New Releases by Judy Sierra

From the bestselling creators of Wild About Books comes a rhyming, counting, and teamwork-focused picture book about the beginnings of a new zoo! When Takoda the tiger cub happens upon a tumbledown mall, the lone cub imagines a zoo. All Takoda needs is a capable crew to lend a paw or two--or three, four, or more. Two rhinos, three lemurs, four oryx, and eventually ten crocodiles turn up to help. Soon the animals are finding places to pitch in: bears are carving out burrows, elephants are stomping the way for a playground, and crocodiles are crafting a waterslide. It seems everyone''s got something to do--everyone, that is, except for ten eager bugs. Will they be underestimated for their size or will this be a new kind of zoo where everyone counts? Judy Sierra''s rhymes and Marc Brown''s colorful, folk-inspired art lend themselves to themes of counting and teamwork in this new picture book all about how a tiger cub and a whole lot of friends to count on add up to one wonderful zoo. A Bank Street Best Book of the Year, Outstanding Merit "The creators of Wild About Books and Wild About You! again demonstrate finely tuned creative teamwork in this nimble tale about cooperation, inclusivity, and the rewards of a job diligently done."--Publishers Weekly "Sierra''s rollicking rhymes are fun to read aloud and listen to, and Brown''s gouache and pencil illustrations give children lots of details to pore over. This rhythmic, imaginative romp practically reads itself aloud."--Kirkus

“Teachers will have field day with this wordplay; this caper is clever, capricious, and cunning.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Bored with sitting in a dictionary ‘day in, day out,’ the words make a break for it and organize a parade which…introduce linguistics terminology in just about the most playful way possible.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “This is a charming, peppy introduction, enhanced by Comstock’s energetic, retro-flair illustrations, which fill the pages with cavorting words and creative details…In approach and format, this is both entertaining and educational—likely to hold and pique kids’ interest in the topic and provide a fun learning supplement.” —Booklist (starred review) When all of the words escape from the dictionary, it’s up to Noah Webster to restore alphabetical order in this supremely wacky picture book that celebrates language. Words have secret lives. On a quiet afternoon the words escape the dictionary (much to the consternation of Mr. Noah Webster) and flock to Hollywood for a huge annual event—Lexi-Con. Liberated from the pages, words get together with friends and relations in groups including an onomatopoeia marching band, the palindrome family reunion, and hide-and-seek antonyms. It’s all great fun until the words disagree and begin to fall apart. Can Noah Webster step in to restore order before the dictionary is disorganized forever?

A lively new picture-book biography of the most beloved children’s book author of all time: Dr. Seuss! Have you ever wondered how the great Dr. Seuss wrote his most famous book? Did you know that for The Cat in the Hat, he wasn’t allowed to make up the fun words he was known for—like OOBLECK and IT-KUTCH and HIPPO-NO-HUNGUS? He was only allowed to use words from a very strict list! This bouncy account of the early career of Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Ted Geisel) proves that sometimes limitations can be the best inspiration of all. Kid-friendly prose (with Seussian rhyme for Ted’s dialogue) and whimsical illustrations by award winner Kevin Hawkes recall the work of Dr. Seuss himself. Writing tips from Dr. Seuss and exclusive letters from the author and illustrator, detailing how they created this book, are included!

Animal toddlers arrive for storytime with Miss Bingo the flamingo.

This picture book about the first day of school, featuring a frog, a duck, a mouse, and a snail, combines a story in rhyme with colorful graphic rebuses, making it a fun book for parent and child to share in the reading. Children about to enter kindergarten or first grade who long to be able to read will get a sense of accomplishment by "reading" the little rebus pictures in the story. Judy Sierra, author of Wild About Books, uses bouncy rhyme and rhythm as cues for the child to name the pictogram rebuses. Preschoolers will enjoy following the animals and their teacher, Tom Burkey (who is a turkey), through a happy first day of school.

A little girl is shopping in a grocery store when—surprise!—she meets a dinosaur. Don''t worry. The dinosaur is very friendly. She''s polite, too. In this funny story, told in lilting read-aloud rhyme, the girl has numerous opportunities to be helpful to the clumsy shopping dino and demonstrate when to say "thank you," "excuse me," "I''m sorry," "You''re welcome," and other niceties of life. Tim Bowers''s whimsical illustrations bring an extra dimension of fun to Judy Sierra''s hilarious picture book fantasy. Altogether, Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur is an entertaining and painless way to show preschoolers why basic manners are a good thing to have.

