New Releases by Patricia MacLachlan

Jake’s grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is eighty-eight years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake knows that everything will go on as always. But there’s one thing Billy wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him this one special thing? From beloved author Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about what we do for the ones we love, and how the bonds that hold us together also allow us to let each other go.

The fifth book in the series that began with the Newbery Medal–winning Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Jack leans back on Grandfather''s shoulder. Aunt Mattie''s knitting needles click in the dark. The moon rises. The candle flickers in the gentle prairie wind. I close my eyes to keep everything there. Could anything be more perfect than a prairie wedding? Cassie Witting doesn''t think so, for her sister Anna''s wedding brings two lovebirds together, aunts from faraway Maine, a long white dress with a wedding veil, dancing under a clear blue sky, and a world that smells of roses. As the Witting family comes together for this most special day, Cassie sees that life brings the change of seasons, brother Jack on Grandfather''s lap, joy, sorrow, and a special dance only Grandfather does.

It''s not fair, Emma thinks, for her parents to go away (for five whole days) and leave her with an aunt and uncle she hardly knows. What if they don''t like children? But Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Eliot like Emma and her brother, Zachary, just fine. They also like rules. Rules about: Eating. Sleeping. Cleaning up. Messing up. Emma doesn''t believe in rules. Not unless they''re hers: Eating no broccoli, dead or alive. Sleeping: No sleeping in a room where night rumbles hide. Cleaning up: Don''t. Messing up: Do. Emma can see that Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Elliot have a lot to learn about being parents. But that''s okay---because Emma has five whole days in which to teach them.

A sad and silent nine-year-old boy finds his voice when he moves next to a family that rescues dogs.

Jake is part of an extraordinary family. He leads a life filled with art, music and hours and days and months of baseball. But the most important person in his life is his brother, Edward. From the moment he was born, Edward had the ability to make anyone laugh and everyone think. During one special year he was the only kid in the neighbourhood who could throw a perfect knuckleball - a pitch you just could not hit. But that same year, Jake learns that there are some things you just can''t hold on to.

When Papa goes away for a little while, his family tries to cope with the separation by adopting four dogs and a cat.

For many children who live far away from their grandparents, it can be hard to understand why they can''t always be together. Patricia MacLachlan has created a bridge to close the distance by finding connections in memories and the moon they share. A beautiful, lyrical poem coupled with Bryan Collier''s rich collages, Here and There celebrates the importance of staying close to your family, even across thousands of miles.

A mother relates the events of a peaceful day along the banks of Lake Tanganyika to her baby, wrapped up and ready for sleep.

What makes a puppy''s day complete? Swimming and then shaking water all over you. Catching "presents" for you and then bringing them inside the house. Rolling in your nice wool sweater. Snuggling in your lap. In their second ode to canine companions, Patricia MacLachlan, Emily MacLachlan Charest, and Katy Schneider once again offer an irresistible glimpse into the mischievous canine mind. Captured here are adorable confessions and spirited accounts of the things that puppies do—and don''t do—while in search of love, adventure, and treats from the table.

A visiting author teaches five friends about the power of words and writing.

Larkin''s family welcomes Sophie into their home, caring for her and teaching her games and new words. They come to love this baby as their own, all the while knowing that eventually Sophie''s mother will return one day to take her from them.

The Newbery Medal-winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall and an award-winning artist present the story of a little girl who finds a way to bring along a little bit of the prairie home she must leave behind. Reprint.

Journey is eleven the summer his mother leaves him and his sister, Cat, with their grandparents. He is sad and angry, and spends the summer looking for the clues that will explain why she left. Journey searches photographs for answers. He hunts family resemblances in Grandma''s albums. Looking for happier times, he tries to put together the torn pieces of the pictures his mother shredded before her departure. And he also searches the photographs his grandfather takes as the older man attempts to provide Journey with a past. In the process, the boy learns to look and finds that, for him, the camera is a means of finding things his naked eye has missed--things like inevitability of his mother''s departure and the love that still binds his family.

Fiona explores the nighttime wonders of the outdoors, from the sounds of the owl and mockingbird to flowers that bloom only in the dark.

Taking care of a baby left with them at the end of the tourist season helps a family come to terms with the death of their own infant son.

Gus herds his people like sheep. Abby loves borrowing slippers. And once, Mr. Beefy ate a pie. It''s a dog''s life. Filled with squeaky toys, mischief, and plenty of naps. Every dog has a tail to wag and a tale to tell. Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest asked this collection of canines to speak up with their own words, barks, and yips.

When Emily has a "sick day" her father takes care of everything.

When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.

Anna escribía el diario de la familia unida por el amor y el coraje, pero ahora pide a Caleb de continuarlo. Sarah y Jacob, con Anna, Caleb y su nueva hermanita Cassie, son ya una familia unida y Caleb tiene miedo a no tener nada más por escribir, pero… Cassie descubre a un anciano y misterioso hombre en los establos. Con la llegada del nuevo miembro de la familia, sólo el amor de Caleb ayudará al padre a reponerse de las penas del pasado.

Gathers selections from stories by Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, James Howe, Ann M. Martin, Patricia MacLachlan, Betty Horvath, Johanna Hurwitz, Suzy Kline, Susan Wojciechowski, Dick King-Smith, and Miriam Cohen.

In this stunning sequel to Newbery Medal winner Sarah, Plain and Tall, Anna and Caleb travel with their new mother, Sarah, to Maine to take refuge from the prairie drought, a journey that teaches them the power of family to transcend distances. Ages 8 - 10

Tomorrow''s Wizard, his unorthodox apprentice, Murdoch, and a wise horse make five important wishes come true in ways that surprise the wishers.

After her grandfather''s death, Cassie longs for an orderliness to life -'' a pattern -'' that doesn''t exist among her raucous, loving family. But during an eventful summer by the sea, she begins to learn that some things do not stay the same forever. Colorful characters [and] Cassie''s continuing and believable growth in understanding herself and others [make] this novel so distinctive." ''C.

Within the sanctuary of a loving family, baby Eli is born and, as he grows, "learns to cherish the people and places around him, eventualy passing on what he has discovered to his new baby sister, Sylvie: ''All the places to love are here . . . no matter where you may live.'' This loving book will be something to treasure."''BL."The quiet narrative is so intensely felt it commands attention. . . . a lyrical celebration."''K.

A child''s great-grandfather reminisces about the times he and his dog Three Names went to school on prairie roads in a wagon pulled by horses.

As eleven-year-old Willa looks for something extraordinary in her life, her twin, Nicholas, shows her that what is ordinary to some, can be extraordinary to others.

Minna wishes for many things. She wishes she understood the quote taped above her mother''s typewriter:Fact and fiction are different truths. She wishes her mother would stop writing long enough to really listen to her. She wishes her house were peaceful and orderly like her friend Lucas''s. Most of all, she wishes she could find a vibrato on her cello and play Mozart the way he deserves to be played. Minna soon discovers that some things can''t be found-they just have to happen. And as she waits for her vibrato to happen, Minna begins to understand some facts and fictions about herself.

When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.