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13,600 | 7 | DALE E. BASYE has been a journalist, film critic, and publisher of an arts and entertainment newspaper. He lives with his wife and son in Portland, Oregon. Please visit his Web site at WheretheBadKidsGo.com to find out more.BOB DOB draws inspiration from painter Edward Hopper, classic Disney, and Film Noir. He lives in Redondo Beach, California, where he draws, paints, and drinks coffee all day. For more on Bob and his art, visit BobDob.com.1 What Lies Ahead? Being a boy feels really weird, Marlo thought as she dangled her brothers gross feet off the backseat of the stagecoach taking her to Fibble, the circle of Heck for kids who lie. Her borrowed body felt alternately simpler and more complicatedfrustrating in its sheer, dull straightforwardness. Just like boys, she reflected. Marlo tried her best not to overanalyze the skin she ached to jump out of: just thinking about being her younger brother, Miltonat least on the outsidemade her skin crawl. Or his. Whatever. Marlo was still fuzzy on the particulars of her current situation, but flashes of what had happened, and who she truly was, floated to the top of her brain like the cryptic messages of a Magic 8 Ball. She remembered graduating from Madame Pompadours Infernship program and becoming Satans Girl Friday the Thirteenth. Then she remembered Miltonthough for some reason, at the time, shed had no idea that the little twerp hopping around in his Stargate Atlantis underwear was her brotherstorming the Surly Gates of h-e-double-hockey-sticks with Annubis, the dog god, and dragging her from her Deceptionist post to the Break Down Room with Principal Bubb and her demon guards in hot pursuit, before drugging her with a moldy cheese sandwich. It was here that things got a little strange. When Marlo had come to, she hadnt felt quite . . . herself. Annubis had once presided over Hecks Assessment Chamber, where souls were weighed on the Scales of Justice, so he had the power to pluck peoples spiritual essence from their bodies with his bare paws. He must have switched Miltons soul with mine, Marlo presumed. To what end, Marlo could not be sure. But as she dredged the sludgy slough of her mindstill yawning and stretching from its peculiar napMarlo knew that her little brother was essentially a good kid, so whatever Miltons specific intent, his heart was sure to be in the right place (even if his soul wasnt). Marlo also knew that Milton had an ulcer, not because of any prior knowledge as his sister, but because of the waves of pain radiating from the pit of Miltons stomach. The man sitting across from her in the musty stagecoach coughed. He leered at her with a freaky smirk: a knowing grin that was totally one-sided. How long are we going to play this little game? the old, dough-faced man said as he ran his fingers through his slicked-back hair. Marlo swallowed down the bile that kept creeping up her throat. Im afraid I dont know what you mean, she replied in her brothers squeaky voice. And Im not afraid of anything. The man laughed mirthlessly. You could have fooled me, he said, training his beady black eyes on Marlo. You seemed plenty afraid back in Limbo. Her stomach suddenly felt as if it housed an unchaperoned, all-ages dance club. He must have been some teacher in Limbo, Marlo speculated. One of Miltons teachers . . . and thats who he thinks I am, naturally, because thats who I am. But I cant blow my cover, or else Ill screw up whatever Milton has planned. Yeah, of course I remember you . . . sir, Marlo replied. You were my, um, teacher. Back in Limbo. The stagecoach shuddered. The hoofbeats of the Night Mares pulling the carriage clattered uncertainly before regaining their confident rhythm. The man squinted so hard at Marlo that it looked as if the bags beneath his eyes would burst. Whats my name, then? he asked, suspiciously, as he leaned in close to Marlo and stared into her borrowed hazel eyes. What, did you forget? Marlo replied, using her patent-pending tact-evasion technique. Didnt your momma sew it in the lining of your jacket? I can tell youre covering up something, the man spat back. I can see it in your Suddenly, the stagecoach bumped and shook so violently that the old man slammed his head into the top of the carriage. Oww! he yelped as the demon drivera swollen, bespectacled creature with goat horns and a white goatee rimmed around his orange duck billleaned into the carriage. Are you injured, Mr. Nixon? the demon quacked. I mean, Mr. President, sir. Mr. Nixon rubbed the swirling slick of hair atop his head. Pardon me, Mr. Nixon? Marlo said, making Miltons voice smugger than it had ever sounded before. You were saying that you saw something in my oww? Mr. Nixons ashen face flushed red. I pardon no one! Im the one that gets pardoned! The stagecoach fishtailed wildly, sending Marlo and Mr. Nixon crashing to the floor. The carriage skidded to a stop. Marlo crawled up off the floor and gazed out the window. They were on the edge of a vast, frozen mound of water that shimmered weakly beneath the filmy crust. The swollen sea of frost resembled a massive Hostess Sno Ball dipped in crystal. Studding the distended icy knoll were clumps of scraggly bushes thatwhen rustled by the breezealmost seemed to . . . talk. What they said, Marlo couldnt make out. It just sounded like yammering nonsense. Marlo pushed open the door and hopped onto the ice, steadying herself with the carriage. The horizon was clogged with a thick, gently seething bank of sparkling pea-soup smoke. The glimmering, billowing murk spewed from a towering structure in the distance perched atop the summit of the swollen, frozen sea. Through a fleeting crack in the clouds Marlo could see that the structure was a cluster of grand, gaudy tents propped up on massive, swaying stilts. The wound in the cloud bank quickly healed, leaving Marlo dazzled, disoriented, and wanting to disgorge whatever her brother had last eaten all over his freaky skinny-long feet. Mr. Nixon moaned as he rose from the floor. He crouched through the open stagecoach door, waving V for victory signs at the nonexistent crowd that roared in his mind, and joined Marlo. From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Fibble: The Fourth Circle of Heck | [
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13,601 | 2 | Karen Katz is the author and illustrator of many books for children, includingPrincess Baby; Princess Baby, Night-Night; Princess Baby on the Go!; Counting Kisses; Daddy Hugs;andToes, Ears and Nose!Her bestselling book isWhere Is Baby's Belly Button?,which has sold more than a million copies. Learn more at karenkatz.com.; Title: Princess Baby on the Go | [
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13,602 | 17 | Kelly offers a fairly extensive look at the famous curse that seemingly dogged the Boston Red Sox after they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The first part of the book follows the early life and career of Ruth and then moves on to accounts of the Red Soxs World Series appearances, culminating in 2004, when the curse seemed to break. The books strongest portion focuses on Ruths career in Boston, with a quick summary of his success as a pitcher and his conflicts with the teams owner. Other chapters drag a bit, however, and now that the curse is broken, baseball fans beyond Boston may not find this as interesting as they once would have. Still, many sports readers will find this enjoyable. Pair this with Dan Shaughnessys The Legend of the Curse of the Bambino (2005), which presents similar material in picture-book format. Grades 3-5. --Todd MorningDavid A. Kelly is a lifelong baseballand Red Soxfan. Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse is his first book. He lives in West Newton, Massachusetts.Tim Jessells art can be seen in many childrens books, including the popular Secret of Droon series. For the Random House list, he illustrated Two Hot Dogs with Everything and the covers for Crossroads and Raleighs Page. He lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma.; Title: Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse (Totally True Adventures): How the Red Sox Curse Became a Legend . . . | [
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13,603 | 2 | Nasty, measly Sneaky Weasels schemes and scams have made him rich, but when nobody comes to his big party, Weasel determines to discover why. Rabbit reminds him that he was a school bully; Rat tells about how Weasel ruined his scientific experiment; and Shrew points out that Weasels mean actions have repercussionsa revelation that inspires Weasel to apologize (if initially reluctantly), reform, and try to be a good friend. The descriptive, lively narrative offers an entertaining exploration of bullying, including its impact on both bullies and victims; the challenges of changing behavior; and, ultimately, the rewards of kindness and generosity. The animated, colorful illustrations feature Weasel in intricately rendered scenes that are filled with clever details and insets that portray his past exploits. Throughout, the text and art convey Weasels transformation, extending all the way to the endpaper images of Weasels business ads, which progress in tone from nasty to nice. Children will embrace this amusing and supportive picture-book debut and its enjoyable protagonist, who discovers the meaning and value of friendship. Grades K-3. --Shelle RosenfeldStarred Review, Publishers Weekly, February 16, 2009:"[Shaw's] gangly ink drawings are amplified with funny visual asides ..., while the quirky typography imbues the narration with a dry lilt."Review, People Magazine, April 6, 2009:"A varmint whose wiles have earned him stuff, but no friends learns to be good– "but, you know, not sickeningly good."Starred Review, School Library Journal, June 2009:"Sneaky Weasel has a wholesome moral mixed into abundant, sly humor ... It needs to be read and read again to ingest the bounty of visual jokes and lovable malice."; Title: Sneaky Weasel | [
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13,604 | 2 | Grade 7 UpErnie and Will stick together to minimize or deflect the regular bullying aimed at them by a cruel group of five jocks. Ernie's mom and his Uncle Max provide a caring support system, but the boy is overweight. Will is lanky with bad skin and a mother who left him and his younger brother, Sam, with an alcoholic father. The friends enjoy fishing together until the day Sam drowns when their boat capsizes. Will's feelings of guilt about his brother's death and sadness about parental neglect cause him to attempt suicide. Luckily, perceptive Ernie recognizes his friend's signals and intervenes in the nick of time. Despite these circumstances, the bullies continue their harassment, until Will has had enough and plans to get even with a gun. Ernie and Will are sympathetically drawn characters who just want peace, one another's friendship, and the little joy that comes their way. Like Gray in Nancy Garden's Endgame (Harcourt, 2006) and Brett in Patrick Jones's Nailed (Walker, 2006), Will faces challenging family relationships plus the torment of bullies, and reaches a breaking point where he strikes back to end the pain. The open-ended conclusion offers readers hope that he gets the help he needs, and leaves them with a great respect for Ernie as he chooses to do what is right.Diane P. Tuccillo, Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO ENDNovember 4thWill Manson stood up for me today. Against the jocks. Stupid. Nice, but stupid. I wish he wouldn't do stuff like that. It's so wrong. Will's my best friend, though.Oh, who am I kidding? He's my only friend.It was gym class, which has got to be the worst of an already bad situation. But I'm pretty used to it. More or less. As much as you get used to a thing like that. I'd just gotten out of the shower, and I was walking back to my corner to get dressed. As fast as I safely could. It doesn't pay to go too fast. It draws them. Like when dogs see a cat running away. It brings out the worst in them.I got snapped with a towel from behind. Right on the butt. It hurt, but I kept it to myself. It almost knocked off the towel I was wearing, but I grabbed it and held tight. Laughter from the rear, then some comments about laying off the Ho Hos and Twinkies. Nothing I don't hear pretty much every day of my life.Then I heard Will's voice. He said, "Why don't you leave him alone?"Really stupid. I was almost to my corner. Then it would have been over anyway. All he was doing was pouring Zippo lighter fluid on the fire. Still, you have to like him for stuff like that. In a weird sort of way.By the time I looked around, the jocks had him by the throat with his back up against the wall. The usual suspects. There were five of them. I'm not even sure I know all their names. I'm pretty sure there's a Mike and a Dave in there somewhere. Then again, you can't throw a rock into a group of guys without hitting a Mike or a Dave. And you know what? They're cowards. Know how I know? Because they always attack in a pack, like a bunch of coyotes. Only cowards would be sure to outnumber their helpless victim by five to one.Will isn't fat. But he catches it all the same. I think it's partly being new. Also smart doesn't help. Plus usually when he opens his mouth, something geeky will fall out. He's skinny, too skinny, and has big ears that stick out away from his head. And the worst acne ever. Sometimes it hurts to look at him. But I do anyway. I'm no picnic, either, so I still do. I think if his skin cleared up and he got his ears pinned by a plastic surgeon, he might be okay. If he never once talked.The chief coward was talking so close to Will's face that you could see Will blink because he was getting spit on. "And what'll you do if we don't, huh, Charlie? Tell your mother? Oh, that's right. You don't have one."I'll say this for Will. He didn't go at them. I could see how easy it would have been. I could see it on his face. I was thinking, Fight the urge. Be calm. I mean, what good does it do to charge five big jocks? They could just beat you to a pulp and walk away laughing.I watched Will's face, and it just got redder and redder.Will moved here from L.A. with his father at the beginning of the school year because his mother left them for some guy. We hit it off right away, because we have three big things in common. We each only have one parent. We each really like to fish. Even though his fishing and my fishing are pretty different things. And, most important, neither one of us has even one other person who wants to be our friend.He doesn't talk much about his mother. The one time it came up, he just said what he always says about home. "That's life in the Manson family." Will thinks he was shot down before he was even born, because it's so hard to grow up with the name of a famous murderer. I think maybe he's being too dramatic. But I'm not sure he's entirely wrong. He takes a lot of crap for it. That's why they call him Charlie. That should be the worst thing they ever call us.But you'd think they'd leave you alone about a thing like your mother. I mean, your mother. Damn. Something's got to be sacred. Instead they attack you on just that front. Like they have to call you a space alien for having that happen to you. Otherwise a thing like that could happen to them, too.It's a theory, anyway. I'm full of theories about the popular guys. I'll never know if I'm right, though, because I'll never be one of them.Poor Will. I never saw anybody get that red. The guy who was holding him called him Lobster Boy, and they all walked away laughing.I got dressed fast, and Will and I walked out into the hall together. I always breathe when I get out into the hall. Like I'm breathing for the first time ever. Not that I haven't been tortured in the hall, but gym is worse.I said, "Why do you do stuff like that, Will?"He said, "You're welcome.""Yeah, okay. It's nice and all. But it just makes it worse." The trick is to get small. Never look in their eyes. Never look at them at all. Just look down at the ground and try to get so small you're hardly even there. That's the only thing that helps. Except when it doesn't."You're right," he said. "You raise an interesting point, young Ernie." That was a line we heard in a TV movie. We've been using it ever since. "If I really wanted to help you, I'd figure a way to get you out of gym altogether. And I might have just the thing.""I'm not going to maim myself. If that's what you mean."While we walked, I did the usual routine where I found lots of reasons to turn my head. If we passed a locker with stickers on it, I turned to read them. If a pretty girl walked by the other way, I followed her with my eyes until my head was almost all the way around. Pure ruse. Not that I don't like pretty girls, but it's not in me to stare. I was watching our backs. Making sure nobody was bearing down from the rear. But you can't just keep glancing nervously over your shoulder. Not unless you have a death wish. That's like the equivalent of bleeding into the water if you're a fish. You become this living, breathing advertisement for sharks.; Title: Diary of a Witness | [
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13,605 | 2 | AUDREY COULOUMBIS's first book for children, Getting Near to Baby, won the Newbery Honor in 2000. Audrey is also the author of several other highly acclaimed books for young readers, including The Misadventures of Maude March (which was named a Book Sense 76 Pick, a New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection, and a National Parenting Publications Gold Award Winner) Love Me Tender (a Book Sense Summer 2008 Pick) and War Games which she coauthored with her husband Akila Couloumbis (a 2010 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a Horn Book Fanfare Best Book). Audrey lives in upstate New York and Florida with her dog Phoebe, and Phoebe's two pet parakeets Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.; Title: Jake | [
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13,606 | 2 | RON ROY has been writing books for children since 1974. He is the author of dozens of books, including the popular A to Z Mysteries, Capital Mysteries, and Calendar Mysteries. When not working on a new book in his Connecticut home, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog Pal, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books. Visit him online at RonRoy.com.JOHN STEVEN GURNEY has illustrated many books for children, including the entire A to Z Mysteries series and Scholastics popular Bailey School Kids series. He lives in Brattleboro, Vermont.; Title: January Joker (Calendar Mysteries, No. 1) | [
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13,607 | 0 | Equal parts medical mystery, historical novel, and survival story about the 1854 London cholera outbreak, this introduces Eel, a boy trying to make ends meet on Broad Street. When he visits one of his regular employers, he learns the man has fallen ill. Eel enlists the help of Dr. Snow, and together they work to solve the mystery of what exactly is causing the spread of cholera and how they can prevent it. Steeped in rich fact and detailed explanations about laboratory research, Hopkinsons book uses a fictional story to teach readers about science, medicine, and historyand works in a few real-life characters, too. Eel serves as a peek into the lower class of London society and offers readers a way to observeand, hopefully, ask questions aboutthe scientific method. An authors note provides readers with a look at the real story behind the novel, making this a great choice for introducing readers to science and history. Grades 5-8. --Sarah Bean ThompsonStarred Review, Publishers Weekly, September 2, 2013:"Hopkinson adeptly recreates the crowded, infested streets of London, but its her distinct, layered characters and turbulent, yet believable plot that make this a captivating read."Starred Review, School Library Journal, October 2013:"Although detailing a dire period in history, Eel tells his story in a matter-of-fact and accessible manner, making his story palatable and entertaining."; Title: The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel | [
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13,608 | 5 | Here is a real delighta nonsense tale in which the ingenuity of the humor and the logic of the nonsense are irresistible.The New YorkerRuth Stiles Gannett wrote My Fathers Dragon just a few years after her graduation from Vassar College in 1944. It was an immediate success and was soon followed by two sequels. She lives in upstate New York.; Title: My Father's Dragon 60th Anniversary Edition | [] | Train |
