Most Popular Books by David LaRochelle

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

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

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!

"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

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!

"...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.

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

In a hilarious interactive picture book, the Geisel Award–winning creators of See the Cat challenge kids to answer every question with “NO”—even when their brain keeps insisting “YES.” 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. Are you ready? (Oops!) Do you live on planet Earth? Are you stronger than a baby? What does Y-E-S spell? (Argh!) 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!”

The Geisel Award–winning creators of See the Cat and See the Dog return for a comical new spoof on primers—and this time the cat, the dog, and the book are grappling with some curious things they can’t see. See the wind blow the leaves. See the wind blow the leaves off the page. See the wind blow the dog off the page. It’s not easy to enjoy a picnic when you have unseeable interlopers to contend with! In a new trio of stories for beginning readers, the affable Max the dog and mischievous Baby Cakes the cat encounter a scare-happy ghost who has a run-in with a mirror, the wind at its blustery best, and a teeny-tiny fairy with a wayward wand who may have met her match. With playfully meta flair, author David LaRochelle and illustrator Mike Wohnoutka bring back their lovable characters for an amusing foray into things that go “Boo!,” “Whoosh!,” and “Hey! . . . Will you let me back into the book?”

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 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 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?

"Max the dog is sick today, but have no fear--Baby Cakes the cat is happy to take his place! But when the book tells her to dig a hole, fetch a stick, and guard the sheep, the cat responds in very un-doglike ways" -- Back cover.

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.