New Releases by Janet Stevens

Unworldly teenager Gemma was beginning her working life in a busy London office, with high hopes of following family tradition by establishing a career in the Civil Service. She had no idea a chance meeting a few days later would mean her chosen path heading way off course, sending her whole future in an entirely unplanned direction. No idea of the roller coaster she was embarking on, held for life by a soul-deep bond which could not be broken. She should have heeded the first warning, thus avoiding the emotional turmoil that lay in wait. Dave. Could she – should she – trust him? Faced with life changing situations and decisions, Gemma had the love and support of others to help her. Yet time after time, when she should have taken the opportunities to extricate herself from the all-consuming relationship, she would ultimately press the ‘self-destruct’ button, sending her spiralling back towards the man who possessed her. Dave. There was no escape... was there?

From award-winning author-illustrator team Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel comes a "well-imagined" (SLJ), laugh-out-loud picture book about teamwork, friendship, and a group of problem-solving school supplies.

After fast-talking Fox leaves him with a large, green egg, Bear spends minutes, hours, days, and weeks lovingly caring for it with the help of his neighbor Hare.

"...a straightforward retelling of the traditional tale. Using sound effects and music to emphasize events, this recording stands alone or can be enjoyed with Janet Stevens'' illustrations...fine quality and high popularity." - Booklist

One fine afternoon, Anansi the Spider sees his friend Turtle walking along the river carrying a large fish. "Where did you get that fish?" he asks. Turtle replies, "I caught it today when I went fishing." Anansi likes to eat fish, but he is much too lazy to catch them for himself. He decides to trick Turtle into catching a fish for him instead. Young readers will laugh as they watch Anansi''s plan backfire in this companion volume to Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock.

"When a young child takes her favorite toy along to the park, the market, and the lake, and for a car ride, she mistakenly leaves him behind."--Publisher.

Ruff! Ruff! Yip! Yip! Dog is rounding up whatever he can find in his urban apartment, even chairs. He is also driving his bird companion crazy with the commotion. Bird sends him to the countryside to find something more appropriate to herd, such as a cow. but since Dog has never seen a cow, he finds all the wrong animals. After being pecked by a chicken, spattered with mud by a pig, and walloped by a donkey, Dog needs a friend. By chance a mysterious and kindly animal helps lead him back to the city, only to cause chaos there, before revealing her identity -- as a cow!

A hilarious, bestselling cat-and-dog story returns as a Dragonfly paperback! Merl the Cat''s pampered life is turned upside down when a little golden retriever puppy moves into the house. Merl tells the story of how he tries his best to oust the newest member of his household. Thwarted at every turn by the ever-growing puppy, he finally comes to terms with the presence of his big dog. Hilarious illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Janet Stevens make this one story kids will ask to read again and again!

Meet Skyy, a fantastic new superhero—and sensitive assassin—who defends the helpless and brings justice to those who cannot fight for themselves. Sandora "Sandy" Knight is an enigma even to those who know her. Running a Fortune 500 company by day, she sheds her hip-hop cosmopolitan identity by night to become the Lady in Black, also called Skyy, a sexy and smart vigilante who protects the innocent from child molesters, rapists, serial killers, and other low-life scum. After her own traumatizing childhood, Skyy is determined to save children from harm by any means necessary. Black Skyy weaves an intricate tale of heroism, lethal beauty, and intoxicating eroticism. Skyy believes she is called by God to use her abilities to save others from the brutality of life—even if her methods are questionable at times. Set in both New York and Washington, DC, Black Skyy follows Skyy''s adventures in all their sensational and sensual thrills as she employs her uncanny intellect to capture and punish evildoers. Battling not only the bad guys, but also her inner conflicts, Skyy must fight to find her place and purpose in life, as both a woman and a symbol of justice.

With the questionable help of his friends, Big Brown Rooster manages to bake a strawberry shortcake which would have pleased his great-grandmother, Little Red Hen.

As she tries to settle down for a nap, a mouse who lives in a shoe is visited first by Tortoise and Hare, then by Little Red Hen, and lastly by the Big Bad Wolf.

Never seen a jackalope? Not even sure what one is? Well, you''ve come to the right place. You''ll get the whole wild story right here in this book. You see, the jackalope didn''t start out with horns. First he was a plain old hare. You know, a jackrabbit. The horns came later, along with a corny fairy godrabbit and a cranky coyote. And the trouble those horns brought--hoooo-wee! With a gut-busting brew of sassy storytelling and outrageous art, Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel finally give the jackalope his due. After all, he''s long been part of American legend--isn''t it time to tell the real story?

Every night the rhyme gets read. Every night Dish and Spoon run away. And every night they return--until tonight! Where can Dish and Spoon be? The rhyme can''t go on without them, so Cat, Cow, and Dog set out to search for their missing friends. But where to start? Should they go north? East? Northeast? They''ll just have to read Fork''s map, ask directions, and try not to get lost in Little Boy Blue''s haystack or under Miss Muffet''s tuffet or in Big Bad Wolf''s kitchen--"FEE, FI, FO . . ." Oh no. Could that be the giant?

Hare turns his bad luck around by striking a clever deal with the rich and lazy bear down the road.

Hare solves his family''s problems by tricking rich and lazy Bear in this funny, energetic version of an old slave story. With roots in American slave tales, "Tops & Bottoms" celebrates the trickster tradition of using one''s wits to overcome hardship. "As usual, Stevens'' animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. . . . It''s all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing."--"Booklist" This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Stories)

Hare solves his family’s problems by tricking rich and lazy Bear in this funny, energetic version of an old slave story. With roots in American slave tales, Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of using one’s wits to overcome hardship. “As usual, Stevens’ animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. . . . It’s all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing.”--Booklist

A basset hound is miserable until he adopts some kittens.Baxter the Basset Hound comes to the aid of some kittens when their mother disappears one afternoon.Winner Of:Colorado Children''s Book AwardYoung Hoosier Picture Book AwardNevada Young Readers AwardWashington Children''s Choice Picture Book Award

A town mouse and a country mouse exchange visits and discover each is suited to his own home.

Three clever billy goats outwit a big, ugly troll that lives under the bridge they must cross on their way up the mountain.