Best Selling Books by Phyllis Root

“ ‘You can grow your own farm anywhere’ is the empowering message of this inclusive picture book.” — School Library Journal (starred review) You might think a farm means fields, tractors, and a barnyard full of animals. But you can plant a farm anywhere you like! A box or a bucket, a boot or a pan — almost anything can be turned into a home for green, growing things. Windows, balconies, and front steps all make wonderful spots to start. Who knows what plants you may choose to grow and who will come to see your new garden? Phyllis Root delivers a modern rhyming mantra for anyone hoping to put their green thumbs to good use, while G. Brian Karas’s cheerful urban illustrations sprout from every page. After all, anywhere can be a farm — all it takes is one small seed and someone to plant it.

When the wind blows so hard that it blows the quack right out of the duck, the oink out of the pig and so on, Bonnie Bumble works hard to get each animal''s sound back where it belongs.

The nonstop antics of five baby bunnies have them bumping, tumbling, zigging, zagging, wiggling, twitching, thumping, and lunching. On board pages.

"Perfect for reading aloud, this counting book not only contains bright bold illustrations but also has lots of . . . sound effects that children will love to replicate." -- BOOKLIST Down by the marsh, by the sleepy, slimy marsh, one duck gets stuck in the muck . . . Can two fish, tails going swish, help? What about three moose, munching on spruce? Bright, spirited illustrations by Jane Chapman enhance this one-of-a-kind counting tale by Phyllis Root - a feast of sounds and numbers that will have listeners scrambling to join in the slippy, sloppy fun.

Oliver the bear becomes lost when he chases a leaf to the edge of the woods, but then he comes up with an idea to find his way back home.

Annalisa, the most curious and stubborn of Mama May''s children, disobeys her mother and upsets the family cow by refusing to kiss her in return for the milk she gives.

Author Phyllis Root and illustrator Betsy Bowen last explored the vast, boggy peatlands of northern Minnesota in their book Big Belching Bog. Now, in Plant a Pocket of Prairie, Root and Bowen take young readers on a trip to another of Minnesota’s important ecosystems: the prairie. Once covering almost 40 percent of the United States, native prairie is today one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Plant a Pocket of Prairie teaches children how changes in one part of the system affect every other part: when prairie plants are destroyed, the animals who eat those plants and live on or around them are harmed as well. Root shows what happens when we work to restore the prairies, encouraging readers to “plant a pocket of prairie” in their own backyards. By growing native prairie plants, children can help re-create food and habitat for the many birds, butterflies, and other animals that depend on them. “Plant cup plants,” Root suggests. “A thirsty chickadee might come to drink from a tiny leaf pool. Plant goldenrod. A Great Plains toad might flick its tongue at goldenrod soldier beetles.” An easy explanation of the history of the prairie, its endangered status, and how to go about growing prairie plants follows, as well as brief descriptions of all the plants and animals mentioned in the story. With Betsy Bowen’s beautiful, airy illustrations capturing the feel of an open prairie and all its inhabitants, readers of all ages will be inspired to start planting seeds and watching for the many fascinating animals their plants attract. What a marvelous transformation could take place if we all planted a pocket of prairie!

“The cozy, humorous story is guaranteed to invite giggling kids into their parents’ beds.” —Kirkus Reviews On a stormy night in a little house, only Papa keeps snoring away—snurkle, snark—unaware of the wild weather outside and the growing number of nervous bedmates within. Can nothing wake him? Creak! says the bed. . . . With a cumulative series of comical events, this delightful story sends readers barreling toward bedlam.

Follows five little ducklings as they flip their wings, wobble their tails, follow their mother in a dash, find a puddle, and splash! On board pages.

