Picture Book

Happy Birthday, Alice Babette

It’s Alice’s birthday! But her friend Gertrude seems to have forgotten. No matter, Alice goes out and enjoys her day just the same. A beautiful spring afternoon in Paris — what could be better? Little does she know that her dear friend has a few surprises up her sleeve.

While Alice spends the day walking around Paris — riding a carousel in the park and watching a puppet show — Gertrude turns her attention to the kitchen. She is determined to make a lavish dinner with all of Alice’s favorite things and write a poem to match the occasion.

But the lure of the perfect poetic line proves to be too distracting, and just as Alice’s day takes an exciting and unexpected turn, Gertrude’s big dinner falls all to pieces. The poem turns out beautifully, of course, but the house is a bit of a mess. It’s a good thing Alice doesn’t mind cleaning up. And that she has such a good brownie recipe for their guests.

Where’s the Elephant?

Where’s the elephant? Where’s the parrot? Where’s the snake? And wait a minute — where are all the trees? Where will the elephant, parrot, and snake go now? A vibrant landscape in flux with three hidden animals on each spread offers parents and children an opportunity to talk about urban development and animal habitats.

Will’s Words

When Jane Sutcliffe sets out to write a book about William Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, in her own words, she runs into a problem: Will’s words keep popping up all over the place! What’s an author to do? After all, Will is responsible for such familiar phrases as “what’s done is done” and “too much of a good thing.” He even helped turn “household words” into household words.

A Beginner’s Guide To Bear Spotting

An aspiring bear spotter ventures into bear country. But coming face-to-face with the furry creatures themselves, whether black or brown, can be dangerous, and our protagonist, accompanied by a trusty teddy bear, might need to use some unconventional means to stay out of trouble and avoid being (gulp!) eaten.

The Girl with the Parrot on Her Head

Isabel has a best friend named Simon, who is very good with newts. But one day Simon moves away in a truck and never comes back. For a while Isabel hates everything and decides it’s better to be by herself. After all, she has a parrot who likes to sit on her head, and she has a system, sorting all the things in her room into boxes. But now she faces a new problem: the parrot worries about the box that is full of wolves, and Isabel secretly worries too.