"Mrs. Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings." So starts the first of four magical little books about cat siblings Thelma, Roger, James, and Harriet. The four live with their mother in a terrible neighborhood, filled with rubbish, hungry dogs, fierce rats, and too... Read More

After flipping a pancake atop Henry's head, Grandpa spurred to tell his grandkids a story about the town of Chewandswallow. "The only thing that was really different about Chewandswallow was its weather. It came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner." In the ensuing illustrations, the citizens of... Read More

If you think Cesar Millan, TV’s Dog Whisperer, gives good advice, wait’ll you meet Mr. Mutt, a certified Canine Counselor. Desperate and beaten down dogs send heartfelt letters and attached photos to Mr. Mutt, a bespectacled and solemn-faced brown dog, and he responds with practical dog-centric advice. “And remember, you... Read More

Retold by a master storyteller who recalls each story from her North Carolina childhood, these five crackling traditional African American folktales about the crafty trickster Bruh Rabbit and his animal pals and rivals will get your listeners thumping their chairs with laughter. Bruh Fox believes there are roasted chicken legs... Read More

Babymouse: Queen of the World. Babymouse connives to gets herself invited to a sleepover at the house of her arch nemesis, a popular cat named Felicia Furrypaws, but ultimately realizes she far prefers to hang out with her faithful friend, Wilson Weasel.So far, there are nine un-put-down-able graphic... Read More

You think you have a problem pet that rules your roost? Get a load of this quintessential bad kitty, a sleek, black, rowdy ruffian who is none too happy about getting a bath. OK, that’s an understatement. Usually, Kitty licks herself clean, though we see her going overboard here, licking... Read More

Franny K. Stein, Little Girl Mad Scientist, the only one in her otherwise normal family interested in mad science, comes up with a winning invention for the school Science Fair project: a Time Warp Dessert Plate that allows her to have her cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, at the... Read More

Taking bits and pieces of plot and descriptions from 17 different versions of the Cinderella story worldwide, Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman (Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices; HarperCollins, 1988) offers up a composite story, a melting pot of Cinderellas. The busy paneled paintings look like folk art... Read More

Though their first encounter ends with a heated argument when Lizard accuses Snake of blocking his path with her tail, they soon realize they like each other a lot. Through 15 delightful short stories, rich with dialogue and illustrated with diminutive pen and ink and watercolors on every other page,... Read More

Inside the backpack, where it’s dark and smells like a wet bathing suit, Lumphy the buffalo feels cramped, StingRay is trying to think calming thoughts, and Plastic is humming, which she does when she’s feeling nervous. Where is the Little Girl with the blue barrette taking them? StingRay worries that... Read More