It’s time for The Best Pet Monster in the World Competition and Albert can’t wait to enter his very own monster, Sidney. But is sweet, well-behaved Sidney really the smelliest, dirtiest, most parasite-ridden monster of all?
Europe
Materials from Europe
Winnie
When Harry Colebourn saw a baby bear at a train station, he knew he could care for it. Harry was a veterinarian. But he was also a soldier in training during World War I. Harry named the bear Winnie, short for Winnipeg, his company’s home town, and he brought her along to the military camp in England. Winnie followed Harry everywhere and slept under his cot every night. Before long, she became the regiment’s much-loved mascot. But who could care for the bear when Harry went to battle? Harry found just the right place for Winnie, the London Zoo. There a boy named Christopher Robin played with Winnie–he could care for this bear too!
Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise
Hoot Owl is no ordinary owl. He is a master of disguise! In the blackness of night, he’s preparing to swoop on his prey before it can realize his dastardly tricks. Look there—a tasty rabbit for him to eat! Hoot Owl readies his costume, disguising himself as a carrot! Then he waits.
Eat, Leo! Eat!
Leo wants no part of sitting down with his family to eat Nonna’s big, delizioso lunch every Sunday. “I’m not hungry,” he insists. Not hungry? Hmm. Clever Nonna gets an idea. She’ll use a story to lure Leo to her table. And since the pasta in her soup, called stelline (little stars), is woven into the story about a boy who journeys to his grandmother’s at night, it works. But again on the following Sunday, Leo doesn’t want to eat. So Nonna expands her story, this time adding some chiancaredde (paving stones), the name of the pasta she’s serving that day, to create a path for her character to follow. Now Leo’s hooked.
The Elephantom
When a phantom elephant turns up uninvited and starts getting a little girl into trouble, she has no idea how to make him go away. But her grandmother happens to have a menagerie of phantom pets herself, so she knows just who to go to for help?
William and the Missing Masterpiece
Debonair cat-detective William finds himself at the center of a mysterious theft when the Mona Cheesa is stolen from a Parisian gallery. Can William put the clues together and solve the crime? Fans of Helen Hancocks’s Penguin in Peril won’t be disappointed in this hilarious tale of cat and mouse.
Hooray For Hoppy!
When Hoppy the rabbit wakes up on the first day of spring, he discovers a world full of wonderful things. He uses all five senses to sniff the fresh air, listen to the birds sing, taste the fresh grass, watch the lambs in the meadow, and touch the warm ground. Illustrated in bright, bold collage, this story about seasonal change and sensory perception makes a warm and cozy readaloud.
Bears Don’t Read
A magical story of friendship to power the imagination and encourage children (and bears!) towards a lifelong love of reading.
Where’s The Pair?
Can you spot the Siamese cats? Where are the fish with matching fins? This fabulous follow-up to stand-out title The Odd One Out features rhyming riddles accompanied by patterned artwork, within which the answer lies.
Betty Goes Bananas
Betty the gorilla gets very upset when she is unable to peel her banana, and every effort Mr. Toucan makes to help her only seems to make things worse.