Rescue, which describes what happened the night Mr. and Mrs. Watson's bed broke and Mercy ran off to find some sugar cookies and inadvertently saved the day. Kate... Read More
In this first of a series of four chapter books we meet the exuberant Anna as she goes about her life in “... Africa. Amazing Africa.” While the city Anna lives in is never identified, the story is based on the Nigerian childhood of author and professional storyteller Atinuke. ... Read More
Laugh-out-loud funny, from the endpapers to the final page, this illustrated novel tells about a week of what would be very ordinary happenings – except that this particular hotsy-totsy, tippy-toppy, super-duper,hunky-dory, yowie-ka-zowie week is at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School – where everyone and everything is just a little... Read More
The summer after her parents’ divorce is a tough one for Lexie. For the first time in her ten years, she’s spending her annual summer vacation at the Jersey Shore without her mom. Although she looks forward to having some quality time with her dad, everything just feels strange. No... Read More
The beloved creator of Where the Sidewalk Ends lives on in a new collection of never-before-published poems. Shel Silverstein was aware that his legacy was his poetry. Appropriately, this collection of posthumously published poems – 145 in all – is framed by two verses entitled “Years from Now,”... Read More
In a story that spans only seven days, Kevin Henkes perfectly captures the world of a nine (almost ten!) year old girl in this sweet and absolutely wonderful tale. Alice and her family travel from Wisconsin to Florida’s Sanibel Island for their winter vacation each year. The family always stays... Read More
"Henry was horrid. Everyone said so, even his mother. Henry threw food, Henry grabbed, Henry pushed and shoved and pinched. Even his teddy bear, Mr. Kill, avoided him when possible." This kid is bad to the bone, and readers love him for it. Mind you, Henry's little brother is called... Read More
Alvin Ho, middle child in a Chinese American family says, “I was born scared and I am still scared.” He’s afraid of the dark and of the great outdoors, where bad things like hurricanes, tornadoes, and mudslides could happen. After watching a DVD about the amazing escape artist, Harry Houdini,... Read More
Not your usual princess story, this one's not a fairy tale, but the story of how Princess Penelope, spoiled rotten by her royal parents, learns to control herself for the sake of one lovely and intelligent pig. For her eighth birthday, the Princess knows JUST what she wants: "I WANNA... Read More
Dog lovers will have a blast with this large, personable book of 22 meaty dog-narrated poems, all accompanied by soulful paintings of the notable pooches. Every aspect of dogdom is covered here; titles include: "In My Doghouse," "Pet Me," "Lapdog," "Chowhound," "Chasing My Tail," and my personal favorite, the final... Read More
When you're looking for larger, more substantial books to give as presents to the children in your life, books that will be savored and read over and over, don't neglect collections of poetry. Maybe you had to read too many serious anthologies of poetry in high school or college and... Read More
And now for the latest Judy Moody book, number eight in the popular series about that pun-loving third grader with PMS. Your readers who don't know Judy yet will dive for the rest of the series, with its good-natured wordplay, riddles, and an ear for how real third graders talk.... Read More
There’s no mystery about why mysteries are reliably popular. The best of them are so exciting that pages practically turn by themselves. Precious Ramotswe is the protagonist of Alexander McCall Smith’s best-selling adult series, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. The Great Cake Mystery is the... Read More
Retold by a master storyteller who recalls each story from her North Carolina childhood, these five crackling traditional African American folktales about the crafty trickster Bruh Rabbit and his animal pals and rivals will get your listeners thumping their chairs with laughter. Bruh Fox believes there are roasted chicken legs... Read More
Most of the time, John Midas was a nice, well-behaved boy. In fact, he only had one fault, but it was a big one. He was candy mad. He devoured it every day, never shared it, and spent all of his money to buy more. In this modern-day cautionary tale,... Read More
“The Ape at Exit 8” is Ivan, a mighty Silverback Gorilla, who lives in a circus-themed shopping mall. Based on a true story, but told in Ivan’s own voice using simple language and short chapters, this is a story about friendship, compassion for animals, the... Read More
"Mrs. Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings." So starts the first of four magical little books about cat siblings Thelma, Roger, James, and Harriet. The four live with their mother in a terrible neighborhood, filled with rubbish, hungry dogs, fierce rats, and too... Read More
All children hope to find a bit of magic in their own backyards. Maxine and Nick actually do when they discover the cozy abode of Mrs. Noodlekugel, her cat Mr. Fuzzface, and four farsighted mice hidden behind their apartment building.Maxine and Nick have not been in their apartment long when... Read More
Awed by the feats of escape artist Harry Houdini, ten-year-old Victor aspires to be a magician, too. When he was eight, Victor read about Houdini's escape from an iron milk can in under twenty seconds. Locking himself inside his grandmother's trunk, Victor was unable to duplicate Houdini's success, and his... Read More
Meet Doyle and Fossey, science detectives, in their first lively collaboration, a series of four pithy science mysteries. Fifth grader Drake Doyle, scientific genius, and his nature-loving lab partner, Nell Fossey, take on four tough cases. There's the "huge-giant-bloodsucking-monster" in a classmate's garbage can, a save-the-frogs campaign, a truck wedged... Read More
Franklin Lorenzo Piccolini, more commonly known as Frankie Pickle, is a kid with a rich fantasy life. Black and white graphic novel panels of Frankie as an adventurer in the belly of the jungle, in prison, and as the caped superhero, Wonder Pickle, alternate with text chapters of a more... Read More
