New Releases by Laura Purdie Salas

Explore the science of snow in this informative picture book with a lyrical read-aloud from award-winning author and poet Laura Purdie Salas.

A tiny chipmunk named Oskar accidentally stows away on an enormous Great Lakes freighter. Can he survive an epic trip--and find his way back home? Near a bustling harbor, a plucky chipmunk's love of tomatoes earns him a heart-pounding ride "up up up" onto a huge ship. After iron ore pellets thunder into the cargo holds, the boat sets sail across Lake Superior--with Oskar still aboard! Lost and desperate to return to land, Oskar explores the enormous boat for a way out. The metal, the machines, the noise--it's all so different from his small home in the oak tree. Tasty treats in the galley calm his nerves, but when he ventures up to the pilothouse, where sailors steer the ship, he's shocked to see his bridge and his oak tree fading into the distance. Soon, the lake stretches endlessly in all directions. As he searches for a way home, Oskar discovers excitement--and danger--instead. He's never before seen a dizzying drop to icy water; an avalanche of mail; a roaring, rumbling engine room; or a steel boom swinging through the sky to deliver a ship's cargo. Though he encounters amazing wonders on board, he can't find the one thing he needs most--his oak tree back at the harbor. Will Oskar ever make it home? In 2019 author Laura Purdie Salas took a voyage on the Paul R. Tregurtha, the largest freighter on the Great Lakes. That trip inspired her poetic narrative highlighting the features of a working ship through a chipmunk's eyes. Artist Kayla Harren's vibrant illustrations offer glimpses into life aboard a laker--with dazzling scenes of both inland sea and shore. A diagram of a freighter offers perspective, and a map displays Oskar's route. A glossary and further reading list round out this tale of an unlikely adventure--and may just inspire readers to imagine their own Great Lakes excursion.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! We all belong! You and I, we're alike, / but we're different too. / That's not good. / That's not bad. / It's just what is true. Explore and celebrate who you are and who others are too! Rhyming verse by Laura Purdie Salas invites others to notice the diversity of our world and affirm that we all belong, just as we are. Bright illustrations by Carlos Vélez Aquilera feature a diverse group of children, playing and learning in an urban setting.

Various shapes vie for an important job at the library, but imperfect Line ultimately proves that being perfectly imperfect is the ideal qualification.

Discover the true story of an orphaned mallard duckling being raised by a pair of loons. On a lake in northern Wisconsin in 2019, loon researchers were surprised to discover a mother and father loon caring for a mallard duckling. Normally loons and mallards live very different lives and do not get along. Follow along as the duckling grows and displays a mix of both loon behaviors and mallard behaviors. Intriguing verse and striking illustrations combine in this heartwarming tale of unexpected animal cooperation.

This lively picture book introduces the forces that work together to create a thunderstorm.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! A leaf is a leaf, a bit of a tree. But just try to guess what else it can be! A leaf can be a...shade spiller, mouth filler, tree topper, rain stopper. Find out about the many roles leaves play in this poetic exploration of leaves throughout the year. Laura Purdie Salas's lyrical, rhyming text and Violeta Dabija's glowing illustrations make simple yet profound observations about seemingly ordinary objects and encourage readers to suggest "what else it can be!" Using metaphors for a leaf (tree topper / rain stopper), a rock (hopscotch marker / fire sparker), and water (thirst quencher / kid drencher), these insightful picture books creatively highlight a variety of roles and relationships in nature.

In this humorous picture book, a girl's desire to knit mittens leads to something even better: the warmth of friendship. How do you knit a pair of mittens? The first step is to get a sheep of course! In this playful story, a girl follows 18 steps to knit mittens--from bringing home a sheep to carding, spinning, and dyeing the wool to knitting the mittens. But along the way, her mischievous sheep creates chaos and wins her heart. By wintertime, the girl has sunny-yellow mittens, the sheep has a sunny-yellow hat, and together they're ready for adventure. This tale of patience, creativity, and friendship is knitted from skeins of humor and love.

Clover Kitty does NOT want to go to kittygarten! Although she might like a friend to play with, kittygarten feels overwhelming for a sensory-sensitive kitty like Clover. And when she arrives, it is exactly as she fears: her classroom is too loud, the lights are too bright, and everyone comes too close. So Clover throws a fit...and decides to quit kittygarten. But when a classmate comes to check on her, she begins to reconsider. Maybe it's time for Clover to give kittygarten another chance....

