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Counting, music, colors, and more! These kits contain books and games to familiarize the kiddos with a variety of concepts.
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Learn about Wisconsin's flora and fauna while hiking the Ice Age National Scenic Trail with these Explorer Backpacks courtesy of the Ice Age Trail Alliance.
Staff Picks for Kids
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Bug in a Vacuum
A bug flies through an open door into a house, through a bathroom, across a kitchen and bedroom and into a living room ... where its entire life changes with the switch of a button. Sucked into the void of a vacuum bag, this one little bug moves through denial, bargaining, anger, despair and eventually acceptance -- the five stages of grief -- as it comes to terms with its fate. Will there be a light at the end of the tunnel? Will there be dust bunnies in the void? A funny, suspenseful and poignant look at the travails of a bug trapped in a vacuum.
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Monster Baker
In this punny picture book with bright and colorful illustrations an adorable monster learns about determination after a series of baking disasters, perfect for fans of Marigold Bakes a Cake.
Tomorrow is Grandmonster’s 247th birthday, and Tillie has a boo-rilliant idea. She’s going to bake a birthday cake! But when Uncle Hairy gobbles up Tillie’s near-Pierrefect Squirmin’ Chocolate Cake, she rushes to bake another.
SPLAT!
And another.
“MY CAKE!”
And another.
SHRIEK!
Baking on her own isn’t easy, and Tillie makes many mistakes, learning that with a little patience, care, and determination, she can do just about anything. After all, like star chef Pierre du Monstère says, “A baker always rises to the occasion!”
Monster Baker includes a recipe of Tillie's favorite cookies: Chocolate Cherry Scaries! -
I Am a Dragon!
A grumpy dragon gets fired up when he is mistaken for a Very Large Frog in this laugh-out-loud picture book perfect for fans of Mo Willems and Jon Klassen!
A squad of frogs is excited when they spot a Very Big Frog in their pond. But when the creature says that he isn't a frog, the frogs insist that he's the one who is wrong.
What happens when the creature has had enough of the frogs' quibbling?
Find out in this pitch-perfect, hilarious read-aloud about misunderstandings, imagination, forgiveness, and friendship!
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A Troop of Kangaroos
A party of jays, a parade of elephants, a stench of skunks, and so many more make up this delightfully funny and informative picture book about animal group names!
Packed with vibrant art, young readers will not only learn what we call certain groups of animals, but it will tickle them with literal images. That party of jays? Those birds have party hats and streamers galore!
A Troop of Kangaroos is early nonfiction that will entertain and teach. -
When You Reach Me
"Like A Wrinkle in Time (Miranda's favorite book), When You Reach Me far surpasses the usual whodunit or sci-fi adventure to become an incandescent exploration of 'life, death, and the beauty of it all.'" —The Washington Post
This Newbery Medal winner that has been called "smart and mesmerizing," (The New York Times) and "superb" (The Wall Street Journal) will appeal to readers of all types, especially those who are looking for a thought-provoking mystery with a mind-blowing twist.
Shortly after a fall-out with her best friend, sixth grader Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes, and she doesn’t know what to do. The notes tell her that she must write a letter—a true story, and that she can’t share her mission with anyone.
It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that is the case, then Miranda has a big problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die, and she might be too late to stop it.
Winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Fiction
A New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book
Five Starred Reviews
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"Absorbing." —People
"Readers ... are likely to find themselves chewing over the details of this superb and intricate tale long afterward." —The Wall Street Journal
"Lovely and almost impossibly clever." —The Philadelphia Inquirer
"It's easy to imagine readers studying Miranda's story as many times as she's read L'Engle's, and spending hours pondering the provocative questions it raises." —Publishers Weekly, Starred review
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The Thing About Jellyfish
This stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist!
After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting--things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.
Oddlot Entertainment has acquired the screen rights to The Thing About Jellyfish, with Gigi Pritzker set to produce with Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon. -
Linked
An unforgettable novel from the New York Times bestselling Gordon Korman.
Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika.
Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing?
Because Michael was the first person to see it, he's the first suspect. Because Link is one of the most popular guys in school, everyone's looking to him to figure it out. And because Dana's the only Jewish girl in the whole town, everyone's treating her more like an outsider than ever.
The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face-not just the crimes of the present, but the crimes of the past.
With Linked, Gordon Korman, the author of the acclaimed novel Restart, poses a mystery for all readers where the who did it? isn't nearly as important as the why?
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Song for a Whale
The award-winning and USA Today bestselling story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him.
"Fascinating, brave, and tender...a triumph." --Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award-winning author of The One and Only Ivan
From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she's the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she's not very smart. If you've ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.
When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?
Full of heart and poignancy, this affecting story by sign language interpreter Lynne Kelly shows how a little determination can make big waves.
And make sure to read Lynne Kelly's next book and instant classic, The Secret Language of Birds! -
Cat on the Run in Cat of Death! (Cat on the Run #1) - From the Creator of the Bad Guys
From the New York Timesbestselling author of The Bad Guyscomes another hilarious illustrated series starring a pampered cat who is way tougher than anyone realizes.
What happens when the world's biggest cat video star gets accused of a crime she didn't commit? She becomes a cat on the run, that's what.
