Most Popular Books by Brian Floca

Brilliantly illustrated, Moonshot tells the story of our first visit to the moon in 1969—an unforgettable story of home, seen whole, from far away. Simply told, grandly shown, here is the flight of Apollo 11. Here for a new generation of readers and explorers are the steady astronauts, clicking themselves into gloves and helmets, strapping themselves into sideways seats. Here are their great machines in all their detail and monumentality, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a story of adventure and discovery -- a story of leaving and returning during the summer of 1969, and a story of home, seen whole, from far away.

You may never have heard of a lightship. Once, lightships anchored on waters across America, on the oceans and in the Great Lakes, floating where lighthouses could not be built. Smaller than most ships, but more steadfast, too, they held their spots, through calm and storm, to guide sailors toward safe waters. In these pages one lightship and her crew (and cat) again hold their place. The crew goes again from bow to stern, from keel to mast, to run their engines, shine their lights, and sound their horns. They run the small ship that guides the large ships. They are the crew (and cat) that work to make the ocean safe, that hold their place, so other ships can sail. Come aboard!

The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Times bestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America’s early railroads, from the creator of the “stunning” (Booklist) Moonshot. It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with descriptive details of the journey: the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean. Come sit inside the caboose, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

While spending Christmas at their grandparents' farm, Lily becomes convinced that her younger brother Liam is right about White Cow being lonely and helps him seek a companion for her, leaving little time for Christmas preparations or reading.

"Before taking shelter, two siblings experience the excitement and beauty of an island storm from its calm beginning to its powerful peak and gentle end."--Provided by publisher.

Trucks of different shapes and sizes share one important purpose in this classic picture book from the bestselling creator of Moonshot and Locomotive. You have hurried to be on time. You look now through a window and see five trucks. They are hurrying, too. Where are they going? Five drivers for five trucks— each has a job to do. They hurry to be on time. And then they see you! Originally published in 1999 by DK, Five Trucks features a new cover and plenty of exciting machines!

The story of a class trip to the Natural History Museum. The teacher tried to talk about a bird, but they were acting up too much. So she told the story of Harry Walfish, who could create a ruckus & a din that would make you all seem as quiet as these stuffed animals. He terrorized my class, when I was your age.Ó Harry''s teacher, Mrs. Grimmer, had to keep tracking Harry down, catching him in the middle of one disaster or another. Finally Mrs. Grimmer cracked & left Harry in the museum, all alone, overnight. When Mrs. Grimmer, his parents, the curator came back to get him that night, they found that Harry had been so scared by all the animals that he had shut himself inside the case where the howler monkeys belonged. This story made the class very quiet.

Caldecott Award winner Brian Floca gives a heartfelt thank you to the essential workers who keep their cities going during COVID-19 quarantine in this tenderly illustrated picture book. We are here at home now, watching the world through our windows. Outside we see the city we know, but not as we’ve seen it before. The once hustling and bustling streets are empty. Well, almost empty. Around the city there are still people, some, out and about. These are the people keeping us safe. Keeping us healthy. Keeping our mail and our food delivered. Keeping our grocery stores stocked. Keeping the whole city going. Brian Floca speaks for us all in this stirring homage to all the essential workers who keep the essentials operating so the rest of us can do our part by sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Award-winning author Patricia Lakin is back with a Level 1 Ready-to-Read about the adorable hamsters, Max and Mo. Join Max and Mo as they participate in an exciting science fair! It’s school science fair time, and Max and Mo love seeing what the big ones—the kids in the class—are making. The two hamsters decide to do their own experiment and learn how to grow plants from seeds! Follow along with Max and Mo with simple instructions at the back of the book for kids to grow their own plants!

Meet artist and author Brian Floca and follow along as he takes you through how he creates the drawings for one of his books, Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11. You''ll see the drawings at every stage, from sketch to drawing to finished illustration!

An exciting day at the races highlights the letters of the alphabet as a variety of automobiles burn fuel speeding through the curves of the track.