A humorous tale about acceptance, social justice and keeping an open mind. Though he’s scared at first, a boy who encounters an alligator in the woods discovers all the creature wants is companionship — and leftovers! — and the two become friends. But the mayor of the boy’s town won’t have it. He makes a proclamation, “NO ALLIGATORS! Blah, blah, blah.” Which the townspeople agree with, at first. Then they realize how friendly the alligator is (and how nice it is to have someone eat their leftovers!), and they want him to stay. Can they all come together and find a way to keep the alligator in their town? See you later, alligator? Not if these townspeople can help it!

The funniest book about punctuation you’ll ever read. Dee has a problem with Apostrofee. He keeps stealing letters and replacing them with himself! E is the first to go (turning DELISH into D’LISH), then A (I AM into I’M), and a lot of Os (WOULD NOT into WOULDN’T, COULD NOT into COULDN’T … you get the idea). Dee and the other letters have had enough! Though they have to admit Apostrofee is kind of helpful sometimes. And they do miss him when he’s not around. Should they forgive him, so they can live in peace ’n’ harmony? Who knew punctuation could be so hilarious?

When a yellow envelope arrives at Hollyhock House addressed to the greatest grandmother in the world, it causes a disturbance among the grandmothers and great-grandmothers living there.

Douglas doesn't fit in with other dragons. Instead of battling knights and frightening princesses, he likes to spend his time picking flowers and baking treats. To get him to become more fearsome, Douglas' doctor prescribes some dragon exercises. With help from a clever knight, Douglas works to become the scariest creature in the land. But he soon learns that mean and frightening are not the only things a dragon can be.

Spring is here, and Bear is finally emerging from his hollow to greet his forest friends. Suddenly, he hears beautiful singing coming from above. It's Bird, practicing for the forest Opera! When Bird tells Bear that she's auditioning for a duet, Bear decides to try out as well, and asks if he can practice with her. Bird agrees, and as the pair rehearses their song, an unlikely friendship begins. After the audition, Bird is cast in the opera--but Bear is not. Devastated, Bear returns to his hollow to hide. Bird comes to comfort him and insists that the pair are still a duet, with or without a stage to sing on. Reassured of their close bond, Bear celebrates Bird's success at the Opera, getting the best seat in the house and quietly singing along with his friend.

The third book in the popular, rib-tickling Big Words Small Stories series. Meet Oleander, who likes to keep busy, and her pet salamander, Sally Mander, who prefers to take it easy. Over the course of five short stories, the pair are visited by the Sprinkle Fairy and her helpers, who’ve slipped a Big Word into each story. For example, Oleander accuses Sally Mander of procrastinating when it comes to her gardening duties. And Sally Mander demands that the bird who ate her worm regurgitate it immediately. It’s all fun with words — BIG time! Deadpan laughs and cool Big Words! Kids will be flabbergasted by how entertaining reading can be!

This is a dog book, and bunny wants to be in it! To get into this dog book, a bunny tries to prove to some skeptical dogs that he’s one of them. Does he like to run and catch a ball? Of course. Can he use his puppy-dog eyes to get out of trouble? Absolutely. Does he smell dog doo-doos? Umm . . . The bunny does his best to demonstrate his dog credentials. But, of course, a bunny is a bunny, not a dog. Only, does it have to matter? This bunny is a real snuggle puppy!

The second collection in the Big Words Small Stories series follows the adventures of Davey and his dog, Abigail. When Davey tries to sweep an enormous dustball out the front door, the wind lifts the dustball into the air --- and Davey and Abigail with it! Their flying dustball takes them on adventures to places around the world, including Italy, China and Switzerland, which makes for some great stories (five, to be exact)! As with the first book in the series, the mischievous Sprinkle Fairy and her helpers have slipped a Big Word into each story. The stories include Big Words like lollygagging, irksome and phenomenon! What kid could resist trying those out?! Told through Judith Henderson's hilarious dialogue and T.L. McBeth's fun illustrations, these stories are highly accessible and simple to read. Add that to the stories' mix of deadpan and slapstick humor, and you've got a pitch-perfect book for emerging readers that's both entertaining and enriching. The Big Words included --- with a kid-friendly pronunciation and definition for each --- help young readers to build their vocabularies. For a bonus at the end of the book, a ?Small Play on Big Words? uses all the Big Words together.

Two best friends follow their flights of fancy in this first book in a graphic novel series for early readers. Best friends Willa and Wade really want to fly. Sure, Willa’s an ostrich and Wade’s a penguin. But there must be some way they can get off the ground! The two thorough thinkers try different ways — from pirouettes to pogo sticks — to catch some air. But while they do a lot of trying, it doesn’t lead to any flying! Will the friends ever reach their lofty goal? Kids will be charmed. Who doesn’t want to fly? Especially with your best friend beside you!