Kid to Kid

The winsome art of Liz Murphy is presented in a new format: animal postcards that can be removed from the book and sent to friends, complete with sayings such as "Have a bow-wow birthday!" All the pages are perforated so that after the postcards have been sent, a mini-book remains, complete with art and fact-filled text about each animal.

Posey Plans a Party

Posey doesn't just love pink (and purple) and painting; she loves to throw a party! Will Posey serve pink or purple treats? Will the decorations be pink or purple? What will Posey wear, and whom will she invite? Hard decisions . . . but whatever Posey decides, there are sure to be plenty of P words—pizza, pasta, and piano performances—and the end result will be perfect!

Posey Prefers Pink

Meet Posey. She wears pink clothes, has a pink room, rides a pink bike, and prefers pink desserts. Everything in her pink world is just the way she likes it . . . but what if another color catches her eye? With adorable anime-like illustrations from Yukiko Kido, this book is sure to strike a chord with opinionated little girls and their parents.

Posey Paints a Princess

Posey is back and learning how to paint! In this charming story, the heroine of Posey Prefers Pink gets a lesson in painting from her mom. While mopping up spills and mixing colors, Posey learns how to turn a mistake into a work of art!

All I Want for Christmas

It turns out that a skunk wants a big bottle of French perfume . . . and a spider hopes to find a spinning wheel waiting for her on Christmas morning! Deborah Zemke's cheerful, expressive artwork is always a hit, and it's on full display in this fun Christmas wish list for the animal kingdom.

Flip-a-Word: Snow Bow

Beet on the street? Learn about long vowel sounds in this new Flip-a-Word book. This bright and bold book uses phonics and die-cut pages to teach word recognition and rhyming patterns. Playful illustrations in a Japanese style will appeal to kids and help make learning to read fun!

Flip-a-Word: Snake Cake

A cat turns into a bat, turns into a rat, turns into a hat! Just flip the pages and—presto-change-o!—a different word and picture appear. This bright, bold, friendly book uses phonics to teach word recognition and rhyming patterns. Learning to read has never been so much fun!

Flip-a-Word: Quack Shack

The Flip-a-Word series has won accolades from consumers, teachers, and librarians with its fun, innovative approach to word families. Now another book joins the series! Learning phonics is even more fun with the addition of quack shacks.

Balloon Toons: Prickles vs. the Dust Bunnies

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

In this charming tale, Daniel Cleary introduces Prickles the cat, who likes to keep the house squeaky-clean, and Squeeky the mouse, who has befriended a cluster of unwelcome dust bunnies. When Prickles threatens to throw the dust bunnies out, Squeeky saves the day with a wacky plan to disguise his friends.

Flip-a-Word: Stop Pop

Stop cop? Learn about short vowel sounds in this new Flip-a-Word book. This bright and bold book uses phonics and die-cut pages to teach word recognition and rhyming patterns. Playful illustrations in a Japanese style will appeal to kids and help make learning to read fun!

Flip-a-Word: Wet Pet

The Flip-a-Word series has won accolades from consumers, teachers, and librarians with its fun, innovative approach to word families. Now another book joins the series! Learning phonics is even more fun with the addition of red sleds and wet pets.

Flip-a-Word: Pig Wig

A cat turns into a bat, turns into a rat, turns into a hat! Just flip the pages and—presto-change-o!—a different word and picture appear. This bright, bold, friendly book uses phonics to teach word recognition and rhyming patterns. Learning to read has never been so much fun!

Me! Me! ABC

This unique set of big-eyed, handmade, vinyl characters animate an action alphabet. Follow all seven characters in a variety of activities from A to Z. A one-of-a-kind alphabet book for kids of all ages!

Balloon Toons: The Super Crazy Cat Dance

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons™ are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

Breakout artist Aron Nels Steinke's rollicking tale has cats of all shapes, sizes, and colors who populate a little girl's world and inspire her to create a crazy and kooky dance. It's the cat's meow!

Balloon Toons: Doggie Dreams

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

Do dogs really dream? In Mike Herrod's hilarious Doggie Dreams, they do! And this pooch has dreams of grandeur: dining in a fancy restaurant, being a rock star, and becoming a brave knight.

Balloon Toons: Zoe and Robot - Let's Pretend

In Ryan Sias's Zoe and Robot - Let's Pretend, a young girl tries to teach her robot how to pretend, but how do you use your imagination when you're a robot? Sias's vivid cartoons lend wit and warmth to a funny friendship.

Alphabeasties Amazing Activity Book

Join the Alphabeasties and draw, color, read, write, and sticker from A to Z. Kids will be engaged with playful, intelligent activities, including mazes, word searches, and rebus puzzles. Packed with over 300 full-color stickers!

The award-winning design team behind the best-selling Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types has created this fresh, original activity book for kids and typography enthusiasts of all ages.

Monster Comics

Drawing monsters is fiendishly fun in Mike Herrod's newest addition to his bestselling Comics to Go! series. The "invisible ink" pen and light reveal both the hidden images printed within the pages and the drawings and doodles kids create themselves. Fans of monsters can complete the comics or make up their own stories and will delight in the ghosts, goblins, witches, and vampires that fill the pages of this creepy collection.

Please Don't Eat Me

Were you thinking of having fish for dinner? The fish in this story may talk you out of it! After all, fish are pretty bony . . . and have you seen what they eat? Flaps lift up to reveal funny surprises, and Roger De Muth's bright and zany illustrations present a quirky look at the food chain.

