Most Popular Books by Helen Ketteman

A girl waits impatiently as she and her father prepare a surprise birthday party for her mother.

2005-2006 North Carolina Children''s Book Award Master List 2007 Arizona Young Reader Award Picture Book Master List 2005 Winner, Storytelling World Award Children''s Books Top Picks, Southwest Books of the Year 2004 2005 Texas Library Association''s 2 x 2 Reading List A blue norther''s a-blowing'', and Miss Billie Armadilly is hankering to make a pot of chili! Only she needs to fix it all by herself because Tex the tarantula, Mackie the bluebird, and Taffy the horned toad are too busy to lend a hand. Well, she''ll eat it all by herself, too! But then the smell of chili cooking in the cold night brings her friends one by one back to Miss Billie''s door. What''s a lady armadillo to do?

Wanda Gag Honor Book 2010 2011 Washington Children''s Choice Picture Book Award nominee A delightfull retelling of the three little pigs story. Three little gators strike out on their own in an east Texas swamp. Their mother warns them to build strong houses that can protect them from Big-bottomed Boar, who likes to eat tasty, tender gators for his snack. Soon, First Gator builds himself a nice house out of rocks. Second Gator reckons rocks are too much work, so he builds his house with sticks. And Third Gator''s house of sand is the easiest one to build! But soon Big-bottomed Boar shows up. With a bump, bump, bump of the fierce boar''s rump, he knocks over Third Gator''s house of sand. It doesn''t take long for that rump to bump Second Gator''s house of sticks. But he can''t knock over Third Gator''s house of stones, so he tries another way in - through the chimney! Guess what happens to the Boar''s rump after that?!

AV2 Fiction Readalong by Weigl brings you timeless tales of mystery, suspense, adventure, and the lessons learned while growing up. These celebrated children’s stories are sure to entertain and educate while captivating even the most reluctant readers. Log on to www.av2books.com, and enter the unique book code found on page 2 of this book to unlock an extra dimension to these beloved tales. Hear the story come to life as you read along in your own book.

A Tex-Mex retelling of The Little Gingerbread Man, Senorita Gordita tells the tale of its titular character as she runs through the desert, boasting and fleeing from spiders, lizards, and other desert creatures.

In this Texas-styled reworking of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, a cowboy downs a variety of native Southwest creatures, including a spider, a roadrunner, a lizard, an armadillo and a boar.

Times sure are tough on the ranch, and Waynetta and her ma can use all the luck they can get. But when Waynetta trades their last longhorn for a handful of so-called magic corn, Ma is non too pleased. A fast-paced Texas retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk featuring a girl hero.

When Gator starts tappin his toes, all the swamp animals sing to his beat

When her town hosts a Fourth of July cake competition, Donna Rae tries to bake the best cake ever, but with every patriotic confection she makes, something goes wrong.

An eager child finds that it takes time and patience to make friends with Grandma''s cat.

Rhyming text describes a mother guiding her young monster through bedtime preparations, such as howling at the moon, snacking on worm juice and beetle bread, and choosing a bedtime story.

What happens when a heat wave descends on the family farm? Why, the corn stalks turn into popcorn in the fields, flowers pluck themselves and hide under the porch, and the cows jump so much from the hot air that they churn their own milk into butter, that''s what! In this delightful tall tale, illustrated by Scott Goto (Shooting Star, Shoeshine Whittaker), a young girl saves the day (and the farm) using her own ingenuity, every crow in Kansas, and a packet of lettuce seeds.

The demanding people of Mudville test an ingenious shoeshine man. Shoeshine Whittaker thinks on his feet-and comes through in the end, in this illustrated tall-tale of the old West from the creators of Heat Wave.

After Papa''s death, Mama and her five children can barely make ends meet, yet she still finds the time to embroider a special dress for Yvette''s graduation.

Little Bear learns that if he becomes sick, Mama Bear will nurse him, and a variety of zoo animals, back to health.

What kind of crazy, windy weather do the townspeople predict for Christmas?

Too poor to buy the latest fashion, Aunt Hilarity tries to make her own bustle several times, with disastrous results.

After saving to buy a baseball glove, a young farm boy takes a memorable trip to town with his father.

From the author of the popular Goodnight, Little Monster and a character designer for Pixar films comes a delightful rhyming romp through an old haunted house. Vibrantly painted illustrations lead three children through the house, where new creatures await in each room. Readers can count along as they see Pa goblin and his wee goblins four and witches and ghosts, and so many more. Just the right blend of spooky fun, this book is a can''t-miss treat for Halloween.

Loosely based on "Cinderella, " this story is set in Texas, the fairy godmother is a cow, and the hero, named Bubba, is the stepson of a wicked rancher.