Most Popular Books by James Howe

When eleven-year-old Maria must go to the hospital for open-heart surgery, she finds strength in her friendship with a badly scarred burn victim.

Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.

The Monroe family pets, Harold and Chester, are boarded at Chateau Bow-Wow. While at Cheteau Bow-Wow, Louise, a French poodle disappeared. Harold and Chester try to find what happened to Louise.

In their fifth adventure, the Monroe family pets are once again boarded at the Chateau Bow-Bow when the Monroes go on vacation. The kennel''s creepy goings-on continue, but this time it appears that murder may have been added to the services. Illustrations.

CHESTER, the cat, Harold, the dog, Bunnicula, the vampire (?) rabbit, and Howie, the wirehaired dachshund puppy, return in this sequel to Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery and Howliday Inn to ask the question: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of lettuce? Chester has just finished retelling the tale of Bunnicula to Howie, who has just joined the Monroe family, when he discovers that Bunnicula is missing from his cage. Chester stays up all night worrying. What becomes of the vegetables Bunnicula attacks (for he is after all a vegetarian vampire)? Do they become vampire veggies serving their master''s evil ways? Certain that the town is crawling with killer parsnips and homicidal heads of lettuce, Chester sets out with Harold and Howie and a box of toothpicks for spearing the little devils through the heart. En route to finding Bunnicula, driving tiny stakes through whatever white vegetables lie in their paths and thereby saving the town of Centerville, the threesome have more than their share of adventures, including an encounter with an ill-tempered white cat named Snowball and an unexpected trip to the town dump. Finally the strange actions of everyone in town, including Toby and Pete Monroe, convince Chester that he may be too late, that Bunnicula and his minion vegetables may have taken over the town. Chester and his merry band race to save what souls they can. But, of course, Chester has been known to be wrong before.

Howie casts himself as the hero who will save the world from a rampaging koala bear that emerges from the disgusting clutter under Peter Monroe''s bed. Illustrations.

Howie the dog is afraid of Santa Claus and believes ghosts are haunting Christmas.

Harold the dog and his fellow pets, Howie and Chester, stand guard over Mr. Monroe, who''s made of chocolate fudge. But when they fall asleep, the fudge suddenly turns white and disappears altogether. Has Bunnicula the vampire bunny struck again? Full color.

As a school assignment, a 13-year-old boy writes an alphabiography--life from A to Z--and explores issues of friendship, family, school, and the difficulties of being a gay teenager.

Sticks and stones may break our bones, but names will break our spirit.

A class''s new teacher, who leads the children in a number of very popular activities, turns out to be a gorilla.

One boring rainy afternoon Teddy Bear decides to bring out his scrapbook, which contains photographs and newspaper clippings from his long and illustrious past.

Houndsley and Catina run into trouble when they decide to prove that they are the best at cooking and writing, respectively.

This critically acclaimed book has been thoroughly updated and reillustrated with all-new photographs. "An excellent book for introducing the kindergarten experience."--Booklist. "For all those normal fears and questions, this book has the answers, and gets them right."--Publishers Weekly.

Seven-year-old Pinky, a confirmed dog lover, has a change of heart after his family''s new pet kitten pounces on his foot in the middle of the night.

Cafeteria food may be hazardous to your health. Poor Milo Groot -- he''s sprawled on the cafeteria floor, his cracked glasses inches away from his white face. Could it be the apple chili dogs? Could it be poison? Kids at the middle school are dropping like flies, and Sebastian Barth suspects there''s something fishier than tuna dreamboats behind the epidemic. The trouble is, too many cooks have had the chance to spoil the stew. Sebastian finds out. At least he thinks he does, but he soon discovers that whipping up a dramatic disclosure without all the ingredients is a recipe for disaster.

This wry tale of two brothers who amiably try to outdo each other by creating jumbo-size imaginary friends makes a great read-aloud and is a follow-up to There’s a Monster Under My Bed.

As she sits watching a seemingly perfect family and a handsome lifeguard on the beach, a lonely, troubled girl projects herself into the fantasy lives she has created for them.

