Age

Catalog sorted by age group

The Man in the Clouds

The Man in the Clouds lives up a mountain and shares his treasure–a beautiful painting–with all the people from the village below. Those whose lives are touched by unkindness and cruetly are especially moved by the painting, finding comfort in its promise of a beautiful world that does not know pain and suffering.

One day, a stranger comes up and tells the Man in the Clouds how much his painting is actually worth. Bit by bit, this changes how he perceives his art and begins to think of it in terms of monetary value. In fear of his precious painting being stolen, the Man in the Clouds puts locks on his doors and chases people away. Finally, he is all alone, then finds out that his painting has lost all its beauty.

He destroys the painting, opens his doors and windows, and discovers the real beauty lies outside.

I, Galileo

I, Galileo Galilei, am old and can no longer see, but there was a time I saw all the way to the stars–the moon, the planets, the sun.  Their movements showed me a truth so profound, it changed our view of the entire universe.  A truth so unpopular, it would get me into a world of trouble.

Galileo’s inventions and insights were so great that Einstein called him the “father of modern science.”  But in his own time, Galileo’s idea of a sun-centered solar system was considered radical and even dangerous–he was branded a heretic, imprisoned in his ome, and banned from discussing science with anyone.  In this inspired biopgraphy, Bonnie Christensen lets Galileo himself tell the tale–and his genial narration makes this giant of science feel more real and accessible than ever before.  Lavishly illustrated in rich jewel tones, this is a perfect introduction to a most remarkable man.

Monsters Aren’t Real

Beaten down by a ubiquitous chorus of denials (see title), a monster suffers an existential crisis.

Surrounded by emphatic claims that it doesn’t even exist, a monster sets out not only to prove the contrary, but to establish its scariness credentials too. Alas, neither blasting the world with graffiti and printed fliers nor rearing up menacingly over a baby in a carriage, children at the barre in a ballet class and other supposedly susceptible victims elicits any response. Juggling some cows attracts attention but not the terrified kind. But the monster’s final despairing surrender—“That’s it! It’s over! I give up! … /  Monsters aren’t real (sniff)”—triggers an indignant denial of a different sort from a second, smaller but wilder-looking, creature. It takes the first in hand and leads it off, declaring “We’re two big, strong, scary monsters, and we’ll prove it.” In truth, it won’t escape even very young readers that neither is particularly scary-looking. Indeed, the protagonist-monster is depicted in the sparsely detailed cartoon illustrations as a furry, almost cuddly, bearlike hulk with light-blue spots, antlers and comically googly eyes, certain to provoke more giggles than screams.

Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket

Small Bunny does everything with Blue Blanket.  Blue Blanket helps him paint the best picures, go the highest on the swings, and read the hardest words.  They need each other.  But one day, Small Bunny’s mother insists Blue Blanket must be washed.  She says Blue Blanket will be as good as new after.  But Small bunny isn’t sure he like “new”.  Will his friends ever be the same?

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian

Artemis Fowl’s archenemy Opal Koboi has masterminded a way to simultaneously secure her release from prison and bring the human and fairyworlds to their knees.  And, unless Artimis can stop her, the evil pixie’s next move will destroy all human life on earth.  Ground zero is the Fowl estate, where Opal has reanimated fairy warriors who were buried there thousands of years ago.  Their spirits have possessed any vessels they can find–corpses, Artimis’s little brothers, assorted wildlife–and they are bound to obey Opal’s evry command.  Defeating the motley troops and their diabolical leader will require all of Artemis’s cleverness– as well asButler’s bravery, Holly’s skill, and Foaly’s gadgetry.  But if their best efforts aren’t enough, Armageddon will surely follow.

New York Times best-selling author and comic genius Eoin Colfer will leave Artemis Fowl fans gasping up to the very end of this thrilling finale to the Blockbuster series.

The Scariest Thing Of All

Pip the rabbit may be little.  But the list of things he’s afraid of is very, very large.  Life the gobbler…or the wood troll…or the leggy wiggler!  Until one day, Pip gets lost in the woods and is forced to face his fears.  What is the Scariest Thing of All?  And can little Pip stand up to it?

From the beloved author and illustrator of No Matter What comes a reassuring and gentle tale of finding bravery in the most unexpected place–inside yourself.

What To Do If An Elephant Stands On Your Foot

What would you do if an elephant stood on your foot?  Would you wiggle? Jiggle? Gigle? Shout?  Well, Try not to.  Why? Beacause you never know who–or what– you might disturb in the jungle.  Trust me.  I know what I’m talking about.  Shhh. What’s that?  Oh, now look! You’ve woken the rhino–hurry, hurry, flip the page!

Join our safari guide on a bungled jungle adventure, building to a hilarious finish that will send readers–and out hapless hero–right back to the beginning for more.

The Frank Show

What do you do if it’s show-and-tell day at school and you’re supposed to bring someone from your family, but the only someone avaliable is your grandpa, who complains… a lot, prefers things the way they used to be, thinks his arm can predict the rain, is guaranteed to embarrass you.  And to make matters worse, what if Khristian brings his stand-up comedian dad and Paolo brings his mom, who’s Italian and speaks Italian?  You are going to wish your grandpa had some tricks up his sleeve…but what if he does?

This hilarious offbeat story from the creator of Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School reveals that there is more to the older generation than meets the eye.  After all, the longer you’ve been around, the more time you’ve had for wild adventures!

Hide & Seek

As the light shines through the leaves of the forest, the animals gather for a game of hide-and-seek.  Elephant counts as all the animals run and hide!  But when it’s time to seek, will Elephant find everyone…including Chameleon?  Practice counting from 1 to 10 and search for Chameleon in the pages of this delightful new book from celebrated illustrator Il Sung Na.

How The Whale Became

Long ago when the world was brand new, before animals or birds, the sun rose into the sky and brought the first day. To begin with, all the creatures were pretty much alike – very different from what they are now. Those that wanted to be lions practised being lions. But there were other creatures – including the whale, the elephant, the cat and the donkey – that came about in different ways.