New Releases by James Howe

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.

From James Howe, the bestselling author of Bunnicula, comes a beautiful picture book story about looking, observing, and finding wonder in the things that we walk right past every day—featuring full-color illustrations by Sakika Kikuchi. Every morning, Milo goes walking with his mother. There are so many things to see. While Milo was sleeping, the rain left a puddle for him to find. “Hello, Milo,” he says to the boy in the puddle. When Milo listens closely, he hears bees. They have a lot to say. The tree in the park looks sad today. “It’s okay,” Milo whispers. “I will see you tomorrow and you will be happy.” Each day is full of possibilities when Milo goes walking: new things to observe, old things to see in a new way, the magical “maybes” of his imagination—and what we might find tomorrow.

"Fully suits newly independent readers." — Kirkus Reviews Catina wants to be a famous writer. Houndsley is an excellent cook. Catina thinks Houndsley is a wonder. Houndsley thinks Catina is a very good friend. So what should Houndsley say about Catina’s seventy-four-chapter memoir? And can Catina find the right words of comfort for Houndsley after the big cooking contest fiasco? James Howe’s funny and endearing world of ginger tea, no-bean chili, and firefly watching is brought to life in cozy watercolors by Marie-Louise Gay in this tender chapter book about what it means to be friends.

Pinky and Rex learn to say goodbye to their close neighbor and welcome a new one! Pinky's neighbor, Mrs. Morgan, is going to move. Sure, she used to be a mean old witch, but now she's a special friend to Pinky and Rex. They know they'll visit Mrs. Morgan often at her new apartment, but who will be Rex's new neighbors? And what will they be like?

Horace and Morris, but mostly Dolores, are back again for another uproarious adventure. When the three best friends decide to try out for the school chorus together, they're shocked when Dolores (who can only sing notes that no one has ever heard before) is the only one who doesn't make the cut. After all, they've always done everything together. Once Horace and Morris start chorus practice, they're so busy that they don't have time to go exploring or climb trees with Dolores anymore. Feeling left out and alone, Dolores decides to take matters into her own hands. But can she prove to Moustro Provolone that there's a place for every kind of voice in the chorus?

When the first snow of winter falls, Catina worries about all her plans for the day being ruined, so her friend Houndsley tries to help Catina let go of her worries and enjoy the quiet time of a snowy day.

We are delighted by the publication of this second edition by Springer-Verlag, now in its second printing. The first edition took over twelve years to com plete, but its favorable acceptance and quick sales prompted us to prepare the second edition in about two years. The new edition features many re-writings of explanations to improve clarity, ranging from substantial re-structuring to subtle re-wording. Explanations of modern techniques such as Z-contrast imaging have been updated, and errors in text and figures have been cor rected over the course of several critical re-readings. The on-line solutions manual has been updated too. The first edition arrived at a time of great international excitement in nanostructured materials and devices, and this excitement continues to grow. The second edition, with new examples and re-writing, shows better how nanostructures offer new opportunities for transmission electron microscopy and diffractometry of materials. Nevertheless, the topics and structure of the first edition remain intact. The aims and scope of the book remain the same, as do our teaching suggestions. We thank our physics editors Drs. Claus Ascheron and Angela Lahee, and our production editor Petra Treiber of Springer-Verlag for their help with both editions. Finally, we thank the National Science Foundation for support of our research efforts in microscopy and diffraction.

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.

Something is under Simon’s bed. He can hear it breathing. Is it a monster? Simon has to find out. He shines a flashlight under the bed, to discover that something is hiding there—but what? This warm and humorous story will delight any child who has ever envisioned monsters lurking in the bedtime darkness.

Dear Reader, The guy who usually writes these letters asked me to do it instead. Maybe he was having a bad writing day. Maybe he wanted me to play the sap for him. Or maybe he ran into Trouble with a capital T. Well, Trouble’s in my business. I’m a dog. I’m a detective. The name’s Bud Barkin. And this book is about the case I had involving a dame named Delilah Gorbish, whom I would call Trouble with a capital T except I’ve used that metaphor already, and the clown named Crusty Carmady whose calling card is a teakettle that he heaves through windows. Nice pair of birds. The mystery deepens with another character called the Big Fish, who isn’t really a fish and who’s addicted to the Home Shopping Network. Hey, I don’t write ’em—I just solve ’em. Yours truly, Bud Barkin, P.E.

