New Releases by Jonathan London

Even the smallest hippo can be a big help when he teams up with his friends in this imaginative picture book that will inspire young readers as they play their own games of make-believe. Little Hippo loves to play pretend, and today he’s going to be a shopkeeper! Little Hippo has a goal—he is determined to buy his mama a special gift. With goodies filling his shop, Shopkeeper Hippo is excited to see his many friends stopping by for a treat. Filled with silly animal antics and culminating in the beautiful bond between mother and child, this heartwarming story shows all readers the joy in being kind and the impact of being brave.

Froggy is running for class president--and his opponent is Frogilina! Froggy is running for president---class president, that is---but so is Frogilina! Wearing a long, presidential-style tie, Froggy presents his platform, which includes ten snack times per school day and recess all day long. But Frogilina has a platform, too: a search party for lost things, a lunch-sharing program, and a talent show to benefit the school library. Which candidate will voters choose?

Froggy and friends enjoy a back-to-school ritual: a trip to the pumpkin patch. Froggy can''t wait to pick a pumpkin. He plans to carve a jack-o''-lantern and make a pumpkin pie. Prizes are given for the biggest, smallest, and prettiest pumpkin, but when Froggy trips and smashes his pumpkin, he takes home a special prize--for the ugliest pumpkin!

Froggy hopes to make lots of money at his lemonade stand--but things often go wrong for Froggy! Froggy sets up his lemonade stand on a very hot day. He dreams of all the things he will buy with his profits: a pogo stick, a hula hoop. But Froggy is very thirsty, and by the time customers appear, all the lemonade is gone. But Froggy has good friends and together they find a solution.

A perfectly pitched bedtime story and counting book for sleepy train lovers, illustrated in dramatic 3D sculptures! A little boy climbs into bed with a book and starts counting the train cars in it, between the engine and caboose. "Ten sleepy cars going clickety-clack," reads the refrain. But as the boy counts cars and gets sleepier and sleepier, his room looks more and more like one of the train cars from his book--the sleeping car, of course! Rhythmically told by the author of the Froggy books, Sleep Train is also stunning to look at. 3D illustrator, Lauren Eldridge, has sculpted an entire train full of intricate details. Part bedtime story, part counting book, part children''s fantasy, Sleep Train is a magical ride to dreamland.

“With gorgeous mixed-media illustrations and accessible, engaging language, this picture book will spur interest in the world of hippos.” — School Library Journal (starred review) The deadliest animal in Africa isn’t the lion or the crocodile — it’s the hippopotamus! Hippos have razor-sharp tusks, weigh as much as fifty men, and can run twenty-five miles per hour. Follow these hefty hulks as they glide underwater, play tug-of-war, swat balls of dung at one another, and nuzzle their young in the mud. Just don’t get too close — they could chomp you in two!

National Science Teachers Assoc. Outstanding Science Trade Book and National Outdoor Book Award winner. Watch Pup grow from his birth to first dive and from rambunctious play with other sea otter pups to a frightening encounter with a predator. Bestselling author Jonathan London tells Pup’s story in sparse, poetic text with vivid vocabulary while luminous illustrations by London’s son, Sean London, bring the adorable Pup and his loving mother to life within the swirling sea around them. London’s newest creation in his picture book collection about baby animals (including The Seasons of Little Wolf, Little Puffin’s First Flight, and Honey Paw and Lightfoot) will entertain children with a combination of learning and fun. An author’s note at the end shares fascinating facts about this popular keystone species.

Froggy loves the library! When Froggy and Mom and Pollywogilina set out for the library, Froggy brings a wheelbarrow to hold all the books he plans to borrow. There are so many to choose from: Dinosaur books! Books about Space Frog! Froggy is so excited that he forgets to use his indoor voice. Readers enjoy Froggy’s antics, and so does Miss Otterbottom, the librarian. “Come again soon, Froggy,” she says.

From best-selling author Jonathan London comes Bella Bella, the heart-pounding sequel to Desolation Canyon. Thirteen-year-olds Aaron and Lisa and their fathers and seventeen-year-old Cassidy and his dad embark on a sea kayaking trip through the Inside Passage that brings them unexpected and even terrifying adventures. Young readers will eagerly follow Aaron’s adventures in this suspenseful page turner, as he learns to navigate a kayak, discovers another side to a bully, shares a first kiss, encounters the desperate world of human trafficking, and challenges an evil smuggler who threatens the entire group.

Froggy and his little sister Polly want a dog of their own, but Doggy proves harder to train than Froggy anticipated.

It’s Froggy’s birthday—but no one has remembered. His parents don’t seem to realize it’s his special day, and none of his friends are at home to wish him a happy birthday. Will Froggy celebrate his birthday all alone? Has everyone really forgotten?

