When does eavesdropping become espionage? When it’s being done by Olivia the pig, of course! Olivia misinterprets what she overhears her parents discussing providing readers with another engaging, humorous romp. Signature illustrations capture Olivia’s antics and expressions.
Olivia the Spy
The impatient young knight is tired of peeling the wizard’s turnips even if they are crucial to the magical mixture. When the wizard is away, the knight decides to create her first enchanted potion but accidentally turns the horse, Edward, into a ravenous, monstrous worm! The comic book format moves the wacky saga along to its equally silly conclusion.
Hocus Focus
Young inventor, Frank Einstein and his friend Watson along with his walking, talking robots Klink and Klank, are back. This time, Frank has invented the ‘evoblaster’ which allows the user to evolve into other forms and then back again. Real science combines with laugh-out-loud humor in the latest installment.
Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster Belt
The narrator describes a very different visit to the museum after the class returns to school. Were the Neanderthals really alive; did he truly rearrange the dinosaur; could it all have been a figment of his imagination? Energetic illustrations and understated narration create the comedy in this truly unique and highly inventive adventure.
A Funny Thing Happened at the Museum …
Duck is inspired to take a trip as he and Goose relax in their beautiful meadow. The duo walks to a beach where they meet the locals, explore tide pools, and build a sandcastle before returning home. The feathered friends’ simple adventure exudes gentle humor and warmth in text and illustration.
Duck & Goose Go to the Beach
When their parents steal a monkey from the zoo to help them pick pockets, our heroes rush into action and return the wily animal using disguises, inventions, and old-fashioned shoe leather. They also learn what a monkey can do in 11 minutes! This is the first book in a new, funny series.
Good Crooks: Missing Monkey!
It all begins when Alexander H. Gory Jr. passes around a notebook in which he reveals a tantalizing secret: he has proof that their teacher, Mrs. Penrose, is a vampire. Soon the entire class is speculating and adding their opinions to the notebook until … it lands in Mrs. Penrose’s hands. It turns out that Mrs. Penrose has been keeping a secret: she is expecting a baby. But since the notebook is encouraging her students to write and improving their spelling and grammar, Mrs. Penrose allows it to continue circulating. The notebook becomes a terrific place for jokes, poems, stories and the correspondence between the students and their favorite author.
Our Teacher Is a Vampire and Other (Not) True Stories
Move over, Captain Underpants, a couple of new pranksters are in town. Narrated by fifth-grader Wilbur and featuring his third-grade brother, Orville, this funny story follows the antics of two boys with overactive imaginations and a comfortable sibling relationship. They manage to make even their daily chores a fun adventure, with games like Snarf Attack, where the goal is to make an opponent laugh so hard at dinner that milk comes out of his or her nose.
Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All
The year is 1862, and 12-year-old P.K. “Pinky” Pinkerton is on the run from Whittlin’ Walt and his gang of ruthless desperados. P.K. is determined to hold on to Ma’s last priceless possession: the deed to a large amount of land and silver mines in the Nevada Mountains. P.K. will have to be both clever and cunning to evade the band of outlaws. All this is seen through the eyes of P.K., a half-Lakota kid with Asperger Syndrome, which makes him chronically unable to interpret the intentions of people around him.
P.K. Pinkerton and the Case of the Deadly Desperados
Charlie’s perfectly ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan. When his father heads from California to Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie reluctantly travels cross-country with his boy-crazy sister, unruly brothers, and a mysterious new family friend. This story is equal parts madcap road trip, coming-of-age story for an autistic boy who feels he doesn’t understand the world, and an uplifting portrait of a family overcoming a crisis. See our interview with the author, Sally J. Pla ›
The Someday Birds
A young toddler and his very large dog share a mischievous nighttime adventure. Few words (primarily woof and out!) extend the humorous illustrations to its satisfying and cozy conclusion.
Out!