"'Never,' shrieked Miss Breakbone, 'have I been asked to teach such a scraping-together of such fiddling, twiddling, time-squandering, mind-wandering, doodling, dozing, don't know dunderheads!'" If the Trunchbull (the terrifying headmistress from Roald Dahl's Matilda) ever had a younger redheaded sister, Miss Breakbone would be the one. She stands... Read More
Third and maybe wackiest in the Dragonbreath series so far, this hybrid novelette starts with Danny Dragonbreath, in the middle of a scary dream lit by a full moon, where he has a premonition that there is something wrong with his best friend, Wendell, an iguana. At lunchtime in the... Read More
What’s that lovely smell? Eggs, bacon, toothpaste and dirt. King, dog detective, will have to sniff it out. But he’s working alone these days, without his human partner Kayla, since she and Mom and Dad disappeared and King ended up in the P-O-U-N-D, a word never to be said aloud... Read More
Graphic novels are the in thing now. Here's an instantly appealing graphic picture book, in the classic style of the Captain Marvel or Superman comics some of us inhaled when we were growing up. Illustrated in glorious glossy ink and brush illustrations—just like the comics, only on better paper—the story... Read More
Babymouse: Queen of the World. Babymouse connives to gets herself invited to a sleepover at the house of her arch nemesis, a popular cat named Felicia Furrypaws, but ultimately realizes she far prefers to hang out with her faithful friend, Wilson Weasel.So far, there are nine un-put-down-able graphic... Read More
We first met hypochondriac, serial exaggerator, and kvetcher, Ike LaRue, Mrs. LaRue’s melodramatic black and white terrier, when he was “imprisoned” at the posh Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy, where he had been sent for a two month term in Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School. In this,... Read More
You think you have a problem pet that rules your roost? Get a load of this quintessential bad kitty, a sleek, black, rowdy ruffian who is none too happy about getting a bath. OK, that’s an understatement. Usually, Kitty licks herself clean, though we see her going overboard here, licking... Read More
In 2001, Alan Katz started a new trend with I'm Still Here in the Bathtub, a collection of 14 seriously silly song parodies, all set to the tunes of well known songs. I’m partial to the selections in his second volume, though you’ll find gems in all of... Read More
For read-alouds and read-alones, this comedic easy-to-read chapter book series also deals with real life issues. The irrepressible Junie B. Jones is in first grade now, and we continue to laugh and relate to her many predicaments as a student and a real kid. Because the weekend zoomed by speedy... Read More
"OUTRAGEOUS! That is the only word that can possibly describe the treatment I have received on this pathetic little planet!" In a hilarious graphic novel-ette, drawn in jumpy black line with light and dark green highlights, meet the wronged narrator, Julian Rodriguez, as he pounds away on his computer keyboard... Read More
Want your children to find the fun in history? Have them travel back in time with the “Time Warp Trio” series. Sure, it’s been a hit on the Discovery Kids Channel on TV, but the wacky books came first, and they’re still a riot. In this very first book of... Read More
It’s Freddy Thresher’s turn for show-and-tell on Monday, and he'd sure like to find something as cool as the alligator head classmate Robbie brought for show-and-tell today. When he rescues a baby bird that has fallen from its nest, he names it Winger. If he can keep Winger hidden from... Read More
In a contemporary comedy with, perhaps, the most kid-friendly and irresistible book cover of the year, get ready to procrastinate big time with ten-year-old Moxy who has promised her mother she will write twelve thank-you notes today, the day after Christmas. Tomorrow, she and her twin brother Mark are supposed... Read More
Meet six-year-old Sukie as she runs through the living room with big plastic tubs of glitter in each hand. "No running in the house. This isn't a playground." That's what her parents would say if they saw her. And, "You have to ask before you use glitter. And only at... Read More
Whenever Uncle Dangerfoot, the world adventurer, comes to visit, nine-year-old Roxie Warbler sits at his feet hanging on every word of his hair-raising stories. She has virtually memorized the text of that famous book, Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them, written by her uncle’s... Read More
Fans of the Judy Moody series about an outspoken and assertive third grade girl have been glad to see a whole new spin-off series about her younger brother, Stink, just as Beezus fans love books about her little sister, Ramona, in Beverly Cleary's classic series. Shortest in his family and... Read More
Though their first encounter ends with a heated argument when Lizard accuses Snake of blocking his path with her tail, they soon realize they like each other a lot. Through 15 delightful short stories, rich with dialogue and illustrated with diminutive pen and ink and watercolors on every other page,... Read More
Even though Emma has never thought of herself as especially brave, when Jared Matthews takes her friend EllRay's plastic action figure and threatens to break the wings off, Emma jumps into the fray, grabbing the toy and yelling, "Quit it, you big bully." Instead of thanking Emma, now EllRay's mad... Read More
Now that he is in fifth grade, Nolan Byrd—called Byrd-the-Nerd by his arch enemy, his lying, cheating, stealing, bullying classmate, Bubba— would love to do something about Bubba. Problem: Nolan is half Bubba's size, and, as he says, "I don't exactly want to die in elementary school." Nolan's teacher, Mr.... Read More
It’s gratifying to see one of our favorite third grade book characters back in a sequel that is just as funny as her fabulous first book, Clementine. She jumps right in with her chatty narration: “I have noticed that teachers get exciting confused with boring a lot. But when my... Read More