There is more than one way for animals to prepare for winter. Some, such as mice, foxes, and moose, simply tolerate the cold. Of course black bears hibernate, but chipmunks, wood frogs, and garter snakes do too. And then there are the creatures that migrate, including hummingbirds, blue whales, and even earthworms! This rhyming nonfiction picture book by Laura Purdie Salas tells you all about how animals survive chilly weather.

you gasp as I roar, my mane exploding, sizzling— lion of the sky! Haiku meet riddles in this wonderful collection from Laura Purdie Salas. The poems celebrate the seasons and describe everything from an earthworm to a baseball to an apple to snow angels, alongside full-color illustrations.

Toys, food, and other everyday household objects have wild adventures at night, while the humans in the house sleep, in this imaginative collection of 26 poems. What do the things in your home do when you're asleep? They play, of course! In this compendium of poems by Laura Purdie Salas, everything from stuffed animals to clothing to writing utensils comes to life under the cover of night. An overdue library book searches for the perfect place to hide. A paper clip skydives with a tissue parachute. A fruit snack unrolls to create a tricky racetrack for toy cars. A hose unwinds and rolls around the yard before curling back up just before dawn. Accompanied by Angela Matteson's beautiful acrylic-on-wood illustrations, this book will spark young readers' imaginations and is a perfect choice for bedtime reading.

Poetry + Math + Science = A new way of looking at spring Math meets metaphor in this eye-opening exploration of spring. Each clever equation is a tiny, perfect poem that prompts readers to look at the ordinary and see the miraculous. Can you look at an egg in a nest and see a jewelry box? How are sunlight and heat like an alarm clock? Engaging sidebars reveal the science behind the signs of spring.

What colors do animals use to give a warning? To hide themselves? To attract another animal? Explore the wide ranging use of color in the animal world. Vibrant photos pair with easy-reading text to support young readers. A back matter feature showcases the Crayola® colors that can be found in the animal imagery throughout the book.

What would you do if you were the moon? Do you think you would rest quietly in the night sky? Oh, no. The moon does so much more than you might imagine! It spins like a twilight ballerina, plays tug-of-war with the ocean, and lights a pathway for baby sea turtles. Discover the many other roles the moon plays in this whimsical and lyrical picture book.

Offers guidance on writing stories, poems, drama, and nonfiction and includes profiles of famous writers, writing exercises, and tips from experts.

Inform and engage young writers with this contemporary, creative breakdown of poetry essentials. Clear, concise text introduces and defines key skills while fun and inspiring writing prompts launch new skills into practice, while author bios and mentor texts provide creative blueprints for budding writers.

Rocks may seem like boring objects--until you discover that rocks can spark a fire and glow in the dark. Through rhyming text and glowing illustrations discover how rocks decorate and strengthen the world around them.

Water can be a . . . • Thirst quencher • Kid drencher • Cloud fluffer • Fire snuffer Find out about the many roles water plays in this poetic exploration of water throughout the year.

"Simple text and photographs illustrate the colors of weather"--

Presents a series of poems which pay tribute to the limitless worlds available through books, as characters plead for sequels, strut fancy jackets, and have a raucous party in the aisles after a bookstore closes for the night.

"Sing along to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin?." Learn about the eight planets in our solar system."

Learn about the five senses with a song set to the tune of 'I've been working on the railroad.'

"Introduces birthday celebrations through photographs and brief text that uses one word relating to the subject for each letter of the alphabet"--Provided by publisher.

Uses musical verses sung to the tune of "Clementine" to teach the six main categories into which animals can be grouped.

"Discusses the history, effects, and dangers of inhalants as well as addiction treatment options"--Provided by publisher.

What's your favorite food? Summer-sweet slices of watermelon, sky-high bologna on rye, or ooey, gooey campfire s'mores? In this delicious collection of original poetry, fun is on the menu!

Tundras is a Capstone Press publication.

An inventive poetry collection that shows the wild side of first- and second-graders at school. These 18 funny and imaginative poems observe students in their natural habitat and reveal their unusual behavior, crazy communication, and very healthy appetites. Whether they’re in the classroom, on the playground, or in the cafeteria, school brings out the animal in all of them. And if you look carefully as you turn the pages, you may even glimpse some of the wild side in yourself!