But how do you avoid capture and prove your innocence when you are the most famous feline on the planet? Well, it ain't easy.
Follow Princess Beautiful -- for that is her name -- as she goes from meme megastar #1 to public enemy #1 and cheer her on as she fights to clear her name.
Is she a super villain? An internet-famous buffoon? Or a butt-kicking gal who's just been seriously underestimated?
YOU be the judge...
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Echo
Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this genre-defying masterpiece from storytelling maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan.
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.
Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.
Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, ECHO pushes the boundaries of genre and form, and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories. The result is an impassioned, uplifting, and virtuosic tour de force that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck. -
The Sea in Winter
In this evocative and heartwarming novel for readers who loved The Thing About Jellyfish, the author of I Can Make This Promise tells the story of a Native American girl struggling to find her joy again.
It's been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions.
Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can't understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she's dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
But soon, Maisie's anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as roiling and cold as the ocean?
The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
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Search for a Giant Squid
A new and exciting pick-your-path STEM adventure for emerging readers!
This series starter takes emerging readers on an expedition to the ocean's twilight zone in search of a giant squid. But giant squids are hard to find. Readers will need to join the expedition and help make choices along the way.
First they'll pick their submersible. And then their pilot and dive site. They'll need to be careful--not every path leads where it seems, but whatever path they pick, they'll see and learn amazing things!
SPARKS INTEREST IN STEM: This introduction to the career of marine zoologist, and the other members of a deep-sea expedition, lets readers dip their toes into being a teuthologist--a scientist who studies cephalopods such as octopus and squid.
ENTERTAINS WHILE IT EDUCATES: Each possible path leads to a different outcome, so readers learn new facts about scientific expeditions and marine life as they explore the deep seas in search of the elusive giant squid.
COMIC BOOK APPEAL: The bright, graphic-paneled imagery will entice kids drawn to comic books, while also making the abundance of information accessible even for the most reluctant reader.
A DEEPER STEM DIVE: Teaches not just about giant squid, but about the many people needed to undertake a scientific expedition.
INCLUSIVE APPROACH: Research shows children need to "see it to be it." The images in the book showcase a broader range of inclusivity than many STEM titles.
THE FIRST IN A SERIES: Watch for the next choose-your-own-path book, all about mushrooms and mycology: the study of fungi!
Perfect for:
- Emerging readers with an interest in STEM, ocean animals, and squids!
- Excellent resource for teachers, librarians, and homeschool educators to explore science, travel, and career topics
- Fans of other pick-your-path type books, National Geographic kids' books, and the Magic Tree House and Who Would Win book series
- Birthday, holiday, or summer break gift for boys and girls who love adventure books, animal books, and stories about the kraken and other sea monsters
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Honeybee
Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner
Take to the sky with Apis, one honeybee, as she embarks on her journey through life!
An Orbis Pictus Honor Book
Selected for the Texas Bluebonnnet Master List
Finalist for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books
A tiny honeybee emerges through the wax cap of her cell. Driven to protect and take care of her hive, she cleans the nursery and feeds the larvae and the queen. But is she strong enough to fly? Not yet!
Apis builds wax comb to store honey, and transfers pollen from other bees into the storage. She defends the hive from invaders. And finally, she begins her new life as an adventurer.
The confining walls of the hive fall away as Apis takes to the air, finally free, in a brilliant double-gatefold illustration where the clear blue sky is full of promise-- and the wings of dozens of honeybees, heading out in search of nectar to bring back to the hive.
Eric Rohmann's exquisitely detailed illustrations bring the great outdoors into your hands in this poetically written tribute to the hardworking honeybee. Award-winning author Candace Fleming describes the life cycle of the honeybee in accessible, beautiful language. Similar in form and concept to the Sibert and Orbis Pictus award book Giant Squid, Honeybee also features a stunning gatefold and an essay on the plight of honeybees.
Cook Prize Honor Book
A Kids' Book Choice Award Finalist
An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, NPR, Shelf Awareness, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly and more!
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year!
A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
A Booklist Editor's Choice
Named to the Texas Topaz Reading List
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection -
Snail Crossing
In a book that is as cheerful and charming as Snail himself, Corey Tabor tells a winning tale of slow but steady Snail, whose determination and kindness bring him the best reward of all: friendship.
When Snail spies a plump, crisp cabbage across the road, nothing will stop him--not a speeding car or even a hungry crow.
But then kindhearted Snail stops to help a crew of antsy ants in a rainstorm, and he loses his way. It looks like he will never get his treat--until Snail's new friends come up with an ingenious idea. . . .
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Flubby Is Not a Good Pet!
A 2020 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book
Meet Flubby--the lovably lazy feline who prefers a purr-fectly laid-back lifestyle!
Flubby is a large, sleepy cat who refuses to do the things that other pets do. He won't sing, catch, or even jump! But when a scary situation brings Flubby and his owner together, they realize they really do need each other--and that makes Flubby a good pet after all.
The charming illustrations, simple text, and comic-like panels by J. E. Morris, author-illustrator of the Maud the Koala books, make this a unique format with a narrative style perfect for storytime and progressing readers.