13,609 | 2 | Laurel Snyders first novel, Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains, and her first picture book, Inside the Slidy Diner, have delighted readers both young and old. She wrote Any Which Wall as a tribute to Edward Eager and Edith Nesbit, both of whom have influenced her work. She and her family live in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit her online at www.laurelsnyder.com.Wow, said Henry, staring up.Everyone agreed: the wall was wow. It looked like something from another place and time, ancient and mysterious, leaning over them. They just stood.Gaping. Up.Its so big, said Roy after a while. What do you think it was? I mean, what did it start out as, back when it was built?A castle! Emma answered right away with absolute certainty. A big giant castle. For when people needed to hide from Indians and wolves and for olden-time princesses to stay in when they visited Iowa.Mmmmm. More likely a farmhouse, said Susan.I dont think there are a lot of castles in Iowa, EmActually, Susan, said Roy, I dont think a farmhouse makes any more sense than a castle. Its too huge for a house. Plus, if it were part of a house, itd have some windows in it, right? And maybe a door?They all looked up and agreed that the wall didnt have any windows in it, or doors either. Susan frowned.Maybe it was a really enormous barn? Roy guessed. But it doesnt matter much. The big question is, what can we do with it?The others agreed. Clearly, something so interesting and rare needed to be put to good use.I guess it could be a kind of fort, said Susan at last, if we leaned some branches against it, maybe. But theyd have to be really long branches.And where would we get the branches from? asked Roy, thinking practically. Drag them from town?Who cares! said Henry impatiently. We can figure out what to do with it later. In the meantime, we should claim it.Claim it? asked Emma.Yeah, Em. Like when someone finds a planet or walks on the moon or something. Or back in pioneer days, when they staked out homesteads in the Wild West. Its our wall now. We found it, and we need to claim it before someone else does. Right, Roy?We can if you want to. Roy nodded thoughtfully.Although technically it belongs to whoever owns this field.Henry ignored this comment. Roy was his best friend and always had been, but sometimes it was necessary to ignore Roy in the name of fun. Henry wished his friend could understand that technically didnt always matter.But what are we going to claim it with? Henry asked. We should have a flag or a sign or something, a way to let people know that its our wall. What have you guys got?They all emptied their pockets.Henry had half a pack of very pungent bubble gum (the same gum that had left his hair a sticky mess), a handful of change, a crumpled dollar bill, the cell phone his mother made him carry, and a red rubber ball. Emma found one of the green handlebar tassels from her new bike (already pulled loose), a smiling-tooth sticker from the dentists office, and another crumpled dollar bill.Susan found a tube of sparkle lip gloss, ten dollars (emergency money), a cell phone nobody ever had to remind her to carry, and a barrette. Roy found a funny looking rock, a compass, and a mouse skull, which is not nearly as gross as it sounds. He pulled the skull out last, and it gleamed fragile and white in his hand.I dont know how we can make a sign or a flag with any of this stuff, said Henry, but thathe pointed at the skullgives me another idea. You know what would be awesome? The others did not know, so Henry told them. We should have some kind of ceremony. Make a sacrifice and say a prayer of thanks, like when shipwrecked people find a desert island. To thank the spirits of the field, or whatever, for letting us find the wall. Henry was excited. This would involve digging, jumping around, and make-believe: three of his favorite things.Henry began to make a chanting noise that sounded like Oh-ee-oh-ee, and bowed down to the wall. After a while, he turned and looked back at the others, wondering why nobody else had joined in his wordless song. They were all just watching him.A sacrifice? Emma looked nervous.Henry stopped chanting and sighed. I dont mean a scary kind of sacrifice, he explained. I mean a fun sacrifice.If were going to do a sacrifice, we should do it right, said Susan. A sacrifice should mean giving up something more than an old piece of bone. She eyed the skull with distaste. A sacrifice should be somethingyou care about. Something you want to keep. Thats the definition of sacrifice, isnt it? That way, the spirits will know were serious.The others stared at her when she said the word spirits. This didnt sound like the Susan theyd gotten used to over the last year, the Susan who ignored them and sometimes made fun of their games. This seemed more like the old Susan, and though they were delighted to welcome her return, they were all a little shocked.She noticed them staring and stared right back, in a bug-eyed sort of way. What? she said. I just mean you know, if there are spirits.Roy prodded her. So, you think we need to give up something that matters to us?Susan nodded.Like . . . your cell phone? asked Roy with a sneaky smile.Yeah, said Henry, smirking. You sure do like that.No way, said Susan, putting it back in her pocket immediately. Absolutely not. Mom and Dad would kill me.What about the money, then? asked Emma.Of all the things they were carrying with them, their money did seem like the only thing they had worth giving up, besides their two cell phones, whicheveryone had to admittheyd get skinned alive if they lost. It didnt seem likely that the spirits of the field would want a plastic tassel or some gum, so while Roy dug a hole at the base of the wall, Susan collected Emma and Henrys dollars.On second thought, Susan asked, holding up the money, do you think just the two is enough? Plus the change? I feel bad giving the rest away, since its not my money. It really belongs to Mom.Yeah, sure, said Henry. Just take my dollar and Emmas but keep your own money. That seems fair.Despite Henrys grousing, they all agreed that two dollars should be plenty of sacrifice to gratify the spirits of the field, if there were such spirits. Last of all, Roy added the small white skull gently to the pile of money in the hole. It seemed right, since the mouse had likely been a field mouse. They all scrabbled the pile over with dirt.When Henrys hand touched something hot and smooth, he jumped back. Ow! he yelped.What is it? asked Emma.Henry bent to pick up the hot something-or-other, then held it up so that they could all see. It was a large skeleton key the size of a teaspoon, so caked with dirt that none of them had noticed it lying camouflaged on the ground. Henry wiped it against his shirt, and as the dirt flaked off, everyone saw it was made of a bronzy kind of metal, with a rough surface and fancy scrollwork at the top.; Title: Any Which Wall | [
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13,610 | 0 | PreSchool-KGrown-ups know that kids generally don't like eating broccoli. Apparently, neither do monsters. Sure, they like tractors, rocket ships, and boulders. Only don't give them artichokes, lima beans, or anything green. When the "monsters" eat giant maple trees, though, they discover they have been fooled into eating the dreaded broccoli. The next spread reveals that the monsters are children who have fallen for that age-old adult trick of calling broccoli "trees." Not only that, but they also discover that "trees" are so delicious, they beg for "Another helping, please." For the most part, the rhyming text flows nicely when read aloud but it stumbles when the monsters repeatedly shout, "Fum,/foe,/fie,/fee,/monsters don't eat broccoli." The gouache illustrations are bright and textured; they pop off the page. However, the monsters and the backgrounds are done in similar hues so that the creatures sometimes blend into the scenery. Among a crowded field, this title doesn't stand out. Recommend Mitchell Sharmat's Gregory, the Terrible Eater (Scholastic, 1984) or Kenneth Oppel's The King's Taster (HarperCollins, 2009) instead.Laura Lutz, formerly at Queens Borough Public Library, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Barbara Jean Hicks is the author of The Secret Life of Walter Kitty and Jitterbug Jam. She lives in Oxnard, California.Sue Hendra is the illustrator of more than seventy childrens books. She lives in Brighton, England.; Title: Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli | [
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13,611 | 0 | PreSchool-Grade 2This entertaining Seuss-style story will have dinosaur enthusiasts clamoring for more. Charming cartoon illustrations provide an amusing complement to the rhyming text. A boy looks around his home and travels around his community in search of his large, green "he likes to roar" dinosaur. The frontispiece shows a silhouette of the boy with the dinosaur tiptoeing behind him; it will get readers hooked from the start. Even the title page contributes to the story. A great hide-and-seek adventure for beginning readers.Melissa Smith, Green Valley Library, Henderson, NV (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Jon Surgal has written for many television shows. His fiction has appeared in the National Lampoon, Evergreen Review, and Partisan Review.Joe Mathieu has illustrated countless childrens books.; Title: Have You Seen My Dinosaur? (Beginner Books(R)) | [
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13,612 | 0 | MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.; Title: Leprechaun in Late Winter (Magic Tree House (R) Merlin Mission) | [
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13,613 | 7 | MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.; Title: Moonlight on the Magic Flute (Magic Tree House (R) Merlin Mission) | [
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13,614 | 2 | Reading is one of the most important skills a child will ever learn. When you read to children, you are sharing an experience that prepares them to learn to read. Jellybean Books have been written "especially to be read aloud to toddlers and preschoolers aged 3-5 years old. Every book is lively, colorful, filled with fabulous characters, and priced to please.Constance Allen has written many Sesame Street books.After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design,Maggie Swansonspent three years at Hallmark Cards. In college she learned about drawing and painting and dreaming. Hallmark taught her to start and finish a job in a timely and professional manner. After that, she started her freelance career, and has illustrated over 100 children's books for many different publishers. She lives in Connecticut with her husband Rick.; Title: Shake a Leg! (Sesame Street) (Big Bird's Favorites Board Books) | [
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13,615 | 2 | "An electric debut. Lina and Doon search parallels the universal adolescent quest for answers.Publishers Weekly, StarredFrom the Hardcover edition.JEANNE DuPRAU is the New York Times bestselling author of the City of Ember books, which have been translated into multiple languages and are a time-honored staple in elementary school classrooms. She also wrote Escape the Vortex, part of the multiplatform sci-fi adventure series Voyagers. Visit her website at jeanneduprau.com.; Title: The Diamond of Darkhold (Ember, Book 3) | [
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13,616 | 2 | "[A] moving fantasy . . . Townley provides revelations that are both comic and awesome. Reminiscent of the work of Diana Wynne Jones, this lovely tale should impress young readers."Publishers WeeklyRODERICK TOWNLEY has taught in Chile on a Fulbright Fellowship, worked in New York as a journalist, and now devotes his time to writing. His highly acclaimed novels include The Blue Shoe, The Red Thread, Sky, and the three books of the Sylvie Cycle: The Great Good Thing, Into the Labyrinth, and The Constellation of Sylvie. You can read more about his work at RoderickTownley.com.; Title: The Door in the Forest | [
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13,617 | 16 | Tad Hills is the author and illustrator of Duck & Goosecalled expressive and adorable in a starred review from Kirkus Reviewsand Duck, Duck, Goose, both New York Times bestsellers. He is also the illustrator of Waking up Wendell by April Stevens. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and two children.; Title: Duck & Goose, 1, 2, 3 | [
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13,618 | 7 | Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2012:"Within its fantasy world, Neff makes this book a kind of in-depth consideration of war itself. Covering espionage, disinformation, false diplomacy and even cryptography, he gives readers an education in the clandestine tools of war. Despite heavy themes, he continues to balance seriousness with a lighthearted humor that keeps the pages turning. A strong, gutsy chapter in what is already a noteworthy series."HENRY H. NEFF has been a successful business consultant in Chicago and a popular high school teacher in San Francisco. He now writes and draws full-time from his home in Brooklyn. The Maelstrom is his fourth book.; Title: The Maelstrom: Book Four of The Tapestry | [
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13,619 | 0 | Dogs do the darnedest things in this collection of poem and photo tributes. They turn the bathroom sink into a home spa (I Will Not Go to the Groomer), overcome fears (Learning to Swim) and take the great American road trip (the title poem). Ron Schmidt's photography won't make William Wegman nervous; he doesn't push his subjects much beyond cute anthropomorphizing (a greyhound wearing Harry Potterstyle glasses perches atop a stack of books), although he does produce a couple of marvels: a Weimaraner with all four paws seemingly tricked out in ice skates poses alone on a frozen pond; and a pair of Labs rows a boat, oars gripped in their mouths. Amy Schmidt's poems are more notable for their variety than for their wit or use of language: the genres include free verse, limerick, rollicking ballad and even haiku: Out among the pines/ A laberjack spends his day./ Timber!/ A tree falls. Ages 38. (Jan.) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Kindergarten-Grade 4This brief collection pairs 16 simple poems with full-color photographs of dogs wearing clothes, hats, and glasses, and posed in various human activities such as driving a toy car or blowing a large pink chewing-gum bubble. The critters are cute, though some also look uncomfortable, such as the pooch posed shakily atop two pair of ice skates on a frozen pond. The poems are unmemorable, including the title selection: "My leash was loose,/So now I'm off/To see the world,/Out on my own./Down country roads/And city streets,/In my red car,/Free and alone./Armed with my map,/I'm going far-/Just need to learn to drive this car." An appended spread of "Furry Facts" elaborates on each featured canine's character, including favorite songs and pet peeves.Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: Loose Leashes | [
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13,620 | 13 | Sixth-graders Ruthie and her best friend, Jack, are on a class visit to Chicagos Art Institute, where they see the famous Thorne Rooms. Filled with incredible miniatures, the rooms, representing different time periods, fascinate Ruthie. When she finds a key that shrinks her and allows her to get inside the rooms, Ruthie wants to return as soon as possible. Jack is a willing partner, and when a way is found to shrink him, too, the adventure really begins. First-time novelist Malone carefully crafts a fantastical story with plenty of real-world elements, including Jacks mothers worries as she tries to make a living as an artist and the subplot of a museum security guard, who has lost something important. Jack and Ruthie find it in the rooms, which tie the past and present together. There are contrivances that make accessibility to the adventures possible, but readers will focus on the mystery, the history, and the excitement of being small. Grades 4-6. --Ilene CooperMarianne Malone is the cofounder of the Campus School Middle School for Girls in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband divide their time between Urbana and Washington, D.C. For Teacher's Guides (including common core tie-ins) and more, visit MarianneMalone.com.; Title: The Sixty-Eight Rooms (The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures) | [
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13,621 | 2 | In the early 1940s, a loving father crafted a small blue wooden engine for his son, Christopher. The stories that this father, Reverend W. Awdry, made up to accompany this wonderful toy were first published in 1945. He continued to create new adventures and characters until 1972, when he retired from writing. Reverend Awdry died in 1997 at the age of 85.Tommy Stubbs is an illustrator. His works include The Birthday Express!, A Crack in the Track, and Blue Mountain Mystery. ; Title: Fast Train, Slow Train (Thomas & Friends) (Bright & Early Books(R)) | [
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13,622 | 2 | In the twelfth title in the popular Babymouse series, the little rodent dreams of entering and winning the biggest soapbox race of the year. She has to make her own vehicle, but all she makes is a mess until her friend Wilson helps her. More than just a situation, the story takes a surprising turn when, at the last moment, Wilson needs her help, and its Babymouse who comes to the rescue. As usual, the pink-accented, black-and-white drawings are full of action, humor, and feeling, and kids will enjoy the wry classroom and schoolyard backdrops as much as Babymouses big fantasies. Grades 4-6. --Hazel RochmanHere's what people are saying about Babymouse! The Chicago Sun-Times: "Move over, Superman, here comes Babymouse!" Starred Review, The Horn Book: "Nobody puts Babymouse in the corner!" Booklist: "Cute, smart, sassy Babymouse is fun and funny, and this book, like its predecessors, will draw reluctant readers as well as Babymouse fans."The Bulletin: "An almost absurdly likeable heroine."; Title: Babymouse #12: Burns Rubber | [
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13,623 | 2 | Kurtis Scaletta was born in Louisiana and grew up in several states and foreign countries, including Liberia, where this story takes place. Mamba Point is his second novel for young readers. His first book, Mudville, is a Booklist Top Ten Sports Book for Youth and was named a Midwest Connections Pick by the Midwest Booksellers Association. Kurtis now lives in Minneapolis with his wife and several cats (but no snakes).To learn more about him, please visit www.kurtisscaletta.com.My brother changed his name on the plane ride to Africa. "From now on, my name is Law," he said. "Law Tuttle." He said it to himself a few times, practicing. "Hey, I'm Law. Law Tuttle." He tossed his bangs back with a casual nod as he said it. He'd only recently begun growing his hair out, so he didn't have much to toss. "I've never heard of anyone called Law," I said, not looking up from my book. I was reading Tarzan of the Apes in comic-book form, which was a going-away present from Joe, my buddy back in Dayton. He wrote on the wrapping paper that it was something to get me ready for the great African experience. If Tarzan was at all accurate, I was in big trouble. According to the comic, Africa was all cannibals and savage apes and hungry lions. I'd read the encyclopedia article, too, though. It said Liberia was founded back in the 1800s by some freed American slaves. They went back to Africa and created their own country. That was why they spoke English in Liberia, and why their flag looked like ours, only with one big star instead of fifty little ones, and why their currency was dollars and cents. There was nothing in the article about ape tribes or cannibals, so those guys must have civilized it by now. We were moving to Africa because my dad got a job at the American Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia. I didn't know exactly what he'd be doing there, just that he'd be working for two years and then we'd probably move somewhere else. Dad said it was a big embassy with lots of families and that we'd have plenty of friends. That would be a big change from Dayton, where I had a few pals but not plenty, like they were swarming around me when I left the house. Dad also told us that the embassy compound had a swimming pool and tennis courts and a clubhouse for teenagers and a library with books and videotapes. I wouldn't be able to go to that teen club until I turned thirteen on December 11, but I was looking forward to swimming and the other stuff. "Law is short for Lawrence," my brother insisted. "It makes more sense than Larry." "Whatever you say, Law." I made as much noise as I could turning the page. Tarzan was about to do battle with a savage man-eating gorilla, and it was a lot more interesting than Larry making up new names for himself. The gorilla took up most of the next page, its muscles rippling, saliva dripping from its fangs--lots of nice details. I would try and copy it later. "You could come up with a name, too," Law suggested. "You hate your first name." "No I don't." I didn't, either. Kids made fun of it sometimes, but it wasn't my name's fault people were jerks. "Yes you do," he insisted. "How about you go by L.T. or, um, Wheels, since you like skating?" "No way." "Fine. Go on being Blanket Boy." His point made, my brother sprawled out and drifted off to sleep, probably dreaming of a better life as Law than he'd had in Ohio as plain old Larry. My first name is Linus. Most people hear that name and think of the kid in the cartoons who totes a blanket around and never combs his hair. Usually within five seconds of meeting me they ask, "Hey, where's your blanket?" Like no one every thought of that before. So Larry had a point about changing my name, but I didn't think I would. First of all, even if I had the coolest first name in the world--like Indiana in Raiders of the Lost Ark--my last name would still be Tuttle, which sounds like "Turtle," and kids would skip on to the turtle jokes. "Where's your blanket?" would become "Where's your shell?" Second of all, it's not necessarily about the name. I knew this kid back in Dayton named Percy Schaefer. Percy is the sort of first name that they ought to not allow by law. The thing was, Percy Schaefer was cool about it. When he said his name was Percy,he said it like it was a great joke and he was in on it. Percy had long hair and wore a denim vest year-round with a bunch of weird patches on it and carried a deck of cards in the vest pocket. If he had five minutes to spare, he'd challenge you to a game of knock rummy--he'd play you penny-a-point and win, but then he'd take the whole pocket of change down to the arcade and treat you to video games. Percy was one of the coolest kids in Dayton, and after a while you felt like you could have been cool, too, if only your name was Percy instead of Larry or Linus or Joe. So maybe the name wasn't really the problem. Maybe it was me.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Mamba Point | [
