Kindergarten-Grade 2–Portly is trying to find his true self. He was born a hippopotamus, but is sick of wading in water and eating boring, old grass. Searching for new possibilities, he sets off on a quest where he encounters a herd of rhinoceros, a bat, an elephant, and a giraffe, and transforms himself into a hippo-gir-ele-bat-onoceros. Each new identity has comical, albeit unsuccessful consequences. His adventures make him long for the cool waters of home and grass. Portly and his parents are glad to be reunited, but when he sees a monkey swinging from tree to tree, he knows his explorations must continue. The artist uses bright, sunny colors, portraying this jungle fantasy through large, eye-catching paintings. Portly's multifaceted personality is well illustrated. While the theme is far from new, children will enjoy the humorous tale and will identify with Portly's desire to try out new personas. A smooth flowing, witty text gives this tale good storytime potential.–Be Astengo, Alachua County Library

One night Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief of one kind and another, so his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without his supper. That night a forest begins to grow in Max's room and an ocean rushes by with a boat to take Max to the place where the wild things are. Max tames the wild things and crowns himself as their king, and then the wild rumpus begins. But when Max has sent the monsters to bed, and everything is quiet, he starts to feel lonely and realises it is time to sail home to the place where someone loves him best of all. When Maurice Sendak won the American Library Association's Caldecott Medal for WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, he said: 'Max, the hero of my book, discharges his anger against his mother, and returns to the real world sleepy, hungry and at peace with himself...from their earliest years children live on familiar terms with disrupting emotions, fear and anxiety are an intrinsic part of their everyday lives, they continually cope with frustration as best they c

Clement Hurd redrew some of his pictures for this new edition of the profoundly comforting story of a bunny’s imaginary game of hide-and-seek and the lovingly steadfast mother who finds him every time.

From Aunt Annie's alligator to the colourful Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, Dr. Seuss's delightful book introduces early learners to the letters of the alphabet through an amazing array of crazy creatures. With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic Cat in the Hat, and ranked among the UK's top ten favourite children's authors, Seuss is firmly established as a global best-seller, with nearly half a billion books sold worldwide. As the first step in a major rebrand programme, HarperCollins is relaunching 17 of Dr. Seuss's best-selling books, including such perennial favourites as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks. In response to consumer demand, the bright new cover designs incorporate much needed guidance on reading levels, with the standard paperbacks divided into three reading strands - Blue Back Books for parents to share wi

In all likelihood, your mother or father read you these poems and remember their parents reading the same. This collection of poetry by the creator of Winnie the Pooh was first published in 1924. With its companion volume Now We Are Six, the little books became two of the biggest bestsellers in publishing history. Children all over the world have heard about changing the guard at Buckingham Palace; James James Morrison Morrison Weather by George Dupree; the three little foxes who kept their handkerchiefs in cardboard boxes; and, of course, Christopher Robin, named for A.A. Milne's son. Adults and older children will enjoy Milne's poems too, as some of his humor is subtly directed at a more sophisticated audience. But younger children are the ones who love the naughty Mary Jane (lovely rice pudding again?) and the bears on the corners of London's streets. Read these poems aloud and pass along (or start) a family tradition. (Ages 5 to 9) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Attractively rebranded, this classic brightly illustrated Cat InThe Hat Beginner Book is certain to turn even 'non-readers' intoreaders. Join the big and little dogs at play in this vibrant,action-packed Blue Back Beginner Book. Using a 75-word vocabularyand clear illustrations, pre-readers are helpfully introduced tothe concepts of number, colour, and opposites. Beginner Books havebeen designed to appeal directly to children through the use ofhumour, rhyme and bright pictures that can be 'read' even by thenon-reading child. Some Beginner Books are simple stories, othersare hilarious nonsense: both types have been designed to givechildren confidence and make them want to go on reading.