Balloon Toons: The Totally Awesome Epic Quest of the Brave Boy Knight

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

A young boy and his best buddy Butterscotch search for hidden treasure, save the city from an angry monster, and patrol a kingdom. Amazing adventures ensue as brave boy knight saves the day!

Doodles at Lunch

Liven up lunchtime with these placemats, which teach kids how to turn an A into an Alligator, a Z into a Zebra, and a number 9 into a hot air balloon. The tear-off pad means there's always a new placemat when you need one.

Let Freedom Sing

In the 1950's and 1960's, the struggle for civil rights forever changed the landscape of America. In her debut Blue Apple book, Vanessa Newton's candid images illuminate anew the inequality that affected Americans, young and old.

Balloon Toons: A Day in the Office of Doctor Bugspit

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

Looking like a cross between a slug and a sock puppet, alien Doctor Bugspit plies his trade. He blithely dispenses jars of “Fix-It-Up Syrup” (made from sock juice, dead flies, moldy meat, pickle juice and ear wax) and other nostrums to extraterrestrial patients complaining of maladies ranging from split brains (“You have two smaller brains,” the doctor diagnoses, “like a cow”) to an all-body outbreak of toes. Despite nap and lunch breaks (“my favorite sandwich: slug slime and glow-in-the-dark jelly”) it’s an exhausting routine but the good doctor is up to it—until, that is, the gooey results of a sneeze (“some yellow stuff is coming out of my nose!”) send him into panic-stricken calls for “a REAL doctor!” Presented in a loose assortment of graphic panels, page-sized or smaller, this Balloon Toons entry will exert a strong draw on budding graphic-novel fans as well as children fascinated by yucky stuff.

My Furry Valentine

How do animals say "Be my valentine"? Bees say it with flowers, seagulls by walking on the beach wing in wing, and cows with "moooosic." Die-cuts and flaps throughout reveal animals expressing their love in the cutest ways.

Princess to Princess

How do princesses keep in touch? They use these postcards, of course! Liz Murphy's delightful artwork depicts little girls being princesses in all the most fun ways: dressing up, having parties, and sharing ice cream. Each card carries a prompt:"Princesses prefer strawberry . . . or vanilla. What's your favorite flavor?" Little girls will love filling in answers and keeping them in the mini-book that's theirs to keep after the postcards are mailed.

Flip-a-Word: Crab Cab

These unique, interactive early-reading books invite children to flip the pages and—presto-change-o—a different word and picture appear. The use of word families helps children grasp the connections between similar words, while Yukiko Kido's bright and inspired illustrations in a Japanese anime style set the Flip-a-Word series apart from other phonics books. Be sure to check out the rest of the series!

Greetings from Kiwi and Pear

Kiwi and Pear are a pair of monkeys who do everything together, and now they're off on a trip around the world. They travel to every continent, visiting penguins in Antarctica and llamas in Peru, snapping photos of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the pyramids at Giza, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and touring the Taj Mahal in India. The rhyming text and sweet illustrations are presented on gatefold pages, and at the back of the book is a map where readers can follow Kiwi and Pear's adventures by putting a sticker on each country they visit.

That's What Grandmas Are For

"If we want pizza and Grandma would rather have Chinese food, she will eat pizza. That's what grandmas are for." "If I stop for gas and it's self-serve, my granddaughter will hold the nozzle. If I'm washing my car, my grandson will help rinse it and wipe it dry. That's what grandchildren are for." A grandmother and her grandkids tell what makes the other special. This exuberant celebration of the love between grandmothers and their grandchildren will warm your heart and make you smile.

Comics To Go

Mike Herrod's playful illustrations give the beginnings of many different stories, and it's up to the reader to complete them by adding just the right villain, musical instrument, ice cream cone. Once all the stories have endings, kids can make up their own comics from the start, using the blank pages at the end of the book. It's the perfect gift for an aspiring comics artist!

Coupons for Kids

Who can resist a gift of love? The chance to stay up late, a special dessert, a sleepover — there isn't a boy or girl who wouldn't want to receive a coupon for one of these special treats. Grown-ups will make forty memorable gifts available to the children in their lives when they easily remove the coupons from the book and address them to the recipients in the write-in space on the back of each coupon. Rebecca Doughty's warm and clever drawings highlight each gift of love.

Coupons for Christmas

In Coupons for Christmas, children of all ages welcome in the holiday season with gifts of love. Be they coupons for cookies, for mittens, for an ice-skating expedition, or even a visit to St. Nick himself, these books are for everyone searching for the perfect way to show they care.

Coupons for Readers

Coupons for Readers is the perfect gift to motivate the reader on your list. Filled with coupons for free books, trips to the library or movies, and rewards for achieving reading goals, this one-of-a-kind book is sure to be a hit with your "bookworm." The illustrations provide a delightful mix of energy and humor.

Coupons for Grandkids

Coupons for Grandkids is positively bursting with special little gifts from grandparents. There are coupons for letter-writing, for sleep-overs, for new stuffed animals, even a coupon for a "build your own sundae."

A Dictionary of Dance

Dance is not just an art, it's a whole different language! In A Dictionary of Dance, readers will learn about arabesques, break dancing, choreographers, and the zones of the body — everything that comes together to make a dance, whether it's ballet or the polka. Liz Murphy's dynamic and expressive artwork is sure to inspire readers of all ages to get up and dance!