Snuggle up with this fun bedtime board book, perfect for toddlers learning their ABCs! Judy Sierra’s rollicking alphabet story features the lowercase letters of the alphabet. Like children, they have a trunkful of tricks for putting off bedtime. But ultimately their moms and dads (the capital letters) succeed in tucking them in with a good-night kiss. Melissa Sweet’s watercolor, pencil, and collage illustrations enliven these little letters with animated expressions, and Judy Sierra’s brief rhyming story begs repeat readings at bedtime.

The Little Red Hen gives old MacDonald some pointers on composting — and a legendary farm is born — in this rhyming, rollicking read-aloud. Features an audio read-along! Once upon a time, Old MacDonald didn’t have a farm. He just had a yard — a yard he didn’t want to mow. But under the direction of the wise (and ecologically sensitive) Little Red Hen, Mac learns to look at the environment in a very different way, and whole new worlds start to bloom with the help of some mud, garbage, horse poop, and worms! Judy Sierra’s spirited verse, paired with Matthew Myers’s exuberant illustrations, yields a fresh take on a children’s classic, complete with raised-bed gardens and an organic farmers’ market—making this a perfect story for armchair gardeners and devoted locavores of all sizes.

OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD! Winner of the E.B. White Read Aloud Award It started the summer of 2002, when the Springfield librarian, Molly McGrew, by mistake drove her bookmobile into the zoo. In this rollicking rhymed story, Molly introduces birds and beasts to this new something called reading. She finds the perfect book for every animal—tall books for giraffes, tiny ones for crickets. “She even found waterproof books for the otter, who never went swimming without Harry Potter.” In no time at all, Molly has them “forsaking their niches, their nests, and their nooks,” going “wild, simply wild, about wonderful books.” Judy Sierra’s funny animal tale coupled with Marc Brown’s lush, fanciful paintings will have the same effect on young Homo sapiens. Altogether, it’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

"Schoolyard rhymes are catchy and fun. They are easy to remember. In fact, they stick in the mind like bubble gum to a shoe." writes Judy Sierra in her introduction to this lively collection of traditional playground chants. Included are more than 50 verses ranging from the familiar jump rope rhyme about the mythical lady with the alligator purse to less familiar counting-out ones, from funny rhymes for ball-bouncing and hand-clapping games to "Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire" and other choice insults of children. Melissa Sweet includes bright, colorful fabric swatches in her watercolor-and-pencil collages to perfectly capture the spirit of these funky, street-smart verses that children love to recite and chant.

Welcome to Ballyhoo Bay, where Mira Bella the artist teaches painting and sculpture to grannies and kids. Sun, sea, sand, and sky - what could be more fun? Until one gray day a billboard goes up, announcing a high-rise building and all kinds of stuff. No more sand or seashells or painting or fun. And absolutely no children and wildlife allowed. Mira Bella is not one to take this plan lightly. But despite Mira Bella''s conviction, can art save Ballyhoo Bay? Mom''s Choice Award winner and E.B. White Read Aloud Award recipient Judy Sierra has created a modern fable for the ages, celebrating art, nature, and community. Derek Anderson''s vibrant and buoyant illustrations are as close as you can get to a day at the beach without actually being there. Come put your toes in the sand at Ballyhoo Beach!

Joining the new baby animals at the zoo are the much-loved pengaroo and the pandacat.

Winter weather is keeping children from visiting the zoo. So the animals are out of sorts—listless, grumpy, and no longer fun. All except two little friends, a very small hippo and a baby kangaroo. Their hip-hopping, toe-tapping, and rap-rocking soon has the other animals joining in the hip-aroo beat—now brought to life with audio narration in this Read & Listen edition. "Raccoons danced in pairs, baboons danced in troops, and snakes joined the dancers as live hula-hoops." Children''s favorite songs get a funny new spin—seals bark out "The seals on the bus go round and round"—as the animals create their very own musical. Young readers and listeners will be amazed and delighted at how the animals chase the winter doldrums by getting along as friends, pooling their talents, and pushing themselves to new heights. After all, these are the same clever animals who learned to read in Judy Sierra''s and Marc Brown''s Wild About Books, the award-winning New York Times #1 bestselling picture book. ZooZical is sure to inspire some "can do" fun in kindergarten and primary grades. This ebook includes Read & Listen audio narration.

