No matter how hard he tries, even with the help of his classroom aide, Ian Goobie can't do the things that the other children in his class can do. Every day he dreads going to school. Then he finds a rock, a rock that fits perfectly in his pocket, a rock that touches all his senses and whisks him away into a whole other world. From then on, as long as he has a rock in his pocket, Ian Goobie can manage his daily challenges. That is, until he stuffs so many rocks in his pockets that his pants fall down right outside in the schoolyard, in front of all his classmates. This might be the biggest challenge Ian Goobie has had to face yet.
Owl is confused. She doesn't know what tomorrow means. When does today turn into tomorrow? Does tomorrow begin in the middle of the night, at a certain time in the morning or not until you wake up? Mouse, Hedgehog and Rabbit try to explain, but Owl still doesn't understand. The forest animals make a plan to stay awake all night to find out, but what if they fall asleep? How can you tell it’s tomorrow if it’s already today when you get there?
Bruno's home is a bit different, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. Bruno's friend Sanjay is lucky: he doesn’t have to share his room (well, except with a pet iguana), and he can leave his toy soldiers all over the house. And Bruno’s brother, Mateo, who is visually impaired, is pretty lucky too: He has a dog named Rocco who helps him get around. Plus, Mateo can keep reading after dark by using just his fingers (while Bruno has to use a flashlight). Still, Bruno has it pretty good. He can leave his bed a total mess. He can play dinosaurs with Sanjay and his iguana. And he can listen to Mateo’s made-up adventure stories (Mateo is a great storyteller). If he had to compare, he’d say he was the luckiest of all to have such a great friend and great brother.
An indoor cat brings a community together after his dreams of exploring the outside world quickly go awry. Bob is an orange tabby cat with big dreams. He lives in a safe and friendly apartment building with his human, Pippa, but Bob knows he is more than an indoor cat—he's a Jungle Cat! When he sneaks outside to chase after his dream, Bob's adventure suddenly gets too wild.
This heartfelt imagining of what happens when a beloved pet dies offers children a caring introduction to the emotions of grief and loss, from a perspective of love and healing. Shay and their dog Fluffy are best friends. Through the years they are each other’s source of comfort and companionship in times of both sadness and joy. When Shay learns that Fluffy is sick and they must say goodbye, they feel angry and scared. But Fluffy offers a gentle reassurance—as she always has—and Shay reflects on the meaningful bond they have shared with their friend and the love for her that they will hold in their heart forever.
Angus loves sparkly things, so much so that he can hear them. To Angus, shiny objects not only look beautiful; they also crackle, buzz and go whiz-bang-POP! His unique ability is lost, however, when Angus wears his grandma's beaded necklace to school, and his classmates tease him for his atypical choice. Saddened by their laughter, Angus stops hearing the sparkle. A gentle story of acceptance, generosity and friendship, Angus All Aglow reminds us that it only takes one kind gesture to restore your sparkle, and returning the kindness can make you glow from the inside out.
Now that his parents are separated, Ludo has two homes: one in the country with his mom, and the other in the city with his dad. The young boy doesn’t like leaving the countryside and his friends to go to his father’s apartment in the city, but he does find some entertainment in the flashing traffic lights on the street corner under his window. Ludo convinces himself (with the help of his father) that the lights are controlled by a tiny gentleman who sits inside the signal pole, flipping switches all day and night. Ludo starts sneaking out to leave food for the man, and he soon makes a new friend in the big city. A tender story, complemented by vibrant illustrations, that reminds us empathy and generosity are marvelous tools to overcome one’s troubles.
Every summer morning, Ellie and her Nonna go to the beach. They swim and build sandcastles, and while Nonna reads, Ellie watches the other children play. One day Ellie builds up the courage to approach an older girl playing on her own in a beached rowboat. Piper has a gift, an imagination so great that she whisks Ellie off on grand adventures, going high in the air, deep below the ocean and everywhere in between in their little blue boat, their magic boat. When Piper has to leave, Ellie discovers she has her own vivid imagination.
Danny and his friends, Anita, Petou and Marcel, are typical prairie youngsters hockey mad. The four are always playing road hockey or involved in a game of shinny on the community rink. One day a town team, the Wolves, is formed. The friends are overjoyed, but when the time comes to choose the team, only Marcel is picked. The other three friends are not chosen; Anita is a girl, Petou is too small and Danny cannot skate. It is the biggest disappointment of Danny's life. But near the end of the season, the regular goalie is injured and Danny is asked to replace him. If the Wolves can win the game, they will make the playoffs! This is Danny's chance to prove that even though he can't wear a pair of skates, he can still play the game.
Hanna is fed up with her best friend, Lizzy, who is always trying to be better than her. When Lizzy tells Hanna she can throw her ball farther and succeeds, it’s the last straw. Hanna is tired of feeling second best, but what she doesn’t realize is that sometimes she makes Lizzy feel that way too. Maybe there’s a way they can still be best friends after all. A funny and relatable story about best friends, competition and learning to see things from another’s point of view.
Kate has decided on a pirate theme for her party. She thinks that seven is going to be the best age to be. Her friend Jake is going to teach her to ride a two-wheeler. And her party is going to be fabulous. That is, until Violet starts spreading stories. Kate goes right on with her planning, but she is worried. When Violet is the only one to show up on the big day, Kate thinks that her worst fears have come true.