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13,624 | 17 | KATHLEEN KRULLwinner of the 2010 Eureka! Children's Nonfiction Award Silver Honoris perhaps best known as a writer of richly entertaining biographies for children, such as FDR and The Boy Who Invented TV. Her Lives of series, which includes Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought), has been hugely popular with readers of all ages. Kathleen lives with her husband, children's illustrator Paul Brewer, in San Diego, California.STEVE JOHNSON and LOU FANCHER, a husband-and-wife team, are the illustrators of The Boy on Fairfield Street by Kathleen Krull, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, and New York's Bravest by Mary Pope Osborne. I Walk At Night was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. Visit www.johnsonandfancher.com.; Title: Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played with Puppets | [
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13,625 | 20 | Christin Ditchfieldis a former preschool and elementary school teacher. Shes now a popular speaker and host of the internationally syndicated inspirational radio programTake It to Heart!A prolific writer of magazine articles and columns for CBA publications, shes also the author of the Little Golden Books Bible Stories of Boys and Girls and David and Goliath. She lives in Houston, Texas.Jerry Smathillustrated his first Little Golden Book back in the early 1960s. More recently, he illustrated the Little Golden BooksMiracles of Jesus, Bible Stories of Boys and Girls,andThe Story of Jesus.; Title: Bible Stories of Boys and Girls (Little Golden Book) | [
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13,626 | 0 | Diane Wright Landolf is a childrens book editor and author. She is known for What a Good Big Brother!, Barbie: Thumbelina, The Jungle Book, Hog and Dog, and Hooray for Halloween! (Barbie).; Title: Barbie: Thumbelina (Barbie) (Step into Reading) | [
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13,627 | 13 | A worthy successor to Frederick. The Horn Book Magazine[A] good choice for story hour. School Library JournalLeo Lionni, an internationally known designer, illustrator, and graphic artist, was born in Holland and lived in Italy until he came to the United States in 1939. He was the recipient of the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was honored posthumously in 2007 with the Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award. His picture books are distinguished by their enduring moral themes, graphic simplicity and brilliant use of collage, and include four Caldecott Honor Books: Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Hailed as a master of the simple fable by the Chicago Tribune, he died in 1999 at the age of 89.; Title: Geraldine, The Music Mouse | [
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13,628 | 0 | RON ROY has been writing books for children since 1974. He is the author of dozens of books including the popular A to Z Mysteries, Capital Mysteries, and calendar Mysteries. When not working on a new book in his Connecticut home, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog Pal, play poker with his friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books. Visit him online at RonRoy.com.JOHN STEVEN GURNEY has illustrated many books for children, including the entire A to Z Mysteries series and Scholastics popular Bailey School Kids series. He lives in Brattleboro, Vermont.; Title: Calendar Mysteries #3: March Mischief | [
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13,629 | 2 | Abigail, a young chicken, and her best friend, George, a bear, have all kinds of fun together. They like to cha cha, and George enjoys the stories that Abigail tells. But theres one thing that Abigail does very well all by herself:spell. After Abigail hears about a school spelling bee, all she does is practice spelling. One of the neat things about this book is how it uses every opportunity to show Abigail spelling wordswhile brushing her teeth, eating her lunchall of whichmight get children interested in spelling, too. When the big day comes, though, Abigails nerves get the better of her, and with a misspelling of elephant,shes out.She isina funk, and George despairs, until he tells her a story about two friends. What makes this different from so many happy-enders is that the story recognizes that defeat is part of life. The pictures, executed in acrylics and simple shapes, neatly capture both actions and emotions. Grades K-2. --Ilene CooperAnna Alter graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. She has written and illustrated a number of childrens books, including What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe? and Francines Day. She lives in Boston.; Title: Abigail Spells | [
63583
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13,630 | 3 | Everyone likes to be alive, right? Everyone likes to stay that way? Good! Having established that important fact, let's turn to David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim's Ugly Guide to Being Alive and Staying That Way. Don't be put off by the fact that this book and previous titles in the series are based on the Ugly Dolls--Horvath and Kim easily transfer the humor and good-hearted grotesquery of their doll creations into their books. And maybe I'm just an Ugly Doll acolyte, but even though the series is meant for younger readers, I really enjoyed this tongue-in-cheek advice for life, from birth to adulthood. After-college time is also known as "move-back-home" time. When it's time to buy a home, be aware that every house in the UglyVerse is haunted, "but not to worry. You'll probably get along fine with your special guest." In addition to the stages of life, topics like stress, fear, and "life's ugly mysteries" are also covered. The full-cover art is bright, cheery, and fun. Horvath and Kim's story is just as cheery--they met in design school, fell in love, created the Ugly Dolls, and thus far have lived happily ever after. The bottom line? The Ugly Guide to Being Alive is the kind of illustrative narrative you'll get a kick out of even as you're sharing it with your kids. --Jeff VanderMeerDavid Horvath and Sun-Min Kim maintained a long-distance relationship by writing each other letters, in which David began drawing little monster-like creatures. Sun-Min surprised David by sewing a plush version of one of his characters as a Christmas gift, and the Uglydolls were born!; Title: The Ugly Guide to Being Alive and Staying That Way (Uglydolls) | [
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13,631 | 2 | Cochrane (Sport) revisits the baseball diamond in this unhurried novel about a girl with a mean knuckleball ("Molly loved watching one of her knuckleballs in flight, but what she felt was not self-admiration at all, just simple curiosity. What was this one going to do?"). Dealing with her father's death in a car accident six months prior and her mother's subsequent zombie-like disinterest in life, Molly hopes that playing on the eighth-grade boys' baseball team will keep her connected to her dad. Molly is bolstered by her free-spirited friend, Celia (who steals every scene she's in), and Lonnie, a kindhearted, artistically inclined catcher. Cochrane offers poignant flashbacks of father-daughter bonding, realistic mother-daughter squabbling and some nail-biting moments on the pitcher's mound, but some readers may find the story's pace sluggish. Still, Cochrane's honest, quiet prose should find fans, as Molly finally pitches a winning game, earns the respect of her teammates and symbolically "lets go" of her need to understand her dad's death. Ages 10-up. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Molly thinks that girls softball is just baseball translated into a foreign language, so she tries out for the boys baseball team. She can throw a wicked knuckleball, which floats and bobs like a butterfly (hence the title), and this skill, coupled with her intelligent baseball sense, earns her a spot on the team, thanks in part to a coach who is a patient and caring teacher.There isthe initial expected harassment from some of her male teammates and an important game sequence during the last inning of this novel, but what transpires in between is an honest, sometimes humorous, and emotionally moving account of one girls adjustment to the death of her baseball-loving father and her relationship with her mother, of whom Molly thinks, I love you and all that, but right now everything about you bothers me. Throw in a friendship with her catcher that heads in the direction of romance, and this title becomesa sure winner with middle-school girls, whether they are sports fans or not. Grades 6-9. --Cindy Dobrez; Title: The Girl Who Threw Butterflies | [
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13,632 | 7 | DALE E. BASYE has been a journalist, film critic, and publisher of an arts and entertainment newspaper. He lives with his wife and son in Portland, Oregon. Please visit his Web site at WheretheBadKidsGo.com to find out more.BOB DOB draws inspiration from painter Edward Hopper, classic Disney, and Film Noir. He lives in Redondo Beach, California where he draws, paints, and drinks coffee all day. For more on Bob and his art, visit BobDob.com.1 Scamming the FatVirgils stomach rumbled like a gastric earthquake, registering somewhere between a 6.7 and 9.4 on the digestive Richter scale. He was starving, but that was only half of it. His belly was also waging a protest against Blimpos aptly named Gymnauseum.No matter where Virgil looked across the strobe-lit gym, the checkered pattern of the wallspainted in Pepto-Bismol pink and vomit-green hueswobbled in sickening throbs. Between the hunger and the nausea, Virgils stomach was currently more active than the rest of his body had ever been.Like Virgil, the other boys in the bleachers were hunched over with hunger at the sight of their seldom-seen-yet-surprisingly-appetizing vice principals on the raised platform below. It was, apparently, the first time in years that the vice principals had descended from the floating castle that bobbed above Blimpo, tethered to the Circles inner courtyard. Virgil could instantly see why. Even the girthy girls perched across the auditoriumnormally separated from the boys in Girls Blimpo but brought together for this special assemblywere rubbing their distended bellies with want.The Burgermeister sat imperiously on an over-stuffed, wheat-colored throne. His face was a pinkish-brown gray, as plump and shiny as a roasted frankfurter, with a lattice of crisscrossed marks that made him seem flame broiled. Grease stains darkened his plush, ketchup-colored armrests; his round, pickle-colored head cushion; and the lettuce-green blanket he kept on his lap.Next to him, melted in a conical chair, was Lady Lactose, a vision of creamy arrogance, patting the vanilla hair scooped high atop her head in soft spirals.Virgil wiped his drool-slick lips. Teachers, principals, and most every flavor of authority figure usually filled him with dread. But now, as he stared down at the Burgermeister and Lady Lactose, he was filled with the barely controlled urge to tie a bib around his neck and tuck into his vice principals with a fork and a spoon. It was as if he were at the Gobble n Hobble back home in Dallas, that all-you-can-eat (and more) place that made you sign a waiver before it granted access to its legendary Bonanza Buffet.The potent aroma of just-grilled hamburger and just-churned ice cream wafted from the stage. Considering the inedible slop the kids were served in the Cafeteriumor as the boys had dubbed it, the Lose-Your-Lunch Roomthe smell made Virgil ravenous. And, judging from the bellyaching he heard gurgling from his fellow students, he was not alone.The Burgermeister slicked back his greasy, poppy-seed-flecked hair until it looked like a rearing tidal wave. He leaned into the microphone set before him.Guten morgen, students of Blimpo, the Burgermeister said as he wiped his oily meat hooks on his checkered lederhosen. How geht es you all? You wundern vermutlich why youre here?More like wondering what you just said, muttered Hugo DeWitt, a boy with a dark crew cut and massive cheeks that nearly swallowed his nose and mouth, seated next to Virgil.Lady Lactose scowled at the wave of confusion that spread slowly throughout the crowd like a spill soaked up by a paper towel. She tilted the microphone toward her. The pained squeak of the metal reverberated throughout the Gymnauseum.May I? Lady Lactose asked the meaty monarch.The Burgermeister nodded.Of course, my sweet.Lady Lactose glared at the baffled boys and girls.The Burgermeister and I are very busy pseudo?-people, and we didnt call this assembly to simply chew the fat. If we had, wed be here all day, by the looks of it.A small drip of milk leaked down Lady Lactoses forehead. The Burgermeister took her hand.Try not to lose your cool, he cautioned.Lady Lactose sighed and blotted her forehead with a lace napkin.What I meant to say . . . children . . . is that the Burgermeister and I have a very special announcement that involves all of you . . . every bit of you, actually.She motioned for Dr. Kellogg, a short man just over five feet tall seated nearby, to approach the stage.Clad completely in white, from his galoshes to his tie, Dr. Kellogg took each step in spry little jumps. Even his hair and goatee gleamed as white and shiny as vanilla Frostee-Freeze. He hopped up onto the stage.Children, your beloved health education teacher, Lady Lactose announced.Dr. Kellogg raised a megaphone to his whiskery chin. Good day, students, he said with elfish vigor. You are about to become part of a great experiment, a new chapter not only for Blimpo, but also for Heckperhaps, even, for all of the underworld!He clapped his white-gloved hands. The double doors on either side of the Gymnauseum burst open. A team of demons in white laboratory smocks heaved nine massive objects covered in gray tarps toward the stage.Thank you, diligent yet forsaken creatures! the doctor declared as the demons grumbled and skulked away.Dr. Kellogg beamed.In an attempt to liberate ourselves from the Transdimensional Power Grid and from our dependence on fickle paranormal energy sources, wethe vice principals and Ihave uncovered a new source of power.A skinny man in white greasepaint and a black-and-white striped shirt crept from behind the thrones of the Burgermeister and Lady Lactose.That must be the vice principals flunky, the French Fried Fool, Hugo muttered to Virgil, licking his lips.The French Fried Fool smiled, accentuating his expression by framing his face with open, wriggling hands. Golden, deep-fried dreadlocks peeked out from beneath his harlequin cap.Yes, Fool, Lady Lactose said loudly and slowly, as if the mans silence was a medical condition that affected his ability to hear and discern. You may have the honorThe French Fried Fool hopped into the air like a flea on a hot plate. Lady Lactose raised her fudge-tinted eyebrows as he put his gloved fingers in his mouth, drew in a deep exaggerated breath, and then pretended to whistle.Eight men dressed just like the French Fried Fool flounced into the Gymnauseum. Each stopped in front of one of the mysterious concealed objects and walked in place. The French Fried Fool dove off the stage and took his place beside the ninth tarp-covered thingamajig. Dr. Kellogg raised the megaphone to his mouth.And this new energy source is . . . , he declared with a grand, sweeping gesture as the group of fools yanked off the tarps.. . . you.Virgil leaned closer, hoping that a few inches might help him make out what the odd contraptions were. They didnt.The gray metal machines resembled human-sized hamster wheels set within huge circular cast-iron enclosures. They opened slowly on either side, their walls like big pie tins, until the sides rested on the Gymnauseum floor. The machines reminded Virgil of the tire-shaped carrying case he used to tote his Hot Wheels around in when he was a little kid, back when he was alive.Behold, the DREADmills, Dr. Kellogg said as one end of his thin mouth curled up with secret amusement. Dynamic Regenerative Energy Accumulation Devices. The focus of Blimpos new Fatness to Fitness Center!A large dark girl with a kinky orange-brown halo of hair shot her hand up.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Blimpo: The Third Circle of Heck | [
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13,633 | 2 | PreSchool-KA lyrical fantasy about a Chinese infant's magical trip to her adoptive parents. Her birth parents declare her "perfect," but are unable to provide for her. Thus they place her in a basket and set her adrift: "We must trust the moon. Only good things will happen to our daughter." Helped by a variety of animals as well as a beneficent-looking moon, the baby girl floats down the "winding river" to her adoptive parents, who have been preparing for her arrival by planting vegetables and trees, building a new bedroom, and buying books. Their hands are shown parting reeds to reveal her smiling up at them from her basket. The vibrant watercolors capture her journey and her delight in her new family and home. Although most youngsters will understand that the journey on the river is a fantasy, adults should be prepared for questions from literal-minded children who may wonder why a baby had to make a solitary voyage and depend on the kindness of wild animals in order to reach her destination. Ann Turner's Through Moon and Stars and Night Sky (Harper, 1990) also features poetic language and tells the story from the child's point of view. Clark's book would be a good choice where demand for adoption stories, especially those about international adoption, is strong.Deborah Vose, East Middle School and South Middle School, Braintree, MA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted."For a young child beginning to make sense of her past, Sweet Moon Baby offers a safe doorway into a deeper understanding."-Adoptive Families magazine; Title: Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale | [
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13,634 | 2 | JANE KELLEY lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter. She has enjoyed many summers in Vermont. This is her first book. You can visit her web site at JaneKelleyBooks.com.1 The Hundred-Year-Old Maple Tree Can you hear me now?I creep a little further out along the tree branch.Lucy, are you there?I hear a little mumbling. I switch hands so that the cell phone is pressed against my right ear, six inches closer to my best friend.Lucy, youve just got to be there!My parents said the cell phone could only be used for emergencies. But this IS an emergency! My miserableness has swelled to monstrous proportions like the Barney balloon in the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Besides, since Im hiding in a tree, my parents wont even know I called Lucy until months from now when they get the phone bill. Then I wont care how they punish me because Ill be back home in New York City, far, far away from Nowheresville, Vermont.LUCY!I shouldnt have yelled. I quickly look around to see if anyone heard me. But no ones paying any attention to meas usual. Mom is on the other side of the farmhouse, painting the barn. I dont mean really painting it (even though it sure could use a new coat of red). No, shes making a painting of it. Trying to capture the essence of its heroism as it stands against the march of time. Im not kidding you. Mom actually said that. Dad is at the far side of the field, sketching the tumble- down pile of rocks at the edge of the Woods. Anywhere else in the world, people would immediately get rid of that useless safety hazard. But up here, everybody worships that rock pile because its an authentic Vermont stone wall.My sister, Ginia, is inside the farmhouse. Her name is really VIRginia, but ever since she turned sixteen, she has a fit if you call her that. Shes really good at drawing. She can draw just about anythingeven galloping horses. But shes probably doing another self-portrait so her squinty little eyes can be big and beautiful. She gets to spend hours mooning into a mirror and playing with her hair because my parents think thats ART.Im supposed to be doing ART too. Every morning, the time between nine oclock and noon is dedicated to creative pursuits. Thats my parents idea of a fun summer. Can you believe it? Three whole hoursevery day? I told them that I couldnt do anything for three whole hoursnot even things I liked. Dad just smiled and repeated one of his annoying sayings, Practice makes perfect.But he was lying. Practice wont help my painting or drawing or anything else.The trouble is, I dont have any important talents. That became really obvious last fall when I started middle school. The first thing that happened was all the sixth graders had to demonstrate how great they were at singing and dancing and painting and showing off. Then the talent teachers chose kids for their workshops. I was hoping I could be in the chorus with Lucy. But I didnt get picked for that. I didnt even get picked for drawing. In fact, I guess you could say I didnt get picked for anything. I got put in photography with all the other kids they didnt know what to do with. I mean, anyone can point a camera at something and push a button. Unfortunately they didnt have a workshop for doodling and hanging out with your best friend. Because those are the only things Im any good at.Maybe you think that doodling is drawing. They both use paper and pencil, right? I kind of thought that too. So on the first morning of ART time, I sketched myself standing next to the farmhouse. I cant draw people, but you could recognize me by my frizzy hair. Then I made a swarm of mosquitoes attacking me. Only I didnt actually draw them because theyre too tiny and complicated; I just covered the page in dots. Unfortunately Mom walked past while I was stabbing the paper with my pen. I tried to keep her from seeing what I was doing, but she looked anyway. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something. Then she shut it again. Then she sighed. So I crumpled up the paper and threw it away.And thats the difference. Drawing ends up in museums. Doodling ends up in the trash.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Nature Girl | [
