Whales-those oceanic marvels-are endlessly interesting to kids, and this Level 2 book presents a simple and accessible overview for kids just starting to read on their own. Readers will learn that whales are mammals like dogs and horses (and us!), but mammals uniquely adapted to sea life. The beautiful watercolor artwork captures all the strength and unique grace of these creatures.

When Matt leaves his kindergarten class for a quick trip to the bathroom, he never imagines what will happen next. He suddenly finds himself in a stranger’s car traveling to an unfamiliar place. But who is this man, and is he really a "stranger"? When the school bell rings and Matt is nowhere to be found, his sister, Bonnie, is frantic. She quickly realizes that her little brother is not lost, but missing! And she must do everything in her power to save him…even if it puts her own life in danger.

Benny thinks hes the best——，best at everything.He is such a big shot!But when Benny gets to camp, hes not very good at anything.When some capers get into trouble,can Benny be the best at saving the day?

Did you know... That sharks have been around since the time of the dinosaurs? That the smallest shark could fit into the palm of your hand, and the largest is longer than a moving van? You'll find out lots more about sharks in this exciting book!

From Publishers Weekly From the opening lines (Sun sizzled. Hair frizzled), Spinelli (Summerhouse Time) jauntily establishes the theme for this tale of one sweltering week in the town of Lumberville, long before the advent of air conditioners. Beginning on a blistering Monday, the day-by-day chronicle reveals how residents cope. Abigail Blue and her brother Ralphie open a lemonade stand, but two days later forgot about the lemonade and just sold ice. Lottie Mims takes four cold showers one day and on the next wore her bathing suit to clean house. Caldecott Honor artist Lewin's (Click, Clack, Moo) amusing assemblage of brush, ink and watercolor images portray the resourceful ways the townsfolk try to beat the heat. On Saturday night, everyone—whether in a bed or on a rooftop or on a fire escape or in a tent or near the river—everyone... had the exact same dream. A spread depicting that dream rounds up playful portraits of the smiling citizens frolicking in the rain. A power outage may be the closest

It’s just a silly string, this wet old thing. Or was it? In "The Things A String Can Be," the main character Sam leaves the house after days of rain with nothing in tow but his imagination. He finds a simple piece of string in a big puddle and spends the entire day dreaming of ways to turn this ordinary object into extraordinary adventures with his friends. His adventures then lead to a heartwarming ending. In Sam’s mind, the string becomes Tarzan’s jungle vine, a tree swing, jump rope, necklace for his mom and much more. With rhyming, repetition and bold, colorful graphics, author Julie Goulis and illustrator John Ferguson encourage children to use their own creativity to entertain themselves. Children are captivated by this imaginative young boy and his adventures with a silly old string. "The Things A String Can Be" is the first of a series of books using ordinary objects to go on extraordinary adventures. It also includes a bonus free activity guide at the end that gives children, parents and teache

Kindergarten-Grade 3. It would be difficult to imagine a less poetic theme than that of a bat accidentally trapped in the posh dining room of a summer resort. However, Dragonwagon has woven an evocative, lyrical prose poem in this tale of one frantic flying mammal and one quiet young girl who really cares what happens to it. While the excited, well-heeled patrons escape to the lobby, and the tuxedo-garbed staff run for brooms and other weapons, Melissa remains alone in the dining room. Unhurriedly, and with calm resolve, she lures the bat to an emergency door, where it flies into the starry night to freedom. The spare text combines internal rhyme and interesting word juxtapositions to create the appropriate mood. The contrast of uproar and quiet, agitation and calm combine to build a story from one brief incident. Schindler's beautiful illustrations, a combination of colored pencil and watercolor on pastel paper, become a harmonious complement to the text. The artist has juxtaposed the luminous views of a sum

I've Got the Back-to-School Blues Annie is about to start second grade. But her best friends aren't in her class. Plus, Annie has a new teacher--Ms. Toady! What if Annie's friends forget about her? And what if Ms. Toady is as mean as everyone says? How will Annie ever survive second grade?

Julie Braverman is the coolest girl Julie Prodsky has ever met. She has no curfew, a to-die-for wardrobe and her mother is the "It's Better in the Bahammas"ad. During their freshman year at the High Schoolof Performing Arts in New York City, the previ-ously unexplored world of flirting ,freedom,and fashion is revealed to Julie P.througt the eyes of her new best friend .And learning the secret to Julie B.'s collection of Fiorcucci jeans-shoplifting-only makes julie P.ad-mire her.Before long,Julie P.has her own closet-ful of stolen lothing,and a new boyfriend.The julie P.'s conscience catches up with her. If she stops stealing,will her relationship with Julie B.come to and end?

With the humor and wisdom of her North Carolina roots, Alice McGill shares the stories she remembers from her father, mother, grandmother, and neighbors. Her telling is as fresh as "a loaf of bread still warm from the ashes" as she brings to life the creatures that so fascinated her as a child: Bruh Rabbit, Sis Possum, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Fox. Illustrated with zest and warmth, these stories were passed on for generations and are, ultimately, a celebration of the human spirit. For as sure as sunrise, the cleverness of the small but sassy Bruh Rabbit shines through as he outwits the more powerful, again and again.

