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In each of these three short, colorfully illustrated stories, the grandmother loves her Little Pumpkin as only a doting grandmother can. Chubby, multi-ethnic children are brightly portrayed in sparkling watercolors.

Choco is a little yellow bird who lives all alone. When Choco decides that he wants a mother, he has trouble finding one who looks just like him. Finally, just as he has given up hope, he meets Mrs. Bear. Not only does Mrs. Bear hug him and kiss him, she takes him home to her family. A delightful story about finding family in wonderful (and unexpected) places. Also available in Spanish.

Every Sunday Tommy and his family visit the two nanas: upstairs Nana is Tommy’s great-grandmother who stays in bed because of her age; the active Nana downstairs is his grandmother. Tommy is forlorn when Nana upstairs dies, but comes to understand that she remains with him through his fond memories of times shared. New artwork in a larger format was created to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of this modern classic.

This delightful book is set on a Caribbean island and features a little white rabbit who admires a beautiful black girl. He asks her what her secret is and she tells him to drink lots of black coffee and to eat lots of black beans. He doesn’t give up though and in the end finds what change he can make.

Miss Moody loves storms. They wash up many surprises, which she always uses in her sturdy little seaside house where she lives with Captain Kidd, her cat. One day, Miss Moody and Captain Kidd find a bottle washed up on the beach. When they ignore the warning not to open it, they release a mean, evil, genie-like creature. Undaunted, Miss Moody and her cat outsmart and defeat the monster. Dramatic illustrations are both comforting and appropriately spooky in this satisfying story in folktale tradition.

His classmates taunt Oliver because he prefers to dance and draw and do other things that other boys don’t much like. But Oliver’s practice and passion for dance gain the respect and admiration of the kids after his performance. This tough topic is handled with sensitivity and humor in both text and illustration.

When they find their mother gone from the nest, three owlets worry that their mother won’t return, but of course she does. Stunning illustrations combine with repeating text for a reassuring story.

Both Pink, the son of black slaves, and Say, a poor, white boy, fought in the Union army during the Civil War. Only Say survives the Andersonville Prison to tell of their remarkable friendship and how Pink saved Say and taught him how to read. This poignant story, complemented by Patricia Polacco’s signature illustrations, is based on a story from the author’s family.

Ever wonder why popcorn pops? When did it become a favorite food? With humor and verve in text and illustration, dePaola presents scientific and historical information about popcorn in this delectable book.

A little lion cub cannot understand why no one, from 1 red monkey to 8 brown gazelles, wants to play with him. His roar is not frightening to the 9 yellow lion cubs he meets, however, and the ROAR of 10 playful lions sends all the animals stampeding away! The rhythmic text with the repeated “roar” encourages participation as children follow the energetic, gently humorous illustrations and explore animal habitats as well as numbers and colors.