New Releases by Barbara Bottner

Set in the 1960s, Barbara Bottner's I Am Here Now is a beautiful novel in verse about one artist's coming of age. It's a heartbreaking, powerful and inspiring depiction of what it's like to shatter your life—and piece it all back together. You can't trust Life to give you decent parents, or beautiful eyes, a fine French accent or an outstanding flair for fashion. No, Life does what it wants. It's sneaky as a thief. Maisie's first day of High school should be exciting, but all she wants is to escape. Her world is lonely and chaotic, with an abusive mother and a father who's rarely there to help. So when Maisie, who finds refuge in her art, meets the spirited Rachel and her mother, a painter, she catches a glimpse of a very different world—one full of life, creativity, and love—and latches on. But as she discovers her strengths through Rachel's family, Maisie, increasingly desperate, finds herself risking new friendships, and the very future she's searching for. An Imprint Book

The Day the Crayons Quit meets Winnie the Pooh in this hilarious and tea-riffic illustrated picture book about stuffed animals who start bickering at their tea party. It’s tea time at Clarissa’s house, but her guests are not in the mood for a party: Elephant is upset about the ice cream Clarissa dropped on his head. Rabbit is still damp from being left outside. Pig has a rip that’s yet to be repaired. Monkey is miffed over being put to bed when he wasn’t even tired. Bear has been forgotten all week long. And, the stuffies declare, Clarissa thinks she’s Queen of the Universe! So instead of a tea party, Clarissa finds herself at a crankypants party! Can Clarissa and her stuffed animals make up before their tea gets cold, or will they continue to steep in their crankiness?

Help Archer find his missing turtle hiding in the pages of this picture book! How Many Times Have I Told You to Pick Up This Room? Archer's pet turtle is missing! Mom is sure he's somewhere in Archer's messy bedroom...or the back yard... or somewhere in the house. Archer looks everywhere inside and out but can't find his turtle until he learns to think like one! However, sharp-eyed young readers will easily find the missing pet hiding thoughout the messy pages of this book. Here is an imaginative and interactive story with the added bonus of showing why it's a good idea to pick up your toys.

There’s nothing Amy likes more than being famous. It’s so fun to sign autographs for her bear, pose for photos with her parents, and she loves getting gold stars in class. But when a new girl comes to school, suddenly she’s the superstar, and Amy is just super jealous. It's not until they spend time together that they discover something more meaningful than fame—friendship. Themes of sharing the spotlight, overcoming jealousy, and finding great friends take center stage in Amy is Famous, a picture book from renowned children’s author Barbara Bottner. An Imprint Book "Sometimes being famous isn't all that great, but this story of friendship, self-reliance, and overcoming jealousy is." —Kirkus Reviews

A girl learns that a cold needs a LOT of things, as she waits for a bad case of the sniffles to run its course. What does a cold need? It needs a comfy bed by a window, warm socks, Grandma's chicken soup, and plenty of Dad's silly jokes. Sometimes, a cold just needs a little time. In this warmly written and quietly humorous picture book about a girl sporting a red nose that just won't seem to go away while she waits for a bad case of the sniffles to run its course, she and her family learn an important lesson--a cold needs what a cold needs.

When a whole class goes gorilla, they learn the importance of balancing passion and creativity with cooperation in this charmer of a picture book from the New York Times bestselling duo, Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley. The day Priscilla gets a book about gorillas, she instantly becomes obsessed. She dances like them, eats like them, and wears her gorilla costume 24–7! There are so many things to love about gorillas, but what Priscilla loves best is how they seem to always get their way. So when Mr. Todd tells all his students to dress up like their favorite animal, Priscilla’s choice is obvious. But dancing around and beating her chest when it’s not her turn sends Priscilla straight to the Thinking Corner. She is of course outraged—nobody tells a gorilla what to do!—and as her attitude spreads, soon the thinking corner is full of her classmates. Is Priscilla really channeling her inner gorilla, or is she just a troublemaker in ape’s clothing?

