Monday, August 19, 2013

Fun New Titles for Little Readers

Are You Quite Polite by Alan Katz

You all know... "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" and

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,"

but what about "Are You Quite Polite?"

and Quiet in the Library" ?!

Songwriter and comedy writer extraordinaire Alan Katz has done it again! Turning his attention to the subject of good and bad manners, he has created a hilarious new guide to manners that kids will love to follow -- laughing all the way! With brilliantly funny pictures by illustrator and cartoonist David Catrow, this new collection promises hours of well-mannered silly dillyness for kids everywhere!


Pudgy by Pippa Goodhart

Adorable but abandoned puppy seeks lonely little girl for friendship and funny times. This sweet, lovingly illustrated story of friendship will warm young readers' hearts.

Nobody likes Pudding, a tubby little puppy. He's all alone! And nobody likes Lucy, an unlucky little girl. She has no friends. Neither girl nor puppy knows of one anothers' existence...until the magical day when they each run off into the woods and meet each other by chance. Suddenly, Pudding finds somebody who likes him. And Lucy too has found a true friend. Lucy and Pudding know they will play together and stay together forever.

 
The Wolf Who Cried Boy by Bob Hartman

Little Wolf is tired of his mom's cooking! It's the same old thing night after night, Lamburgers and Sloppy Does. How he wishes his mother would serve up a nice platter of his favorite dish: Boy! But Boy is hard to come by these days. As Little Wolf trudges home from school one day, he decides to postpone his boring dinner by shouting "Boy! Boy!" 

But what will happen when a real boy finally comes along? In this hilarious twisted tale, Little Wolf learns the same timeless lesson that the boy who cried "Wolf!" did so many years ago.
 
Mice are Nice by Charles Ghigna

These are just three of the reasons why mice are nice. It is indisputable that mice make the best pets of all. The other pets in Babette's pet store will drop feathers everywhere, growl, hide inside their shells, chew your favorite socks, and maybe even make you sneeze! So it's clear that mice are the only pet you will ever need! 

With its rhyming text and romping animal fun, kids will eagerly tackle this Step into Reading book.
 

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat by Nurit Karlin


The trouble started when Wilma the witch's fat cat sat on the mat. "Get off!" said Wilma's pet rat. "That is MY mat." But the cat won't budge - not for the rat, the rat's bat, or the bat's hat.

Add to this silly mix a fish on a dish and a crazy flying broom, and the doings just get sillier - right up to the comical and unexpected ending.

With its endearing, wacky characters and simple rhymes, this funny story is perfect for beginning readers or for cozy times spent reading together.



I Want to Be Somebody New! by Robert Lopshire

Spot, the chameleon-like leopard star of Put Me in the Zoo, is through with life in the zoo. And with changing his spots, too. Now he’s into changing his shape, and he wants to be somebody new! But as Spot soon discovers, it’s not easy being as big as an elephant or as tall as a giraffe or as small as a mouse. 

In fact, sometimes it’s easiest just being yourself, as he— and young readers—learn in this cheerful, rhyming Beginner Book about self-acceptance.

Red, Stop! Green, Go! by P.D. Eastman


The trouble started when Wilma the witch's fat cat sat on the mat. "Get off!" said Wilma's pet rat. "That is MY mat." But the cat won't budge - not for the rat, the rat's bat, or the bat's hat.

Add to this silly mix a fish on a dish and a crazy flying broom, and the doings just get sillier - right up to the comical and unexpected ending.

With its endearing, wacky characters and simple rhymes, this funny story is perfect for beginning readers or for cozy times spent reading together.



The English Roses : Too Good to be True by Madonna

Nicole, Amy, Charlotte, Grace, and Binah are best friends. They do everything together -- dancing, homework, ice-skating, picnics, sleepover parties.... But the arrival of a new student, Dominic de la Guardia, changes everything. His dashing looks and charming manners have them vying for his attention. 

As the annual fall dance approaches, it is up to a quirky teacher, Miss Fluffernutter, and a pumpernickel-loving fairy godmother to save the English Roses's friendship.
 
Bunny Business by Nancy Poydar

The class is getting ready for the spring play, but Harry has not been paying attention during rehearsals. Even his friend George is afraid that Harry will mess up the play. 

Will a pair of rabbit-sized ears help Harry listen? 

The show must go on in this warm and humorous book about turning stage fright into stage might.
 
Numero Uno by Alex Dorros (Bilingual - Spanish/English)

Which is better, brains or brawn? 

In a small village, Hercules is known for his great strength and Socrates for his keen intelligence. Whenever the villagers have a problem, they go to one or the other for help. Each man believes that he is the most important person in town. And the two fight about it constantly. Who, their neighbors wonder, will resolve the question that instigates all this bickering? 

The villagers realize they must settle the argument once and for all by finding out who is nmero uno. They devise a clever test, and Hercules and Socrates, each sure he will win, go along with it. The answer is a surprise for everyone.

