Humorous Nature

Poor Groundhog just can't sleep. He tosses. He turns. Finally, he gets out of bed and goes exploring. Outside his burrow, he finds amazing sights he has never seen before: glowing jack-o'-lanterns, gobbling turkeys, and sparkling holiday lights. But shouldn't Groundhog be in bed? With no sleep, how will he be able to get up for his big day?

Billy and Goat are best friends, but they have different styles. Billy likes to smell the roses - Goat likes to eat them! So it's no surprise that they have different ideas of how to enjoy the state fair. For Billy the crowds and the noise are pretty intimidating. He's happy to wait in the livestock pens until the best goat contest begins. But Goat's not one to sit when he could run. Faster than you can say butter sculpture, Goat's out of the pen and leading Billy on a merry chase. When Billy finally catches up to him, he's relieved but also amazed. The fair is awesome!

Award-winning Karma Wilson, author of Bear Snores On, has created the delightful Hilda Hippo - a hippo who loves to dance despite all the noise she makes while doing so. It’s just that the Ka-bump! Ka-bump! Crash! Crash! Crash! noises disturb her jungle friends. Maybe Hilda could take up knitting? But knitting doesn’t quite suit the would-be ballerina. Perhaps she and her friends can find some sort of compromise!

Uh oh! A librarian has left the window open, and now it’s time for fun-loving bats of all ages to fly in for a night in the stacks. Bats at the Library is a recipient of starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Horn Book Magazine.

When the Peabodys leave their home to buy goodies for a spring tea, a pesky fly zooms in. Trying to escape, he bashes into some glass and lands bellyup on the windowsill. If the Peabodys find him before he recovers, they will overreact and call the dreaded exterminator. With the fate of fellow housemates in her hands - and with chocolate cookies beckoning - what's a little cockroach to do?

Happy first birthday, Little Duck! Everyone wants to look their best for the party. But Little Duck has never had a birthday before - so how better to learn how to prepare than to do what all the other animals do! The sheep trim their wool - so Little Duck trims her feathers. The pigs need a mud bath - so Little Duck quish and quashes, too. All over the barnyard, Little Duck snips, slurps, squishes, and shimmy shakes herself ready until...WHOOPS! It's party picture time - and Little Duck is a big mess.

Children’s author and illustrator Philip C. Stead counts a Caldecott Medal among his many literary accomplishments. A Home for Bird is a touching tale of friendship and determination. Out one day, Vernon the toad happens upon a tiny blue bird who is oddly silent. Vernon introduces Bird to his friends and tours him around to many of his favorite places, but Bird still won’t talk. Thinking that Bird is quiet because he is homesick, Vernon takes his new friend on an exciting journey to find him a home.

"I have lost my new blue socks. Did I put them in my box?" Simple rhymes - including "socks", "box", "fox, " and "ox"! - spin the tale of a small duck who waddles through the countryside, forlornly searching for his blue socks. "I'm trying not to be depressed. / Without my socks I feel undressed." Finally, a sharp-eyed peacock sees a bit of blue peeking out of duck's lace-up shoes and the mini-mystery is solved! This winsome story shares the familiar experience of not really losing something after all.

Meet DJ Funkyfoot! He’s not actually a DJ - he’s a chihuahua and a butler! Meet ShrubBaby! She’s an adorable baby shrub with a taste for thrills, fertilizer, and fame. Finding a butler gig is hard these days, so DJ Funkyfoot takes a job that’s almost like being a butler.... He becomes a nanny for ShrubBaby! A nanny might say no to this baby’s whims, but a good butler always says yes. So when adventure calls and ShrubBaby says, “Let’s go!”, DJ Funkyfoot says, “Very good, m’lady, I’ll fetch your stroller”.

Best-selling author Katherine Applegate returns for another hilarious life lesson with the antics of well-meaning Roscoe Riley. It seems everyone is winning trophies lately - except Roscoe. A dog trick contest could turn things around, but Roscoe's goofy dog can't learn any neat tricks. So he decides to trade the sweater his grandmother knitted him to borrow his neighbor's genius dog. Roscoe didn't much like the sweater before, but now that it's gone, he's starting to wonder if he made the right decision.

Harriet Hamsterbone is not your typical princess. She may be quite stunning in the rodent realm (you'll have to trust her on this one), but she is not so great at trailing around the palace looking ethereal or sighing a lot. She finds the royal life rather...dull. One day, though, Harriet's parents tell her of the curse that a rat placed on her at birth, dooming her to prick her finger on a hamster wheel when she's 12 and fall into a deep sleep. For Harriet, this is most wonderful news: It means she's invincible until she's 12!

Ra the Mighty is Pharaoh's Cat, Lord of the Powerful Paw. He is not Ra the Royal Babysitter. How's a cat supposed to fit in all his snacks and naps when his charges keep getting into mischief? Ra's new job only gets harder on a voyage up the Nile, leading to a fearsome palace where crocodiles swarm the waters. Then Pharaoh's son disappears. Has he run away? Has he been eaten by crocodiles? Has he been kidnapped, or worse? Ra and his fellow Great Detectives, Khepri and Miu, set out to discover the truth, but the palace is home to many secrets.

Things are not looking good for the ranch. So when Loper heads into town to negotiate with the banker, Slim hits the road in search of a new home. Meanwhile, Hank and his faithful sidekick Drover hitch a ride in the back of Slim's pickup. Before long, they come to a stop in an unfamiliar town. And when Slim lands himself a new job, Hank finds that he's no longer the Head of Ranch Security, but the Head of Chicken House Security.

Everyone in town knows Edwina. She is the dinosaur who plays with the kids. She is the dinosaur who helps little old ladies cross the street. And best of all, she bakes yummy chocolate-chip cookies. Everyone loves Edwina except for Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. Reginald knows dinosaurs are extinct and is ready to prove it. But will anyone listen? And if they do, what will happen to Edwina?

Everyone wants to give their friend Clifford a special birthday present. But the blow-up ball pops, the pinata gets smashed, the sweater is much too small, and the beauty parlor gift certificate just didn't seem right. Finally, Clifford gets the best present of all - his family there to celebrate with him.

From the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt comes a fresh, new duo Monkey and Cake. In this book, Monkey has lost a tooth! This makes Monkey sad. Cake reassures Monkey that the tooth fairy will come... but Monkey isn't so sure. Can Cake help find the lost tooth instead?

Meet Barkus. Barkus is loyal. Barkus is generous. Barkus is family. The exuberant Barkus and his lucky young owner whirl and twirl across the minutes of this delightful pre-chapter book series from award-winning author Patricia MacLachlan.

New York Times best-selling author Judith Viorst is well-known for her popular children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Here Viorst crafts a magnificent tale about a young girl determined to get her way. It’s Lulu’s birthday, and she wants a pet for a present. Not just any pet will do, though—Lulu MUST have a brontosaurus. But when her parents tell her that’s impossible, Lulu makes her way through the forest to prove them wrong.

Annie's birthday is coming up, and she plans to have a dress-up party. She looks forward to wearing ribbons, bows, lace, and fancy little shoes. But when the guests arrive � including Henry and Mudge � Annie learns that different people dress up in different ways.

How does a dinosaur learn to be kind? Does he roar about everything that is on his mind? Does he wake up at midnight and make lots of noise? Does he take his big sister’s new shoes and her toys? NO!!! A dinosaur knows how to be very kind, always keep other folks firmly in mind. Being kind can be a little difficult, even for dinosaurs. But with a little practice and some heartfelt humor, our prehistoric pals can develop empathy and compassion for others.