WAAAAAAAAH! This family goes to great--and hilarious lengths--in trying to lull Baby to sleep until Little Brother discovers that what Baby really wants is something very simple. WAAAAAAAAAAH! What does Baby want? Mama''s gone to bed, so Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt and Uncle, Big Sister, and Little Brother set out to soothe Baby. Does Baby want a soft feathery goose to cuddle? No. Does he want a flock of woolly sheep to keep him warm or a tree full of birds to sing him to sleep? No. As Little Brother proves, what Baby really wants is something very simple. Jill Barton''s funny, warm illustrations are perfectly tuned to Phyllis Root''s lively characterization of a family going to great--and hilarious--lengths to lull its youngest member to sleep.

An ear-tickling, eye-teasing romp for little listeners, led by an award-winning author and illustrator. Do you really, really want to see a moose — a long-leggy moose — a branchy-antler, dinner-diving, bulgy-nose moose? Spurred by Phyllis Root''s sing-songy text and Randy Cecil''s buoyant illustrations, this hunt for an elusive moose through woods, swamps, bushes, and hills is just as fun as the final surprise discovery of moose en masse. Children will laugh at the running visual joke — what is that little dog looking at? — and ask for repeated reads of this satisfying tale.

Five toads hop, four brook trout swim, three elk graze, two loons call, and one beaver gnaws on a paper birch tree, all under one North Star. Through bog and marsh, along river and lake, across prairie and into the woods, children learn what lives where by counting the creatures on foot or in flight, swimming or perching in exquisite woodcut and watercolor illustrations created by Beckie Prange and Betsy Bowen in an artistic collaboration. For those looking for more about the pictured wildlife, Phyllis Root includes fascinating facts and information on the state’s ecosystems and the plants and animals that make their homes there.

The story of a forest “lost” by a surveying error—and all the flora and fauna to be found there A forest, of course, doesn’t need a map to know where to grow. But people need a map to find it. And in 1882 when surveyors set out to map a part of Minnesota, they got confused, or tired and cold (it was November), and somehow mapped a great swath of ancient trees as a lake. For more than seventy-five years, the mistake stayed on the map, and the forest remained safe from logging—no lumber baron expects to find timber in a lake, after all. The Lost Forest tells the story of this lucky error and of the 144 acres of old-growth red and white pine it preserved. With gentle humor, Phyllis Root introduces readers to the men at their daunting task, trekking across Minnesota, measuring and marking the vast land into townships and sections and quarters. She takes us deep into a stand of virgin pine, one of the last and largest in the state, where U.S. history and natural history meet. With the help of Betsy Bowen’s finely observed and beautiful illustrations, she shows us all the life that can be found in the Lost Forest. Accompanying the story is a wealth of information about the Cadastral Survey and about the plants and animals that inhabit forests—making the book a valuable guide for readers who might want to look even deeper into the history of Minnesota, the flora and fauna of old-growth forests, and the apportioning of land in America.

A lost, lonely, scrawny cat who is hungry and afraid unexpectedly meets someone who takes him in and loves him, in a heartwarming tale about finding home in unlikely places.

If you really want to see a woodland caribou, you might try going to a place forgotten by time. It should be a hushed place, with perhaps rocky green hills and blue water, home to loons and beaver, lichen and yellow buttercups. With every step, this gentle journey brings us to a deeper and more unique connection with nature. Phyllis Root’s mesmerizing text, together with Jim Meyer’s outstanding woodblock prints, makes the very heart of the forest come alive and reveals that if you are patient and quiet, sometimes what you are seeking will, in the end, find you.

Tabby Cat''s adventures.

Celia Thaxter grew up on a desolate island off the coast of Maine, where her father worked as lighthouse keeper. Amid the white and gray of the sea, the rocks, and even the birds, young Celia found color where she could: green mosses and purple starfish and pink morning glories by the shore. And she planted her first garden, tucking bright marigolds between rocky ledges. When she was twelve, Celia''s family moved to nearby Appledore Island, where her father built a large hotel, and Celia planted a bigger, ever-growing garden with nearly sixty types of flowers, from asters to wisteria.

Various disasters threaten to stop Poppa and the children from getting to the lake in their rattletrap car, but they manage to come up with an ingenious solution to each problem.