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13,635 | 2 | Starred Review, The Horn Book Magazine, September/October 2009:"Readers can only hope that Alvin continues to describe in such wonderful detail his many allergic reactions."Kirkus Reviews, May 19, 2009"While Look certainly embellishes at times for comedic effect, she has created in Alvin a character that is as real as he is irascible, and the tender relationships among the members of the Ho family provide a sturdy backbone for all the silliness. Phams simple but vibrant line drawings leap off the page. Another triumph for Alvin Ho."From the Hardcover edition.Lenore Look is the author of the popular Alvin Ho series, as well as the Ruby Lu series. She has also written several acclaimed picture books, including Henrys First-Moon Birthday, Uncle Peters Amazing Chinese Wedding, and Brush of the Gods. Lenore lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. LeUyen Pham is the illustrator of the Alvin Ho series, as well as The Best Birthday Party Ever by Jennifer LaRue Huget; Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio, a New York Times bestseller; and the Freckleface Strawberry series by Julianne Moore. She is the author and illustrator of the picture books Big Sister, Little Sister and All the Things I Love About You. LeUyen lives in San Francisco. Learn more at leuyenpham.com.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters | [
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13,636 | 0 | Dr. Seuss is quite simply the most beloved childrens book author of all time.; Title: Oh, Baby! Go, Baby! (Dr. Seuss Nursery Collection) | [
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13,637 | 2 | Gr 6-9Friesner continues the story of young Nefertiti, betrothed of Prince Thutmose but friend (and, later, wife) to Prince Amenophis. In Sphinx's Princess (Random, 2009), Nefertiti is falsely accused by Thutmose of blasphemy for killing his cat, sacred to the Egyptian goddess Bast. As this story opens, she has escaped from prison with the help of Amenophis and her Hebrew (Hebiri) servant, Nava. Nefertiti is unhampered by religious orthodoxy, reflecting a very modern sensibility. She and the other characters reach their greatest humanity when they tear aside priestly hypocrisy and political intrigue and make peace with one another despite the adults' machinations. All of this is done in fine prose that expresses the questioning of religion that most young people experience as they approach maturity. A statement made by Amenophis after he has impersonated the goddess of truth (Ma'at) and saved Nefertiti could, with little revision, come from any human era: If the gods have any real power, why do they stand by and allow us to buy and sell their voices? If Ma'at is the goddess of truth, why does she remain silent and permit so many lies to flourish? This deeply moral book tells a good story; or, rather, this good story reveals deeply moral truths.Corinne Henning-Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Picking up where Sphinxs Princess (2009) left off, Nefertiti is escaping Thebes with her secret love, Prince Amenophis, and her slave girl Nara. The three are sailing to Dendera to reunite with Nefertitis family, hoping they can save Nefertiti from her charges of treason. The villainous crown prince Thutmose, Nefertitis betrothed, relentlessly pursues the trio. Turns of events leave the door open for Nefertiti and Amenophis to finally be together, and Nefertiti is still the same strong-willed, independent girl based on the mysterious Egyptian queen. This sequel does not stand alone, but fans of the first book will want to know Nefertitis fate. Grades 6-9. --Shauna Yusko; Title: Sphinx's Queen (Princesses of Myth) | [
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13,638 | 2 | Julia Alvarez es la autora galardonada deDe cmo las muchachas Garca perdieron el acentoyEn el tiempo de las mariposas. Sus muy elogiados libros para lectores jvenes incluyenLas huellas secretas,Un regalo de gracias, la serie de la ta Lola,En busca de milagrosyDevolver al remitente. Alvarez ha recibido varios premios por sus obras, incluyendo el Pura Belpr Award y el Amricas Award por sus libros infantiles, el Hispanic Heritage Award en Literatura y el F. Scott Fitzgerald Award por su Logro Destacado en la Literatura Americana. En 2013 fue premiada con la Medalla Nacional de las Artes de Estados Unidos por el presidente Obama. Es una escritora residente en Middlebury College y, junto con su esposo Bill Eichner, estableci Alta Gracia, un centro literario y finca sostenible de caf en la Repblica Dominicana.; Title: De como tia Lola aprendio a ensenar (The Tia Lola Stories) (Spanish Edition) | [
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13,639 | 18 | Gr 3-5-This handsome picture-book biography explains how a pampered, privileged child grew up to be our 32nd president, serving longer than any other president in U.S. history. Krull tells readers, "He had long blond curls and wore dresses with fancy lace collars till he was almost six." His parents indulged his every wish and were quick to forgive any mischief, yet instilled a social conscience in their golden boy from an early age, urging him to "Help the helpless!" After a sheltered childhood of homeschooling, Franklin left for boarding school at age 14. Despite his parents' plans for him to be a gentleman like his father, he was inspired to enter the world of politics by the headmaster at Groton; his cousin Teddy; and his future wife, Eleanor. Stricken with polio at 39, Franklin struggled to regain his strength, reentering the political arena three years later. An epilogue explains the stock market crash, Great Depression, New Deal, fireside chats, and World War II. Filled with anecdotes and quotes, the text is concise and engaging, working well as a read-aloud or for independent reading. The rich, impressionistic oil and ink illustrations capture the spirit of the man and his time. Less wordy and more attractive than Judith St. George and Britt Spencer's Make Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt (Philomel. 2007), this offering also covers more of the subject's life. Famous quotations are appended.-Barbara Auerbach, PS 217, Brooklyn, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Echoing the overall theme and presenting, by and large, the same material, this purposeful picture-book biography follows Judith St. Georges Make Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt (2007) in tracing FDRs path from birth (All children like to think theyre the center of their universe. But a boy named FDR really was) and schooling (When he was put in charge of a dorm, he was a good leader, compassionate toward the new boysthe way he wished hed been treated) into public life. Awarding nods to the early influences of parents, a particular tutor, a schoolmaster, and cousin Teddys zesty leadership, Krull closes with FDRs triumphant 1924 return to public life after being stricken with polio, summarizes the accomplishments of his later presidency, and ends with a combined list of dates and quotations. The figures in the large illustrations have a staid look, but FDR strikes appropriately heroic poses, and his outsize personality comes through clearly. Despite being a little loose in its chronology, this makes an acceptable introduction to our longest-serving president. Grades 3-5. --John Peters; Title: A Boy Named FDR: How Franklin D. Roosevelt Grew Up to Change America | [
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13,640 | 2 | Starred Review, School Library Journal, September 2012:...What is breathtakingly shown here, through accurate, cross-hatched watercolor paintings; excerpts from Sullivans correspondence to her former teacher; and concise and poetic language, is the womans patience and belief in the intelligence of her student to grasp the concepts of language....elucidating the brilliant process of educating the deaf and blind pioneered by Annie Sullivan.DEBORAH HOPKINSON is the author, most recently, of A Boy Called Dickens. She has written numerous other books, including Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building, an ALA Notable Book and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book; Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, an ALA Notable Book and a Junior Library Guild Selection; and the ALA Notable Apples to Oregon. Her many other acclaimed titles include Under the Quilt of Night and Fannie in the Kitchen.; Title: Annie and Helen | [
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13,641 | 1 | Dennis R. Shealy is the author of many childrens books, including the popular Little Golden BooksIm a Truck,Im a T. Rex!, My Little Golden Book About Dinosaurs, My LIttle Golden Book About the Solar System, I'm a Bulldozer,andThe Noisy Garage. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.Brian Biggswas born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He currently makes illustrations for books, posters, puzzles, and games in an old garage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Visit his website atwww.mrbiggs.com.; Title: I'm a T. Rex! (Little Golden Book) | [
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13,642 | 1 | Michael Townsend’s first children’s book was the BCCB Blue Ribbon Winner Billy Tartle in Say Cheese! He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Visit him on the Web at mikeisgreathelikeschocolatecake.com.; Title: Kit Feeny: The Ugly Necklace | [
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13,643 | 0 | THEODOR SEUSS GEISELaka Dr. Seussis one of the most beloved childrens book authors of all time. From The Cat in the Hat to Oh, the Places Youll Go!, his iconic characters, stories, and art style have been a lasting influence on generations of children and adults. The books he wrote and illustrated under the name Dr. Seuss (and others that he wrote but did not illustrate, including some under the pseudonyms Theo. LeSieg and Rosetta Stone) have been translated into thirty languages. Hundreds of millions of copies have found their way into homes and hearts around the world. Dr. Seusss long list of awards includes Caldecott Honors for McElligots Pool, If I Ran the Zoo, and Bartholomew and the Oobleck, the Pulitzer Prize, and eight honorary doctorates. Works based on his original stories have won three Oscars, three Emmys, three Grammys, and a Peabody.; Title: The Big Green Book of Beginner Books (Beginner Books(R)) | [
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13,644 | 0 | Ron Roy is the author of Random Houses popular A to Z Mysteries, which have sold over 4.5 million copies. When not working on a new book, Ron likes to teach his dog tricks, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books. He lives in Connecticut with his white puppy, Pal; Title: Capital Mysteries Collection (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) | [
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13,645 | 18 | Mark Alan Stamaty lives in New York City.; Title: Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq (Dragonfly Books) | [
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13,646 | 16 | Sarah Albee, who once worked in the book division of Sesame Workshop, has written many Sesame Street titles, as well as original and other licensed childrens books. She lives in Watertown, Connecticut. Julia Woolf illustrated Snow Wonder, a fall 2008 Step into Reading book. She lives in London.; Title: Halloween ABC (Little Golden Book) | [
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13,647 | 0 | “An excellent recent novel that can introduce readers to a wider world. . . . Meyer builds the tension by using real-life events (detailed in an author’s note) and creates in Gustave a very believable boy who behaves bravely when he must.”–The Horn Book"Meyer shines light on the bravery of Resistance fighters, and her story...[is] a gripping read comparable to Marilyn Sachs's classic A Pocket Full of Seeds, Carol Matas's Greater Than Angels, and Norma Fox Mazer's Good Night, Maman."-SLJ"Partly based on Meyer’s father’s experiences, the story derives its credibility from the vivid details....This fine first novel could be read in conjunction with The Good Liar."-Booklist"Meyer builds the tension by using real-life events (detailed in an author's note), creating in Gustave a very believable boy struggling to learn to cover up his emotions, who behaves bravely when he must."-Bulletin"This debut novel, loosely based on the author's father's experiences,...raises important questions about nationalism, equality and identity and fills a void in Holocaust literature for this age group."-Kirkus Reviews"More than an account of Jewish survival in Nazi-occupied France, Black Radishes is an empowering, suspenseful story of a unique young boy with cunning, patience, and courage."-Francisco X. Stork, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for Marcelo in the Real World"A fascinating, deftly gripping tale that reminds readers, young or old, of events we must never forget."-Zilpha Keatley Snyder, three-time Newbery Honor winner and author of The Eygpt Game"Black Radishes is a vivid and moving story about a Jewish family's efforts to escape the Nazis, seen though the eyes of a clear-sighted and sensitive young boy. Susan Lynn Meyer manages to capture the reader's interest from the start and keeps up the suspense until the last pages."-Annika Thor, winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for A Faraway Island"Black Radishes transforms the past into a gripping story. Gustave's growing maturity and loss of innocence perfectly mirror the mounting horrors he and his family experience."-Kit Pearson, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Awake and DreamingA Sydney Taylor Honor Award WinnerA Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the YearAn Instructor Magazine Best Kids' Historical Fiction BookA Massachusetts Book Award Must-Read BookSUSAN LYNN MEYER is the author of Black Radishes and, its companion, Skating with the Statue of Liberty. Meyer grew up in the United States, where her father, along with his sister and mother, found refuge after escaping Nazi-occupied France in 1942. Both books were inspired by stories she heard growing up. Black Radishes was Susan's debut novel and is based on Meyer's father's years in Saint-Georges and his family's eventual escape to America. It won a Sydney Taylor Honor Award and was named a Massachusetts Book Award finalist and a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year. She lives with her family in Massachusetts and teaches literature and creative writing at Wellesley College.   Learn more about Susan by following @SusanLynnMeyer on Twitter and finding her on susanlynnmeyer.com.; Title: Black Radishes | [
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13,648 | 2 | BARBARA PARK is best known as the author of the wildly popular New York Times bestselling Junie B. Jones series, which has kept kids (and their grown-ups) laughingand readingfor over two decades. Beloved by millions, the Junie B. Jones books have been translated into multiple languages and are a time-honored staple in elementary school classrooms around the world. Barbara once said, Ive never been sure whether Junie B.s fans love her in spite of her imperfectionsor because of them. But either way, shes gone out into the world and made more friends than I ever dreamed possible.Barbara Park is also the author of award-winning middle grade novels and bestselling picture books, including Skinnybones, Mick Harte Was Here, and Ma! Theres Nothing to Do Here!Barbara Park was born in New Jersey in 1947 and spent most of her adult life in Arizona, where she and her husband, Richard, raised two sons. Barbara died in 2013, but her legacy lives on in the laughter her books give to readers all over the world.; Title: Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth Book & CD Set (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) | [
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13,649 | 21 | JOHN FEINSTEIN is the author of many bestselling books, including A Season on the Brink and A Good Walk Spoiled. His books for young readers offer a winning combination of sports, action, and intrigue, with Last Shot receiving the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best young adult mystery of the year. He lives in Potomac, Maryland, and Shelter Island, New York, with his family.; Title: The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy Game (The Sports Beat, 5) | [
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13,650 | 7 | NORTON JUSTER is an architect and the author of other highly acclaimed children's books, including The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academy Award-winning film, The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka, which received the Caldecott Medal, and The Odious Ogre, also illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Mr. Juster lives with his wife in Western Massachusetts.JULES FEIFFER is the author and illustrator of two novels for young readers, as well as several acclaimed picture books including Bark, George, and Meanwhile. . . . He has won numerous prizes for his cartoons, plays, and screenplays. Mr. Feiffer lives in New York City.; Title: The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth | [
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13,651 | 2 | Mary Pope Osborneis the author of the New York Times #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series, as well as co-author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series, along with her husband, Will, and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.For more information, visit the Magic Tree House website at MagicTreeHouse.com. Barbara Parkwas best known as the creator and author of theNew York Timesbestselling Junie B. Jones series, the stories of an outrageously funny kindergartener that have kept kids laughingand readingfor over two decades.The series was consistently a #1New York Timesbestseller, spending over 180 weeks on the list. She wrote more than50 books for young readers and has won more than40 childrens book awards. Ron Roy is the author of dozens of books, including the popular A to Z Mysteries, Calendar Mysteries, and Capital Mysteries series. When not working on a new book, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books. Visit Ron at RonRoy.com.Born in Portland, Maine, in 1928, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat dreamed of becoming a writer and she would eventually be the author of more than 130 books for children of all ages. Another of her childhood dreams, that of becoming a detective, has also been realized in her popular Nate the Great series. Nate the Great Saves the King of Sweden has been named one of the New York Public Librarys 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing. J. C. Greenburg is the author of many books for young people in the library and reference fields. Shes a frequent visitor to schools and pays close attention to kids feedback. Shes married to Dan Greenburg of the Zack Files and Weird Planet series, and lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.; Title: Favorite Series Starters Boxed Set: A collection of first books from five favorite series for early chapter book readers (Magic Tree House (R)) | [
