New Releases by Allen Swim

Filbert the whale begins his day on land like any other: watching his best friend LuLu''s acrobatic trampoline routine with a group of sweater-wearing chickens. But after some fun on her father''s kooky chicken farm, a magician''s spell goes terribly wrong. The City and all of Furmanity is in danger-a pickle much bigger than a thousand-pound whale and his specially trained squirrel bodyguards. In this wonderfully wacky whale tale, an evil stuffed rhino comes to life, threatening to rule the world with an iron hoof-one toy store at a time. Silliness ensues as the group of humans, animals, and humans turned into animals try to stop the madness. In volume 3 of the Filbert the Flying Whale series, squirrels meet Filbert''s tattletale twin brother deep in the Pacific Ocean, Ryan the donkey tries to turn back into a boy, and the Tiniest Pig continues to leave a tornado of chaos wherever he goes, sometimes wearing nothing but a red cape. When this evil overlord gets ahold of his owner''s Wand of Snizzle, anything is possible, including a stuffy army designed to take over the world. Will Filbert and his friends stop the rise of Boo Boo Force? Will Ryan ever turn back into a boy? Will Filbert''s five-hundred-pound giant clam pets, Smeepy and Smarple, try to eat his squirrel friends? Will the Tiniest Pig finally put on some clothes? Young readers of Filbert Floating on Air and Squirrel Trouble will love strapping in for this whale of a ride.

"Squirrel Trouble" is Volume 2 in the continuing adventures of Filbert the Flying Whale. Filbert is like any other 8-year-old. He has a tattletale twin brother whose body is covered in green and purple stripes, his pets Smeepy and Smarple are no different from any other 500-pound giant clams, and he spends most of his free time hanging out with his friend Lulu on her father''s zany chicken farm. Oh yeah, Filbert is a gray whale. And Filbert can fly. In his first adventure, Filbert ventured out from the cold depths of the Pacific Ocean to explore the wonderful world of humans. He made friends with 8-year-old Lulu, her father Cornelius, and a plethora of chickens, but he also earned the animosity of a community of squirrels who occupy the wilds of Dirty Dog Park. In this installment of the series, Filbert attempts to right the wrong that has led to a rift with the squirrels, but things do not go according to plan. When you add in a donkey, the donkey''s human little brother, and a gang of troublesome penguins, there is no telling what might happen. This absurdly hilarious whale tale is perfect for any young reader who loves to laugh. Included inside: 12 coloring pages!

School is out and Filbert, a young gray whale is looking for adventure. Like any other eight year old, Filbert just wants to have fun. Unfortunately, all the other gray whale children reject him because he''s a little different. Stuck with his tattletale twin brother, Roger as his only companion, Filbert is bored and desperate for excitement. Just as the summer looks to be a complete loss, a mysterious genie grants Filbert a single wish. Join Filbert on his hilarious exploration of the surface world where he is hounded by the very people he went there to meet, has a confrontation with a group of industrious squirrels, and befriends the inhabitants of a bizarre chicken farm. Added at the end of the book are 12 illustrations for you to color in, as you see fit!