 
Mousie Love by Dori Chaconas

From the very moment Tully sees Frill, he's in love–and he's determined to marry her. Proposing marriage isn't the problem, but Frill can't ever quite give him an answer. Is Frill just playing coy? Or is the over-eager Tully not giving her a chance to reply? 

Like it's classic cousin Froggy Went A-Courtin, this charming tale about courtship and marriage will have even the youngest listeners thinking about wedding bells!
 
Sir Ryan's Quest by Jason Deeble

Mountains, jungles, caves and monsters--but a knight must be brave. Even a very young knight in his pajamas.

Ryan sets out on a quest--from cupboard to closet to garage--then back to the kitchen where his mother prepares a royal banquet in his honor. Ryan's imagination comes to life by the hand of first time creator Jason Deeble. Stairs become mountains, closets jungles, and imaginary monsters and friends will be found in this sweetly illustrated journey.


Congratulations, Miss Malarkey! by Judy Finchler

Miss Malarkey has been acting very strange lately. She’s been singing down the halls and laughing with Principal Wiggins. Her students are starting to wonder . . . what if she’s quitting teaching?

Then Miss Malarkey starts teaching them about wedding traditions around the world. The girls think it’s so romantic. The boys just think it’s weird. And now they’re all a little suspicious.   


Just what kind of secret is Miss Malarkey hiding? 
 


When I Grow Up by Colin McNaughton

Spaceman or soccer pro, candy-store owner or the queen herself — the sky's the limit when Colin McNaughton's imaginative cast of kids act out what they'd like to be when they grow up.

Sit back and enjoy the show as the inimitable Colin McNaughton stages a lively class musical all about growing up. What would you like to be when you get older? A king of the jungle or the king of rock 'n' roll? A famous poet or a pirate just like Dad ("That's my girl!")? There's no end to the possibilities — but, as this amusing presentation points out, there's also no rush to become a grownup when being a child can be so much fun!

 
Barbie: a Fashion Fairytale by Mary Man-Kong

Magic happens if you believe in yourself. In this storybook, Barbie leaves behind her acting career and her ex-boyfriend Ken to travel to Paris and help her Aunt Millie. Millie runs a fashion design house that has received bad reviews and is about to close up shop for good. Barbie and Millie's assistant, Alecia, enlist the help of some magical fashion fairy-muses to hold a fashion show of Alecia's new designs.

Before the designs are complete, the fairies are kidnapped, and Barbie, Alecia, and Millie must complete the show on their own. By working hard and believing in themselves, the show is a success and Millie's business is saved.
 
Happy Halloween, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

"Mama, what if Mrs. Petry doesn't know it's really just me at her door? What if she gets so surprised from my super-scary costume that she throws her candy bowl up and it lands on her head and candy spills all over?"

It's almost time to go trick-or-treating, but first Stinky Face has just a few questions for Mama. As always, Mama lovingly addresses each and every one of her child's concerns.

 

The World's Biggest Tea Party by Jennifer Frantz

Pinkie Pie has a great idea--she wants to have the biggest tea party in the world. 

But it's a lot of work, and she can't do it alone. 

Will her friends help make her dream come true?
 



The Missing Tooth by Joanna Cole

Best friends Robby and Arlo dress alike and do most of the same things. 

However, their friendship is in jeopardy over a bet about who will lose the next tooth.



Fly High, Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold

Mom and Dad won't let Fly Guy go along on the family road trip. They're afraid he'll get lost. But when Dad accidentally shuts him in the trunk, Fly Guy goes along for the ride! 

First, Fly Guy gets lost at the picnic site--but he shows up in the garbage can. Then he gets lost at the art museum, but he shows up as part of a modern painting. At the beach, he turns up in a shell, and at he amusement park, on Buzz's hot dog (yuck!).  

 
Rapunzel and the Seven Dwarfs by Willy Claflin (includes Audio CD)

"Once upon a time, a long, long time ago..." So begins the story of... Rapunzel?... and The Seven, or Eight, or NINE Dwarfs?!? Hey, what's going on here??? 

Welcome to the slightly off-track world of Maynard Moose and the ancient Mother Moose tales. Willy Claflin channels and translates these tales for our entertainment and enlightenment--or maybe just to confuse us. Rapunzel and the Seven Dwarfs exemplifies the lesson in many of these stories "...That there ain't no moral to some stories at all."
 
The Magical Christmas Horse by Mary Higgins Clark

Johnny’s Christmas wish has come true! The family will be together for Christmas at his grandparents’ home in Connecticut. He can’t wait to give his little brother, Liam, the wooden horse he rode when he was Liam’s age. 

When the family arrives at his grandparents’, everything is just as Johnny remembers it—except the wooden horse, which is broken, seemingly beyond repair. How can Johnny make this the Christmas he hoped for? 

The River by Nik Pollard

The journey of a river from mountain stream to ocean estuary is portrayed in this striking picture book.

Mookie's Secret by Kari Gibson

Having grown up without parents, Mooki is ashamed of his extra large teeth until he meets a family of beavers and learns that he is just like them.