Memorial

A Moreton Bay Fig tree, planted as a memorial to Australian soldiers killed in World War I, is slated to be cut down by the local council. A young boy tells the moving story of the tree, as related by his great grandfather, grandfather, and father, each of whom has participated in wars over the years. Interweaving themes of war, memory, and conservation, this book blends a sensitive text with brilliantly original collage art by Shaun Tan to bring an important lesson to young readers.

Penguin

When Ben rips open his present, he finds a penguin inside. “Hello, Penguin!” he says. “What shall we play?” But Penguin says nothing. Even when Ben tickles its belly, sings a funny song, does a dizzy dance, stands on his head, sticks out his tongue, and resorts to increasingly rude and drastic measures, Penguin makes no response. What will it take for Penguin to say something — or for Ben to understand what Penguin has to say?

Bye-Bye Binky

Nora is a big girl now, but she still clings to her pacifier when she gets sleepy. One day it falls out of her pocket while she’s playing outside. Ella Elephant doesn’t know what it is, but she thinks it’ll make a beautiful ring for her trunk. When she too loses it, Lotti Lamb finds it and thinks it’ll make a nice hair clip. One by one different animals find the binky and put it to different uses, only to lose it again. And just when Nora finally finds it, she realizes that maybe she doesn’t need it anymore.

Patterns in Peru: An Adventure in Patterning

Matt and Bibi unravel a pattern to discover a lost city. The Zills are visiting Peru to study the mysterious lost city of Quwi when Matt and Bibi stumble into an adventure. With only each other, their faithful dog Riley, and an unusual ancient relic to guide them, the twins must use their understanding of patterns and sequences to locate the lost city—and the way back.

Wanda And The Frogs

On the way to school one morning, Wanda scoops some tadpoles into her sand pail. When she presents them to her teacher, the teacher agrees to let the class take care of them until they become frogs. But what will happen to the tadpoles once they grow legs and their tails begin to shrink? Wanda is worried. She wants to keep them. When she secretly moves the frogs into her own bedroom at home, Wanda’s family is in for a hilarious host of surprises. Sequel to Wanda and the Wild Hair.

006 and a Half

In this book, James Bond, Daisy decides she wants to play her favorite dress-up game: spies! But how can she accomplish her missions if no one understands her secret code language? Daisy is almost ready to call it quits when her mom gets into the action, and Daisy realizes that being a spy just might run in the family.

Knife Edge

Persephone Hadley is six months pregnant with a mixed-race baby.In their society this fact alone will threaten the child’s life every day. To make matters worse, the baby’s father, Callum, is dead. He was hanged for terrorism months ago, but his presence still torments Sephy. And she’s not alone. Callum’s brother, Jude, blames Sephy for the death, and thirsts for revenge in the form of her life. Obviously, Sephy is not fond of Jude, but when his actions take him to the brink of disaster, his life poised on a knife edge.

A Dog Called Grk

When Tim is followed home by a dog on the street, he’s determined to find out who the friendly stray belongs to. But with a little investigating, Tim discovers that Grk’s owners don’t live in his town, or even in his country. Max and Natascha Raffifi, Grk’s owners, have been kidnapped with their ambassador parents by the evil Colonel Zinfandel and taken to a prison in Eastern Europe! Tim knows he’s about to undertake a mission his parents wouldn’t exactly approve of. He sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night with Grk, catches a taxi to the airport, then hops a plane to Stanislavia. Together he and Grk will have to break into a high-security prison, pilot a helicopter, and make a nail-biting run for the border in this high-octane, international adventure.