From a bestselling and award-winning team comes a moving, gorgeously illustrated picture-book biography of one of the greatest cellists of all time, Yo-Yo Ma, and his lifelong passion for using music to unite people in harmony and joy “I’ve been asking myself all my life, ‘What is the purpose of music?’” –Yo-Yo Ma At a young age, Yo-Yo Ma discovered a remarkable gift for the cello, playing Bach from memory by age four. His technique was far beyond his years, but even as he grew and became a world-class musician—studying at Juilliard, performing at Carnegie Hall at a young age, even playing on television before the president of the United States—he wanted to use his gift for something deeper, something bigger. As he asked question after question, trying to understand his place in the world, he discovered something that every culture has in common: music. Ma decided that he would spend his life not only performing for others, but learning from other cultures’ musical traditions and finding ways to unite people. Even as he dedicated himself to humanitarian work around the world, Ma also dedicated himself to teaching a new generation of young cellists to play with their whole hearts, bodies, and souls, like he does—how to find the music inside themselves. From James Howe, bestselling author of Bunnicula, and Jack Wong, award-winning author/illustrator of When You Can Swim, comes the story of legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was special not only because of his unmatched talent but also his curious mind and compassionate heart. Powerfully told and stunningly illustrated, this biography will inspire readers to discover the gifts inside us all. Back matter includes an author’s and an illustrator’s note, a timeline of Ma’s life, and resources to learn more about his life and work.

When scary strangers appear at the Monroes'' overnight campsite, Chester the cat tries to convince the family''s two dogs that foul play is intended.

Despite her size and not having the proper footwear, a determined dinosaur pursues her dream of becoming a ballerina.

Pinky learns the importance of identity as he defends his favorite color, pink, and his friendship with a girl, Rex, from the neighborhood bully.

"Let''s just say the matter is under control," Chester slyly tells his pals Harold and Howie. But what on earth does he mean? It seems that Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit, is back to his old ways -- or so Chester thinks, having found pale vegetables drained of their juices scattered about the Monroe family kitchen. And now, once and for all, Chester is determined to save the world from this threat. But why has Bunnicula -- so frisky just a short time ago -- been so listless and tired of late? Is this part of Chester''s scheme? Can Harold let Chester get away with hurting an innocent bunny, no matter what his harebrained suspicions are? It is not long before the Monroes notice Bunnicula''s condition and rush him to the vet, and then the chase is on, ending up with a dramatic confrontation in a most unusual (and dangerous!) location.

Houndsley likes canoeing and his friend Catina likes bicycling, but each has to help the other learn to enjoy these activities in order to do them together.

When Otter falls in love with his food source, a fish named Myrtle, he must decide whether to follow the way of the otter or the way of his heart.

Harold, Chester, and Howie have a harrowing Halloween night worrying about Bunnicula as well as about a witch who comes into the house.

Skeezie Tookis navigates a pivotal summer of first crushes and tough choices in this conclusion to the bestselling and acclaimed quartet that began with The Misfits. Skeezie Tookis, also known as Elvis, isn''t looking forward to this summer in Paintbrush Falls. While his best friends Bobby, Joe, and Addie are off on exciting adventures, he''s stuck at home, taking care of his sisters and working five days a week to help out his mom. True, he gets to hang out at the Candy Kitchen with the awesome HellomynameisSteffi, but he also has to contend with Kevin Hennessey''s never-ending bullying. And then there''s the confusing world of girls, especially hot-and-cold Becca, his maybe-crush. And the dog that he misses terribly. And the dad who left two years before, whom Skeezie is convinced is the cause of all his troubles. In the words of the King, Skeezie Tookis is All Shook Up. Skeezie''s got the leather jacket of a tough guy, but a heart of gold--and his story, the fourth and final chapter of the beloved Misfits series, is brimming with life''s tough choices, love in all directions, and enough sweet potato fries to go around.

Friends Houndsley and Catina are sad because they do not know when their birthdays are, but they solve the problem in a thoughtful and creative way. Jr Lib Guild. Reprint.

Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.

"When I was new, my grandpa was very old." When Emily was two, her grandpa sang songs to her. When she was four, he read her stories. When Emily is five, her beloved grandfather dies. Her family decides to remember him in two ways: with a Christian funeral, because Grandpa was Christian, and a Jewish service, because Emily''s family is Jewish. Both ways are beautiful. But Emily finds a way of remembering her grandpa that is just as beautiful and meaningful...and that''s all her own. In this tender story for all families a young girl learns how to say goodbye to her grandpa without letting go of his memory.

Dear possible reader of this book, My editor asked me to write a third book in my series, Tales from the House of Bunnicula. And did I have trouble getting started! I was afraid I used up all my ideas. But faster than a writer can say “What if?” I came up with a story! It’s about a lovable and smart (not to mention cute) orphan wirehaired dachshund puppy named Howie, who has a mysterious pain in his leg and is mysteriously invited to attend the Dogwiz Academy for Canine Conjurers. Together, Howie and his best friend, the very, very, very smart Delilah, who speaks in a British accent in this book for some reason, discover they must fight a sinister foe…The-Evil-Force-Whose-Nam-C’not-Be-Spoke!!! Your friend, Howie

Contests-Fiction.

When Toby Monroe has a birthday party, his pets'' curiosity is aroused by seven strange suitcases which they investigate, with surprising consequences.

Pinky and Rex and the Just Right Pet