Mouse goes on a picnic.

Tabby Cat''s adventures.

A lack of rain causes everyone on Bonnie Bumble''s farm to be dry and thirsty, but when a little cloud finally blows past, Bonnie comes up with a clever plan that calls for interspecies cooperation.

Big Mamma, with a baby on her hip and laundry piling up, makes the world and everything in it and, at the end of the sixth day, tells the people she has made that they must take care of her creation.

Living alone at the foot of the mountain, Pierre decides to take a ride to the other side in the hopes of making new friends and gets more than he bargained for when he picks up helpful Goat, Sheep, and Bear before ever reaching the top!

A sighting of the rare frangipani fruit fly sends Lilly''s scientist parents off in search of the fabled Shipwreck Islands. In this Smithsonian''s Notable Book for Children, Lilly awaits their return at the home of her great-uncle Ernest, the chief librarian of Mundelaine, a town that seems to have more than its share of piratical-looking characters lurking about. When news comes that her parents'' ship has wrecked, she must overcome her fear of the sea, find the hidden island, and outsmart a bunch of treasure-hungry pirates to save the day.

A story about a playful mouse.

Tabby Cat''s adventures.

Tabby Cat''s adventures.

When Grandmother Winter shakes out her feather quilt, birds, bats, bears, and other creatures prepare themselves for the cold.

Cold, wet, and acidic, bogs appear to be extremely hostile to life, yet numerous plants and animals have adapted in fascinating ways in order to survive there. In Big Belching Bog, Phyllis Root lets us in on the secrets of the mysterious bog, describing such special inhabitants as plants that eat insects, bog lemmings, and frogs that stay frozen through the winter and thaw out in the spring. But what''s that coming up from the bottom of the bog? The biggest bog secret of all, we learn, is the remarkable process of methane gas belching out of the bog. The gas is created by decaying peat moss and forms a bulge in the surface of the moss six inches or taller before breaking through. Does this "belch" make a sound? No one knows, says Root, because no one has ever heard it. In fact, bogs are known as some of the quietest places on earth. Maybe you will be the first to hear the big bog belch! Illustrated by renowned woodcut artist Betsy Bowen, Big Belching Bog also contains a section of bog facts, including more information about the plants and animals mentioned in the book as well as tips for visiting a bog. Big Belching Bog will stir the imagination of young readers and teach them about the landscape and environment of these mysterious and, ahem, gassy places.

Although Aunt Nancy is known for her hospitality, she is determined to make sure Cousin Lazybones, Old Man Trouble, Mister Death, and Old Woeful don''t overstay their welcome by using her sharp wits and a dose of old-fashioned trickery to get them moving right along!

"Perfect for reading aloud, this counting book has lots of sound effects that children will love to replicate. . . . Great fun." — Booklist One duck is stuck in the muck. Can two fish, tails going swish, help? What about three moose, munching on spruce? Will four crickets, chirping in the thickets, manage to pull the unlucky duck out of the muck? Bright, spirited illustrations by Jane Chapman enhance this one-of-a-kind counting tale by Phyllis Root — a feast of sounds and numbers sure to have listeners scrambling to join in the slippy, sloppy fun.

Mrs. Potter keeps everything perfectly clean, except for her baby daughter Ermajean, who delights in being so messy that she seems to turn into a pig.

Recounts the exploits of Paul Bunyan''s "little" sister, Paula, who lived in the North Woods, sang three-part harmony with the wolves, and used an angry bear for a foot warmer.

Drawing on Christmas miracle tales and carols from around the world, Phyllis Root''s cradle song sung by Mary for the baby Jesus is a lullaby for every newborn child.Exquisitely detailed art by Nicola Bayley makes this a gorgeous holiday gift book for families with (or expecting) newborns.The text is both reverent and humble, filled with a mother''s love.

One winter in the Far North the sun disappears and Lucia, accompanied by her milk-white cat, braves the freezing cold and trolls who want to eat her, trying to find the sun and bring it back.