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.

Snooping around the mysteriously abandoned Dew Drop Inn, Sebastian Barth and his best friends, David Lepinsky and Corrie Wingate, are startled to come upon what they are certain is a dead body. Sebastian is the first to put into words what they all believe: A murder has been committed. When they return with the police, however, the body is gone! "A homeless man sleeping off a drink," is the police chief's explanation. But Sebastian and his friends are not ready to believe that. They are sure the body they saw was dead, not unconscious. As the three undertake their own further investigation, more and more questions arise: Who was the man? Was he alone? And most important of all, is there a connection between the man they saw and one or more of the homeless people Corrie's father, a minister, is trying to help? The answers to the questions do not come until the three have made a number of discoveries, some of them more horrifying than they had expected. Dew Drop Dead is the fourth mystery in the Sebastian Barth series. Using rural Connecticut as a background, this tension-filled story is told with a unique blend of humor and seriousness, as it unravels a challenging puzzle and explores a difficult social problem.

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.

A SMALL BEAR WITH BIG ADVENTURES It''s a boring, rainy afternoon -- the perfect time for Teddy Bear to share his scrapbook of memories with the little girls who owns him. And what memories Teddy Bear has! He''s ridden a bucking bronco in the rodeo, been an ace crime reporter -- he''s even starred in a movie! No wonder he''s a bit worn and shabby. For an ordinary little girl with flat brown hair, it''s hard to imagine being important to someone with Teddy''s glamorous past. But there''s always room in Teddy''s life -- and his scrapbook -- for someone who loves him just the way he is.

"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.

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

A school bully calls Pinky a sissy, which leads Pinky to think about changing who he is to please others. Before he does, a caring neighbor warns him about the pitfalls of acting differently to please others.

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.

"Everybody says you and Colin were kissing." "What? That''s ridiculous!" "For heaven''s sake, Joe, if you and Colin want to kiss, you have every right to." "We did not kiss," I told her. Addie shrugged. "Whatever." What was it with my friends? From the creator of The Misfits, the book that inspired NATIONAL NO NAME-CALLING WEEK, comes the story of Joe Bunch....

Continuing his search for fame as a writer, Howie the wire-haired dachshund creates a story remarkably similar to the popular one he has heard about a heroic boy wizard.

Contests-Fiction.

Level 3: Reading Alone From the earliest stages of sounding out words to the excitement of reading a whole book without help, Ready-to-Read books open up a world of possibilities to children at three different levels: Level 1: Starting to Read Level 2: Reading Together Level 3: Reading Alone Pinky and Rex's neighbor Mrs. Morgan isn't really a mean old witch. But she sure acts like one, yelling and waving her broom around every time the kids step onto her lawn. Now she's taken their ball, just because it accidentally rolled into her yard. So Rex and Pinky and Pinky's sister, Amanda, come up with the perfect trick to play on the Mean Old Witch. But somehow, seeing Mrs. Morgan sitting all alone in her living room makes Pinky think getting even isn't such a good idea after all. He tries a different plan, with results that surprise the kids as well as their neighbor.

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.

Pinky and Rex are going to camp for the first time. Rex keeps telling Pinky how much fun they're going to have, but Pinky just wants to stay home where he belongs. Can the "Dear Arnie" column in the newspaper help Pinky figure out what to do? Arnie give Pinky some good advice, and so does Pinky's mother. But it's his best friend Rex who tells Pinky what he really needs to know.

The Monroes leave their cat and two dogs alone on Halloween night, unaware that their pets are about to be visited by a strange figure who might be a wicked witch.

The Monroes leave their cat and two dogs alone on Halloween night, unaware that their pets are about to be visited by a strange figure who might be a wicked witch.

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.

Dorothy leads Ezra Tinker, an inventor from the moon, to the Land of Oz to save the life of Tik-Tok, the mechanical man.