Humorous Nature

When Tom rescued Frankie the goldfish from his older brother's evil science experiment by zapping him back to life with a battery, he never expected his pet to become a big fat zombie goldfish with incredible hypnotic powers. But it's helpful when they are thwarting his big brother's evil plans. Tom and Pradeep are about to find out the truth behind the ancient Egyptian curse of the Cat King when their evil big brothers crash their overnight stay at the history museum.

Oh no! The zoo is going to close! And all of the animals will be sent back to where they came from. Lin the Bad Panda is happy about the idea of being returned to the panda sanctuary from where she came. She can't wait to be reunited with her beloved brother, Face-Like-A-Bag-Of-Potatoes. But Lin is definitely NOT happy about being separated from her new-found zoo family. Surely all the animals should be kept together?

After a frigid arctic rescue, Esquire and Mr. Pepper get the perfect opportunity to warm up - an invitation to Beatle the Pangolin’s private island concert. Sun and sand await! But when Esquire and Mr. Pepper arrive, the island is in chaos. Field agent Alphonse delivers the bad news: Due to an incident during dress rehearsal, Beatle is trapped underground, and foul play is likely. The worst news: There’s no way to reach Beatle, and there are multiple suspects.

Creepy! Crawly! Criminy! Everyone knows that Stink is bonkers about most scientific things. But there’s one exception: dangle a spider in front of him and he goes berserk! Stink is so freaked out by spiders that he can’t read about them. He can’t look at them. He can’t think about them. And he for-sure can’t touch them! Stink has arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), and he has it bad. But when a hairy backyard emergency arises, Stink is forced to face his fear - and eight beady eyes - head-on.

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.

Award-winning author Jennifer Armstrong makes history come alive through the heartwarming tale of a 19th-century horse who demonstrates to children the importance of responsibility and duty. Even when Magnus the horse is told his services to the Broadway Firehouse are no longer needed, he continues appearing at the scenes of fires. Luckily for the townspeople and the firemen, Magnus turns up just when they need him the most.

He also loves cake, and that’s where our story begins. On Monday, Llama discovers a pile of cake, which he promptly eats. On Tuesday, Llama squeezes into his dancing pants, which he promptly rips. The force of the rip creates a black hole (naturally). By Friday, Llama will (indirectly) destroy the world. Meet the comical, the studious, the oblivious Llama, a hero for the ages.

Farmer Brown has been invited to be a guest at the elementary school's Farm Day! The animals excitedly practice their best classroom behavior: standing quietly in line, using their inside voices, and learning how to share. But then they find out that farm animals aren't actually allowed in school (who knew they were considered a health-code violation?!) Rules are rules, so Farmer Brown goes to school solo - or so he thinks.

Tyrannosaurus Rex wants breakfast. He stomps and he roars and he gnashes his pointy teeth - and he scares all the other dinosaurs right out of the forest. Only Edna, the very first chicken, stands her ground. T. rex may have mighty claws and terrible jaws, but Edna has a mighty beak and terrible flapping wings. And sometimes, all it takes to defeat someone big and fierce is someone small and brave.

Bailey is very excited about the school trip to the Museum of Natural History. After all, he loves to dig up bones even more than an archeologist! And besides bones, there's lots of fun to be had with tepees, totem poles, and dinosaur skeletons. Bailey's classmates never know what will happen next: maybe that's why the museum guard becomes Bailey's special partner.

From the New York Times best-selling author of the Judy Moody books comes this hilarious story about a precocious youngster who’s thinking about eating her first bug. Beetle McGrady loves adventure and she wants to explore the world. When her class makes a food pyramid, she decides to add a new food group of her own - bugs! Beetle knows that people in other parts of the world eat bugs everyday, so when the other kids dare her to eat an ant, the real fun begins!

But don't be surprised if the goat doesn't take it lying down. In this hilarious, rhyme-happy picture book, children will love to pore over the funny illustrations, picking up clues that all is not as it seems between Jimmy Choat and the goat, Petunia P. Oat. Because Petunia knows who's really to blame, and before long the whole family will too!

A popular author of fiction and nonfiction works for children, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen can often be found in schools sharing her beloved works with children all across the country. With its clever rhymes and cute-creepy storyline, Quackenstein Hatches a Family is the irresistible tale of a very special duck. Quackenstein has no family or friends to play with, until he finds an egg. But when it hatches, it’s not exactly what Quackenstein was expecting!

Grizz Brickbottom is one tough cowboy. But even the toughest cowboys, those who floss their teeth with barbed wire as Grizz does, can use some companionship. So Grizz adopts a dog that will help out with the cattle rustling and the mountain lion chasing. But somehow Grizz ends up with a pretty, pampered poodle, not a fierce, brave canine. John Frank delights in this tale filled with vivid imagery and loveable cowboy characters, who end up getting tamed by a little poodle named Foofy.

This charming chapter book will have youngsters rooting for one of the world's most reviled creatures. Meet Maybelle, a plump cockroach who hopes to - just once - taste food before it falls to the floor. Against the advice of faithful friend Henry the flea, Maybelle decides to follow her dream. But the people in her household are hosting a dinner party for very important guests, and the last thing anyone expects is a cockroach in the soup.

"Yankee Doodle went to town a-riding on a pony stuck a feather in his hatand called it macaroni." Many know the song "Yankee Doodle Dandy", but few understand it. This unapologetically silly picture book reveals that the legendary ride to town (and the whole macaroni thing) was all suggested by Mr. Doodle' s overeager pony. This just makes Mr. Doodle cranky: "I do not want macaroni. I do not want a feather. I do not want any other clothing, any other pasta, or any other parts of a bird. I do not want anything that they have in town!" A historical note ends this colorful, comical take on a nonsensical old song.

James’ dad has to get creative to convince him to eat healthy foods. Given broccoli, James wants to know what else he can have. So his father offers tasty alternatives such as gum prechewed by children with very clean teeth and dirt walked on by cooks wearing the finest French boots. His father even has helpful suggestions for alternatives to eggs, lasagna, milk, and oatmeal - and soon, James realizes that healthy foods aren’t so bad, after all.

Mysterious noises keep waking up the Wimbledon family. "That's very odd," says Mr. Wimbledon each time, but when he returns from checking on the sounds, he's always reassuring: "It's only Stanley; he's fixing the oil tank." "It's only Stanley; he's clearing the bathtub drain." But what Stanley the dog is actually doing while his oblivious family goes back to bed is deliciously absurd: He's preparing for an interplanetary trip! And guess who's going along for the ride!

For newly hatched dinosaur Dinah, the world is an exciting place. There is so much to see and do. She tries this - STOMP! And she tries that - CHOMP! Then she sees a kiss and knows just what she wants to try next. Who can she kiss? And after a few disastrous attempts, can she figure out how to give someone a kiss without whomping, chomping, or stomping them first? Young children will chuckle and cheer when Dinah finds just the right creature for her dinosaur kisses in this funny new audiobook from David Ezra Stein.

A persevering penguin is determined to fly in this adorably inspiring audiobook from the creator of Red Hat and Red Sled. Although little Penguin has the soul of an eagle, his body wasn't built to soar. But Penguin has an irrepressible spirit, and he adamantly follows his dreams to flip, flap, fly! Even if he needs a little help with the technical parts, this penguin is ready to live on the wind.