This is Thanksgiving

Set to the rollicking rhythm of The House That Jack Built and similar in format to the highly popular This is Passover and It's Hanukkah!, this cumulative book in rhyme describes the many delights that a large, extended family will enjoy for Thanksgiving. Children will just want to gobble up this perfect culinary introduction to the beloved holiday. Deborah Zemke brings both whimsy and just a hint of nostalgia to this delectable adventure.

The Book That Zack Wrote

This is the frog… that kissed the fox… that chased the pig…that oinked in the book that Zack wrote. A fresh and funny re-telling of “The House That Jack Built” with a rhyming refrain, a kooky cast of characters and comic-style illustrations. Includes a separate composition book for kids to create their own illustrated story.

Diary of a Pet Turkey

Based on a true story, this is a delightful tale of a suburban family and their pet turkey. Joanne Ingis takes readers on an unbelievable journey, from the hatching of the egg, to the naming of the turkey, to its incorporation into the family’s daily life. Young readers will love the story of a turkey being cared for, rather than eaten at a holiday dinner. A perfect Thanksgiving gift that is sure to appeal throughout the year.

Bugs by the Numbers

The creators of the award-winning Alphabeasties And Other Amazing Types are back, this time with an amazing array of insects: butterflies to termites, dragonflies to walking sticks. While the 'alphabeasties' were comprised of letters, these incredible insects are ingeniously engineered out of numerals. Each entry also includes fascinating numeric facts about its subject. It's an eye-catching and imaginative look at the insect world.

Balloon Toons: Rick & Rack and the Great Outdoors

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

Best-selling author/illustrator Ethan Long makes his Balloon Toons debut with the story of Rick & Rack, two friends who embark on three hilarious (mis)adventures in the great outdoors.

Round Like A Ball!

Is it a meatball? A basketball? A pearl? As the round hole through the pages of this book grows larger, readers will come closer and closer to guessing the identity of the object that's round like a ball, hot and cold, every color, always moving, and home to us all. With a simple text and glorious collage artwork, Lisa Campbell Ernst offers a gentle tribute to our planet and a timely reminder that we all need to take care of it.

Puppy Is Lost

Max’s dog, Puppy, is lost! She was here, and now she’s gone. Where can Puppy be? Max can’t sleep! Max can’t eat! He calls for her, plasters posters all over town, and searches everywhere for his beloved pet. It’s not until both Max and Puppy have the same idea that they finally find each other. Acclaimed artist Noah Woods makes his Blue Apple Books debut with a story that vividly and sympathetically captures Ziefert’s tale of a lost pup and the boy who’s determined to find him.

My Dog Thinks I'm a Genius

Not every dog can paint a masterpiece!

Louie loves watching his young master paint, and when the boy puts his finishing touches on a particularly good self-portrait, Louie barks enthusiastically. One day, when the boy is at school, Louie tries his own paw at painting a still life. Is this purely an accident, or is Louie a “genius,” just like his master? Children will delight in Barroux’s whimsical illustrations of Louie dipping his nose and paws into colorful paint.

Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types

From an alligator made of A's to a zebra made of Z's, the alphabeasties in this book are ingeniously built out of multiple typefaces. Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss's best-selling book is the recipient of many awards, including a Parents' Choice Silver Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Best Books Award, and New York Book Show Merit Award. Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types offers kids a wondrous and witty way to look at--and learn--the ABC's.

Balloon Toons: The Super Duper Dog Park

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

Super Crazy Cat Dance creator Aron Nels Steinke is back, and now he’s gone to the dogs! All aboard for the Super Duper Dog Park, an awesome amusement park where dogs ride bikes, fly kites, and have an unforgettable day!

You Can't Use Your Brain If You're a Jellyfish

Starting with the lowly earthworm, Dr. Fred Ehrlich looks at the brains of insects, birds, mammals, and finally humans. How are human brains different from those of other animals? What can they do that we can't? What can we do that they can't? Dr. Fred Ehrlich makes the most complicated subjects understandable to young minds. In his third contribution to this popular series, he again combines a fact-packed text with humorous verse to emphasize important points. Illustrated with Amanda Haley's child-friendly drawings. Includes a glossary of difficult words.

That's What Grandpas Are For

"If we are late and miss the bus, Grandpa will drive us to school, even if he hasn't shaved. That's what grandpas are for."
"If my arms are empty, my grandchildren will fill them. That's what grandchildren are for."

What makes a grandfather special to his grandchildren and his grandchildren special to their grandfather? It's the little things that matter in this loving tribute to grandpas and grandkids everywhere. You'll love sharing this book with your own grandpa.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (with CD)

The happy, hopeful lyrics from the classic Christmas song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are accompanied by Liz Murphy's charming illustrations of Kramer (Bernadette Peters's dog and the star of the best-selling Broadway Barks) sledding, skating, decorating a Christmas tree, and wrapping presents. A CD of Bernadette Peters' version of the song, and a padded photoframe cover for favorite photographs will make this a perfect gift, especially for a dog lovers.

Dinner for Eight

It's a good thing this octopus has eight armshe's just invited seven of his friends to dinner, and he's preparinga special dish for each one. Roger De Muth's quirky illustrations and lift-the-flaps make this a fun interactive book and a great read-aloud, sure to give kids and parents lots of belly laughs.

Dogshark Readers: Red Set

Children love stories. That simple truth underlies this bold and fun reader program. Carefully designed to maximize childrens ability to decode words, each of the eight storybooks matches simple sentences to zany illustrations that reassure emerging readers that theyve successfully understood the text.
Based on the best of contemporary educational theory, combining a whole-language respect for the integrity of stories while building on proven principles of phonics-based literacy, DogShark Readers will have kids tearing into books.

