Best Selling Books by Jan Thomas

This playful picture book with audio from Jan Thomas features a courageous cowboy who croons to his cows before bed—with just a few fearful interruptions. Join the Brave Cowboy as he tries to sing his young calf pals to sleep on a dark, dark night—EEEEEEEK! IS THAT A HUGE HAIRY SPIDER OVER THERE? Oh, it’s just a flower? Well then, back to the lullaby. No one does preschool humor with Jan Thomas’s wit, verve, and bold, snappy color. And her Brave Cowboy and his silly, interrupted lullaby are sure to get everybody singing—before they head off into cozy dreamland…

After falling out of Farmer’s truck, Chicken must find his own way home in this goofy, laugh-out-loud story about overcoming obstacles and believing in yourself. It has not been a good day for Chicken. He went to the fair with Farmer, but didn’t win even one ribbon. And on the way home, the road is so bumpy that Farmer’s truck knocks Chicken right out! He’s been left behind! It’s the end for Chicken. Surely, he can’t walk all the way home. Or avoid the hungry fox along the way. Or maybe…he can? This rollicking picture book will have little ones in giggles over Chicken’s misadventures and chiming in on the plucky fowl’s mantra “I am a strong and powerful and nice-looking chicken!” as he achieves more than he thought possible.

"Mouse and Cow are making soup, but Pig keeps trying to add strange ingredients"--

Bug! Rug! Mug! Hug! These dust bunnies love to rhyme. Well, except for Bob. Much to the other bunnies’ frustration, Bob can never get the rhythm right. Then he saves everyone from a big, scary monster wielding—gasp!—a broom, and they all breathe a sigh of relief. But can Bob save them from the big, scary monster’s next attack? Vrrrrrroooommm...

Is anyone brave enough to face THE DOGHOUSE?

In my travels in California, I started noticing unusually colored houses and that people have begun to get bolder and more individualist. I became interested in all the different colors and started taking pictures. I decided that I wanted to make it into a book.

Did that pumpkin just quack?

Chicken has some unexpected and exuberant cow visitors who have exciting plans for jumping, dancing, and wiggling on his teeny-tiny couch, and Chicken is none too happy about it. That is until the fun concludes with a quiet, cozy and delicious nap for all!

Invites readers to guess, along with Sheep's friends, the mysterious thing that starts with the letter F that makes Sheep happy.

One bullet equals one kill. For SWAT sniper Jake Denton, the bullet casings he saves as grim reminders of his "kills" are beginning to add up. His wife, his department-ordered psychiatrist, and even Jake himself are all beginning to question just how these sanctioned kills are affecting his mental health. Nobody wants him to end up like Lee Staley, his mentor and ex-partner---now out on permanent psych leave, drinking himself to death, and the prime suspect in a series of shootings that have paralyzed Northern California. Jake doesn't believe that Staley's guilty, but since their job has taught them to kill, how easy would it be for his friend to cross over to the other side? How easy would it be for him? On every police force in the country, there's a SWAT sniper going about his daily life, acting like an average cop, until the moment when the call comes in. Then they become a hostage's last hope and a criminal's worst nightmare. To some, they are silent heroes---to others, silent killers. Grant Jerkins and Jan Thomas's Done in One pulls back the curtain on their world.

The dust bunnies are back for another round of rhyming fun. But this time a big MEAN dust bunny wants to play—and run and chase and grab! Can the four little dust bunnies get that bully to play nice? Jan Thomas’s lovable critters shine again in this hilarious rhyme-filled book that starts with scares and ends with…smiles.

This “rollicking” picture book is “laugh-out-loud” fun for new readers (Publishers Weekly, starred review). What will Fat Cat sit on? The pig? (Oink!) The chicken? (Cluck!) How about the dog? (Grrrr.) Everyone in this bumbling animal gang—understandably—hopes the victim will be someone else! Leave it to Mouse to come up with a brilliant solution that satisfies everyone, even Fat Cat himself. Filled with hilarious asides and an interactive question-answer format, this irreverent picture book will delight little ones who love to shout “NO!” “Fun to read aloud, it would also make an effective early reader for preschoolers.”—The New York Times Book Review “A cat that puts Garfield to shame…a lot of laughs. This is a book that toddlers and new readers will reach for again and again.”—Kirkus Reviews

Rabbit needs to clean her room, but when Pete the Problem-Solving Porcupine's plan causes more of a mess, Rabbit needs to quickly come up with her own strategy before chaos ensues.

Born at the edge of an open-pit copper mine in New Mexico, Jan Thomas comes from a background of working-class people, cultural Christians, but not committed believers. Growing up, he had influences and experiences causing doubts about himself and his ability to become more than his environment would have predicted. Influenced by teachers, Air Force buddies, and others, he began to trust God to do in him what he could not do for himself. As a youngster he thought he had no academic ability, but got BA and MDiv degrees. As a pastor he felt like a failure and began a career working in prisons. Struggling with life, he continued to try to serve. He married Fern, a widow with two children, and they had another child together. He became an administrator after only a few years; but his codependent nature, the desire to fit in, and to be liked at any cost nearly cost him his life. An old alcohol issue came back, at a time he was involved in two of the most amazing ministries of the twenty-first century, Celebrate Recovery and Kairos. Retiring in 1997, he began using CR in the prison he retired from. He was asked to help get the program into jails and prisons and became the first national director of Celebrate Recovery Inside. Celebrate Recovery Inside stretches across the United States and Canada as well as in many nations elsewhere. His own struggles have helped him become dedicated to the purpose God intended for him from the beginning. His ministry was not as a pastor but to those, like him, who struggled with life's issues. When he stopped teaching and started the healing process for himself, God helped him to stop blundering and begin to see more of God's blessing.

A smelly Pig does not want to take a scrub in the tub…until his friends help him see the perks of getting clean in this hilarious and relatable bathtime picture book. Rabbit and Weasel know their pal Pig needs a scrub in the tub. There’s just one problem: Pig does not like baths! He tries every alternative, from a single splash to a mud bath, but alas, the stink persists. With some help from his friends, can Pig open his mind to a bit of bath time fun?

A delightfully silly picture book for new readers: “This hilarious story is a fun read-aloud.”—School Library Journal Dog's toothbrush is missing. Has anybody seen it? Maybe…But what does a toothbrush look like? Donkey wonders. Featuring Jan Thomas’s wonderfully wacky humor, rowdy repetitions, and hilarious characters, this book is sure to have young readers laughing out loud! “A droll knee-slapper for newly emergent readers.”—Booklist

Norges Bank has been an integrated part of Norwegian economic development since the complicated birth of the new nation-state after the Napoleonic wars. This book traces its 200-year history, focusing on its relations with political institutions that have shaped and reshaped the bank's role since its establishment in 1816.

In three stories, Red Robot and Blue Robot learn that gratitude is not always easy, but best friends are something to be thankful for.