New Releases by Richard Torrey

You can call her Ally-SAURUS! When Ally roars off to her first day at school, she hopes she''ll meet lots of other dinosaur-mad kids in class. Instead, she''s the only one chomping her food with fierce dino teeth and drawing dinosaurs on her nameplate. Even worse, a group of would-be "princesses" snubs her! Will Ally ever make new friends? With its humorous art, appealing heroine, and surprise ending, this fun board book celebrates children''s boundless imagination.

Moe is the youngest, and wants to be the best at something. He tries many things, but becomes discouraged. Eventually his siblings help Moe discover what he can do best: trying! The simple message and humorous illustrations combine to form a book with natural appeal to beginning readers.

Like all dogs, Bob likes breakfast, going for rides in the family car, and digging for bones. He also has a few unusual talents. From PW''s review: ''''Subtle visual humor, especially regarding Bob''s exceptional skills, makes this lighthearted story a winner.''''

“A delightful look at the importance of compromise among friends.”—Kirkus Ideal for all families who have ever heard (or said!) the words “Why can’t you both JUST GET ALONG?!”, here is the story of two young children with VERY different ideas of what they want to play. What starts with an innocent question (“What do you want to play?”) soon veers hilariously toward chaos, as two children engage in the age-old struggle of princesses, ponies, and ballet vs. dinosaurs, dragons, and race cars. Which child will win? Or will both find a way to play nicely together? In a humorous mock–epic battle staged with crayon illustrations of each child’s increasingly steadfast and elaborate ideas of what they want to play, Richard Torrey taps into the charged and volatile emotions of childhood, which every parent and child will recognize with a smile. It’s a lighthearted and funny way to reflect on the ideas of sharing, cooperation, patience, and generosity. “A clever story of dueling imaginations.”—School Library Journal “A playful and accessible introduction to cooperation.”—Booklist “Friendship, it seems, like make-believe, takes an act of imagination.”—The New York Times

The story of a little boy who goes to his first football practice, with a real football team, on a real football field.

Jack''s mom may tell him that "because" is not an answer, but he disagrees. In fact, this almost-six-year-old thinks "because" is the perfect answer . . . to any question! Why did he cover himself in Band-Aids? Why is the dog wearing a cape? Why did he eat all the chocolate cake? Richard Torrey''s endearing companion to Almost and Why? celebrates every child''s favorite answer to life''s trickiest questions.

Like any almost-six-year-old, Jack is full of questions. Why does all the good-for-you food taste bad? Why can''t he have a tail? Why doesn''t hair hurt when you cut it? From bedtimes to ball games, Jack has a question for everything. Why? Why? Why? Richard Torrey''s funny, sweet companion to almost is a celebration of every child''s favorite question.

- Full-page text with dialogue - Challenging vocabulary - Engaging solve-it-yourself mysteries

An entertaining early reader about soccer, friendship, and sportsmanship. When Beans hurts his leg in soccer practice right before the championship game, his best friend Chester thinks it’s all his fault! Beans may not be able to play in the game, but he can still play an important role on the team when he cheers up—and cheers on—Chester. A great story for young sports lovers and those interested in character education. Step 3 Readers feature engaging characters in easy-to-follow plots about popular topics—for children who are ready to read on their own.