Humor abounds in the both the text and comic (but surprisingly informative) illustrations to introduce readers to a host of little known animals. Fact and fun combine in this engaging look at some amazing critters.
Lesser Spotted Animals
Private I tries to assuage 6 who just knows that 7 is coming to get him! Why? Because 7 8 9, of course! Wordplay and over-the-top humor make this satire of old detective stories sophisticated. Told with tongue in cheek language and colorful illustrations, this is a very funny tale.
7 Ate 9: The Untold Story
Antonio Barichievich was a giant. He weighed as much as a horse and once dragged four busses filled with people! Most amazingly, he really lived in Montreal (Canada). Antonio’s story comes to life with verve and wit in graphic format with lighthearted illustrations and easier to read text.
The Great Antonio
Triangle — a triangular shape with big eyes and stick legs — decides to leave his triangular house to play a trick on square. But turnabout is fair play in this whimsical but sardonic tale. The illustrator’s signature style are textured, deceivingly simple, and placed on open pages.
Triangle
When their parents go on a trip, Yorick decides to play around with his father’s alchemy. Accidentally inventing a shrinking potion, a very tiny Yorick must rely on his younger — now much larger brother — Charles to keep him safe until the spell can be reversed. Steig’s rich language and cartoon illustration set the tale in medieval times and remain as fresh today as when the book was first published.
The Toy Brother
Spritely, translucent watercolors jaunt across the pages of a poem by romantic poet, John Keats. The nonsensical adventure begins: “There was a naughty Boy,/A naughty boy was he,/he would not stop at home,/He could not quiet b—“ and ends with the boy still a’wondering. This poem was written by — and about — Keats in a letter to his sister as he traveled, now illustrated and presented for others to delight in its fancy.
A Song About Myself
The humble and sometimes abused copper penny tells its own story in this humorous combination of fact and fantasy. It begins, “I was born in Philadelphia, where the United States was born” and continues revealing its adventures small and historical. Cartoon illustrations in simple line and real pennies augment the combination of fiction and information. The penny’s history and additional resources conclude this entertaining book.
One Proud Penny
It’s nighttime on the farm and everyone is ready to snuggle in. But when Pig plops into his sty, he hears a MOOO! It seems no one wants to sleep in their own place. One by one, however, each displaces the interloper until sleep can really happen. Comic illustrations accompany the vivacious tale to its satisfying, sleepy conclusion.
Go Sleep in Your Own Bed!
Thirteen classic poems by poets such as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and David McCord are paired with parodies written by J. Patrick Lewis that honor and play off of the original poems in a range of ways. This playful introduction to classics will inspire imagination and wonder even as it tickles funny bones.
Keep a Pocket in Your Poem: Classic Poems and Playful Parodies
Funny, engaging poems and pictures worth poring over offer readers delightful details about some really crazy cars! Ready for a ride in the Dragonwagon? How about an Eel-ectric Car? You really auto take these poems out for a spin.
Poem-mobiles: Crazy Car Poems
Seventh grader Olive is tired of feeling left out at school because she prefers acting in the drama club rather than playing a sport. Her school is so sports crazy that the principal never acknowledges any of the other clubs during the morning announcements. Olive decides it’s time to take action and embarks on a game plan to ensure that her drama club and other groups at school get the attention they deserve. A perfect book for Readers’ Theater!
The Capybara Conspiracy: A Novel in Three Acts
The day was perfect for cat, dog, bird, and squirrel who wanted nothing more than the warm sun, cool water, seeds, and corn. Each enjoyed their perfection until a large carnivore arrived on the scene! Textured illustrations with a lighthearted text effectively tell the story of a perfect day — at least for one large mammal!
A Perfect Day
The narrator was born on May 17th, a “sunny spring day!” On May 19th, she ate lots of aphids but on June 2nd ate one of two brothers. The life of the praying mantis begins in spring, ends in October, with its own description of life in between. Inviting illustrations illuminate the understated text. Endpages fill in information about a praying mantis’ life cycle.