Yikes! This collection of easy-to-read, silly, spooky tales features a pirate bride, a ghost that grows and grows, and a big slobbery monster.

DANGER! WARNING! KIDS beware! Bound in the bilious green-spotted fur (100% fake) of an unidentified weird beast, here is a book that kids will love—quite literally—from cover to cover. In the macabre spirit of the Halloween season, funny rhymes range from “Parasite Lost” to “Leap Halloween,” and are illustrated with gruesome graphics. Elementary school kids will want to be the first to own this outrageous fur-clad book, but librarians may prefer the standard library bound edition, minus the fur!

Big Bad Wolf’s first visit to his local library (as related in Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf) was such a success that he returns to tell his version of “The Three Little Pigs.” His outrageous spin on the tale draws skeptical remarks from his audience: “Isn’t that wolf’s nose getting longer?” asks Pinocchio. “It’s a cooked-up, half-baked tale,” snaps the Gingerbread Boy. And “Tell the truth, B.B. Wolf!” squeal the Three Little Pigs. Caught in his own lie, B.B. explains that he is a reformed villain: “Now I’m begging on my knees, Little Pigs, forgive me, please!” How B.B. turns his bad old deed into a good new one provides a happy ending to this fun-to-read fractured fairytale.

When B.B. Wolf, who now lives in the Villain Villa Retirement Residence, is invited to the library for a storybook tea, he is careful to follow the advice of his crocodile friend and impresses everyone with how polite he can be.

A good-natured monster thinks a pie made out of flies would be a good dessert, and invites all his friends and relatives over to try it.

A collection of twenty-five nursery rhymes, rewritten to feature vampires, ghouls, mummies, the Loch Ness monster, and other fearsome creatures.

Make room in your suitcase for this monstrously entertaining guide to fantastic creatures around the world — and how to elude them. I did not make any of this up. Do you know why you should have baby teeth handy when visiting the Midwest? Or why you should bring a cucumber with you when swimming in Japan? How good are you at solving Russian riddles? From Boston to Bejing, from Moscow to Mali, any place you visit has its own terrifying tales of very real creatures. Complete with handy "gruesomeness ratings," this guide offers all the important facts on some sixty-three folkloric monsters and how (if possible!) to survive an encounter with them. Meticulously researched by Judy Sierra and illustrated in grotesque detail by Henrik Drescher, here is the ultimate resource for any world traveler, armchair or otherwise, hoping to make it home alive.

Publisher Description

Two friends, a poodle and a border collie, must compete with two robot dogs to become fire dogs.

A collection of poems celebrating the habits and habitat of Emperor penguins.

A warm and hilarious bedtime story for all little creatures!

When a mud puddle traps a pizza van, police car, tow truck, and other vehicles, a group of preschoolers comes along and saves the day. Full-color illustrations.

In the Spice Islands, where clove and nutmeg trees grow, a girl named Damura lived long ago. Damura is a beautiful girl, as kind and lovely as the little green parrot that perches on the nutmeg tree. But Damura''s stepmother and stepsister mistreat her. They force her to rise before dawn, carry out all the chores, and sleep on the floor. One day, while down by the river, Damura calls out to the creatures of the wild for help. Rising from the waters, an ancient crocodile answers the call. This unusual fairy godmother, aptly named Grandmother Crocodile, outfits Damura in a sarong of gold, with slippers to match, and sends her to the palace to dance for the prince. Once he sees her, the prince knows that she will be his bride. But the fairy tale isn''t quite over. Damura''s wicked stepmother and stepsister are so jealous that they push Damura into the river, where she is swallowed by a crocodile. Too bad they didn''t know about Grandmother Crocodile.... The Gift of the Crocodile, a tale from the Spice Islands in Indonesia, offers a colorful and dramatic twist on the universally adored Cinderella story.

Each of twenty-six poems describes the antics and habits of a zany classroom pet whose name begins with a different letter of the alphabet.

In this Halloween version of a familiar cumulative rhyme, the inhabitants of a haunted house get increasingly agitated until a group of children sets things right.

Urikohime, a girl born from a melon, battles the monstrous oni, who steal babies to eat their tasty belly buttons.

In this rhymed retelling of a traditional Asian tale, a clever monkey uses her ability to count to outwit the hungry crocodiles that stand between her and a banana tree on another island across the sea.