"Happy birthday to me," sings the jovial little toddler, clad in a white diaper and a striped birthday hat. "Look! I got a present!" he announces. It's a box as big as he is, wrapped in polka dotted paper and ribbon. What's inside? A big brown box! What's inside? It's... Read More

James and his friend Eamon spend a week at the beach with Eamon's grandparents, Bill and Pam, so the boys can attend nature camp together. Each day Bill drives them to camp where they seem underwhelmed by the activities. Since this story focuses on the stuff they do at Bill... Read More

Sad because he does not know the date of his own birthday, Houndsley, a rumpled brown floppy-eared dog confides his feelings to his best friend, Catina, a white cat. "I do not know when my birthday is either," she tells him. Houndsley thinks he has made her sad and decides... Read More

The night Kitten sees her first full moon, she thinks it's a little bowl of milk in the sky, and she wants it. She jumps at it, and chases it, and climbs a tall tree all the way to the top, but still she can't reach it, poor Kitten. When... Read More

Party animal Chato, the coolest cat in el barrio, is having a great time at the neighborhood birthday party that the mice next door are throwing for Chorizo the dog. They play shake-paws, jiggle-the-mice, and toss-the-cat-in-the-blanket. Chato's best homecat, Novio Boy, doesn't seem to be having fun. Are... Read More

Lilly’s heart leaps when her adored teacher, Mr. Slinger, reveals to his class of mice that he is going to marry Ms. Shotwell, the school nurse. “It will be the biggest day of my life,” she tells herself, confident that she will be his flower girl. In her bedroom, she... Read More

“Before Harry was born, there was ME! Now there’s me. And Harry.” Pity the poor narrator—beleaguered, disillusioned, ignored, and aggrieved—a former only child for whom life used to be bliss. Harry, a winsome and contented diaper-clad baby, takes an uninvited bite of his big brother’s banana; spits up smelly, yucky,... Read More

In one week, Rosa Maria's youngest grandchild, Little Catalina, will be seven. The whole family will squeeze into Rosa Maria's tiny casita for the party. Each day of that week, she plans the menu: enchiladas, rice and beans-Rosa Maria knows no dinner is complete without rice and beans-birthday cake, lemonade,... Read More

Oh, the heartbreak of liking someone who doesn't like you back. The narrator, six-year-old Lily, yearns to be noticed by seven-year-old Tamika at the neighborhood pool on Wednesday playgroup day. Lily is ever hopeful, claiming, "Tamika is my best friend. She just doesn't know it yet." Tamika ignores her in... Read More

Take a glorious month-by-month tour through the kindergarten year with master teacher Miss Cribbage, a guinea pig, as seen through the eyes of Emily the rabbit, one of eight animal students in the class. You'll get to know all of them: Diane, Emily, Louise, Martha, Odysseus, Otis, Roger, and Terrance,... Read More

I Am Invited to a Party!When Piggie gets a cool invitation to go to her first party, she invites her best friend Elephant to go with her. “Party! Party! Party! Party!” the two chant joyously. Elephant declares, "I know parties," and that, as it turns out, is very... Read More