Dogshark Readers: Blue Set

Building on the foundation of the Dogshark Red Set, these seven new readers are a step more difficult, but they're based on the same Dogshark foundation: Children love good stories! Designed to encourage a child's ability to decode words, each book carefully matches text and illustration to maximize understanding.
Based on the best of contemporary educational theory, Dogshark Readers combine a whole-language respect for the integrity of stories with proven principles of phonics-based literacy. Illustrated by an award-winning film animator, Dogshark Readers will have kids tearing into books.

The World of Noodoll: Ricehead's Revenge!

The World of Noodoll: Ricehead's Revenge! introduces a world that's visually exciting, boundlessly creative, and fantastically fun. Part picture book, part graphic novel, with plenty of characters to search for and extra details to explore, this is a book young readers will return to again and again.

Dinosaurs: A Giant Fold-Out Book

Uses the same signature format and style as the series' previous titles. The question "Who am I?" and a linked written clue invites kids to lift the first portion of the folded page to reveal another clue and more of the animal, and then a final fold-out shows the whole dino. The featured dinosaurs are: quetzalcoatlus, diplodocus, stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, ankylosaurus, triceratops.

List-o-mania!

A write-it-yourself book of lists! What kid wouldn't be interested in a book that's all about everything they like, wish for, think about, dream, fear, aspire to, etc.? Includes a cardstock cover and an attached elastic band for keeping the book closed (and private) and holding interior pages open for writing. Inside the pages are illustrations, fun topic-related trivia, and more than four dozen kid-accessible topics—favorite food, sports, music, books, vacations, thoughts about school, friends, family, and the near and farther-away future.

My First Activity Books: Draw + Learn: Places

Colorful pages include white space for kids to fill in what's missing, or just to add color to certain elements. 

In Places, houses, rooms, and animal habitats are featured. Some pages show places that are partially completed (such as a kid's bedroom) and left for the child to fill in, and in others, light direction is given to help the child make his or her own creation. The sequence of activities moves from home (inside and out) to neighborhood places, and then further afield—a house for a bird, a rabbit, a horse, a car, a fire engine, etc. Throughout, artistic license rules!

Honey Bear's Blue Bathing Suit

Honey Bear is having a summertime birthday party at the beach. After her friends pick out the perfect birthday present—a blue swimsuit and beach-y accessories—they head to the shore for volleyball, a scavenger hunt, and, of course, birthday cake! Young readers will enjoy best-selling author/illustrator Todd Goldman's signature style and popular characters, this time in a summer setting. Honey Bear's Blue Bathing Suit is a perfect addition to Bear in Underwear, Bear in Pink Underwear, and Bear in Long Underwear.

Balloon Toons: Pooltime

Elephant, Alligator, and Stork share poolside hijinks as they mix up their towels, tussle over ice cream, and compare diving styles. Best-selling author/illustrator Ethan Long brings his energetic and engaging style to this delightful story of poolside fun and summertime friendship.

Doodle at Every Meal! Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Three 36-placemat sets give step-by-step instructions on how to draw simple, humorous items and animals. BREAKFAST brings doodles that transform an egg into an emu. LUNCH is an alphabet soup of animal doodles. DINNER-time doodling shows how combinations of letters and numbers can become an enticing assortment of critters and buildings.

Balloon Toons: Baxter, The Tweeting Dog

The Twooferverse proves invaluable when Baxter's doggy pal goes missing. All the neighborhood pups provide Twitter-ish clues they find while going about their daily routines to help locate the missing mutt.

Pass It On!

Bee's friend Cow is stuck in a fence and asks for his help. Bee cannot help Cow by himself, so he decides to get the word out to as many farmyard friends as possible. But when he tells Frog about Cow's predicament and asks him to "Pass it on!", the message that gets passed to Pig is: "Cow put duck in a tent!" From there, the message morphs into the tent falling on a woodchuck, Cow having good luck, a penny, some money, some honey, etc. In the end, understanding dawns, Cow is dis-lodged, and he and Bee thank their friends with fresh milk and honey.

Robin, Where Are You?

A girl and her grandfather go bird watching in the park with the goal of finding a robin redbreast. Luckily, when it comes to birds, her Grandpa knows just what to look and listen for—from shapes of beaks to squawks and squeaks. But while the robin proves to be elusive, other birds are discovered in trees, in bushes, on lamp posts, power lines, and rooftops—which the reader discovers by lifting the gatefolds. Finally, when spotting a nest with blue eggs, a mama robin swoops in to cap off the day and delight the tenacious birdwatchers. The book ends with a dramatic foldout showing all of the birds described previously.

Please Pass the Doodles

Thirty-six placemats give step-by-step instructions on how to draw silly animals offering hilarious and often ironic advice on table manners. Zemke includes fascinating facts about each animal's eating habits on every placemat. For example, a boa constrictor advises, "Chew your food before you swallow," despite the fact that snakes have expandable jaws that enable them to eat food larger than their mouths and eat it whole!

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?

A duckling grows and becomes a duck, so can a car grow into a truck? This beguiling book about growth will sparks kids' imaginations, as gatefolds playfully transform a watch into a clock and a shovel into a plow. The interactive format of question and answer will entrance young readers as living things that grow are compared to inanimate objects that don't. Ingenious!

