Check out these new children's books!

Picture Books

The Wicked Big Toddlah by Kevin Hawkes (PreSchool-Grade 2)
Absolutely nothing exciting happens in Maine . . . nothing, that is, except for the birth of one giant baby. "That's one wicked big toddlah you got there!" exclaims Uncle Bert . . . and so Toddie is named. Toddie's a baby just like any other . . . sort of. The thing is, he's big—really big. That means really big diapers, really big teeth, really big everything. From new booties that wear out the knitter to a bath in the ocean (it's fun to play with boats!), Toddie goes through all the stages of baby's first year . . . it's just a little different for Toddie.

My Life as a Chicken by Ellen A. Kelley (Kindergarten-Grade 3)
When Pauline Poulet learns she'll be the next special of the day at Cock-a-Doodle-Doo Café, she flies the coop faster than you can say "Chicken pie, delicious"! Thus begins her journey of peril and catastrophe, courage and chance: She is chased. She is dunked. She is tossed tail over beak. But can Pauline escape the dinner plate?

Butterfly House by Eve Bunting (Kindergarten-Grade 3)
With the help of her grandfather, a little girl makes a house for a larva and watches it develop before setting it free, and every summer after that butterflies come to visit her.

Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli (Kindergarten-Grade 3)
The mercury is climbing in Lumberville, and the folks are doing everything they can to keep cool. Officer McGinnis spends the day in a cold bath, Lottie Mims does her housework in her bathing suit, and Abigail and Ralphie Blue sell ice cubes. When the temperature refuses to relent, the entire community seeks solace by the river--where everyone dreams of cool relief.

The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend (Kindergarten-Grade 2)
Jack the cat is building the perfect nest. It’s bound to attract the perfect chicken, who will lay the perfect egg, which will make the perfect omelet. And sure enough, a chicken shows up ("¡Caramba!"), but so do a duck ("Sacré bleu!") and a goose ("Great balls of fire!"). Feathers get ruffled -- and Jack gets much more than breakfast -- in a funny tale rich in detail with a sweet final twist.

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy by Jane O'Connor (Ages 4-7)
Fancy Nancy is back! And when her family decides to get a dog, she's certain she can be fancier than ever. After all, a papillon--a small, delicate, fluffy do--is the ultimate accessory. But her family wants a large, plain dog. How unglamorous!

Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino (PreSchool-Grade 1)
All week long, a boy and his father look forward to their Friday ritual--breakfast at their favorite diner. The leisurely walk through the neighborhood is just as good as the pancakes at the end.

Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco (Grades 2-4)
Virginia Vincent Folsum, better known as Ginger, is a very elegant lady. An accomplished pianist, socially active--and what style! “You are what you wear” is her motto. But Ginger’s greatest passion is her pet pig, Petunia, whom she pampers endlessly. When Ginger is called out of town for a performance, Petunia is left on her own. Donning Ginger’s stunning gowns, Petunia poses as Ginger and conducts business as usual, with no one the wiser. Hilarity ensues as Petunia becomes the toast of the town, proving Ginger’s motto that you really are what you wear.

The End by David LaRochelle (PreSchool-Grade 3)
"...And they lived happily ever after."
So begins David LaRochelle and Richard Egielski's wacky original fairy tale, which traces the courtship and marriage of a handsome knight and a beautiful princess . . . backwards! Before we reach the beginning, we meet a temperamental giant, a beleaguered cook, a dragon who's scared of bunny rabbits, an oversized tomato, and an impish figure on a flying pig who just might be the cause of all the madness. It's a conventionally perfect and perfectly unconventional take on the fairy tale -- guaranteed to convert the Grimmest reader to giggles.

I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry (PreSchool)
When a giant squid takes inventory of all of the creatures in the ocean, he realizes that he’s way bigger than most of them! Of course, there are bigger things lurking around ... but maybe this giant squid with a giant touch of hubris doesn’t really care?

