New Releases by Ann Bonwill

A picture book about a young girl surviving her parents'' divorce with the help of her stuffed unicorn friend.

"Introduces the reader on the process of voting"--

Kids can be good citizens, too The Rookie Read about Civics series helps children become productive citizens by presenting core civic knowledge in a fun and engaging way. Each book features include critical-thinking questions; a civics in action feature that encourages kids to put what they''ve learned into practice; a civics checklist; glossary; and more. Kids can be good citizens, too. They have freedoms within the groups they belong to and responsibilities to show they care-with their words and their actions. In We Are Citizens readers will explore what being a good citizen means at home, at school, and in the world.

"Introduces the reader to the government"--

Simple text and photographs introduce young readers to the Constitution.

How are we alike? How are we different? Why is it important to celebrate what we share and what makes us unique? In this book, readers will examine diversity, friendship, and coming together.

6 stories that encourage a love of reading and are perfect for your classroom or libary.

Bear just isn''t in the mood to play with Bug. She lumbers off to her cave for a nap but Bug buzzes after her as he thinks they are playing ''chase''! Bad-tempered Bear gets increasingly huffy and decides to hide from Bug instead. Of course Bug finds her and thinks it''s an invitation to play hide-and-seek. And so it goes on. Each time Bear tries to shake off Bug, Bug - in his enthusiasm to play - gets the wrong end of the stick, and so each time adds to Bear''s exasperation. Then Bear snaps. She tells Bug to go away and finally she gets to have her nap. But Bear feels bad for being mean so she comes back out of her cave to look for Bug and finds him floating and forlorn on a water-lily pad. Bear wades out into the lake and brings Bug back to the shore. ''You are my very best friend. Would you like to play now?'' said Bear. ''I''m too tired to play,'' said Bug, shaking the water from his wings. ''I think I''d like to have a nap.'' And so they did. Together. A story that celebrates the resilience of real friend

Naughty Toes is narrated by a little girl called Trixie. At the start of the story she compares herself to her sister, Belinda, who is, we are told, a ballerina. Trixie, however, is not. And we go on to discover Trixie''s anti-ballet tendencies in the dancewear she picks out at the shop, the dismay her unconventional technique elicits from her stern teacher, Madame Mina, the way she does her hair, eats an ice-cream, and the part she is given in the end-of-term show - a rock! But Trixie does have talents, even if they don''t quite fit the rules of a ballet class, and it''s the class pianist, Mr Tiempo, who can see that Trixie would rather be doing a toe-tap than a twirl. Trixie is full of free-spirited energy and she knows her own mind. At the end of the book, we discover how the contents of a mysterious box - left backstage for Trixie after the end-of-term show - allow her to step out and shine . . . as a tap dancer!

After teaming up for I Don''t Want to be a Pea! and making a splash in I Am Not a Copycat! Hugo the hippo and Bella the bird are back and this time they''re joined by Cressida (a crocodile).

In this beautifully lyrical bedtime picture book, young readers will be whisked to a land where mermaids sleep and pirates snore; where fairies slumber on flower petals and a giant''s sleepy sighs make the valleys rumble. Featuring dream-like illustrations by Society of Illustrators Gold Medal recipients Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, When Mermaids Sleep is an ideal addition to the bedtime canon.

In a cheerful book about compromise and individuality, Hugo Hippo is trying to demonstrate through his water ballet that he is unique, but Bella Bird insists on copying his every move.

The Frazzle family is very forgetful, even when Aunt Rosemary visits and tries to straighten them out with her system, until Annie finds a simple and effective way to remember.

Hugo is in no doubt as to what he and Bella should go as to the Hippo-Bird Fancy Dress Party. They will go as the princess and the pea and he will be the princess (of course!) leaving poor Bella to be the pea. Indignant, Bella refuses. She has a better suggestion - they will go as a mermaid on a rock and she will be the mermaid (of course!) leaving a huffy Hugo to be the rock. Hugo is not happy. But neither is Bella. They just can''t decide on a costume and things reach a crisis when they both flounce off saying they don''t want to go to the party at all. After time to consider, both Hugo and Bella calm down and (privately) both choose to dress as a pea as a gesture of making it all up to each other. So when they both arrive at the party as peas, Hugo and Bella announce proudly that they are ''two peas in a pod, just as it should be'' underlining the message of the book that friendship is all about give and take. With wonderfully absurd illustrations from new talent Simon Rickerty and a great read-along

A little rabbit searches for the meaning of Christmas.