Kiwi and Pear Travel Learning Cards

These flash cards, shaped like little suitcases, are the perfect complement to Greetings from Kiwi and Pear. Each card features a picture with its name in both English and Spanish: airplane and avion, suitcase and maleta, swimsuit and traje de bano. The cards are held together by a ring on a spiral cord that can be clipped onto a child's backpack. They are a valuable language tool for families planning trips, or for parents who want to talk to their children about foreign languages and places.

Poopendous!

Rhyming couplets feature Professor Poopdeck and two young friends as he takes them on a type of poop safari. Words for poop (e.g., guano, number two, ca-ca), its forms and styles (cubes, tubular, wet and dry), and myriad of uses (souvenirs, a means of tracking and marking, housing insulation, food, fertilizer, fuel, etc.) are all conveyed with humor and a certain demand for respect. It's a book that says: Don't just flush this stuff away! While it may dismay and stink, there's more to this stuff than you might think!

Doodles at Breakfast

Doodle dynamo Deborah Zemke presents 36 new placemats, featuring doodles for breakfast diners young and old. Zemke has taught many readers—and eaters—how to make fun, easy, and personality-filled doodles from letters and numbers, and both her Doodles at Dinner and Doodles at Lunch placemats are hits!

Bound together as a pad—so there's always another placemat ready—this set makes the perfect gift and will liven up mealtime at home, in restaurants, at birthday parties, or anywhere!

Chicken Doodle Soup

Doodle dynamo Deborah Zemke presents a playful addition to her best-selling series Doodles at Dinner and Doodles at Lunch, featuring 36 new placemats with wacky doodles for diners young and old. Zemke shows readers how to take animals and food and turn them into crazy doodlicious concoctions.

Wishes for You

Give your friends their hearts' desire: a room of their own, a flock of friends, or a seat by the window. Deborah Zemke's animals make this book a charming gift for any occasion!

41 Uses for a Grandma

Grandma is much more than just the matriarch of the family. Whether she's keeping time during a race, building the perfect toy, turning the pages while you play your music, or just warming your hands, there are many reasons why a grandmother is great. Breaking traditional stereotypes, this book encourages children to imagine their grandmother in a host of contemporary situations: grandmas as sports enthusiasts, yoga instructors, and e-pals.

How to Win Friends and Influence Creatures

A few simple tricks will carry you far in the social world, and the menagerie in this book will help you to master them, from the proper way to converse (don't open your mouth just to hear yourself roar) to good manners while bathing (don't hog the mud bath!).

You Can't Lay an Egg If You're an Elephant

You can't lay an egg if you're an elephant! So how are baby elephants born? What about baby penguins or baby chickens? Do they come from eggs? What about humans? This informative text examines the difference between animals that lay eggs and animals that give birth to live babies. Each chapter describes how different kinds of animals are born and is accompanied by humorous poems and whimsical artwork that make learning biology fun for young readers.

Eggs 1, 2, 3: Who Will Be the Babies Be?

Ten spreads with gatefolds and a culminating dramatic fold-out lead young readers from a single penguin egg to an ostrich's clutch of 10 eggs. Song-like, non-rhyming verse gives clues as to who might hatch. The answer to the repeated refrain, "Who will the babies be?", is found beneath a flap. Besides discovering the animal baby or babies, kids will also pick up a lot of nature terminology and interesting facts about animals, their birthing environments, and habitats.

Mole Had Everything

Mole is happy and fulfilled by his simple life and limited possessions ("one bed, one pillow, one shelf for books, one cup for tea") till a friend "who has everything" persuades him that he doesn't have nearly enough. And so he sets out on a journey of acquisition, tunneling under and popping up in swamps and forests, in caves, junkyards, and underwater, and always managing to find another thing that he absolutely must have. Once he has everything, it must be transported back and stuffed into his small home. Having so much to attend to, and dust, and fix and, fidget with leaves no time to do the things he really likes, so Mole decides that maybe he already had everything he wanted, and not a thing more than he needed. After a grand giveaway, Mole pares his life down to just those things that make him happy and fulfilled.

Lucy Rescued

When Lucy is adopted from the local animal shelter, her new family thinks that they have chosen a perfect pet. And she is, right up to the minute she starts to howl, and howl, and howl some more. Treats, tricks, a soft red bed, lullabies, and even doggy therapy cannot stop her "Wah-ooo-ooo-roo!" It is the little girl who figures out that Lucy needs a comfy friend (her own stuffed animal) and Lucy who figures out that she needs as many as she can get her paws on. And then, all is well.

Scribbles and Ink

Two artists, two styles, and one book that may not be big enough for the both of them. See, Ink (the mouse) likes things to be clean and precise. Scribbles (the cat) is the opposite. But while there should be plenty of room for each of them to make their art without getting in each other's way, or on each other's nerves, THEY CAN'T MANAGE THAT! And from there paint splatters, ink goops, pencils get broken, and brushes go wild until...it's not a work of art, IT'S A MESS! Discovering that they are no longer having any fun, the duo tentatively tries to collaborate instead of clobber, and, thus, a disasterpiece becomes a masterpiece. 

Download your free Scribbles and Ink Sketchbook here!

My First Activity Books: Draw + Learn: People

Colorful pages include white space for kids to fill in what's missing, or just to add color to certain elements. 

In People, emerging artists will see a page that shows basic body parts, then pages where kids can fill in missing arms, legs, hands, trunks, feet, etc. They can also add these things to a robot and a monster to further extend their facility and fun.