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13,652 | 1 | PreSchool-Grade 3 This brilliant retelling deserves a place at the head of the fractured-fairy-tale pack next to Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs (Puffin, 1995). Following Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf (Knopf, 2007), the notorious Big Bad Wolf and other fairy-tale characters of ill repute are hard at work fixing up the Villain Villa Senior Center when Wolf's cell phone rings and the local librarian invites him to tell the story of how he met the three pigs. Ashamed of his prior transgressions, Wolf tells a gentler version involving blowing on dandelions and saving pigs from matches. Heckling from the pigs in the audience finally prompts this reformed Wolf to ask for their forgiveness. His transformation is not complete without a new middle name, though (provided by the library's dictionary), and a fitting act of reparation. Musical segments send an already madcap narrative over-the-top. Seibold's vivid computer illustrations, replete with comic touches, are a perfect match for Sierra's zany tale. Reluctant readers familiar with the bold imagery and comic timing of after-school cartoons will be glued to this inspired collaboration. Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.In this sequel to Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf (2007), the Big Bad Wolf again accepts an invitation to his library, this time to tell how he met the three little pigs. Advised by his pals at the Villain Villa Senior Center, he retells the tale with himself as the misunderstood hero only to face a hostile, no-nonsense audience: the three pigs themselves. Children familiar with the folktale will enjoy the witty text to the fullest. Seibolds lively illustrations, created digitally in his signature style, feature entertaining details as well as expressive characters playing out their roles with panache. Preschool-Grade 3. --Carolyn Phelan; Title: Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf | [
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13,653 | 17 | Gr 25 Weatherford continues to showcase groundbreaking African Americans often overlooked by history books and popular culture. World-famous opera singer Leontyne Price gets her due in this luscious picture book biography. Price's talent and perseverance enabled her to follow in the footsteps of singer Marian Anderson and become a celebrated soprano whose wondrous voice rang through the Metropolitan Opera House in her iconic Aida role and on Broadway as a lead in Porgy and Bess. A true marriage of lyrical text and majestic illustrations, the book shines a much-needed spotlight on an important cultural figure. Coln's earthy hues establish the tone of Price's early years, set against the backdrop of her humble Mississippi upbringing and a childhood surrounded by supportive parents and gospel music. The watercolor and pencil drawings seem to vibrate off the page, especially in the form of rainbow-colored musical notes that often envelop the work's subject. An author's note includes more information on other singers for whom Price paved the way. While the exact audience for this book is hard to place, the emphasis on the performer's predecessors ("The song of her soul soared on the breath of her ancestors.") and mentions of segregation will tie this title into units on African American history and female pioneers. A gorgeous book in the ranks of the author's I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer (Walker, 2007) and Becoming Billie Holliday (Boyds Mills, 2008).Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal"While Weatherford addresses the barriers Price faced, her love of music and the presence of those who supported her are deeply felt."Publishers Weeklystarred review, October 2014"A true marriage of lyrical text and majestic illustrations, the book shines a much-needed spotlight on an important cultural figure."School Library Journalstarred review, November 2014"This does a beautiful job of capturing the dreams of a young girl who has the talent and willpower to make them come true, and Colns dappled artwork is an excellent visual accompaniment."Booklist starred review, November 2014; Title: Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century | [
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13,654 | 15 | A Kirkus Reviews Best of Children's Books 2012A Booklist Best of Children's Books 2012Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2012:A community caught under the pall of a weeklong cold snap comes together in this cozy, old-fashioned story that is high on both charm and appeal.Starred Review, Booklist, September 1, 2012:A delight for sharing, especially one-on-one.Eileen Spinelli is the author of almost 50 books for young readers, including the middle-grade novels Another Day as Emily, Summerhouse Time, and The Dancing Pancake for Knopf, as well as picture books like Miss Foxs Class Goes Green, The Perfect Thanksgiving, Hero Cat, and The Best Story. Eileen lives with her husband, author Jerry Spinelli, in eastern Pennsylvania. Marjorie Priceman is the author-illustrator of How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A., as well as How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. She has received two Caldecott Honors, for Hot Air! The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride and Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss. She lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.; Title: Cold Snap | [
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13,655 | 2 | Christopher Moroney has illustrated many Sesame Street books, including the popular Sesame Beginnings series.; Title: Elmo's Monster Mash (Sesame Street) | [
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13,656 | 2 | Nebula Award winner Esther Friesner is the author of more than 30 novels and over 150 short stories. She is also the editor of numerous popular anthologies. She is married, is the mother of two, harbors cats, and lives in Connecticut.You can visit Esther at www.sff.net/people/e.friesner/Gathering Magic almost a year after I tamed my dream-lions, during the Festival of the Inundation, my life began to change as surely as the rising river changes the deepest heart of the Black Land.The Inundation is always a season of wild rejoicing. Its the time when the god Hapy, fat and generous, makes the river overflow its banks to bring new life to the farmlands. A good flood means a good harvest, a good harvest means well have more than enough to eat, that our Pharaohs reign is blessed, and that the gods love us.That year, when I was five, the priests of every temple in the city observed the rising of the Nile and declared that their prayers had given us a good flood and a fine harvest to come. All Akhmin filled the streets to celebrate the event with music, dance, song, feasting, and gladness. Sunlight flashed from the brilliantly painted walls of the temples and the enameled gold necklaces, bracelets, and earrings of the highborn men and women. The air was filled with a wonderful jumble of delicious scents from many food vendors. Everyone seemed to be laughing. Father carried me on his shoulders so that I could have a clear view of the festivi- ties. I was pleased to be able to see everything from up so high, but when I caught sight of the older girls dancing, singing, and playing their harps, rattles, and tambourines, I squirmed like a fresh-caught fish.Whats the matter with you, my little bird? Father asked, grabbing my ankles when I wriggled so hard that I nearly fell off his shoulders.I want to get down! I cried. I want to dance, too!He chuckled, but he didnt let me go. Youre not a bird anymore; youre a kitten, wanting to pounce on anything that catches your eye. Well, little kitten, this dance is to please the gods and to thank them for all that theyve given us. Its a sacred thing, not a game for little girls to play at. If you want to dance for the gods someday, you will, but not now. When youre older.His voice was always loud, a trait hed kept from his days commanding Pharaohs troops on the battlefield. One of the dancers who was waiting her turn to perform overheard him and left her group to approach us. I gasped when I saw her: She was so beautiful! Next to her, my dearly loved Mery would have looked like a little brown hen beside a long-limbed, dark-eyed gazelle. The dancers eyes were artfully outlined with black kohl, the lids glittering green as the reeds along the Nile, and her lips were tinted the rich red of sunset. I stared, fascinated by the dozens of gold charms adorning her tightly braided wig, but when she smiled at me and offered me her tambourine, I worshipped her with gratitude.While I bounced on Fathers shoulders, beating the little instrument with more enthusiasm than skill, she talked to him. At first I paid no attention to their conversation, but I soon began to feel Fathers back growing straighter and straighter, his shoulders tensing.That will be enough, my darling, he said, reaching up to still my hands. Give the tambourine back to this young woman now and thank her. I wondered why his voice sounded so strained, the way it did whenever Id done something wrong that was too serious for him to laugh off.Why so eager to be gone? the dancer drawled, glancing up at Father from beneath lowered eyelids. She can play with the tambourine a while longer. The child has talent as well as beauty. You should stay at least long enough to see me dance. I promise you, you wont regret it. She gave him a strange little half-smile.I didnt know what the stranger was trying to do, giving my father such odd, sidelong looks; I just knew that he ?didnt like it and neither did I. Im done, I announced abruptly, handing back the tambourine. Thank you very much. I want to go home now.I saw the dancers lovely face turn ugly in an instant. She snatched the tambourine from my hands and muttered something under her breath. The only words I could make out were that child . . . spoiled.I didnt spoil anything! I protested as Father carried me off.And you never could, he said fondly. So lets not spoil this happy day by going home too soon. There are still plenty of things to see and taste and try. Now tell me the truth, my kitten: Do you really want to go home, or did you just want to go away from that sharp-faced little dancer?Away, I said. I took a deep breath and added: Im sorry.What for? Father exclaimed. For not liking her? That makes two of us.But I should have liked her, I said. She was beautiful, and she was kind to me. She let me play her tambourine, and she said nice things about me.My sweet one, beauty and favors and flattery dont have anything to do with whether or not you should like someone. Affection isnt something you can buy, not if its real. You still like Mery even when she scolds you, right?I love Mery, I said loyally. Even if shes not as pretty as that dancer. She was much prettier than Mery, wasnt she, Father?Hrmph. Father coughed into his fist, or at least it sounded like a cough. I dont think so.You dont? What was wrong with Father, saying something like that? Mery was nice-looking, but nowhere near as lovely as the dancer.No, I dont, he said firmly. Anyway, there are more important things than beauty, dearest.But she was prettier than Mery, wasnt she? I insisted.Lets not worry about pretty and prettier, Father said hastily. And we wont bother Mery with this. Besides, when youre near, all the other girls look like old crocodiles. Now lets go enjoy ourselves! He broke into a brisk jog that made me shriek with delight as we raced back to the festival.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Sphinx's Princess (Princesses of Myth) | [
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13,657 | 1 | In the past 30 years, Lisa McCue has illustrated more than 175 books for children.Her artwork also appears on fabrics, greeting cards, gift tins, wrapping papers, home dcor, and clothing. When she isnt drawing, she can be found on the water racing her sailboat, or in the mountains skiing. She loves to read, sew, and bead andis involved in fundraising for ALS. McCue was born in Brooklyn, NY, and now lives in Annapolis, Maryland.; Title: The Animals' Advent (Fuzzytails) | [
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13,658 | 0 | MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.; Title: Magic Tree House Volumes 17-20 Boxed Set: The Mystery of the Enchanted Dog (Magic Tree House (R)) | [
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13,659 | 0 | Jane Werner(19272002) edited the first 12 Little Golden Books that launched in 1942, one of which wasThe Poky Little Puppy,the bestselling picture book of all time. She went on to write and edit scores of Golden Books, including the bestsellingMy Little Golden Book About God.Clement Clarke Moore (17791863) was a professor of literature and theology, and the author of the famous poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," which later became known as the famous "Twas the Night Before Christmas." The poem was first published anonymously but was later attributed to Moore. Moore's text greatly contributed to the modern-day Santa Claus story.Gale Wiersum was a Little Golden Books staffer during the 1970s. Her books include The Animals Christmas Eve and Little Golden Book Christmas Favorites.Eloise Wilkin (19041987) illustrated dozens of classic Golden Books in her long career, including The Christmas Story, Wonders of Nature, Baby Listens, and We Help Mommy. Famous for her beautifully detailed paintings of the natural world and of cherubic children, she helped make Golden Books an icon. Her Golden Books Prayers for ChildrenandMy Little Golden Book About God have never been out of print.Mircea Catusanu (pronounced Meer-cha Catoo-sha-noo) grew up in Romania and now lives with his wife and daughter in New York City.; Title: LGB CHRISTMAS FAVORI | [
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13,660 | 14 | In the early 1940s, a loving father crafted a small, blue, wooden train engine for his son, Christopher. The stories that The Reverend W. Awdry made up to accompany this wonderful toy were first published in 1945. He continued to create new adventures and characters until 1972 when he retired from writing. He died in 1997 at age 85.; Title: Easter in Harwick (Thomas & Friends) (Thomas In Town) | [
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13,661 | 7 | Gr 2-4During another Merlin Mission, Jack and Annie are sent back in time to Victorian England, where Charles Dickens is suffering from writer's angst and has vowed not to pen another book. After posing as chimney sweeps in order to gain entry to his house, the two children use magic to conjure up the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future in order to convince Dickens of the value of his work and to inspire him to write A Christmas Carol. Fans of the series won't be disappointed in this tale, which nicely combines action, atmosphere, magic, and bits of humor in a stepping-stone format.Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.; Title: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (Magic Tree House (R) Merlin Mission) | [
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13,662 | 1 | PreSchool-KA young beaver climbs onto a narrow log and floats away from his family. He ends up lost in a vast city where he is chased by a dog, encounters a fake alligator in a swimming pool, passes through the Beaver Exhibit at the zoo, and swims across a lake. The animal emerges onto a crowded street where he follows a mouse down a long flight of stairs to a bay. He swims across the large expanse of water and reaches home late at night, where his family is waiting. This is basically a wordless story, told frame by frame in pictures. The watercolor and ink illustrations are mostly done in soft browns, beiges, and pastels. Youngsters should enjoy following Beaver's trek as he searches for home, perhaps telling the story in their own words.Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.In this wordless picture book, the action begins when a beaver jumps on a log in a river and the log is picked up by a crane, stacked on a truck, and driven to a city. On arrival, the beaver explores the streets, escapes both a big dog and then a crocodile in a zoo, hides in a sewer, and then finally returns to the river, where he swims through the night and reaches home. The finely detailed, watercolor-and-pencil pictures are always true to the small creature's viewpoint, whether he is on the highway watching the skyscrapers whiz by or on the city sidewalk among the gray-clad legs of crowds of giants, and young children will easily recognize their own perspective. Drawn by the exciting adventure of leaving home, getting lost, and returning safely, kids will enjoy poring over the busy scenes and pointing out what they notice. Preschool-Grade 2. --Hazel Rochman; Title: Beaver Is Lost | [
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13,663 | 11 | PreSchool-Grade 1The star of this book, a fuzzy white terrier, is the quintessence of dogdom. The title serves as a refrain, and at each repetition children see only the pup against a green background, looking hopeful and appealing as he romps around on his red-and-white gingham leash. The other pages are awash with charming autumnal scenes that depict the heart of a village and all the happy activities the dog envisions himself engaging in: "I need to chase away the neighbor's cat,/send the birds back to their nests,/and keep the squirrels high up in the trees." This is readers' opportunity to enjoy many aspects of their own world through the safety and enthusiasm of the animal's eyes. Children will appreciate the vitality and diversity in each picture, executed in charcoal on paper with digital collages. They'll see families in the park, stores with friendly proprietors, houses, sidewalks, vehicles, mail carriers, and a spectacular variety of other dogs. The collages contribute a riot of texture and color to each page. This delightful addition will have children voicing a request very much like the pup's: to get out and interact with their communities.Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Susan Gal began her illustration career as a poster and calendar artist. She then worked as an "actor with a pencil" for Disney Animation Florida before returning to her native California to create lively and whimsical illustrations.Susan Gal's first picture book was Night Lights, which also featured a great dog character. But the inspiration for this book was Susan's own best friend, the Boston terrier Wanda Woo.Susan lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, her daughter, and assorted studio pets. You can read more about her work at galgirlstudio.com.; Title: Please Take Me For a Walk | [
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13,664 | 2 | When their friend Ross is killed in an accident, Blake, Sam, and Kenny are devastated by the loss and furious at the hypocritical outpouring of support by previously uncaring teachers and fellow students at the boys funeral. What are the mourning mates to do? Why, steal Ross ashes, of course, and take them from London to the village of Ross in Scotland for a proper funeral. What starts as a bit of a farce quickly turns serious as the three teens encounter mounting difficulties on their journey. Secrets theyve either jealously guarded from each other or chosen, ostrichlike, to ignore begin to spill outsecrets that will test their own friendship and may reveal some surprises about Ross death. Unfortunately, the critically important backstory is reserved for the very end of the book, where its presentation feels rushed and a bit prosaic. Nevertheless, the boys are likable, their adventures en route are often diverting, and the big reveal invites some rethinking of the meaning of hypocrisy. Grades 8-12. --Michael CartKeith Gray has won the Angus Book Award and the silver medal in the Smarties Prize. Visit him at his Web site, www.keith-gray.com.; Title: Ostrich Boys | [
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13,665 | 1 | Linguistic jargon gets plenty of play as the titular pirates and cowboys face off in this fanciful picture book that embraces the popular premise of mixing up oddball characters (think Jon Scieszkas Cowboy and Octopus, 2007, and Patricia Storms The Pirate and the Penguin, 2009). A sea-creature-staffed pirate crew discovers they need a new place to bury treasure, having used up their seaside real estate. They lumber inland all the way to Cheyenne. Alas, the western town is run by a passel of outlaw cowboys (farm animals, mostly), and trouble begins when neither group understands the other. Me hearties armed with cutlasses and looking for fair scrub and a swish are countered by rootin-tootin gunslingers who demand the pirates head for the hills. Only Pegleg Highnoon, the worlds only pirate cowboy, can avert the danger. Barnedas beady-eyed acrylics are rendered in the dusty tones of the plains, while generous white space places emphasis upon the text. A goofy, quirky story with a useful and unusual vocabulary-building twist. Yee-haw! Preschool-Grade 2. --Karen CruzeAARON REYNOLDS is the author of many hilarious and critically acclaimed books for children, including Creepy Carrots,Snowbots, Buffalo Wings, Chicks and Salsa, and the Joey Fly Private Eye books. He lives near Chicago with his wife and two children.DAVID BARNEDA is a graduate of Art Center College of Design and Bucknell University. His fun, whimsical illustrations have been used in children's books, advertising, magazines, and even the side of a bus. He lives in sunny California.; Title: Pirates vs. Cowboys | [