Jack Grammar, average American senior, has no date to the prom. Or so he thinks. Percy and Natalie, Jack's so-called best friends, posted an ad in the classified section of the online version of the school newspaper. They figured it couldn't hurt-after all, there's not much in this world sadder than Jack's love life. Soon Percy and Natalie have assembled a list of girls eager to go to the prom with Jack, including one mysterious girl known only as FancyPants. He has just seven days to meet and date them before he will ask one special girl to the prom. Newcomer Alex Bradley shares a fresh and funny boy perspective in a genre dominated by girls. With snappy dialogue and hip, smart writing, this is a hilarious take on the trauma and pageantry that is prom.

Where but under the sea can you find such a rainbow of brilliantly colored creatures?This imaginative coloring book iS filled with schools of exotic tropical fish bearing graceful patterns of spots and stripes．And many are positioned against intricate backgrounds--waves of sea grass and mounds of coral-that provide an extra challenge．You may choose to color the designs realistically or personalize them with your own imagination． Created by award．winning artist/designer Ruth Heller,DESIGNS FOR CoLoRING are unique among coloring books．The high-quality paper is suitable for use with crayons，felt．tipped pens，water paints，pencils，or pastels．You can use bold，bright colors，or lighter,subtler shades．You may even want to flame an especially pleasing page—or transter a pattern to a piece of embroidery,needlepoint，pottery,or mosaic．

PreS. There can never be enough truck books for some preschoolers, and those who feel that way are sure to love this one--for the sound and rhythm of the words as well as clear, brightly colored pictures of machines in action. As a boy and his mom watch the activity at a building site, the child hears the pounding of the huge machines. Digger goes "Grrr-clank! Grr-clank! Grrr-clank-clank!"; "Flatbed backs and grunts, then backs and grunts some more"; Cement Mixer rumbles and grumbles. The workmen are Digger's helpers, and the pictures show them climbing and clanging, welding and hammering. When all the work is done, there is a new community center for everyone. After a read-aloud, toddlers will want to play out the construction action again and again.

Gr. 1^-2. Lulu is a princess who's a royal pain. Since she has no friends, her parents decide to send her to camp. Lulu is not a happy camper: no servants, no phone, and no fun. But when her crown falls in the lake, and she makes another camper giggle, Lulu gets the first inkling of what it's like to have a friend. A happy summer ensues in this story, which has a fresh premise and is funny enough to keep new readers going. The watercolor-and-pen illustrations are well executed, capturing the humor of Lulu's transformation. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

As the assured, silver-tongued narrator weaving amongst the excellent work of approximately 40 British actors, Pullman extends an impossible-to-refuse invitation to listening adventure on this splendid adaptation of the much-anticipated conclusion to the His Dark Materials trilogy. The author picks up the story of Lyra Belaqua where it left off in The Subtle Knife. In the most provocative installment yet, Lyra finds herself at the center of what is to be the final battle between good and evil she is a target for the Church, which sees her as a threat. But she is also happily re-teamed with Will Parry, the young hero who Lyra eventually recognizes is her soul mate/true love. Throughout, Pullman challenges Christianity and God (who is a craggy old man here, very different from the usual biblical depiction), asking readers to examine the ideas of organized religion. Favorite characters such as Iorek the bear and Lyra's parents, Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, return, though the introduction of layers of new creatu

For small children worrying about the existence of childhood's "special" friends--especially Tooth Fairy but also Santa Claus and Easter Bunny--here's a story to allay any and all misgivings. Little Hippo is proving to be a serious "doubting Thomas," and Tooth Fairy's not at all pleased! Sure, "the tooth-for-coin exchange thing" is a little late tonight, but is she to blame for the rain that's upsetting her delivery schedule? Can she help it if wet wings don't work as well as dry ones? Fortunately for Little Hippo, seeing is believing, and, in no time at all, his faith in Tooth Fairy and magic is fully restored. This engaging adventure, cleverly illustrated to convey and complement the tongue-in-cheek tone of the story, will delight even the most skeptical young readers.

Lola is dog-sitting her very most favorite dog in the whole wide world—Sizzles! But when Sizzles disappears, it’s up to Charlie and Lola to find him. Kids will love joining in the search for Sizzles by helping to look for him under 50 different flaps!

Grade 1-3?Pete is a young pirate who attends school on a pirate ship where the rules are geared toward the unkindly:"Finders keepers,losers weepers."Captain Bones encourages fighting to solve disputes,and Pete is happy to wrestle with classmate Grimy after a name-calling match.On Treasure Hunt Day,Pete and Grimy find themselves forced to cooperate in order to escape certain death and decide to share the treasure "Even Steven"down to the last gold coin.Children will enjoy this beginning reader with all of the bickering and rule reversals.The cartoon illustrations are well done,with interesting backgrounds and each character's feelings clear from his facial expressions.The combination of full-page and smaller pictures on white pages works well.?Sharon R.

Experience Mr. Bean’s Holiday through the eyes of Stepan—the little boy who travels through France with Mr. Bean. Fans of the movie will love getting the inside scoop on the hilarity of what it’s like to be Mr. Bean’s travel buddy. With easy-to-read text perfect for the 6–9 age group, boys just learning to read will love this book narrated by someone just like them!

It's Christmas Ee and Santa is nowhere to be found!Luckily his Polar pals are on the case.But will they find Santa in time for him to make his special deliveries?

Basho And The Fox is a Marshall Cavendish publication.