Froggy hops into the Penguin Young Readers program! Froggy isn''t the best at everything (like soccer or swimming), but he knows he has to be the best at something. Kids will love learning to read with one of their favorite characters, Froggy!

Once you plunge into this thrilling white-water adventure you will not be able to stop until you are safe back on shore. . . . A Class 6 white-water read! ― Roland Smith, NYT best-selling author of PEAK This rapid-paced story for young readers from best-selling author Jonathan London churns with heart-stopping beauty and terror. Twelve-year-olds Aaron and Lisa and sixteen-year-old Cassidy join their fathers on an epic float trip down the Green River and learn what they are made of. Full of suspense, action, and adventure, crazy-frightening characters, and overcoming terrible physical and mental odds, this page turner immerses young readers into the wilds of nature and is destined to become a classic.

Little Wolf, pup of Gray Wolf and White Wolf, bounds into the world and through the seasons in this new children’s picture book. Inside the safety of the den, through fields of wildflowers, and in birch shimmering in an autumn moon’s glow, Van Zyle’s paintings depict Little Wolf’s adventures through a variety of perspectives from close-up portraits to sweeping action scenes. Jonathan London’s lyrical prose imparts a wisdom to the text, endearing the reader to the pup and creating a suspenseful read-aloud.

A playful, young otter learns how to paddle with his hind feet, use his powerful tail as a rudder, and root in the river bottom mud for crayfish.

Originally published: Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman, 1992.

Froggy and his friends are building a treehouse-with a lot of help from Dad. Their plans don''t include Frogilina though, "Boys Only!" says Froggy. But in the end, it''s Frogilina who saves the day and joins the treehouse gang. Lovable Froggy returns in his 22nd laugh-out-loud adventure.

Easy-to-read, rhyming text describes the sounds of, and uses for, different kinds of airplanes.

Simple rhyming text introduces sounds and activities of a wide variety of trucks.

It''s the first day of T-ball and Froggy can''t wait. In his dreams he''s hitting home runs and waving to the cheering crowd. But things never go quite right for Froggy. After he bonks his pal Max on the head with his bat, throws himself out at first base, and spends his time in the outfield catching real flies with his tongue, Froggy has one last chance to prove he''s a T-ball star.

Froggy just got his very first bike, and it''s exactly what he wanted. Almost. Finishing touches like a bell and a horn have to be added before Froggy is ready to ride. Then, surrounded by cheering friends, Froggy starts to pedal. Oops! He falls off. He tries again. Oops! Riding a bike is hard! After a long day, and a few bumps and bruises, Froggy finally learns to ride, and once he does, he can''t wait to go again. Froggy Rides a Bike is a reassuring reminder that practice makes perfect and it''s sure to make kids eager to learn to ride on their own.

Froggy goes to a sleep-away camp, where all of his fun seems to cause trouble for the camp''s director.

A boy imagines what it would be like to drive a big rig across the country.

It’s Father’s Day at last, and Froggy is so-o-o excited. "We’re going to play golf!" he tells his dad. Oh no. Dad says Froggy’s too little for golf. "But you’re just the right size to play miniature golf!" he explains. At the fun park, Froggy discovers mini golf is fun—especially once he figures out how to face the right way. With his beginner’s luck, Froggy makes a hole in one! But his next shot hits his dad on the head—bonk!—and that’s only the beginning. All ends well, though, when Froggy presents his dad with a special coffee mug he decorated in school: To the Best Dad I Ever Had!

A lively rhyming text that features fireflies, beavers, turtles, and other animals celebrates the interconnectedness of the natural world.

Froggy isn''t looking forward to his check-up because he might get a shot but when it''s over and he''s pronounced a very healthy frog, Dr. Mugwort is the one who dreads Froggy''s next visit.

It''s a special occasion, so Froggy and his parents are going to eat dinner in a fancy restaurant. When they arrive at the restaurant, Froggy''s mom has a few rules for him: "Be neat, be quiet, and don''t put your feet on the table." But it''s so hard for Froggy to sit still. He fidgets, he squirms, and he sssllluuuurrrrpppps his spaghetti. Then he spots Frogilina across the restaurant-now it''s impossible for Froggy to follow the rules!

Froggy has never celebrated Christmas; usually he''s taking his long winter''s nap. But not this year! Froggy''s best friend, Max the beaver, wakes him up to join the fun. Soon, Froggy''s gotten into the swing of things: finding a tree, wrapping presents, singing carols, and enjoying a holiday feast. Join Froggy as he celebrates his very first, and very best, Christmas! "The humor and spirited artwork will put Froggy fans in the holiday mood!" (The Horn Book) "Children who have delighted in the earlier books about Froggy will cheer him along as he experiences his very first Christmas." (School Library Journal)