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13,666 | 2 | In a plot that hearkens back to Toy Story, seemingly inanimate objects left behind during a move go out into the world and find their grateful owner. The four objects here are lawn ornaments: a flamingo, jockey, troll, and deer. Pearl, the little girl whose lawn they have been ornamenting, has a tea party with them at the start of the book but then somehow leaves without them. On their journey to Pearls new home, the ornaments focus on avoiding trash trucks and end up meeting lots of other statuary. Other lawn gnomes and flamingos are very friendly, but a gang of creepy gargoyles follows Pearls friends until a brave moose statue comes alive and chases the gargoyles away. Yaccarinos clean, bright illustrations have an appealing retro look, and the trek through suburbs, swamps, fields, and city is a visual treat. The books ending is fairly predictable (a childlawn ornament reunion), but the last twist (the ornaments get through the gated communitys gates via a trash truck) is a keeper. Grades K-3. --Abby NolanStarred review, Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2009:Yaccarinos endearing, earnest characters are worth getting to know. Review, Booklist, December 1, 2009:"A keeper."Review, Publishers Weekly, December 21, 2009:"In sinuous contemporary art, Yaccarino humorously considers the secret lives of inanimate objects."; Title: Lawn to Lawn | [
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13,667 | 1 | In this fourth volume, Stone Rabbit and his friends get sucked into the world of Andys favorite comic book, where they become the superhero characters. The villains tempt Andy to the dark side, appealing to his anger about the teasing and name-calling to which Stone Rabbit and Henri have subjected him. Craddock uses comic-book tropes and bright, colorful, action-filled cartoony art in a fun story that also provides a lesson about friendship. Readers shouldnt miss the glossary, which has definitions that are almost as much fun as the story itself. Grades 2-4. --Kat KanErik Craddock grew up during the 80s and 90s on a steady diet of comics, video games, and pop culture. It was during his time as a student at New York Citys School of Visual Arts that Stone Rabbit was born. He lives in Babylon, New York.; Title: Stone Rabbit #4: Superhero Stampede | [
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13,668 | 7 | David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim are a husband-and-wife team living in Los Angeles with their daughter, Mina. They met in art school in New York, where they began creating and designing art and toys together. Their relationship continued to grow, and the Uglydolls were born in 2001, quickly becoming a worldwide success with fans of all ages. David, Sun-Min, and the Uglydoll family (24 characters and still growing) have won the Toy of the Year Award and have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, and the Today show and in the New York Times, InStyle, and Time magazine.; Title: Ugly Colors (Uglydolls) | [
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13,669 | 0 | Jane Kendall is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult historical novels Miranda and the Movies and Miranda Goes to Hollywood. She was an enthusiastic rider growing up, and on one memorable occasion went Christmas caroling on horseback. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Ruth Sanderson has illustrated books for children of all ages, including Summer Pony and Winter Pony. She lives with her family in Ware, Massachusetts, and her favorite hobby is horseback riding.; Title: Horse Diaries #4: Maestoso Petra | [
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13,670 | 2 | Jan Bozarth danced in a ballet company at eleven, started a dream journal at thirteen, joined a surf club at sixteen, studied flower essences at eighteen, and went on to learn music, art, and poetry in college. As a girl she dreamed of a life that would weave these different interests together. Now she is a grandmother who writes stories and songs for young people and often works with her own adult children who are musicians and artists in Austin, Texas.; Title: Birdie's Book (The Fairy Godmother Academy #1) | [
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13,671 | 15 | PreS-Gr 2If you see a hippo yawning, don't assume it's naptime. The animal might be preparing to attack. This is just one of the informational nuggets found throughout this colorful and entertaining look at a variety of creatures. The close-up photographs are crisp, clear, inventive, and engaging, and the accompanying text on the double-page entries is compact. Nine photographs are necessary to show the variety of a chimpanzee's facial expressions, and six of an orangutan to capture her dance moves. And scientists say yes! confirms that orangutans are ticklish. Two photographs of a kangaroo show it at rest and hopping (a move termed saltation). The golden lion strides across two pages displaying his magnificent mane, yellow eyes, and tufted tail (the only one in the cat family). This title will be enjoyable browsing and great for reading aloud and sharing one-on-one. A More Fun Facts section at the end adds more details, and a smaller photograph provides a sense of the relative sizes of the subjects.Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Kangaroos cant hop backward, but they can hop forward as fast as 30 miles per hour! The artfully selected facts and observations in this handsomely produced photo gallery are practically guaranteed to rivet budding naturalists, and Grubmans 13 sharply detailed studio portraits of large wild animals placed against plain, pale backgrounds put on a show thats every bit as engaging as the accompanying commentary. Grubman brings the challenges of animal photography to the fore by leading off with a nontechnical description of how the indoor shots were set up and by adding amusing comments on every spread about each photo session. A section of additional pictures and facts caps this broadly appealing introduction to a photographer and his sometimes unpredictable subjects. Grades 2-4. --John Peters; Title: Orangutans Are Ticklish: Fun Facts from an Animal Photographer | [
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13,672 | 13 | Grade 35A tender story about love and loss. Anna Maria, the nine-year-old daughter of a gifted violin maker, is sent to live and study at the Piet, an orphanage in Venice, after her father dies. The violin prodigy flourishes under the tutelage of maestro Antonio Vivaldi but suffers a devastating blow when a jealous classmate throws her precious violin into a canal. What follows is a compelling lesson in selflessness and forgiveness. Shefelman's style is light, simple, and pleasing, and she has placed a cast of likable characters in a lovely setting. There is a brief glossary of musical and religious terms as well as a closing note about the actual Piet and Vivaldi's stint as an instructor there, making this a good cross-curricular tool in addition to an engaging read.Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Like Emily Arnold McCully's picture book The Orphan Singer (2001) and Pat Lowery Collins' young-adult novel HiddenVoices(2009), this illustrated chapter book is set in the eighteenth-century Venetian orphanage where Antonio Vivaldi instructed girls in music. Anna Maria's father, a renowned violin maker, expresses a dying wish for her to enter the Piet Orphanage. There she finds a good friend in Sylvia and a fierce enemy in jealous Paolina. Worried when her beloved violin disappears, and enraged when she learns that Paolina threw it into the canal, Sylvia must rely on the power of music as well as self-control, courage, and forgiveness to make things right again. More memorable than the somewhat idealized ending are the strong emotions that lie at the heart of the story. While the final art was not seen, the sketches look promising, and the jacket is well designed to draw children intrigued by the historical setting or the musical theme. A glossary and a historical note are appended to this short, appealing historical novel from the Stepping Stone series. Grades 3-5. --Carolyn Phelan; Title: Anna Maria's Gift (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) | [
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13,673 | 2 | PreSchool-KA little white bunny refuses to be thwarted by a circus advertisement that states "small animals need not apply." In simple text, the young rabbit shows the other creatures that it may be too small to do certain things like tying shoelaces, but that it can do something pretty special nonetheless. Much like these characters, preschoolers will anticipate the bunny's next move. The illustrations are rendered in soft hues that are soothing yet colorful. The animals, which include a gorilla and giraffe, have wonderfully expressive eyes and gestures. There are a few words in a large font on each page, making it easy for young children to follow along. A veritable game of peek-a-boo at the endwhich includes disappearing into and reappearing from a lion's mouthwill enchant and encourage those who usually find themselves too small to do many things and help them recognize their talents.Linda M. Kenton, Pickleweed Public Library, San Rafael, CA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Louise Yates began drawing pictures to go with stories she wrote at a very young age. A Small Surprise is the first published book from this talented young author-artist who obviously understands the art of communicating with the youngest child through words and pictures. She lives in London.; Title: A Small Surprise | [
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13,674 | 2 | Author BioJ. D. Lester is a Southern lady with a big sense of humor and a heart of gold. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband, their children, and two golden retrievers.Illustrator BioHiroe Nakata grew up in Japan, where she was encouraged in her drawing by her grandfather, a painter. She moved to the United States when she was sixteen and is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design. She has illustrated numerous children's books and lives in Brooklyn, NY.; Title: Daddy Calls Me Doodlebug | [
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13,675 | 2 | A young girl, a woman (presumably her mother), and their dog go through their evening activities as night falls: arriving home, cooking out in the backyard, reading before bed, brushing teeth, and finally going to sleep. Throughout their routine, an array of lights shine bright to accompany them: a street light, porch light, reading light, night light, and, finally, moonlight and starlight. The litany closes with a comforting good night. The names of the lights are the only text; its up to the appropriately dark illustrations to show the action. This snapshot of one calm evening spent among human and canine friends is appealing; what child wouldnt enjoy grilling on the back porch, playing with a beloved dog, reading before bed, and sleeping in a cozy bed with beautiful moonlight just outside the window? This debut picture book will send young ones off to sleep gently, and may also inspire a new before-bed game: counting and naming lights. Preschool-Grade 1. --Diane FooteStarred Review, Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2009:"Gal cleverly weaves these intimate moments together to create a seamless bedtime story."Starred Review, School Library Journal, November 2009:"Young children will enjoy poring over the rich details in the cozy charcoaland digital collage spreads as they learn to read the simple text"; Title: Night Lights | [
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13,676 | 13 | MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: A Good Night for Ghosts | [
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13,677 | 1 | TIM WILLOCKS was born in the north of England and became a doctor of medicine in 1983. He has written four novels for adults and during his life has lived with four unforgettable dogs: a German shepherd called Gul, a black and white greyhound called Auda, a black greyhound called Lily, and a white lurcher called Feargal. Tim lives on a mountain in Ireland.CHAPTER ONETHE CAMPOnce upon a time in the Doglands, a blue greyhound gave birth to four pups in a prison camp that the dogs called Dedbone's Hole. The blue greyhound's name was Keeva and she named her firstborn Furgul, which in dog tongue means "the brave." Keeva loved Furgul from the moment she saw him, but as she licked his newborn body clean and gave him her milk to drink, her heart was filled with fear. Furgul had been born with a terrible secret. And she knew that when the masters discovered his secret, they would take him away.Dedbone's Hole was a greyhound farm, where the -masters made the rules and where no dog was free. Furgul was born in one of the whelping cages, whose floor was hard and cold and damp, but Furgul and his three sisters kept one another warm. Keeva gave them milk and love. And for the first few weeks of their lives, the pups were happy. Yet as Furgul learned how to walk and talk, and as his eyes, nose and ears grew keen, he realized that Dedbone's Hole was ruled by boots and teeth and chains.Every dawn he heard the voices of the masters, harsh and angry and mean."Shout! Shout! Shout!" they roared. "In! Out! Here! There! Everywhere!"Every day he heard the squeals as greyhounds were beaten down."This isn't fair!" cried the greyhounds. "We haven't done anything wrong!"Every night he heard the murmurs of dogs who were hungry, frightened and sad."There is no justice here," they whispered in the dark. "But what can we do?"To keep her pups happy, Keeva crooned sweet songs and was always cheerful and kind, but every time he snuggled up against her body to go to sleep, Furgul could sense the hidden fear pounding inside her heart. He was too young to understand very much, but he knew that this fear was wrong. He wanted to make it go away. He wanted to make it right, but he didn't know how.When the pups no longer needed Keeva's milk, they joined the other hounds in the exercise yard and Furgul got a better look at Dedbone's Hole. A lot of greyhounds lived here, in a compound surrounded by a high wire fence. -Outside the fence he saw a junkyard and some shacks. Inside the -compound the greyhounds were locked in crates--one crate each, where each hound lived all alone--which were even smaller than the whelping cage that Furgul lived in. For just one hour a day the hounds were released from the crates to feed and exercise. The masters made sure that there was never enough food for all the hounds, and so the hounds had to fight one another, snarling and biting at the filthy troughs of grub to get enough to eat. The older dogs said the masters starved the hounds on purpose to make them compete, so they could find out who was weak and who was strong and who might make a good racer. They did it to teach them that it was stupid to make friends. They did it because they were bullies who thought it was fun to feel so powerful.When the greyhounds were a year old, the masters trained them to chase mechanical rabbits round a track. If a hound didn't chase the fake rabbit, he or she was punished. If a greyhound was a fast runner--and a clever racer--the masters made what they called money, which they put in their pockets. If a greyhound didn't run fast enough--if she was weak and puny, or if he wasn't clever enough, or when they got old and slow--then the masters got rid of them.None of the dogs knew exactly how. At least not for sure.They just disappeared.And they never came back.Keeva was the fastest greyhound--and the most successful racer--any dog at Dedbone's Hole could remember. Because her coat was blue, the masters called her Sapphire Breeze. With each day that passed, as her pups grew bigger and bigger, Furgul felt the fear inside Keeva grow too. One morning, while Keeva was watching his sisters at play, Furgul said, "Mam, why are you frightened?"Keeva looked at him. Furgul's coat was white. He had a wet black nose and thin black rims beneath his deep brown eyes. "You're my firstborn," she said. This didn't seem important to Furgul, but it seemed to mean a lot to Keeva. Her eyes looked sad. She said, "I'm frightened because you won't be a pup for much longer.""But I don't want to be a pup," said Furgul. "I want to be a dog."Keeva said, "You'll be a big dog, but you won't be the biggest. You'll be strong, but you won't be the strongest. You'll be fast, but you won't be the fastest. That's why you'll have to be the bravest."Furgul nodded. He didn't think this would be too hard. None of the puppies at the feeding troughs scared him. In fact, he had learned to scare them so that his three little sisters from the litter--Nessa and Eena and Brid--could get enough food. If he hadn't fought hard, the other pups would have gobbled up everything, and his sisters would have wasted away."Sure, Mam," he said. "Whatever you say.""And if you're going to escape," said Keeva, "you'll have to be very clever--and very lucky too.""Escape?" asked Furgul.He looked at the high wire fence that surrounded the compound. Outside the fence was a junkyard full of trash and the house where the masters lived. Beyond the camp lay sweet green fields. In the distance a mountain rose toward the far blue sky. At the foot of the fence the masters had laid some very hard stuff called concrete so the dogs couldn't dig underneath it. Worst of all, there were two bad dogs who guarded the fence for the masters. For a reward they got lots of meat--fresh, tasty red meat in their own private bowls--and they were never locked in a cage. By breed they were bullmastiffs, so the hounds called them the Bulls. The Bulls were huge and brutal and loved being mean. Even if a hound got over the fence--or so everyone said--the Bulls would tear him apart with their massive jaws.Furgul had heard other dogs talk about escaping. It was one of their favorite fantasies. Some of them woofled about it in their sleep. But whenever escape was discussed they all agreed: It was impossible."But, Mam," said Furgul, "no one's ever escaped from Dedbone's Hole.""Your father did," said Keeva.Furgul's throat felt tight. Keeva and his sisters were the only family he had ever known. He'd never imagined there was someone else. He'd never even thought about it. He swallowed. "I have a father?"Keeva nodded. "His name is Argal."The name hummed through Furgul's bones and sent a chill down his spine."Argal," he said.The very sound of it made him feel brave, so he said it again."Argal.""Not only did Argal get in here," continued Keeva, "he got out again.""How?" asked Furgul."He hid in the pickup truck that takes us to and from the racetrack in the city.""Why did he do that?" asked Furgul. "I mean, why did he come here?""Argal just appeared one day, like a legend, like a ghost, like a vision. He saw me win a race at the track and he fell in love. He risked his life to spend one night with me." Keeva's eyes grew misty. "He was the fiercest, handsomest, fightingest dog I ever saw. He was crazy and fearless and wild."Furgul liked the sound of this. "I wish I could play with Argal so that I could learn to be wild and fearless too.""So do I," said Keeva."Where is he?" asked Furgul.Keeva shrugged. "Your father is like the wind. He goes wherever he chooses and he does whatever he likes.""Wow," said Furgul, "he must have a really great master.""Argal doesn't have a master," said Keeva. "He's free."Furgul frowned. "What does 'free' mean?""I don't know," said Keeva. A troubled look came over her face. "Argal tried to explain it to me--something to do with what he called the Doglands.""The Doglands?" Furgul felt the fur on his back stand up on end. The word sang in his blood. "What did Argal say?""I wasn't really listening. I was in love.""Where are the Doglands?" asked Furgul."I don't know that either," said Keeva. Confusion and pain clouded her eyes. She looked out between the bars of the cage in which all five of them had to lie day and night in their own pee. She gazed out beyond the high wire fence, past the rusting heaps of trash in the yard, to the mountain on the far blue horizon. "Maybe the Doglands are somewhere out there."Furgul looked at the mountain. He felt as if his heart had just grown bigger."I'm going to be free," he said. "Like Argal."Keeva panted and licked her lips, and Furgul could tell she was nervous. She looked about to make sure no other hounds were listening. She lowered her voice."Dedbone checked my feet and muscles this morning and gave me the special breakfast. That means the racing season has begun. I'm going to be racing tonight. For Dedbone."She looked at him. Suddenly Furgul didn't feel quite so brave anymore. Dedbone was the master who did all the shouting and who starved the greyhounds and made them live alone in crates. All the dogs, even the biggest--even the Bulls--were scared of Dedbone. They talked about him all the time. They hated him. But what could they do?Furgul remembered that the first sight he'd ever seen--when his eyes had just learned to see--was of Dedbone's -steel--toed boots. The boots had kicked sparks from the ground as they'd walked past the whelping cage. And they'd smelled of blood. Dog blood.Furgul said, "You mean you want me to escape tonight?"Keeva nodded. "When Dedbone comes to the cage to put on my racing muzzle and leash, I'll run away. He'll get angry and chase after me. That's when I want you to sneak past and run to the truck without letting anyone see you. Can you do that?"Recently Furgul had started to play a game with the -brutal, stupid Bulls. During the exercise hour he peed on top of their pee then ran and hid behind the cages, where he could watch them foam with rage when they sniffed