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.

Struggling with an overgrown yard and his own aimlessness, Old MacDonald receives advice from the wise and ecologically sensible Little Red Hen, who helps him compost his way through the steps of creating a thriving organic farm. By the best-selling author of Wild About Books.

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!

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.

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. "Racoons 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, an award-winning New York Times #1 bestselling picture book. ZooZical is sure to inspire some "can do" fun in kindergarten and primary grades.

A pirate bride who sinks with her ship, a ghost that gets ever larger, and a big slobbery monster with long green fingers and floppy purple lips are just a few of the characters who populate this collection of silly, spooky tales collected and retold by folklorist Judy Sierra. A compendium of bite-size stories and rhymes, Never Kick a Ghost and Other Silly Chillers is sure to prompt repeat reading and recitation among beginning readers.

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!

Mr. Crocodile''s plans to catch and eat some pesky monkeys do not work out and he becomes friends with them instead.

"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! "From the Hardcover edition.

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 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.

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

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.

The stories of a Cinderella character go far beyond the familiar tales of Perrault and Grimm. Author Judy Sierra presents 24 versions that represent a broad range of cultures and geographical areas, styles, with variations on the theme of the persecuted heroine (or occasionally hero) who emerges victorious, regardless of the circumstances. Each version is accompanied by a short introductory paragraph that summarizes the plot and discusses the cultural background of the story.