George is hardly bigger than a child's middle finger. His knees and his elbows don't bend and his legs are fused together. When Katie and Mackenzie find him at the edge of the ocean, they are unimpressed, but George keeps turning up in their lives. And what may seem ordinary to a girl and a boy can be an awesome adventure if you are six centimeters tall.
In behind the raspberry bushes is a special place, a place Abby doesn't trust to just anyone. Then she looks through a knothole in the fence and right into a blue, blue eye. A toy tractor appears on her side of the fence and she pokes her little brother's stuffed blue monkey into the hole. The next morning she finds it with its tail ripped off. Who does the blue eye belong to?
Pierre, a pampered pooch, misses his friends, Sparky and Lou. But how will he ever find them? They live in a park on the other side of town. Pierre has a plan, and one afternoon while Miss Murphy naps, he slips out of their apartment and sets off to bring his friends home. Along the way, Pierre meets Old Wheezer and remembers Miss Murphy's words, "Dogs and people belong together." In the end, Pierre helps find a loving home for everyone.
Fred is a near-sighted dog who worries all the time. He worries the most about what kind of trouble Pete is going to get them into next. Unlike Fred, Pete is a happy, impulsive dog who believes something wonderful waits around every corner. Fred and Pete live with their human, Ron. When the dogs misbehave, Ron leaves them at home for the day. So the dogs decide to find their own way to the beach. Pete is sure they can get to the beach by themselves, meet up with Ron and all will be forgiven. Full of misgivings, Fred hurries after Pete, if only to try to keep him out of trouble. Follow Fred and Pete on an adventure where they hitch rides in anything with wheels, and optimism prevails.
Finn loves to swim with the seals in a secret cove. He arrives at the cove one day and rescues a young seal tangled in netting. Finn wishes the seal could live on land. That night the seals sing. "No good comes from seal songs," says Finn's father. When Sheila, a mysterious girl no one has ever seen before, appears on the cannery docks, the fisher folk are uneasy. They believe the newcomer is a magical selkie, a shape changer.
Elliot Moose is on the loose once more. As he jumps aboard his bright red fire truck and takes off to the next rescue, he feels courageous. All his friends want to ride on the truck and be firefighters too. Nobody wants to be rescued. One by one,Elliot's friends climb aboard until there is no more room on the truck. When suddenly they all need a rescue for real, it is his two youngest and smallest friends who save the day. This lively new addition to the Elliot Moose series is a charming tale of friendship and fair play.
When eleven puppies are born on Mollie's family's boat, chaos ensues. Mollie's mother wonders what to do, but Mollie has an idea. She will host a tea party in order to find homes for Charlotte, Heidi, Stuart, Margalo, Max, Pippi, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. But Wilbur ... Wilbur is special. Not just any home will do for him.
Seven-year-old Christina desperately wants a dog. When she visits a kennel with her parents, she comes home with Prince, a greyhound recently retired from his champion racing career. Christina is thrilled and spends all her time with her new pal. They are like two peas in a pod. But one day, when Prince is left alone in the backyard, he escapes. Christina's mother searches everywhere for him only to find him at the schoolyard gate waiting for Christina. Promising never to leave him alone in the backyard again, her father brings home a little Chihuahua named Chancho. Now Prince will always have a companion to play with.
Today, Maybe is a story about a little girl who is waiting for someone, a friend. She doesn't yet know who it will be. In a series of surprising and humorous encounters, several well-known characters of children's literature arrive at her door. But none of them are the one she is waiting for, and she graciously sends them all away. With her bird to keep her company and hope filling her heart, weeks and then months pass as she waits and waits. When there is a scratch at the door one night, certainty fills the little girl's heart, and she opens the door to discover true friendship is indeed worth waiting for.
Shelley arrives at her aunt and uncle's cottage on Grey Rocks Lake and is excited to see her cousin Kyle. Her excitement quickly turns to disappointed when she discovers Kyle's friend Marcus is staying at the cottage too. Shelley feels left out of the boys' games. Then the fossil she found at the beach goes missing, and she thinks Marcus took it. But when Topper, Kyle's dog, loses her ball, Shelley and Marcus are given an opportunity to become friends.
Kate and Jake have always been best friends; always, that is, until Jake's cousin, Lionel, moves nearby and Jake starts spending time with him instead. Kate struggles with his abandonment and her own loneliness as she seeks new friends that share her likes and dislikes. And, perhaps there is a place in her life for her old best friend after all.
Nell makes two wishes on her birthday, but the next day they show little sign of coming true. Everyone in her household is busy and wants her out from underfoot and no one is willing to help her find her lost cat. In the end she finds more than a cat and she makes her own wishes come true with the help of a row of tall, bright, smiling sunflowers.
Reg and Keely are twins. Keely loves painting and bugs. Reg loves rocks. Keely sings crazy rhymes. Reg plays softball. Shawna and Burt are their friends. In this series of linked stories, the children's deep involvement with their daily activities never falters, from a bug walk, through incidents flying a kite and dividing labor at clean up time, to a chance to swim in the river on a hot summer's day.
Kate is determined to win her spelling club's spelling bee, but the competition is fierce. She can almost put up with Violet's relentless claims of superior spelling ability, but when Kate and Jake begin to fight with each other, Kate is miserable. She wants to win the contest, but she doesn't want to lose her best friend.