his smell. They hunted for him, but he was always too fast and crafty to let them catch him. He was sure he could get to the truck.He nodded. "I can do that."Keeva asked, "Do you know what the truck looks like?"Furgul said, "It's red and has a row of crates on the back.""Very good. Dedbone always puts me in the last crate, nearest the back. It will have lots of old newspapers on the floor. I want you to jump in the crate, hide beneath the newspapers and wait for me. Can you jump that high?"Furgul thought about it. The truck was very high indeed, at least for him.He asked, "Could Argal jump that high when he was only my age?""I'm sure he could," said Keeva."Then so can I," said Furgul. "But what about the Bulls?""The Bulls never come to the races.""Okay, Mam," said Furgul. "What happens when we get to the track?""When Dedbone opens my crate, I'll run away again. While Dedbone's trying to catch me, you must jump out and hide beneath the truck. After a while you'll smell that Dedbone and I have gone. You'll hear lots of roaring and cheering in the distance--""From masters like Dedbone?" asked Furgul."Yes, except these masters don't have dogs. They just like gambling on them at the track, especially dogs like me who make them lots of money. When you hear the roaring and cheering, you can come out from under the truck. You'll find yourself in a parking lot--you'll be surrounded by lots of empty trucks and cars. There's no fence around the parking lot, so if you run all the way to the edge, you can escape."Furgul concentrated until he was sure he remembered every detail.He asked, "What do I do when I'm free?""I don't know," replied Keeva. "I've never been free. That's when you'll need to be lucky and clever and brave.""Why don't you come with me?""I've got a number tattooed in my ear. Dedbone would find me.""Perhaps he wouldn't try," said Furgul."Yes, he would," said Keeva. "I'm the most valuable dog he's got. In any case I can't leave Eena and Nessa and Brid."Furgul suddenly had a terrible feeling."Mam, if I go free, does that mean I'll never see you--ever again?"Keeva turned away, but Furgul could still see the tears in her eyes."Yes," she said. "We'll never see each other again.""Can't I wait a bit longer, then, before I escape?""No, Furgul, you have to go tonight.""But why?""Because you were born with a secret," said Keeva. "A dangerous secret."Furgul was confused. "What secret?""You're not a greyhound."Furgul was stunned."What do you mean, I'm not a greyhound?" he said. "All the dogs at Dedbone's Hole are greyhounds, except for the Bulls."Keeva said, "Your father wasn't a greyhound either."This made Furgul feel a bit better. "If I'm not a greyhound, what am I?""Argal was a mixture of greyhound and wolfhound," said Keeva. "The masters call that a crossbreed--or a mongrel, or a mutt. The masters don't like mutts. I don't know why. They only like pure breeds, with pure bloodlines, which they call pedigrees. That's why they control who we breed with--or at least they try to. The masters love to control things. If they could, they'd control absolutely everything in the world. They would never allow a crossbreed like Argal to come near a dog like me.""Because you are a pure breed.""Yes," said Keeva. "But look at it this way. If I wasn't pure, I wouldn't have to live in a crate.""So I'm a mongrel or a mutt?" said Furgul."Argal said he was a lurcher, which means a thief."Furgul liked the sound of that much better. He cheered up. "A thief?""The masters won't feed lurchers," said Keeva, "so Argal became an outlaw. To survive he had to steal his food or kill other animals, like rabbits. That's what you'll have to do when you're free. You see, you're a lurcher too."This made Furgul remember that he wasn't so sure that he wanted to be free anymore. He didn't want to never see his mother again. He started to feel very sad. He heard a whimper in his throat, and his eyes began to water.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Doglands | [
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13,678 | 1 | Harriet, Hildy, Henry, and Milo, three kittens and a baby elephant, want nothing more than to play uninterrupted. But various nuisances continue to sidetrack them. The biggest offender is bedtime, so the friends devise a secret plan to avoid it, which doesnt quite work out as expected but is satisfying nonetheless. This is an enjoyable, inventive offering that incorporates single- and double-page spreads focused on the activity of the four friends, as well as comic-style acrylic illustrations that include cross-sections of a townhouse that allow for multiple scenes to play out at the same time. In addition, speech bubbles that indicate parents calling for the young characters literally break into the textand, consequently, the funand there is a certain conspiratorial amusement as the reader or listener is allowed in on the secret plan, as long as they dont tell. Charming and genuinely funny, this will appeal to a wide audience. Preschool-Grade 2. --Kara DeanJulia Sarcone-Roach, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate, makes her debut with this delightful twist on bedtime routines.; Title: The Secret Plan | [
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13,679 | 2 | PreS-Gr 1A house is just a building, but a home is made up of all the pieces on the inside. Lloyd-Jones tells the tale of a young girl and the parts that make up her home in rhythmic, hand-lettered text. The story builds on repetition and travels through a day with the main character, inside her home and further into her community. "And your Swing is to swing you./Right up to the sky/Up over the wall/Up, up till you see/Swallows and cornfields/And tractors and sheep/And the world that is waiting below." Dyer's gouache and pencil pictures include a balanced variation of spreads and closer images with greater white space behind them. The images reveal the finer details of a young child's life and draw together the broad story line. Although the words are charming and the pictures are captivating, the book does paint a very privileged, middle-class version of what constitutes a home. According to this title, it means having a full family, a large house, a yard with a swings- et, a bike, lots of toys, and much more. For communities that can relate to this standard of living, this selection will be well received as a read aloud.Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, IDSALLY LLOYD-JONES is the author of the books How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister, which was a New York Times bestseller, an ALA-ALSC Notable Book, and the recipient of two starred reviews; How to Get Married . . . by Me, the Bride; and How to Get a Job . . . by Me, the Boss. She is also the author of Poor Doreen, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. JANE DYER is the illustrator of more than 50 books for children, including the picture-book mega-bestsellers Time for Bed by Mem Fox, Cookies: Bite Size Lessons by Amy Krause Rosenthal, and I Love You Like Crazy Cakes by Rose A. Lewis. Ms. Dyer lives in Northampton, MA.; Title: The House That's Your Home | [
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13,680 | 1 | Grade 58As Desi; her mother, a witch; and their cat are settling into yet another new home, the girl's mother unexpectedly leaves, turning the cat into a teen to stay with Desi. The 12-year-old has never understood why they are always moving and is particularly perplexed by this latest turn of events. Readers will enjoy Desi's attempts to learn magic on her own, the cat's difficulties with suddenly becoming a human girl and dealing with boys and clothes and catty girls, and Cat and Desi's adventures in independence. However, when her warlock father (whom she has never met and knows nothing about) comes on the scene, the plot turns convoluted and confusing. The parents battle as wizard and witch, an evil monkey who's not what he seems tries to kidnap Desi, and wild winds blow as evil spirits are unleashed. The book struggles to be funny and scary, ordinary and magical, contemporary and otherworldly, and loses readers in the mix.Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.This first novel is an uneven but entertaining fantasy about a young witch and her family troubles. Twelve-year-old Desi is determined to learn magic even though Callida, her mother, keeps her in the dark when it comes to spells and potions. When Callida leaves unexpectedly, Desi locates her spell book and attempts to teach herself, with humorous results. More problems come from Desi's unorthodox babysitter, Cat (her mother's familiar transformed into a human). Cat's foibles in her new body are very funny, but they also strain credulity: too many people (especially Cat's eventual boyfriend) are willing to overlook behavior that should be cause for shock or alarm. Alexander weaves this comic coming-of-age tale with a darker story involving demons and a plot to join the two worlds spearheaded by Desi's warlock father, but this part grows overlong and convoluted. Desi and Cat make an agreeable duo, however, and Alexander includes some creative magic (such as garden gnomes who serve as watchdogs) into the mix. Grades 5-8. --Krista Hutley; Title: Unfamiliar Magic | [
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13,681 | 15 | JAN GERARDI has illustrated many books for children. Teenie Greenies are the first books she has both written and illustrated. She lives in New Jersey.; Title: Eco People on the Go! (Teenie Greenies) | [
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13,682 | 2 | PreS-Gr 1Tina wants nothing more than to win the Cream of the Top Cupcake contest, but she hasn't found the picture-perfect topping yet. Her parents assure her that she can compete next year but Tina will hear none of it. In fact, she is so blinded by her need to win that she refuses to play the cupcake-in-waiting role as helper. After being teased by a classmate, she finds inspiration and runs out to create the topping that looks just right on her. Tina arrives at the contest moments before the winner is to be announced and the judge is so dazzled by her beauty that he immediately crowns her Queen. The characters are drawn as people with cupcakes on their heads, tinted in an eye-pleasing, though sickeningly sweet palette of pastels. A few recipes by Howard, an award-winning pastry chef, are included, but kids who want to re-create the characters will be disappointed by the lack of matching topping recipes. Overall this one looks about as appealing as the plethora of pink mass-market books targeting girls, and it reads about the same.Heather Acerro, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.At the Gingersnap Academy for Rising Cupcakes, its time for the Cream of the Crop Cupcake contest. All the cupcake children are sporting elaborate toppings, including Candyce Cremiere, frosted in spicy buttercream, and berry-topped Billy Barry Blue. Tina Cocolina, though, cant find her perfect topping. But just when all seems hopeless, inspiration happily arrives, bringing an unexpected, sweet surprise. Though the characters are called cupcakes, only the ever-present, hat-like cupcakes crowning their headsall diverse and fancifully illustratedconvey the concept. In the dense but sympathetic narrative, the authors touch on hot-button, mean-girl issues in scenes of Tina feeling left out and discouraged. But whimsy is really the driving force here, a tone thats extended in the cheerful, candy-colored illustrations featuring swirly, fanciful details and patterns, reminiscent of Mary Engelbreits work. This is an entertaining title with a supportive, encouraging message that taps into the current cupcake renaissance, and many kids will want to move on to the appended cupcake and frosting recipes. Grades 1-3. --Shelle Rosenfeld; Title: Tina Cocolina: Queen of the Cupcakes | [
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13,683 | 15 | In 1942, the launch ofLittle Golden Booksrevolutionized childrens book publishing by making high-quality picture books available at affordable prices. More than 60 years later, many of the original Golden Book titles are still wildly popular, with The Poky Little Puppy topping the list of ten bestselling childrens books of all time.Golden Books backlist is teeming with classics such as Dorothy Kunhardts Pat the Bunny, and features the stories and artwork of childrens book legends Mary Blair, Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Scarry, Eloise Wilkins, Garth Williams, and many more.Today, the Golden Books imprint includes an array of storybooks, novelty books, and coloring and activity books featuring all of the most popular licenses, including Disney, Nickelodeon, Barbie, Thomas & Friends, The Cat in the Hat, Sesame Street, Marvel Super Heroes, and DC Super Friends. Golden Bookscontinues to reissue the best of its backlist in a variety of formats, including ebooks and apps, as well as bringing out brand-new books in these evolving new formats.; Title: BUNNY'S GARDEN - SHA | [
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13,684 | 16 | School Library Journal starred reviewPublishers Weekly starred reviewValorie Fisher is the creator of When Ruby Tried to Grow Candy and How High Can a Dinosaur Count?, called guaranteed fun by School Library Journal. She is the illustrator of The Fantastic 5 & 10 Store by J. Patrick Lewis, called good, old-fashioned fun by Publishers Weekly, and her photographs appear in the beloved Moxy Maxwell books. Valorie lives in Cornwall, Connecticut.; Title: How High Can a Dinosaur Count?: ...and Other Math Mysteries | [
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13,685 | 1 | PreS-Gr 2–The feline heroine of Nini Here and There (Greenwillow, 2007) is back in a book that captures all of the charm of its predecessor. When a door is accidently left open, Nini seizes the opportunity to explore a world that is wider and wilder than the familiar, cozy confines of her own house. The foliage and critters lure her farther away, and Nini revels in their delights until night falls. Suddenly, what was welcoming and beautiful becomes menacing to the little cat. But all ends well, with a philosophical Nini reflecting that there still might be more adventures in her future. The feline's world, both inside and out, is full of lush details that Lobel renders with gouache and watercolor illustrations. Although the illustrations are heavily detailed and full of things to see, the pages do not appear cluttered because of the white space that frames each picture. The white space disappears once night falls and the pictures, suitably, feel claustrophobic. Nini's own epiphany is best revealed by the two window shots that open and close the book; the title page shows her in close-up, sitting in a window, gazing out. She is framed by the sill, boxed in, and safe. The final image is Nini again in that window, but the perspective is from across the yard, so that she is but a small creature gazing upon the outside landscape that dominates the scene. This is an attractive, quiet book to share with young adventurers.Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.*Starred Review* The last time readers met Nini, the beguiling striped tabby, she thought she was being left behind when her family went away (Nini Here and There, 2007). Now it is Nini who is making travel plans, thanks to an open door. Once outside, Nini walks slowly away from home, then moves faster, and before long she is very far away indeed. Reveling in new sights and smells, Nini thinks, Oh, this is really, really, really nice. But darkness brings strange sounds, and Nini smells danger. One scary spread shows a fox, an owl, and a big brown bear who chase her into the hollow of an old tree. Now being outside is not so nice; Nini wants to go home, and someone wants her home, too. Come back, come back, little miss cat. Nini doesnt know what to do. If she leaves her hiding place, the animals might catch her; but I must be brave, she tells herself as she runs toward home. Scolded, yes, but then cuddled and loved, Nini is glad to be home . . . for now. Told with an elegant simplicity that children will appreciate (they might have some of the same thoughts themselves), this is filled with Lobels endearing watercolor-and-gouache artwork, with big swirls of emotion and the tiniest nod of relief in a little cats upturned lip. A wonderful read-aloud, with the length of the text, the size of the art, and the adventure of the tale all being just right. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper; Title: Nini Lost and Found | [
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13,686 | 2 | About the AuthorJ. D. LESTER is a Southern lady with a big sense of humor and a heart of gold. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband, children and two golden retrievers.About the IllustratorHIROE NAKATA grew up in Japan, where she was encouraged in her drawing by her grandfather, a painter. She moved to the United States when she was 16 and is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design. She has illustrated numerous children's books and lives in Brooklyn, NY.; Title: Grandma Calls Me Gigglepie | [
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13,687 | 1 | Kindergarten-Grade 2 Slug enjoys lying on the ocean floor observing the different fish as they swim by. He takes note of their diverse sizes, shapes, and colors and figures he has seen everything until Barry arrives. Barry has fingers at the ends of his fins. He claims that his new appendages are the answer to every fish's problem. The problem, it turns out, is boredom. Barry demonstrates all of the wonderful things he can do with his fingers, such as count, knit, type, paint, and play the piano. He even saves the others' lives when he points out a heavy object that is plummeting to the sea floor, and they can scatter before it lands on them. The box, it turns out, is filled with Pirate Jack's Tasty Fish Sticks, which enable the other fish to obtain fingers like Barry's. The book's pages are filled with bright, cartoonish, gouache illustrations. Children who enjoyed Marcus Pfister's Rainbow Fish books (NorthSouth) will enjoy Barry. Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Review, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, August 15, 2010:"Hendras bright and cheerful undersea characters make the ocean seem like a great place to be.; Title: Barry the Fish with Fingers | [
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13,688 | 2 | Almost 16, Veronica has lied about her age to get a job at the largest used-clothing store in the Northeast (The Original Dollar-a-Pound!). Veronica separates the wheat from the chaff, marking the true vintage for the Real Deal floor. Despite her weight, Veronica has an eye for fashion, which manifests itself in crinolines and bowling shirts (together) and sketching. She catches the eye of several of her coworkers, including mean girls Zoe and Ginger and a thin, twitchy guy she thinks of as the Nail. In her first novel, Perl masterfully sets her scene. The store, with its giant chute dumping clothes into the pile for the customers (aka the pickers), is almost a character in itself. But the author is also quite adept at writing people, especially the reptile-loving Nail, whose rejections and longings match Veronicas. With her pigtails, bulk, and hybrid outfits, its hard to envision Veronica as the fashion icon others admire. But her story is filled with emotions (and language!) that are both earthy and real, and a romance thats as complicated as it is sweet. Grades 9-12. --Ilene CooperReview, School Library Journal, February 2010:"The protagonist is a self-described fat girl who is not obsessed with losing weighta much-needed character in young adult fiction. An enjoyable read filled with quirky characters."Review, Booklist, February 2010:"In her first novel, Perl masterfully sets her scene."; Title: Vintage Veronica | [
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13,689 | 0 | Gr 5-8-Jeremy and Dulcie quickly learn the truths of Civil War battle. Although Jeremy, an indentured servant, is technically required to receive food, clothing, and an education in return for his work, he often finds himself hungry, barefoot, and out of school. Eager to join the war effort, he flees the misery of Old Silas's neglect, has a brief stint as a paper boy, and joins the Union Army as a drummer boy. Dulcie, a young slave in Georgia, escapes and nearly drowns, but is rescued by Jeremy and Charlie, a young Confederate soldier whom Jeremy has befriended (an author's note following the story explains that this was not unheard of at the time). The Peace Society, a clandestine organization of pro-Union Confederate soldiers, becomes a surprising and important force in the three characters' lives. This is a fair and informative look at the role of young people in the conflict. The depictions of medicine and nursing are grim and believable, and the cruel treatment of slaves is evident, although graphic descriptions are kept to a minimum.-Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Itching to join the Union army as a drummer boy, Jeremy talks his way into a New York regiment, though he is much too young to enlist. As he and his messmates march through Tennessee and Georgia, he slowly gains their acceptance. Along the way, he also strikes up an uneasy acquaintance with a young Confederate soldier and befriends Dulcie, an 11-year-old escaped slave, whose story is sometimes told in parallel with Jeremys. Gradually, his dreams of glory fade as he finds that war is not what he expected and, often, people are not what they seem. With graphic scenes set on the battlefield and in the field hospital, the story is more realistic than most Civil War novels for young people. Despite deaths, amputations, and moral ambiguities, the writing does convey a sense of idealism and purpose or, perhaps, multiple purposes for the various well-drawn characters. Schwabachs research is evident in details of the story as well as the appended historical notes and source bibliography. Grades 5-8. --Carolyn Phelan; Title: The Storm Before Atlanta | [