Extraordinary Pets

A dog, a cat, a bird, a fish...
great pets to have. But if you had your wish...
why not choose one out of the ordinary?
Why not a pet who's EXTRAordinary?

Acclaimed artist Barroux makes his Blue Apple Books debut with a book about an amazing array of animals. Cats are cuddly, but elephants? Exceptional! A Chihuahua is cute, but tarantulas? Terrific! Flaps cleverly transform everyday animals into exotic, one-of-a-kind, perfect pets.

How the Sphinx Got to the Museum

Within New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the sphinx of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut holds court. But how did this ancient artifact get to the museum? Acclaimed author and illustrator Jessie Hartland beautifully presents this informative and fascinating history of the Hatshepsut sphinx, from its carving in ancient Egypt to its arrival in the hallowed halls of this world-famous museum. This is essential reading for junior Egyptologists!

Blast Off With Doodle Tom

Take one little pencil for drawing... add one giant book of space-tacular doodle for kids... and blast off into an activity book that boldly goes where no pencil has gone before!

An innovative combination of art-meets-space-stuff will make this fact-and-fun-packed book stand out in the robust doodle book market. Size, ease of use, space-tastic content and a dash of creative goofiness make for a uniquely exciting draw-and discover experience.

Do nebulae look like glow-in-the-dark pizzas? What kind of aliens are sunbathing on Mercury? Come draw every comet and corner of a universe that's simply out of this world!

Hello, My New Baby

As a new baby is showered with gifts and attention, a big brother or sister often feels left out. Here's the perfect gift to accompany the baby's presents. Inside its colorful pages are fun activities for creating an album of big sister, or brother, experiences. Creative, positive, and realistic, it also provides kids with ways to express their good an not-so-good feeling about their infant siblings. Two pages of stickers add to the decorating and drawing fun.

Give this perfectly-priced, stylish book to any new sister or brother, and they'll discover the many great things about being an older sibling!

Dolls of the World Coloring Book

Dolls of the World offers stylish design and three things girls love: dolls in traditional outfits, coloring, and stickers–lots of them! Thirteen different countries and regions are represented by dolls on pages that are partly colored and partly blank, allowing for plenty of creative options. And if a girl wants to take some creative license with her masterpiece–why not? Who says a girl from Sweden can't be paired with a Mexican pinata? This chic and fun gift is a perfect fit for any girl.

D Is 4 Doodle

Best-selling doodle dynamo Deborah Zemke is back with a go-anywhere activity book that is sure to be a hit with young aspiring artists. Turn an A into an alligator, a K into a kangaroo, and a Z into a zebra! Using letters as a starting point, this entertaining drawing book provides step-by-step instructions for doodling over 50 pictures. Kids will also read cool facts about the creatures and objects they learn to draw.

Balloon Toons: Hiccup!

Jamie has hiccups on the day of his school play! His best friend and co-star is determined to find a cure–no matter how silly, icky, or weird it might be! Will the show-HIC!-go on?

Hiccups–everyone's had  'em, and nobody wants  'em. The familiar dilemma drives this comically exaggerated story of a boy-rabbit battling the inconvenience and embarrassment of a jumpy diaphragm. Hiccup! is an ideal choice for kids who are more attuned to sweeter brand of slapstick humor.

Balloon Toons: Dinosaurs In Space

Dinosaurs and Life in Space–c'mon, what could be a funnier combination? And what a rip-snorting rocket ride it is in this three-story collection chronicling the hilarious adventures of the dino-denizens of Planet Meatball and Plant Lettuce.

For kids ready to move into read-alone books, this provides perfect fuel for developing independent reading, with a galaxy of laughs to boot!

Doodles at Dinner

Deborah Zemke has shown many would-be artists how to make fun, easy, and personality-filled doodles with her books D Is for Doodle, Doodle a Zoodle, 2 Is for Toucan, and Doodles to Go. Now children can doodle at mealtimes with these placemats, featuring 36 doodles from her books. Bound together as a pad—so there's always another placemat ready when one has been used—this set makes the perfect gift and will liven up dinners at home and in restaurants, picnics, and birthday parties!

The Princess and the Pea

Most of the time she is good Princess Rosebud. But when there's a hole in her sock, or her sweater is itchy, or–ick!–the peas on her plate are smushed up right next to the carrots, this strong-willed little miss becomes the picky and prickly Princess Fussy. Sound Familiar?

The clever rendition of The Princess and the Pea offers a funny, insightful reflection of how important having certain things be "just so" can be to certain kids. Everyone will cheer the surprising twist that reveals why Rosebud cannot get comfy at bedtime. Is it simply the return of Princess Fussy? Or might there be a more royal reason for her finicky convictions?

Kokeshi Dolls Coloring Book

Kokeshi dolls have much of the adorable appeal and charm of the ubiquitous Hello Kitty, but with much more extensive wardrobe. This exotic coloring book features black-outlined drawing of Kokeshi (traditional Japanese wooden dolls), each with its own distinctive costume, signature color, and personal haiku. Kids are invited to color in Kimonos, sashes, fans, and other accessories, accenting their masterpieces with any of 75 stickers. Each spread has one doll with a specific personality trait and favorite color. The yellow spread is Kukiko, whose signature trait, expressed by an accompanying haiku, is joy, and the blue spread introduces Oki, who embodies creativity.

It's a high-style book with an affordable price designed to provide hours of absorbing creativity and a dash of cultural flair.