From the New York Times bestselling author of Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) comes a gentle bedtime book that includes a proven relaxation technique parents can use to help their little ones go to sleep after an exciting day. The sun has set and dinner is done, but Fiona is still excited about the day and is not at all ready for bed. So her mom helps her settle down with their nightly ritual of sending each part of her—from her toes to her nose—off to sleep. As Fiona relaxes her body, she recalls a marvelous day at the beach where feet were for stomping in the waves, legs were for running after cousins, tummy was for holding strawberries, and arms were for catching beach balls. And bit by bit, memory by memory, Fiona slips from a great day into a good night. Barbara Bottner and Maggie Smith create an action-packed day to remember and provide parents with a wonderful technique for helping their own busy little ones drift peacefully off to sleep.

A hilarious companion to the New York Times bestselling Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) about the power of stories and storytelling. Missy loves her librarian, Miss Brooks. And she loves to go to Miss Brooks’ before-school story time. But to get to Story Nook, she has to pass Billy Toomey’s house—and she does not love Billy Toomey. Billy always tries to steal her hat and jeers, “I’m going to get you!” It’s vexing. Then one rainy (and hatless) day, Miss Brooks changes story hour to storytelling hour. She teaches the kids about characters and plot and action and satisfying conclusions and encourages them to make up their own tales. And that’s when Missy has a brainstorm. She sees a way to use her made-up story to deal with her real-life bully. In this terrifically funny ode to inventiveness and ingenuity, Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley celebrate the power of stories and how they can help us to rewrite our own lives. This Read & Listen edition contains audio narration.

Rosa searches for things that will fill her room in her new home, but it feels empty until she discovers exactly what is missing.

When Adelaide annoys Bailey, their entire preschool class gets upset, one child after another, until Zelda zaps Adelaide and a round of apologies begins. Bottner and Emberley follow up their bestselling "Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't!)" with this outrageously funny alphabet book. Full color.

In this high-spirited Read & Listen edition, Miss Brooks helps Missy’s classmates all find books they love in the library—books about fairies and dogs and trains and cowboys. But Missy dismisses them all—“Too flowery, too furry, too clickety, too yippity.” Still, Miss Brooks remains undaunted. Book Week is here and Missy will find a book to love if they have to empty the entire library. What story will finally win over this beastly, er, discriminating child? William Steig’s Shrek!—the tale of a repulsive green ogre in search of a revolting bride—of course! Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley pay playful homage to the diverse tastes of child readers and the valiant librarians who are determined to put just the right book in each child’s hands. This ebook includes Read & Listen audio narration.

Pish and Posh are ready to be fairies! To get their fairy wings they must make a wise wish. But wishing wisely is not so easy, especially when two friends don’t always agree.

Laugh-out-loud letters enhance this endearingly quirky story about repairing a friendship. Raymond and Nelda are the best of friends. They make up funny songs and share chocolate-covered strawberries. They like to play ball and they always laugh at each other's jokes. But one day, Nelda twirls for Raymond and falls down. Raymond laughs at her. "Some friend!" says Nelda. Now the two aren't speaking. But life isn't nearly as much fun without a best friend to share it with. It's up to Florence the mail lady to deliver some important letters that might just help Nelda and Raymond make up and be best friends once again. Author Barbara Bottner's quirky story of a friendship that gets off track will resonate with readers as they negotiate the highs and lows of their own relationships. Nancy Hayashi's illustrations colorfully capture the appeal of the characters and the charm of the story.

Wallace, a mouse, could do almost anything. Anything that is, as long as he had a list. Wallace is a shy mouse. He writes lists. Lists of recipes, funny words, and frightening experiences. Wallace meets his lively neighbor named Albert. His world is swiftly opened to new delights, such as painting and music. Wallace and Albert experience the excitement of an adventure, and Wallace discovers a new joy. Friendship.

When Pish and Posh discover fairy magic, they face a series of wacky surprises.

Seeing bully Bootsie Barker get her comuppance is guaranteed to make young readers smile. It's the worst when Bootsie Barker comes to my house. Bootsie's the one who pulls my hair and tears my books. She hates Charlene, my pet salamander. She says that I'm a turtle and she's a turtle-eating dinosaur. Uh-oh, I think I hear a car pulling up. That's her now! Eeek! "The colorful cartoon and wash drawings, filled with amusing detail, perfectly express the terroristic tactics and the narrator's frustration. When Bootsie is on a rampage, even the stuffed animals cover their eyes." --School Library Journal

An articulate, intelligent teenager with strong ideas about feminism faces a conflict when she falls in love with her social studies teacher.

A small girl awakes in the night, thinks she is alone in the house, and embarks on fantastic adventures.