Most Popular Books by David LaRochelle

A child imagines that he is in a story where he encounters a tiger at every turn.

A monster and son fill their day with rough and rowdy fun.

"A nonstop dragon party . . . Irresistible." —Publishers Weekly This wacky counting adventure by Geisel Award-winning author David LaRochelle is a hilarious ode to dragons and math, with pitch-perfect art by Lian Cho. High on a mountain live 100 mighty dragons all named Broccoli. When a tremendous wind blows half the dragons away, ten others sail off to become professional surfers in Hawaii. The oldest and youngest dragons take a train to New York City to start their own heavy metal band. And a mysterious wizard turns four more into a unicorn, a werewolf, a zombie, and a tiny pink poodle. Now how many dragons are left? Young readers will delight in following each and every dragon as they leave their home for marvelous adventures, until there is but one dragon remaining. That''s when this final dragon named Broccoli retreats to a cave for the winter and reappears in the spring with a surprise that will thrill and delight. Prepare to read again! "Plenty of giggles . . . This is one entertaining and silly way to do math.” —Kirkus "A hilarious, charming and extremely silly book. . . . A great addition to any child''s bookshelf.” —The Minneapolis StarTribune "So clever, so utterly silly and absurd, so delightful and so engaging." —InfoDad.com "Colorful . . . Countable . . . Humorous . . . Lively." —Booklist

A little boy''s mother won''t let him have a dog. Dogs are too messy and too loud. But she says he can have a dragon for a pet - if he can find one. Enter the coolest - but naughtiest - pet ever. The dragon is messier and louder than any dog. And he will not leave. How will the boy ever get a dog now?

A laugh-out-loud, one-word adventure features a mischievous cow who borrows a farmer''s car and takes a wild ride through the country that comes to a troublesome end with a bump in the road.

Martha HATES green beans. When some mean, green bandits stroll into town, anyone who ever said "Eat your green beans" is in big trouble. But when the beans kidnap Martha''s parents, Martha is forced to take action. She can think of only one way to stop the villainous veggies from taking over her town, and it’s not pretty...or tasty. Featuring absurdly funny text and illustrations with attitude, this is a hilarious read for everyone – even the pickiest of eaters.

There is one thing Steven knows for sure: He''s absolutely, positively NOT gay.Steven''s a 16-year-old boy with two obsessions: sex and getting his driving license. The problem is, Steven''s not thinking girls when he''s thinking sex. Could he be -- don''t say it -- gay? Steven sets out to get in touch with his inner he-man with Healthy Heterosexual Strategies such as "Start Hanging Out with the Guys," and "Begin Intensive Dating." But are Steven''s tactics going to straighten him out, or leave him all twisted up?Absolutely hilarious. Positively sidesplitting. But absolutely, positively NOT GAY!

What''s scarier than a ghost story? Three ghost stories, of course. And these three stories, told to little ghosts at bedtime, are the scariest kind of ghost stories there are-they''re about people! From a ghost who becomes the victim of a baby in need of a diaper to a hamburger that can win a scaring contest just by lifting its bun, these hilariously illustrated silly stories are sure to bring Halloween laughs to even the littlest ghosts.

Take a close look at Minnesota''s natural world to find a hidden alphabet.

"Can you beat Mr. Fox at his Game of No? The rules are simple: every time he asks a question, you must respond with ''NO.'' If you accidentally say ''YES,'' then it''s back to the beginning of the book for you, where you must start all over again . . . Kids will giggle uncontrollably as they gamely aim to avoid Mr. Fox''s clever traps -- but just ask them if they''d like to read this book again, and they won''t be able to resist: ''YES!''"--Provided by publisher.

Math meets sci-fi in this clever chapter book about two numbers-loving friends and their alien adventures. The first in a new series! “This playful math series is overall a valuable addition to the chapter-book shelf.” —Kirkus “LaRochelle shrewdly integrates the numerical puzzles . . . into his madcap plot, and the playful competition between the math whiz kids further energizes the story.” —Publishers Weekly Best friends Lamar and Lexie love math—and, in this first book in the Alien Math series, their skills come in handy when they’re abducted by an extraterrestrial named Fooz. Fooz, unfamiliar with Earth life, mistakes the children for chickens . . . until Lamar and Lexie prove they’re human by solving a tricky math problem. Fooz agrees to take them home, but on a side trip to a nearby planet to refuel, the two are captured by lumfurs, creatures that resemble Bigfoot. In order to escape and return to Fooz’s ship and subsequently Earth, Lamar and Lexie must solve problems that require finding patterns, making estimates, and deciphering codes. Can the children pass the test and get home again?

From the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award–winning creators of See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog comes a funny and handy guide that explains just how (and how not!) to say “I’m sorry.” Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone knew how to apologize? Luckily, this humorous guidebook is full of practical tips about when, why, and how to say you’re sorry. From a porcupine who accidentally popped his friend’s balloon to a snail who was running so fast he stepped on a sloth’s toes, hilarious examples and sweet illustrations abound. For both listeners who are just learning and older readers who need a refresher, this book will come as a welcome reminder that even though apologizing can be hard, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

The Geisel Award–winning creators of See the Cat channel their comic sensibility into a rousing alphabetical exercise in thinking outside the box. Jack, Jill, and Rex are excited to play a game of Go and Get! The rules are simple: on the count of three, each player must go and get something that begins with a certain letter. While Jack’s and Jill’s picks always fit the bill (What starts with F? Frog! Fish!), Rex keeps getting it wrong (a duck?)—or does he? David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka share a laugh-out-loud primer on subverting expectations that will have readers clamoring to play Go and Get themselves—and competing to see who can come up with the most creative answers.