Scribbles and Ink Doodles For Two

Those battling cartoon-artists from Scribbles and Ink are back, this time hosting a bright and funny "let's draw it together" activity book. Scribbles, the cat and Ink, the mouse, invite two kids (or a kid and a grownup, etc.) to tap int each other's creativity. On each spread, a silly sentence about a silly subject accompanies a space where the partners can draw. While there's helpful instructions, no exact result is demanded. The open-ended approach, coupled with subject matter such as robots, rock starts, monsters and monkeys, will draw kids into the fun to be found at the end of a pencil.

40 Uses for a Grandpa

The re-issue of this strong-selling gift book (a companion to 41 Uses for a Grandma) will get a smile of recognition from both grandfathers and grandkids. From dance partner to handyman, the fun and functions of grandfathers are inventively explored. Some of the uses are straightforward, like the arms-circled-out-in-front "ball hoop." Other entries, such as grandpas' "uses" as entertainment center, butler, and mediator, supply kids with a fresh perspective. At the end, it all adds up to grandpa being a wonderful friend.

ABC Doctor

From Appointment, Bandages, and Check-ups through X-rays and feeling Yucky, this book helps kids know 26 letter-specific things about the equipment, personnel, and procedures they might encounter on a typical visit to the doctor. Murphy's accessible collage artwork complements Ziefert's informative text. This new edition includes an addendum with activities, frequently asked questions, and suggestions for parents and teachers on how to maximize the book's usefulness.

ABC Dentist

From Appointments, Bibs, and Cavities through X-rays and how to combat icky Yellow film on teeth, this book takes kids on a reassuring tour of a trip to the dentist's office. Bright, friendly collage artwork pairs with informative facts on equipment and procedures. This new edition includes an addendum with activities, frequently asked questions, and suggestions for parents and teachers on how to maximize the book's usefulness.

Balloon Toons: Adopt a Glurb

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons™ are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative talents to entertaining stories kids will enjoy again and again.

Graphic designer Elise Gravel is an expert in Glurbs. What's a Glurb? A funny little monster who yells really loud, eats ten times his body weight daily, and loves unrolling toilet paper. Kids will discover everything it takes to keep a Glurb healthy and happy.

Boat Works: A Giant Fold-Out Book

With a ship-shape format perfect for exploring boats that float, sail, tug, house, and transport, this latest addition to the acclaimed Giant Fold-Out Book series offers an engaging, hands-on guessing game. Kids can read simple clues, unfold pages and—ta da!—who knew there was an entire ocean liner hidden under there? After kids gain a grasp of the characteristics and functions of six kinds of boats, a rock-the-harbor fold-out offers a rewarding finale.

Pocket Pack: Alpha-Doodles

Practical-meets-clever in these nifty packable packets of 25 alphabet or number-themed doodle activities. Crafted by doodle dynamo Deborah Zemke, each activity includes: 

• interesting info about the featured subject matter
• drawing instructions
• pages to create mini-doodle masterpieces!

Pocket Pack: Doodles 2 Do

Pocket Pack Doodles provide kids with an engaging, creative outlet that's no further away than their pockets. These kid-pleasing activity books are just as portable and convenient as the smartest phone, but a lot more fun and affordable. You gotta pick up a Pocket Pack–or two!

• interesting info about the featured subject matter
• drawing instructions
• pages to create mini-doodle masterpieces!

Wrapped in Love

Mom and Dad tuck Snoozer into bed, but before he falls asleep, he hears strange noises: Creak creak. Thump thump. Squeak. Snoozer is afraid, but Mom and Dad comfort and reassure him. Feeling securely protected by his parents' love, Snoozer's fear of the dark diminishes. A repetitive refrain soothes Snoozer and reader alike.

One Red Apple

Follow the life cycle of an apple: from fruit growing on the tree to market, to picnic, to seed, to sapling and tree, and finally to a new apple. This simple, joyful book with radiant illustrations introduces readers to the amazing and delectable way the earth provides food.

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum

Dinosaurs roamed the earth for millions and millions of years. Museum visitors are awed by the massive creatures on display. But how did the fossils of a colossal diplodocus make the 145-million-year journey from the prehistoric plains of Utah to the Smithsonian Institution of today?

Acclaimed author and illustrator Jessie Hartland (How the Sphinx Got to the Museum) beautifully presents this informative and fascinating history of the diplodocus: from its discovery in 1923 in Utah to its arrival in the hallowed halls of this world-famous museum. Essential reading for junior paleontologists.

Red Cat Blue Cat

Every kid sometimes wants to be someone else. And so, it turns out, do some cats. Kids will relate to how hard it is for each cat to try to be like the other. They'll also love the true-to-life way that, after the fur stops flying, an unexpected change occurs, making both cats happy to be just exactly who they are.

Flying to Neverland with Peter Pan

The Tony Award-winning actress Phyllis Newman, wife of the late Adolph Green, contributes a personal introduction to the songs. With this and luminous illustrations, including a lavish gatefold of the "flying" scene, this is an extraordinary book to give, to cherish, to share.

Music

Listen to the music below as you read along!

Balloon Toons: My Friend, Fred (The Plant)

Here's an offbeat story about a catboy who's best friend is a sunflower named Fred. When Fred and his buddy pass by a skeptical skateboarding cat-kid, he asks sneering questions about Fred and the duo's friendship. After a near miss with wilting heat and a fun, rain-soaked flower dance, the former skeptic decides that his new friends aren't so weird after all . . . at least no weirder than he is! This charming addition to the Balloon Toons series offers a canny portrait of how kids project personalities and feelings onto toys and other objects, and conveys the satisfaction felt when making an unexpected friend.

