The chimpanzees of a colorless and boring town defy their grumpy mayor and make Drabsville, now named Happytown, fun again.
England (UK)
The Bear
Tilly has an exhausting day when an enormous white bear, which no-one else can see, comes to live with her.
Avocado Baby
A baby who gains enormous strength from avocados defends his weakling family.
The Tempest
A lavish young reader’s edition of the classic Shakespearean tale follows the adventures of cast-out duke Prospero, who lives on an enchanted island with his daughter, Miranda, and the magical spirits helpful Ariel and evil Caliban.
Jim, Who Ran Away from His Nurse and Was Eaten by a Lion
A treat for fans of ghastly gore and egregious endings. “Contains a Dangerous Beast and a Miserable End,” states a warning on the cover. But if you are strong of heart and like your humor a little on the dark side, jump right into the brilliant collaboration of the Edwardian humorist Hilaire Belloc, dead for the past 57 years, and the very much alive Mini Grey. Grey’s sly illustrations, clever type designs, amazing lift-the-flaps, and a roaring lion pop-up, not to mention her zoo map with hilarious Rules and Byelaws, make this edition of the classic cautionary tale a collectible to savor. Decidedly not a lift-the-flap for babies, it will lift the spirits of anyone with a well-developed sense of humor.
John Burningham’s Abc
Lively full-color illustrations accent a dazzling alphabet book that uses double-page spreads to highlight the upper- and lower-case versions of each letter, in a distinctive concept book first published in 1964.
Merlin
In flight from the magic visions that plague him, Merlin falls into the hands of the wodewose–wild folk who, according to legend, live in the company of wolves and devour children. But far from being wild, the wodewose are an enormous family of the unwanted, the abandoned, and the homeless. For once Merlin has found a place where an orphan like himself belongs.
This is the third book in the “Young Merlin Trilogy.”
Dragon’s Boy
“In order to gain wisdom, you must learn to read inter linea, between the lines.” Artos doesn’t know who his parents are, just that kindly Sir Ector and Lady Marion took him into their castle when he was a baby. Though Sir Ector raises him as one of his sons, Artos never feels he truly belongs. The other boys of the castle — Cai, Bedvere, and Lancot — make fun of him and never invite him to join in their games. One day, while searching for Sir Ector’s missing brachet hound in the fens around the castle, Artos stumbles across a musty cave in a hill where a very old dragon lives. Though he is afraid, he is drawn to the beast by both the dragon’s knowledge and his promise to teach Artos the game of wisdom. With the dragon’s guidance, Artos begins the slow journey to his destiny-one that he never dreamed could belong to him. Notable 1990 Children’s Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature who says that if Harry returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls’ bathroom. But then the real trouble begins — someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects…Harry Potter himself!
Secrets at Sea
In 1887, the social-climbing Cranstons voyage from New York to London, where they hope to find a husband for their awkward older daughter, secretly accompanied by Helena and her mouse siblings, for whom the journey is both terrifying and wondrous as they meet an array of titled humans despite their best efforts at remaining hidden.