Easy Read Books

Annie and Snowball and the Dress-Up Birthday by Cynthia Rylant (Kindergarten-Grade 2)
Annie and her pet bunny, Snowball, love living next door to Annie's favorite cousin, Henry and his dog, Mudge. Whether it's playing Frisbee or watching old movies, there's no shortage of fun to be had when these four are together. Annie's birthday is coming up, and she can't wait to invite Henry and Mudge over for a dress-up party. But when the guests arrive, it's Annie who gets the big surprise!

Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (Kindergarten-Grade 2)
Boy and fly meet and so begins a beautiful friendship. Er, and so begins a very funny friendship. Using hyperbole, puns, slapstick, and silly drawings, bestselling author/illustrator Tedd Arnold creates an easy reader that is full of fun.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: School Days by Erica Silverman (Ages 4-8)
In this new boot-stompin' adventure, Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa are going to school. Well, Cowgirl Kate is going--horses are not allowed. Luckily, there's plenty of time after school to make a new friend and have fun doing homework. One lesson Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa both learn . . . they're best partners no matter what. With its snappy text and sweet, silly illustrations, this third book in the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series is sure to rope in young cowhands everywhere.

Chapter Books

How to Save Your Tail by Mary Hanson (Grades 2-5)
How does a cookie-baking Rat named Bob save his tail from being gobbled by two hungry cats? By serving them cookies and telling them fantastic fairy tales about his family, of course. There's the story about great-grand uncle Mustard who upgrades his family to a lovely three-bedroom brick house. (All's well until some wolves with snout-warts show up.) And there's the one about how starving Grandma Lois was forced to take a job spinning straw into gold. (Impossible to do . . . until a hairy chimney troll comes along.)

Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist by Liz Kessler (Grades 3-6)
When Emily Windsnap discovers an old diamond ring during a class hunt for trinkets, how is she supposed to know that the ring is half the key to unlocking an ancient curse by Neptune himself? Now, with the ring stuck firmly on her hand, Emily finds herself under a new curse: in just a few days, she’ll cease to be half-human and half-mermaid and must say good-bye to one parent forever. Can she possibly find the other missing ring that will break all the curses? Is there anyone who can help her -- before it’s too late?

Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt (Grades 2-6)
Yes, Jack Plank started out to be a pirate. His shipmates all liked him, and their ship, the Avarice, was certainly very beautiful. But after a while it was clear that he wasn't much good at plundering. He just didn't have the knack for it. So what to do?

Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel by Ruth McNally Barshaw (Grades 3-6)
Ellie McDougal (better known to her friends as Ellie McDoodle because she loves to draw) is a nearly-twelve-year-old prisoner . . . of her aunt, uncle, three annoying cousins, and her baby brother, Ben-Ben. Sentenced to a week-long camping trip with them while her parents are out of town, Ellie is absolutely, positively determined to hate every single minute of the experience. Thank goodness she at least has her sketch journal, in which she records all the excruciating (and okay, very funny) details. Mosquito bites and trips to the Fred Moose museum she can handle. But how will she keep her journal from falling into Er-ick the Enemy’s hands? And what will happen when--gasp--she actually starts having fun?

Getting Air by Dan Gutman (Grades 4-6)
Jimmy, David, and Henry are psyched. It's summer, school's out, and they are on their way to California, where they will be able to do some major skating. But on the plane, the unthinkable happens: They are hijacked by terrorists. As frightened as they may be, they take action and they succeed. Sort of. They may have beaten the terrorists, but now their plane has crashed in the middle of nowhere and all of a sudden, their summer vacation is about finding food, shelter, and a rescue. Can three normal twelve-year-old boys find a way to get by without fast food and skate parks?

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey (Ages 9-12)
Welcome to Centerburg! Where you can win a hundred dollars by eating all the doughnuts you want; where houses are built in a day; and where a boy named Homer Price can foil four slick bandits using nothing but his wits and a pet skunk. The comic genius of Robert McCloskey and his wry look at small-town America has kept readers in stitches for generations!