Balloon Toons: The Radically Awesome Adventures of the Animal Princess

An awesome series takes root! Animal Princess first appeared in The Totally Awesome Epic Quest of the Brave Boy Knight and was described as "a girl with strange powers and a subversive sense of humor" (Kirkus). Now she has her own trio of fulsomely funny adventures (with a cameo by Brave Boy Knight) set in a magical funkadelic kingdom ruled by Queen Mom and King Dad. Though they sometimes force her to wear awful, frilly dresses, Animal Princess prefers magical pajamas, quests, and battling three-headed wizards. Pink? Not her thing! It's radically awesome, big, funny fun!

How Things Work in the House

In How Things Work in the House, Lisa Campbell Ernst delves into how common household objects—such as soap, scissors and house keys—work. The detailed but easy-to-understand language describes the functioning of everyday items, and Ernst's meticulous and cleverly labeled pictures are fascinating. How Things Work in the House is a marvelous companion to the much-praised How Things Work Around the Yard. It also stands on its own as kid-compelling non-fiction.

Alphasaurs and Other Prehistoric Types

The award-winning creators of Alphabeasties and Bugs but the Numbers have gone prehistoric! Using letters in an artful assortment of type, the famed duo create a menagerie of dazzling dinosaurs and pack each page with captivating dino-facts. 

This sophisticated rendering of dinosaur-ologu will leap out from other dino-books to entrain, engage, and educate aspiring paleontologists.

You and Me: We're Opposites

In this lighthearted opposites book, the toucan wants to let the anteater know which one of them is up and which is down. The flamingo thinks that she's nice . . . and that the gorilla is grouchy. And the giraffe is peering over the fence to let the penguins know he's tall and they're short.

Get the Award-Winning App!

Be sure to check out the award-winning app of the book, developed by CJ Educations.

Parent's Choice says of the app:

"CJ Education's adaptation of Harriet Ziefert's text and Ethan Long's illustration is a cheerful playful lesson about opposites. Colorful zoo animals display fourteen pairs of opposites (clean/dirty, big small, fast/slow) as preschoolers swipe and tap their way from screen to screen. Opposite pairings are fun, and have personality traits that word lovers of all ages will appreciate.

Options offered are auto play and read to me. Bonuses include a song and a game that tasks children to match the opposite pairs."

Available HERE from Apple.

Broadway Barks

In a park in New York City lives a lonely little dog. He remembers when he used to get taken for walks, fed dinner every night, and told he was a good dog. Now, he's all alone and must fend for himself. But everything changes one day when he sees a lady reading in the park and decides to follow her—all the way to a place where he might become a star!

With a story by actress Bernadette Peters and mixed-media collage illustrations by Liz Murphy, Broadway Barks is a warm and appealing story of loss, reunion, and nurturing, complete with a happy ending.

This beautiful package includes a jacket with foil touches as well as an exclusive CD featuring a reading of the story and an original song written and sung by Bernadette Peters.

Get the App!

Our Broadway Barks app tells the original tale, with some added fun & games! Parent's Choice gave it an Approved award and said of it:

"Broadway Barks is a storybook app that animal lovers young and old will adore. The app is based on the book by Bernadette Peters about a dog who, after losing his home, is left living in Central Park with no one to care for him. The graphics are well done and the narration (spoken and sung by Peters) is great. Children can watch and listen to the story in autoplay mode, or they can click 'read to me' and make it more interactive. In the read to me version, children control the pace of the story. The app guides them to click on certain things for interactive animations, and there is also a cute game called “Showtime” in which they get to dress the dog up and help him perform in the dog show. The game is simple, but fun. Other features include a longer version of the song that the dog's new owner sings to him, which children can listen to as they watch pictures of the dog and his new friend. The endearing story will encourage young readers to return to it and follow the words on the screen as they are read by Peters or a parent.

Broadway Barks is a touching story that will encourage children to think about stray and shelter animals. It gives families a great opportunity to speak with kids about the importance of helping these animals, and teaches them about a real life charity that finds homes for them. It is an inexpensive, fun, touching and cute app that will make a fantastic addition to your digital library."

Get the app HERE!

Grandma is an Author

Rusty’s Grandma Margo is a writer. She and Rusty even write stories together. But when Rusty discovers that Margo sometimes suffers from writer’s block, he worries. What can he do to help her? This unique story tackles an issue that not only affects grown-ups. Kids, too, suffer from writer’s block and are often overwhelmed in their attempts to express themselves.

Take Care of Me from A to Z

How can you take care of me? Let me "alphabetize" the ways. Photographs of whimsical, handmade dolls by textile artist Tatiana Oles accompany a lively text. Readers will delight in following the zany, one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted animals through a variety of commands that all center on me! From the timeless "Play with Me" to the contemporary "E-mail Me," this book begs the reader for attention. An ideal gift for a loved one of any age or gender.

Grandma's Wedding Album

Who wouldn't want to hear about how two people met, fell in love, and married—especially if they're your beloved grandparents? A beautiful wedding album is shared between a grandmother and her curious grandchildren who see the enduring memories of their grandparents' wedding day. Karla Gudeon's exquisite illustrations capture Harriet Ziefert's timeless story about love, marriage, family, friends, and tradition.