192 pages, inner pocket

Like most dogs, Jake loves playing fetch. Unlike most dogs, Jake loves music even more. He loves to wag his tail to the beat of an ordinary day and "sing" with the birds. When his friend Richie, the principal stagehand at the Philharmonic, brings Jake to work one day, Jake is treated to a lesson in real music. He "woofs!" to the tweeting woodwinds and "ruffs!" to the deep horns, but when he hears the entire symphony orchestra practice, he knows to be quiet and listen. And when a crisis develops at that night's performance, Jake steps onstage and steals the show.

Paul turns into a monster complete with a long green tail when his parents say it is bedtime

192 pages, inner pocket

192 pages, inner pocket

Three little chicks are sound asleep when they hear a mysterious cheep! But who could it be? Babies and toddlers can follow along as the three chicks set out to investigate. Plush collage figures in nursery-room colors look soft enough to cuddle up to, while sturdy card-stock pages and safely rounded corners will hold up to repeated readings. Reviews "Take a family of adorable, three-dimensional chickens-constructed from velvety, cozily domestic terry cloth-add a text made up entirely of words with a giggle-inducing 'eep' sound, and the result is this irresistible, inventive paper-over-board book. 'Sleep' starts off the first spread, where a chicken family tries to get some shut-eye. A turn of the page shows a 'Cheep' coming from the egg below their perch. Making a joint 'Leap!' (the smallest chick uses its blankie as a parachute) the peeping protagonists land in a comic 'Heap' and eagerly welcome their newest addition. Baicker-McKee (the FussBustersseries) gives her absorbent cast minimalist facial features and highly streamlined appendages (the two-color backdrops are equally spare). But she comes up with an amazing array of expressions and comic poses; when the reconstituted family settles down on the perch for a group slumber party, the two smallest downy siblings share a priceless conspiratorial wink and hug. Young children will undoubtedly view the chick family as toys come to life and be thoroughly enchanted. Here's hoping another diphthong inspires a follow-up from this talented team."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "The art is extremely simple while being exactly right. Digitally assembled from puffy terrycloth bodies, googly eyes and the odd feather or two, the chickies are cuteness in action! One to keep." -Kirkus

A renowned authority on the secret world of opium recounts his descent into ruinous obsession with one of the world’s oldest and most seductive drugs, in this harrowing memoir of addiction and recovery. A natural-born collector with a nose for exotic adventure, San Diego–born Steven Martin followed his bliss to Southeast Asia, where he found work as a freelance journalist. While researching an article about the vanishing culture of opium smoking, he was inspired to begin collecting rare nineteenth-century opium-smoking equipment. Over time, he amassed a valuable assortment of exquisite pipes, antique lamps, and other opium-related accessories—and began putting it all to use by smoking an extremely potent form of the drug called chandu. But what started out as recreational use grew into a thirty-pipe-a-day habit that consumed Martin’s every waking hour, left him incapable of work, and exacted a frightful physical and financial toll. In passages that will send a chill up the spine of anyone who has ever lived in the shadow of substance abuse, Martin chronicles his efforts to control and then conquer his addiction—from quitting cold turkey to taking “the cure” at a Buddhist monastery in the Thai countryside. At once a powerful personal story and a fascinating historical survey, Opium Fiend brims with anecdotes and lore surrounding the drug that some have called the methamphetamine of the nineteenth-century. It recalls the heyday of opium smoking in the United States and Europe and takes us inside the befogged opium dens of China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. The drug’s beguiling effects are described in vivid detail—as are the excruciating pains of withdrawal—and there are intoxicating tales of pipes shared with an eclectic collection of opium aficionados, from Dutch dilettantes to hard-core addicts to world-weary foreign correspondents. A compelling tale of one man’s transformation from respected scholar to hapless drug slave, Opium Fiend puts us under opium’s spell alongside its protagonist, allowing contemporary readers to experience anew the insidious allure of a diabolical vice that the world has all but forgotten.

240 pages, inner pocket

Bugs bite, drink blood, and rob food from gardens and fields. They can even kill plants, animals, and, occasionally, people. Is bugging a crime? Alexandra Siy compiles "rap sheets" on several of the major categories of bugs and takes a very close look at some of the types of insects in an engaging text. The fascinating photo micrographs magnify insect parts from 10 to 300,000 times their actual sizes. this kid-friendly approach, coupled with meticulous research and lively writing, turns learning about insects into an intriguing experience.

A classic, poetic introduction to the forty-four presidents! Do you know which president never attended school? Which president had fifteen children? The first president to keep an automobile at the White House? The only unelected president? The Buck Stops Here is filled with fascinating details that tell the history of the forty-four presidents of the United States. Campaign slogans and songs, scandals, wars, accomplishments, and failures color each page and bring life to each president as a unique historical personality. In a book that is truly for all ages, Alice Provensen give us a close, personal view, in pictures and text, of our presidents, as well as a visual and social history of our country.

240 pages, inner pocket

Maggi and her dog Milo work as partners in perfecting the art of froghunting.

Taking her very smart, very big dog on a frog-hunting venture after reading a book about frogs, little Maggi discovers that hunting frogs is harder than anticipated and welcomes Milo's help. A first book.

Bella is an indoor cat who lives inside a lighthouse and who has always imagined exploring the high seas. One day, Bella hops onto a sailboat and drifts away. . . . In this whimsical picture book, author-illustrator Ryan O'Rourke introduces lovable Bella, whose travels bring her to new friends and magical under-the-sea adventures and, ultimately, return her home. O'Rourke's distinctive artwork conveys the humor and curiosity of Bella and her friends, including a friendly whale and a wise octopus. Sea dogs and landlubbers alike will delight in the beautiful seascapes inspired by O'Rourke's summers on Cape Cod.

192 pages, inner pocket

Angelina and her friends have to memorize and recite poems in front of the entire class. Angelina has no trouble with the assignment, but the same can't be said for her best friend Alice, who has a major case of tummy butterflies! Luckily, Angelina is there to help Alice overcome her fear—by putting her poem to a dance,

Humble Bumbles, the best-selling baby journal in America, has been updated for a 2nd edition, celebrating the joy, love, and adventure surrounding a baby’s first three years. Complete with 100 beautifully illustrated journal pages that include placeholders for mementos, photographs, sonograms, family tree, and more, this edition also includes a full-color growth chart, 24 adorable color photo frames, one large vellum envelope to keep baby’s mementos, two small vellum envelopes for baby’s hospital bracelet and lock of hair.

192 pages, inner pocket

A funny and affectionate look at all the things your parents do for you. It's not all tidying up and making you brush your teeth ...

You may think your parents just boss you around and tell you what to do. And there's no getting away from it - they do have to do quite a lot of that! But there's so much more to them - did you realise they are also tent poles for dens that are wonky, dustbins for bits you don't want to eat up and grandstands to make you grow tall?

Wrongly accused of a theft, Tintin is led to set out with Snowy on an adventure to investigate a gang of forgers.

The world's most famous travelling reporter solves the mystery of the Black Island. Wrongly accused of a theft, Tintin is led to set out with Snowy on an adventure to investigate a gang of forgers. Join the most iconic character in comics as he embarks on an extraordinary adventure spanning historical and political events, and thrilling mysteries. Still selling over 100,000 copies every year in the UK and having been adapted for the silver screen by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson in 2011. The Adventures of Tintin continue to charm more than 80 years after they first found their way into publication. Since then an estimated 230 million copies have been sold, proving that comic books have the same power to entertain children and adults in the 21st century as they did in the early 20th.