Math meets sci-fi in this clever chapter book—the second in a new series—about two numbers-loving friends and their alien adventures. Lamar and Lexie head off on another math-related adventure to help their new space alien friend, Fooz! It seems Fooz''s planet has been overrun with penguins—and the inhabitants are terrified of these adorable creatures. In fact, they’re so frightened they turn to stone whenever they see even the tiniest baby penguin. To rescue Fooz and his fellow aliens, Lexie and Lamar must solve a series of equations, including reading map coordinates, determining area, interpreting Roman numerals, and understanding percentages. Can they do it all and save the day?

The key to drawing a tree--or anything, for that matter--is to understand your subject. How do you get to know a tree? Use all your senses! Would you like to draw a tree? Here''s how. First you''ll need to make friends with your tree. Feel it. Smell it. Listen to it. Look at your tree from close up and far away. Notice all the things that make your tree special, from the shape of its leaves to the variety of colors hidden within. There are so many words that could describe a tree: prickly, shimmery, scraggly, squat, ancient, graceful, crooked, proud. What words would you choose? All these details will help when you sit down to draw your tree. You can show everything you observed, from color to texture to shape. Then you can introduce your tree to others--using your words and your artwork. Every tree is unique, and there are many different kinds. The pages of How to Draw a Tree show a wide array of species, with the name for each tucked into the illustrations, encouraging readers to slow down, appreciate, and learn. Through direct questions and lively examples, longtime children''s book author David LaRochelle invites readers to explore their natural surroundings. Colleen Muske''s whimsical, vibrant illustrations help readers see trees in a new light. Drawing a tree involves getting to know your subject before even picking up a pencil. The more you look, the more you see. Beyond an art or science lesson, this book encourages young artists to go outside and spend time in nature, exploring firsthand what they plan to draw.

Explore modern data engineering techniques and best practices to build scalable, efficient, and future-proof data processing systems across cloud platforms Key Features Architect and engineer optimized data solutions in the cloud with best practices for performance and cost-effectiveness Explore design patterns and use cases to balance roles, technology choices, and processes for a future-proof design Learn from experts to avoid common pitfalls in data engineering projects Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionRevolutionize your approach to data processing in the fast-paced business landscape with this essential guide to data engineering. Discover the power of scalable, efficient, and secure data solutions through expert guidance on data engineering principles and techniques. Written by two industry experts with over 60 years of combined experience, it offers deep insights into best practices, architecture, agile processes, and cloud-based pipelines. You’ll start by defining the challenges data engineers face and understand how this agile and future-proof comprehensive data solution architecture addresses them. As you explore the extensive toolkit, mastering the capabilities of various instruments, you’ll gain the knowledge needed for independent research. Covering everything you need, right from data engineering fundamentals, the guide uses real-world examples to illustrate potential solutions. It elevates your skills to architect scalable data systems, implement agile development processes, and design cloud-based data pipelines. The book further equips you with the knowledge to harness serverless computing and microservices to build resilient data applications. By the end, you''ll be armed with the expertise to design and deliver high-performance data engineering solutions that are not only robust, efficient, and secure but also future-ready.What you will learn Architect scalable data solutions within a well-architected framework Implement agile software development processes tailored to your organization''s needs Design cloud-based data pipelines for analytics, machine learning, and AI-ready data products Optimize data engineering capabilities to ensure performance and long-term business value Apply best practices for data security, privacy, and compliance Harness serverless computing and microservices to build resilient, scalable, and trustworthy data pipelines Who this book is for If you are a data engineer, ETL developer, or big data engineer who wants to master the principles and techniques of data engineering, this book is for you. A basic understanding of data engineering concepts, ETL processes, and big data technologies is expected. This book is also for professionals who want to explore advanced data engineering practices, including scalable data solutions, agile software development, and cloud-based data processing pipelines.

"...And they lived happily ever after." So begins David LaRochelle and Richard Egielski''s wacky original fairy tale THE END, which traces the courtship and marriage of a handsome knight and a beautiful princess . . . backwards! Before we reach the beginning, we meet a temperamental giant, a beleaguered cook, a dragon who''s scared of bunny rabbits, an oversized tomato, and an impish figure on a flying pig who just might be the cause of all the madness. It''s a conventionally perfect and perfectly unconventional take on the fairy tale - guaranteed to convert the Grimmest reader to giggles.

Winner of the 2021 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Move over, Spot. . . . Spoofing classic primers, Max the Dog talks back to the book in a twist that will have fans of funny early readers howling. See Max. Max is not a cat—Max is a dog. But much to Max’s dismay, the book keeps instructing readers to “see the cat.” How can Max get through to the book that he is a DOG? In a trio of stories for beginning readers, author David LaRochelle introduces the excitable Max, who lets the book know in irresistibly emphatic dialogue that the text is not to his liking. Illustrator Mike Wohnoutka hilariously depicts the pup’s reactions to the narrator and to the wacky cast of characters who upend Max’s—and readers’—expectations as the three stories build to an immensely satisfying conclusion. Hooray, Max, hooray!

What happens when Max the dog and Baby Cakes the cat meet three things they cannot see: a ghost, the wind, and a teeny-tiny fairy? The results will have you laughing out loud, no matter which way you look at it!