The Bear who Wasn’t There by Oren Lavie
"Irresistible...playfully existential."
-- O, The Oprah Magazine
"Bear's search for himself doesn't matter so much as the charm of Lavie's storytelling voice as he narrates it...Erlbruch gives the bear big, puzzled-looking eyes and a lovable grin. He lives in a forest made of ornate trees seemingly lifted from vintage engravings, whose delicate lines play off Bear's dumpy figure. Bear's encounters with various characters--the Turtle Taxi, the Penultimate Penguin--feature gentle wordplay and Lewis Carroll-like paradoxes...Everything is new to Bear, and hisdiscoveries will delight readers."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Erlbruch's playful, distinctive illustrations...are sublime."
--Kirkus Reviews
"The volume is filled with surreal gags about prepositions and adverbs, cheerful absurdity, and down the rabbit hole-style musings."
--School Library Journal
"The book is filled with the bear's paradoxical, enigmatic, and sometimes Zen-like musings as he meets various creatures in the forest who assist him...This one would make for a thought-provoking read-aloud at story time. Get those children settled--it's a lengthy text--and present to them this gloriously left-of-center tale. Watch their heads spin. It'll be memorable."
--Kirkus Reviews, new children's books feature
"A lovable entertainment and quest venture that veers back and forth into existential territory without missing a beat of its adorable nature."
--Center for Fiction
"Young readers with a philosophical nature and an appreciation for provocative silliness will be especially gratified by Bear's self-discovery...Erlbruch's illustrations, which look like etchings, fit the story well. The Fabulous Forest effectively evokes a fairy tale feel, and Bear, a portly fellow with huge eyes, a bright red mouth, and colorful flecks in his black fur, is loveable at first sight."
--New York Journal of Books
"Imaginatively written by Oren Lavie and beautifully illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch,The Bear Who Wasn't There: And the Fabulous Forest is classic fable in the making and will prove to be an original and enduringly popular addition."
-- Midwest Book Review
"This cheeky book...is a melding ofPhantom Tollbooth logic,Alice in Wonderland whimsy, and peppered with a cast of unforgettableLittle Prince like characters...You can't help fall into the imaginative world of this delightfully clever picture book."
--BookBloom
One day, a few minutes after Once Upon a Time, a bear awakes to find he has lost something very important: himself! He sets out into the Fabulous Forest to find himself, using only a few clues scrawled on a piece of paper: the bear he's looking for is a nice bear; he is a happy bear; and he's very handsome too! These sound like pretty good qualities to Bear, and so begins his memorable journey. With the help of Fabulous Forest critters like the Convenience Cow, the Lazy Lizard, and the Penultimate Penguin, Bear finds that he himself is just what he's been looking for all along: a nice, happy bear--and handsome too!
As whimsical as Winnie-the-Pooh and as wryly comic as Klassen's bear who wants his hat back,The Bear Who Wasn't There joins a select crew of unusual bears who have captured the imagination of children for generations.
The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater
Parents’ Choice Recommended
An inquisitive fox sets off on a seafaring voyage with a crew of deer and pigeons in this enchanting tale of friendship and adventure.
Marco the fox has a lot of questions, like: how deep does the sun go when it sinks into the sea? And why do birds have such lizardy feet? But none of the other foxes share his curiosity. So when a magnificent ship adorned with antlers and with a deer for a captain arrives at the dock looking for a crew, Marco volunteers, hoping to find foxes who are as inquisitive as he is that can answer his questions. The crew finds adventure and intrigue on their journey. And, at last, Marco finds the answer to his most important question of all: What’s the best way to find a friend you can talk to?
Sleeping Dragons All Around by Sheree Fitch
In this classic children's book, a girl wakes up in the middle of the night and wants some cake. But to reach the refrigerator, she has to tiptoe past a host of sleeping dragons, like Priscilla in her pink pantaloons, the punk rock dragon Fagan with spiky green hair, and Beelzebub (who sleeps in the tub). When she stubs her toe, the dragons wake up, and she has to think fast to befriend the dragons.
An award-winning bestseller first published in 1989, Sleeping Dragons All Around is back to spark the imaginations of a whole new generation. Sheree Fitch's celebrated lipslippery poetry and Michele Nidenoff's colourful illustrations combine to make one of the most delightful children's books ever published in Canada.