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13,690 | 2 | "The characters are authentic and the short chapters are skillfully arranged to keep readers moving headlong toward the satisfying conclusion."--School Library Journal, Starred"This powerful and emotional story is likely to spur discussion."--Publishers Weekly"No one is perfect in this feel-good story, but everyone benefits, including sentimentally inclined readers."--Kirkus Reviews"Compelling. . . . Readers will find much to ponder on the power of forgiveness."--BooklistROB BUYEA taught third and fourth graders in Bethany, Connecticut, for six years before moving to Northfield Mount Hermon School, where he now lives with his wife and three daughters, teaches biology, and coaches wrestling. Because of Mr. Terupt is his first novel.; Title: Because of Mr. Terupt | [
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13,691 | 2 | Grade 47Bindi's life is pretty normal. She loves to read and has good friends and a loving extended family. This normalcy ends when her parents announce that they are separating and that her father is moving to another city to look for a job. Told entirely in verse, the story relates the sixth grader's experiences, her feelings, and snippets of her daily life. Bindi and her mother move to an apartment above The Dancing Pancake, which Bindi's mother and aunt open shortly after school lets out for the summer. The cafe is populated with interesting staff and customers, many of whom help the girl create her own definitions of friendship and empathy. Bindi's growth and self-realization help her cope with the situations that the grown-ups in her life face and allow her to accept her father back into her life when her parents reconcile. The poetic structure of this novel succeeds in capturing the child's voice and deepest feelings. The verse also provides sound development of secondary characters. Lew-Vriethoff's lively pen-and-ink illustrations add texture to the story and offer touches of humor. Contemporary issues, including the homelessness of Bindi's favorite customer, are balanced by lighter themes of silly little cousins and first crushes.Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Eileen Spinelli is the popular, critically acclaimed, and beloved author of nearly fifty children's books. With twenty-nine (and counting!) immediate family members, Eileen knows about kids and family and drew upon her experiences and imagination to create this sensitive portrait of a child handling parental separation. She also mixed in her fondness for diners-their blend of sights, sounds, and aromas evoke "instant good feelings and a craving for pancakes" in Eileen. She hopes that kids will be entertained and find a reflection of their feelings and lives within the pages of The Dancing Pancake. Eileen and her husband, Jerry, live in eastern Pennsylvania.About the IllustratorA graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Joanne Lew-Vriethoff began her career in television and has created artwork for many formats and media. Joanne's best art ideas often come when she is doing "the most ordinary but wonderful things," such as sliding down a slide or riding on her bike. Joanne's art first met Eileen Spinelli's verse in Summerhouse Time, to which Joanne contributed lyrical and charming illustrations. She and her husband and their children live in the Netherlands and enjoy driving trips and visits to castles.; Title: The Dancing Pancake | [
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13,692 | 1 | Husband-and-wife team Susan Schade and Jon Buller have been collaborating on children's books for more than twenty years, and have published more than 30 books. The Noisy Counting Book was one of the first books they created together.; Title: The Noisy Counting Book | [
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13,693 | 2 | ERICA S. PERL is the author several picture books and the young adult novel Vintage Veronica, which Publishers Weekly called "wonderfully fun!" In addition to writing books, Erica works at First Book, the groundbreaking non-profit organization that has provided over 70 million brand new books to children in need. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her family.CHAPTER 1 The whole mess started with a note: KID, SEE ME IMMEDIATELY WHEN YOU GET THIS. DO NOT SPEAK OF THIS TO ANYONE, NOT EVEN YOUR PARENTS OR YOUR BROTHER. ACE P.S. I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR THIS. I found the note on my nightstand, attached to a jug that definitely hadn’t been there the night before. I had to put on my glasses to read it. On closer inspection, I could see that the jug was a plastic one, like the kind that milk comes in. The note was attached to the neck of the jug with a green rubber band. Even without his name on it, I would’ve known this was Ace’s work. The rubber band was a dead giveaway. Ace is the proud owner of the world’s largest rubber band collection. He doesn’t trust Scotch tape. Ready for what? I thought. I sat up in bed, staring at the jug. If Ace was behind this, I was definitely not ready for it. Ace is my grandpa. His real name is Abraham Diamond, but he likes everyone to call him Ace. My name is Zelda Fried, but I like everyone to call me Zelly. Ace doesn’t call me Zelly, or even Zelda. He calls me “kid,” so I call him Grandpa to get him back. I studied the note, then turned my attention to the jug. It was a big white plastic orange juice jug. Before Ace moved in with us, my mom always made pitchers of orange juice from small cans of frozen concentrate. Now she buys it premade in plastic jugs like this one because Ace drinks a lot of orange juice. He mixes scoops of powder into it, which he says keeps him “regular,” whatever that means. Ace is about as far from a regular person as anyone could possibly be, and I can’t imagine how any powder is going to change that. I read the note again. I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR THIS. I picked up the jug, which turned out to be empty, and unscrewed the bright orange cap. The faint scent of oranges wafted out. Okay, fine, I thought, getting out of bed. Let’s go find out what this is all about. I left the jug where it was and went to the bathroom. The same owl eyes and freckle-strewn nose, framed by an especially frizzy halo of morning hair, stared back at me. I showed my teeth to make sure they were still, thankfully, pretty straight. When you already have crazy hair and glasses, the last thing you need is braces. It seemed like everyone in the house was still asleep. Except maybe my little brother, Sam, who sometimes gets up super-early to build things in his room with his LEGOs or his blocks. He always forgets that when you wake up, you need to go pee, so after he’s been building for about thirty minutes, he’ll shoot down the hall to the bathroom. I went back to my room and got the jug and the note. I carried them downstairs to Ace’s room, which is also our TV room. Having the TV there makes my mom super-happy because Sam and I watch a lot less TV than we did a few months ago, when we lived in Brooklyn and the TV was in our living room. We practically never want to watch TV bad enough to hang out in Ace’s room. True, Ace likes some of the same shows we do. For example, old Star Trek reruns. But he always ends up yelling at the TV so much that it isn’t worth it. I knocked quietly on Ace’s door. No reply. The sign hanging on his door says Gone Fishing, but it’s just for decoration. I don’t think Ace has gone fishing once since we moved to Vermont and Ace moved in with us. Gone to Henry’s Diner or Gone to Ben & Jerry’s or Gone to Battery Park to a band-shell concert wearing my lucky fishing hat? Yes, yes, and yes. But Gone Fishing, not so much. I looked at the jug. It didn’t make any sense. Maybe Ace had finally completely flipped out. It seemed pretty likely. It occurred to me that maybe I should go upstairs and tell my parents. That thought made me feel all worried and nervous, though. What if Ace had gone crazy, and he got really mad at me for getting him in trouble? What if they dragged him off to the loony bin and he started yelling, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, KID! Which it kind of would be. I took a deep breath and knocked again, harder this time. “Grandpa?” I called in a loudish whisper. “WHA?” boomed Ace through the door. “Grandpa,” I whispered again. “It’s me, Zelly.” “STOP WHISPERING ALREADY. I’M AWAKE. COME IN.” I entered the room and immediately tripped on something and fell flat on my face. I had a feeling it had been one of Ace’s many pairs of golf shoes. That’s another thing about Ace. He stopped playing golf years ago, but he loved the shoes so much that he started wearing them all the time. He probably has about twenty pairs. If anyone asks about his shoes, he launches into this lecture about how they “give excellent arch support.” “WHO’S THERE?” yelled Ace. I was on all fours, feeling my way over to the wall, where I knew there was a light switch. I had dropped the jug when I fell. Before I could make it very far, Ace switched his bedside lamp on. “WHAT IN THE NAME OF--?” said Ace. “Sorry,” I said. “I just tripped, and, I mean, I got your note.” “NOTE? WHAT NOTE?” Okay, he’s definitely gone crazy, I thought to myself. Just back up and out and go see Mom and Dad. But there’s something about the way Ace talks. His voice practically requires an answer. “The note you, uh, put on the orange juice jug?” I spotted the jug lying on its side on the floor, but I left it where it was. Instead, I walked over to Ace and handed him the note. “OH,” said Ace, putting on his glasses and swinging his legs out of bed. He looked it over carefully, as if seeing it for the first time. “THAT NOTE.” “Uh-huh,” I said, getting ready to make my exit. “SO?” “Sorry?” “SO, ARE YOU?” “Am I what?” “ARE YOU READY?” “Ready for what?” Ace looked exasperated with me. “DO YOU WASH YOUR EARS WITH CHOPPED LIVER? READY TO GET A DOG, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!”; Title: When Life Gives You O.J. | [
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13,694 | 2 | Look Inside How Rocket Learned to ReadPreSchool-Grade 2 An endearing white dog with black spots loves chasing leaves and chewing sticks. He also loves napping under his favorite tree. Then his sleep is interrupted one spring day by a tiny yellow bird that designates him her first student. Rocket wants no part of her lessons, but the bird is determined to teach him to read. She returns each day, hangs an alphabet banner from the trees, and gushes, Ah, the wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet. Then she begins to read a story, stopping at an enticing part. Overcome by curiosity to hear more, Rocket eventually enters into the bird's lessons, and the two have a grand time using the mighty, gorgeous alphabet to spell out all the things in Rocket's world. The bird leaves as winter approaches, but Rocket continues practicing, spelling everything in sight. And when Bird returns the following spring, a tail-wagging, eager-to-read student greets her with joy. The illustrations, rendered in oil and colored pencil, offer full pages, spreads, and oval vignettes. They depict Rocket in all his various moods, from diagonal brows raised in displeasure to delight at his teacher's return. Adults will love the bird's enthusiasm, her use of stories, and her ability to associate lessons with Rocket's everyday life to win over her reluctant pupil. Youngsters will find this addition to Hills's cast of adorable animal characters simply irresistible. Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: How Rocket Learned to Read | [
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13,695 | 2 | PreS-Gr 2-On a cold winter day as a mean wind blows and icicles hang from windowsills, Pauline and her younger brother, John-John, decide to have a lemonade stand. Gathering all their quarters (Pauline's favorite coins), they buy their supplies and make lemonade, limeade, and lemon-limeade. On their mostly empty street with the snow falling, they attract a few customers-Harvey walking his three dogs, Mrs. Gordon and her twins, Heather and Aidan strolling arm in arm, and five manicurists in puffy coats. Despite their advertising, entertainment, decorations, and sales, the children make only four dollars, which is less than the cost of their supplies but enough for two Popsicles. Karas's illustrations, rendered with brush and walnut ink in sepia tones, capture the half-light of an overcast winter day as the children, bundled in warm clothes, tend their stand and count their earnings. A last page, called "Pauline Explains Money to John-John," shows both fronts and backs of different coins and explains their worth. This quirky tale is a boon for young entrepreneurs, who will enjoy looking at the humorous details in the pictures as much as working out the math after each sale. Abounding with teaching possibilities, it's a solid selection for most libraries.-Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Publishers Weekly Best of Children's Books 2012Starred Review, School Library Journal, August 1, 2012:This quirky tale is a boon for young entrepreneurs, who will enjoy looking at the humorous details in the pictures as much as working out the math after each sale.Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, July 30, 2012:In real money terms, this ones an amazing bargain.; Title: Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money | [
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13,696 | 11 | K-Gr 3Cox opens this fact-based story on just the right note: "There was once a lovely elephant seal who lived in the city." A boy named Michael is fascinated with the marine mammal that chooses to live by or swim in the tranquil Avon River that passes by Christchurch's botanical garden. When the seal, named after the Queen of England, narrowly avoids death after relaxing on a warm city street, residents volunteer to move her to an elephant seal colony. After she makes her way back, they try two additional times to relocate her. Finally, knowing that city dwellers were secretly happy to see Elizabeth return to Christchurch, the city erects a "Slow. Elephant Seal Crossing" sign near her favorite sleeping place. The author generally avoids anthropomorphizing Elizabeth's motivation for continuing to return to the city by suggesting a few possibilities for readers to consider. Some basic facts about these huge marine mammals are woven into the highly approachable narrative, and a few paragraphs at the conclusion further explore more about their habits. A black-and-white photo of the famous seal sleeping on the pavement closes the book and reinforces its factual nature. Floca's gentle pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings perfectly capture Elizabeth's watery world. Double-page spreads nicely complement pages that feature smaller vignettes echoing the seal's rounded body. Especially effective is a page where Michael, who after nearly three months without his friend, wishes on the stars reflected in the river's water; the page turn reveals the seal's head poking through radiating rings of water while the boy shouts, "Welcome home, Elizabeth!" Children are likely to request multiple readings of this compelling told and lovingly illustrated true story.Ellen Fader, formerly at Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR*Starred Review* Floca, fresh from his Caldecott-winning Locomotive (2013), lends delicate sun-washed watercolors to this charming story of an unusual elephant seal. Cox, a long-distance swimmer best known for Grayson (2006), a nonfiction adult book about a whale, uses a light hand and a sweet, wondrous, yet unsentimental touch to relate how Elizabeth, fondly named by the townsfolk of Christchurch, New Zealand, prefers to reside in a warm river rather than the ocean. But when Elizabeth begins to sun herself on a busy asphalt road, she is deemed a potential danger and taken out to live with her brethren at sea. Miraculously, Elizabeth manages to return to her preferred home in the shallow Avon not once but three times, even though each time she is transported further and further afield. Cox anchors the story by imagining a small boy, Michael, enjoying Elizabeth and always waiting for her reappearance. Based on a true storythere is a photo of the real Elizabeth in the illuminating afterwordthis is a superior addition to shelves of titles featuring wild animals. Floca manages to convey Elizabeths appeal by focusing on the way her expressive face plays off her tremendous bulk. Her content, happy smiles as she floats in a bucolic world of hazy riverbanks and blue skies will appeal to animal lovers of every age. Preschool-Grade 3. --Karen Cruze; Title: Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas | [
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13,697 | 10 | The plot is masterful, with cliffhangers galore . . . and an ending that both satisfies and whets the appetite for more.Kirkus ReviewsP. D. Baccalario was born in Acqui Terme, a beautiful little town in Piedmont, Italy. He now lives in Milan.; Title: Ring of Fire (Century Quartet, Book 1) | [
17694
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13,698 | 2 | In 1942, the launch ofLittle Golden Booksrevolutionized childrens book publishing by making high-quality picture books available at affordable prices. More than 60 years later, many of the original Golden Book titles are still wildly popular, with The Poky Little Puppy topping the list of ten bestselling childrens books of all time.Golden Books backlist is teeming with classics such as Dorothy Kunhardts Pat the Bunny, and features the stories and artwork of childrens book legends Mary Blair, Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Scarry, Eloise Wilkins, Garth Williams, and many more.Today, the Golden Books imprint includes an array of storybooks, novelty books, and coloring and activity books featuring all of the most popular licenses, including Disney, Nickelodeon, Barbie, Thomas & Friends, The Cat in the Hat, Sesame Street, Marvel Super Heroes, and DC Super Friends. Golden Bookscontinues to reissue the best of its backlist in a variety of formats, including ebooks and apps, as well as bringing out brand-new books in these evolving new formats.; Title: PAINT THE TOWN PINK! | [
53903
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13,699 | 2 | PreS-Gr 2-Janie Jane, "an expert on all things cute," receives the cutest dog ever for her birthday, Sir Yips-a-lot. The two do everything together, until one year later when Janie Jane receives "The World's Cutest Kitty" as a gift. Sir Yips-a-lot tries in vain to regain his position; he makes his cutest faces and does his cutest tricks, but to no avail. In a fit of jealousy, he pops Lady Meow-meow out the mail slot and into the dark night. His victory is short-lived as Janie Jane is inconsolable. So fearing the worst, but needing to do the right thing, the pup heads out to find Lady Meow-meow, who joyfully licks Sir Yips-a-lot while Janie Jane declares, "THIS IS THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!" From then on the three are inseparable, until one year later when Janie Jane gets the cutest octopus ever....Picture book and comic book successfully combine here. There are dialogue balloons with fun fonts (and hearts) and panels of various sizes, plus narrative text and traditional full-page pictures. The illustrations, reminiscent of Nick Jr. cartoons, are crisp, clean, and digitally colored in bright, bold shades. Excellent facial expressions add warmth, and plenty of exclamation points (including implied ones) emphasize cuteness. Sure to be popular with the comic-book and the overkill-is-funny crowds.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Having produced several picture books and winning graphic novels (including Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders, 2010, and Where Do Presidents Come From?, 2012), Townsend brings his charming sense of humor and sharp visual pacing to this story, which plumbs every little girls dream. Janie Jane receives the magnificently cute canine Sir Yips-a-Lot on her birthday only to receive the ultimately cute feline Lady Meow-Meow for her next birthday. Naturally, the once favored Sir Yips-a-Lot is not crazy about the new addition and enacts a plan to restore the household to one-pet status. But finding he has broken Janie Janes heart, he recovers the cat and learns that theres room in Janie Janes heart for everyone. As the title promises, no cuteness is spared, from the bright yellow-and-pink palette to the animated faces, which express extreme emotions with great wit. The paneled pages keep the pacing fast, and there is plenty here to appeal to young animal lovers as well as a possible lesson for new older siblings. Grades K-2. --Jesse Karp; Title: Cute & Cuter | [
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