New Releases by Keiko Kasza

Fans of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie will love this new preschool gem from beloved storyteller Keiko Kasza A hat is not just a hat in these woods! From tree branch to stream to flower patch—wherever the hat lands, someone knows exactly what to do with it and exclaims, “Finders, keepers!” But this red hat doesn’t stay in one place for long, and everyone will be surprised by what happens to it in the end. Youngsters will be delighted by the silly scenes and clever twists and turns in this charming circular story.

Friends and imagination save the day Goose's friends love the stories he makes up when they're playing. Except one thing - Goose is always the hero. And when they ask to take turns leading the fun, Goose doesn't agree. While they argue about it, no one notices the hungry wolf sneaking up on them until he shouts, "Hello, Lunch!" This real-life danger shows Goose how silly he's been and that his friends make terrific heroes! Always a surefire hit on laps or at storytime, Keiko Kasza's latest shows how imagination can come in handy in an unexpected way.

A warm, funny tale for little worriers At first, Raccoon thought a picnic with his friend Duck sounded like fun, but he?s having second thoughts. After all, picnics can be very dangerous. They might get attacked by bees, or fall into the river, or even run into a giant, fire-breathing dragon who lives in a cave! Yes, a picnic is a very bad idea indeed. Luckily, Duck knows that even though you can?t plan for the unexpected, there?s no reason to be afraid of it, because some surprises in life can be wonderful.

An award-winning story time favorite with a hilarious twist at the end. When a delicious-looking piglet knocks on Mr. Fox's door, the fox can hardly believe his good luck. It's not every day that dinner just shows up on your doorstep. It must be his lucky day! But as the piglet is quick to point out, shouldn't the fox give him a bath first? And wouldn't it be best to fatten him up a little, and give him a massage so he'll make for a nice tender roast? Preparing this feast is a lot of work, but the fox is sure it will be worth it. After all, it's his lucky day. Or is it? In a funny trickster tale of her own, Kasza keeps readers guessing until the surprise ending when they'll realize it was piglet's lucky day all along.

Moka is a good dog. But when Michelle, his little girl, reads him a book about wolves, being a good dog suddenly seems awfully boring. Wolves get to run around doing whatever they want. No one ever makes a wolf dress up for a tea party. So Moka decides to run away to the wild. But what will happen when the real wolves show up? For any kid who''s tired of being good, Moka''s antics will be a vicarious treat.

Is the Bear, the Elephant, or the Lion the mightiest animal in the forest? When the three friends come upon a golden crown that says, "For the Mightiest," they each think that they deserve the title. Just when it looks like they''ll argue forever, an old woman comes along, which gives them an idea. They''ll have a contest to see who can scare her the most! But their game goes awry when a giant appears to take the crown. The giant is certainly the biggest, but does that make him the mightiest? Or is there someone else even mightier than the giant? Keiko Kasza charms us again with a subtle reminder that no one is mightier than Mom.

Mother Possum is in despair because her son cannot learn to play dead without laughing.

In his friendship with Rat, Tiger takes advantage and plays the bully because of his greater size, but one day Rat stands up for his rights.

The wolf loves to eat more than anything in the world and one day he has a terrible craving for chicken stew. He spots a chicken who seems just right, but then he thinks how much more stew there will be if he fattens her up before dining himself. So he goes home and begins to cook all kinds of scrumptious food for the chicken to eat. A big surprise is in store for the wolf when he finally visits Mrs. Chicken to collect his meal.

A charming circular story where the tiniest animal just might be the most powerful. When the Elephant walks, he scares the Bear. When the Bear runs away, he scares the Crocodile. When the Crocodile swims for his life, he scares the Wild Hog . . . and so on, down to the Mouse. And who could be scared of the little Mouse? The last spread answers this question in a way that will delight small children-and the endearing animals, rhythmic text, and hilarious illustrations will make this book a favorite.

A surprising twist occurs on Alligator Al's birthday when a tasty-looking piglet knocks on Al's door.

Family is about love no matter how different parents and children may be, adopted or not. Choco wishes he had a mother, but who could she be? He sets off to find her, asking all kinds of animals, but he doesn't meet anyone who looks just like him. He doesn't even think of asking Mrs. Bear if she's his mother-but then she starts to do just the things a mommy might do. And when she brings him home, he meets her other children-a piglet, a hippo, and an alligator-and learns that families can come in all shapes and sizes and still fit together. Keiko Kasza's twist on the "Are you my mother?" theme has become one of the most highly recommended stories about adoption for children.