Sheree Fitch has read this book to audiences from sea to sea to sea in Canada, in the Himalayas, and along the eastern coast of Africa. Her first two books, Toes in My Nose and Sleeping Dragons All Around, launched her career as a poet, rhymster, and a "kind of Canadian female Dr. Seuss." Fitch has won almost every major award for Canadian children's literature since then, including the 2000 Vicky Metcalf Award for a Body of Work Inspirational to Canadian Children. She has over twenty-five books to her credit. Fitch's home base is the east coast of Canada. She dances with dragons daily.
Michelle Nidenoff's illustrations have been featured in magazines and children's books, including The Canadian Children's Treasury. Among her credits is a bronze award from the Broadcast Design Association in Ontario. She lives in Toronto.
Love by Matt de la Pena
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"[A] poetic reckoning of the importance of love in a child's life . . . eloquent and moving."—People
"Everything that can be called love -- from shared joy to comfort in the darkness -- is gathered in the pages of this reassuring, refreshingly honest picture book."—The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice / Staff Picks From the Book Review
“Lyrical and sensitive, ‘Love’ is the sort of book likely to leave readers of all ages a little tremulous, and brimming with feeling.”—The Wall Street Journal
From Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling illustrator Loren Long comes a story about the strongest bond there is and the diverse and powerful ways it connects us all.
"In the beginning there is light
and two wide-eyed figures standing near the foot of your bed
and the sound of their voices is love.
...
A cab driver plays love softly on his radio
while you bounce in back with the bumps of the city
and everything smells new, and it smells like life."
In this heartfelt celebration of love, Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling illustrator Loren Long depict the many ways we experience this universal bond, which carries us from the day we are born throughout the years of our childhood and beyond. With a lyrical text that's soothing and inspiring, this tender tale is a needed comfort and a new classic that will resonate with readers of every age.
Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers
#1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 TIME Best Book of the Year for 2017!
The exquisite and thought-provoking new book from the multi award-winning, internationally best-selling picture book creator of Lost and Found, Oliver Jeffers.
Well, hello.
And welcome to this Planet.
We call it Earth.
Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you've only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let's explore what makes our planet and how we live on it. From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you'll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else... Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: you've just got to be kind.
Here We Are is the utterly heartfelt new book from Oliver Jeffers. We're glad you found it.
"An optimistic snapshot of contemporary life, this heartfelt hug of a book ought to become a classic" The Guardian
Don’t Kiss the Frog by Waters & Burfoot
Don't Kiss the Frog!: Princess Stories with Attitude Compiled by Fiona Waters; Illustrated by Ella Burfoot
Perfect for girls who love tiaras, ball-gowns, and happy endings--but also sports, silly jokes, and being different. Featuring the work of seven writers and three illustrators, this anthology of "princess stories with attitude" will make kids laugh as they encounter a bevy of sleepy, sporty, clumsy, brave, resourceful, and curious princesses. The exuberant typographic design is an excellent match for the story-telling style and colorful artwork.
Dear Girl by Amy Krause Rosenthal
The #1 New York Times bestseller that Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb calls “a beautiful, beautiful book.”
The New York Times bestselling author of I Wish You More, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and her daughter Paris Rosenthal collaborate to bring you the heartwarming and inspiring Dear Girl,
Dear Girl, is a remarkable love letter written for the special girl in your life; a gentle reminder that she’s powerful, strong, and holds a valuable place in the world.
Through Amy and Paris’s charming text and Holly Hatam’s stunning illustrations, any girl reading this book will feel that she's great just the way she is—whether she enjoys jumping in a muddy puddle, has a face full of freckles, or dances on table tops.
Dear Girl, encourages girls to always be themselves and to love who they are—inside and out.
Dear Girl,
This book is for you.
Wonderful, smart, beautiful you.
If you ever need a reminder, just turn to any page in this book and know that you are special and you are loved.
—Amy and Paris
A perfect gift for all occasions.
ABC Animals! by Rufus Butler Seder
***A 2016 National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA) winner
The timeless appeal of alphabet books meets the richest Scanimation book ever. ABC Animals is a romping, stomping journey from A to Z, and all the animals come alive—as many as four to a page—in the excitement of Scanimation. It’s the alphabet as it’s never been seen before: Watch the Alligator snap, the Bats swooping, the Camel trot. There’s L for the Lion proudly prowling along, and M for the Mouse scurrying inside his wheel. And it all culminates in the largest Scanimation image yet: Z, for Zoo, where all the animals gather to play.