New Releases by Janet Halfmann

Little ones will soon settle down for bedtime just like Little Sea Otter as she snuggles with Mama in a cozy bed of sea kelp and calls good night to all her ocean friends—sea lions, sea snails, seagulls, seals, and sea urchins. They all reply. The gently rocking seas and Mama's loving arms soon send Little Sea Otter to dreamland.

A little girl is happy to go on a walk with Grandma, but Grandma is a such a slowpoke! She stops to point out, listen or observe the different creatures they meet, sharing her knowledge with the child. At the river, it is the little girl who spots a little muskrat Grandma didn’t see.

Each day, an old woman waves to Mateo's bus from her window, and the kids all wave back. When she disappears one day, Mateo and his classmates are determined to go check on her.

This special book asks children a simple question: How Can We Be Kind? The answer is: by learning from the animal kingdom! Animals demonstrate kindness and empathy towards each other, and care and compassion can be seen all throughout the natural world. This book shows children the ways they can be kind just like animalsare to each other, while at the same time teaching them about the magic and the beauty of the natural world. They can learn to be welcoming like capybaras, who let other animals sit on top of them while they wallow in mud. Or perhaps they might want to be like dolphins, who guide other species to their destinations. Or maybe they would like to work together like ants and bees, share what they have like jackdaws or stick up for their friends like zebras. With beautiful illustrations from Darla Okada, this beautiful picture book will enchant and entertain children time and time again. There are facts at the back about how each animal lives with and looks after its fellow creatures. This sweet and thoughtful book is both a celebration of the animal world and a manifesto for being kind in everyday life.

A masquerade ball with a blue ribbon! Caterpillar dreams of winning, but wonders how she can since she is just a baby. Tadpole convinces her that her natural baby disguise as bird poo is perfect. As Caterpillar grows, her look changes, and she worries again. Tadpole tells her she now looks like a scary snake, and is sure to win! Then . . . just weeks before the ball, Caterpillar spins a chrysalis and hangs unmoving from her tree. Now, even Tadpole (who is changing into a frog) is worried. Will Caterpillar break out of her chrysalis in time? And if she makes it to the ball, will she still think winning is the most important thing of all?

Have you ever heard a bird whistle wheet, wheet, wheet, birdie, birdie, birdie? That's the song of a cardinal. Every bird's song is different. Bird songs often sound like familiar words. That makes it easier for us to tell Who Is Singing?

One year after escaping slavery, Lucy Ann and Dabney Walker used a clothesline code to steal Confederate military secrets and send them back to the Union army, at great risk to themselves.

Big brothers are amazing! Did you know that big brothers are important in animal families, too? Animal big brothers do many of the same things as kid big brothers. They play with their younger siblings, teach them new things, and help with their care. Sometimes animal big brothers even babysit when their parents leave to hunt for food. Are you a big brother or do you have a big brother?

Will Joey, a little gray kangaroo, ever find his mum's pouch in a mob? Find out in this fun story of friendship-sprinkled with Australian words. This wonderful story by Janet Halfmann is accompanied by adorable illustrations by Abira Das that will make this your child's new favorite book.

"The biography of Robert Smalls, a slave steamboat wheelman who navigated past Confederate forts in South Carolina and became one of the Civil War's greatest heroes. Includes text from Seven Miles to Freedom and additional sidebars."--

Little Sea Otter snuggles with Mama in her sea kelp blanket, but she can't go to sleep before she says good night to all of her friends. The sweet story and gorgeous illustrations will make this book a favorite.

This historical fiction picture book reveals the unknown story of Lilly Ann Granderson, an African-American teacher who risked her life to teach others during slavery.

Little ones will soon settle down for bedtime just like Little Sea Otter as she snuggles with Mama in a cozy bed of sea kelp and calls good night to all her ocean friends.

Little Sea Otter tries everything to avoid going to sleep, including saying good night to all of the creatures above and below the ocean's surface.

Learn how birds made the first rainbow.

What's a great way for kids to learn about learning? Tell them how animal parents teach their young!

Serving the Community Big Book

A baby bat explores the cave he lives in, discovering the other creatures who live there and the important role that bats play in providing food for them.

Young readers may lift the flaps of the pages to reveal a penguin egg and ends with an ostrich's clutch of eggs that introduce the numbers from one to ten.

Children read-along to the exciting story of Alligator as she raises her young once they hatch from their eggs. Watch as they learn to hunt, swim, and evade danger. Reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution for accuracy, Alligator at Saw Grass Road delivers a fun and informative story with detailed, beautiful illustrations. Watch your children have a blast reading and learning about the animals that live in an American backyard!

In early spring, a Canada Goose patiently sits on a bundle of eggs. Weeks later, five fluffy goslings finally hatch. Canada Goose and her mate have a lot to teach their young. Reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution for accuracy, Canada Goose at Cattail Lane is a fun and informative story with beautifully detailed illustrations. Watch your children have a blast reading and learning about the animals that live in an American backyard! This book includes an easy-to-download audiobook with realistic sound effects for added fun.

Leaping and bursting above the waves, a group of dolphins swim alongside a research ship. The scientists on board watch and clap. Suddenly one of the dolphins lands on the ship! Will the scientists be able to save the dolphin? Find out as this exciting story unfolds! Reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution for accuracy, Dolphin's Rescue is a fun and informative story with beautifully detailed illustrations. This book includes an easy-to-download audiobook with realistic sound effects for added fun.

Learn about what life is like for a starfish, also called a sea star.

From Australia's outback to the neighborhood lawn, animals great and small fill the pages of the 13 Sylvan Dell books in this Wildlife Set. The picture books in this set are each fictional stories with nature & science themes designed for reading fun but, at the same time, to pique a child's interest and tee-up science, math, and geography learning. Titles include: Tudley Didn't Know**, Habitat Spy, In My Backyard, Little Skink's Tail**, Kersplatypus**, Animals are Sleeping, Blackberry Banquet, One Wolf Howls**, Moose and Magpie**, Felina's New Home, Baby Owl's Rescue**, Fur and Feathers, River Beds: Sleeping in the World's Rivers**, and Little Red Bat. (**Award Winners) 4-6 pg For Creative Minds educational section in the back 40-60 pg cross-curricular Teaching Activities and 3 Interactive Quizzes available free on the book's homepage eBooks with Auto-Flip, Auto-Read and selectable English and Spanish text and audio.

This set contains 14 Sylvan Dell books between Reading Counts Levels 3.1 and 3.9: In Arctic Waters; Christmas Eve Blizzard; Sort It Out!**; If You Were a Parrot**; How the Moon Regained Her Shape**; Loon Chase; Ocean Hide and Seek**; Saturn for My Birthday**; Ready, Set... Wait; Fur and Feathers**; Blackberry Banquet; Where Should Turtle Be?**; Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!**; My Even Day**(Award Winners**).4-6 pg For Creative Minds educational section in the back40-60 pg cross-curricular Teaching Activities and 3 Interactive Quizzes available free on the book's homepageeBooks with Auto-Flip, Auto-Read and selectable English and Spanish text and audio

21 picture books each fictional nature & science stories designed for reading fun yet to pique a child's interest in science, math, and geography learning. Includes: Baby Owl's Rescue, Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!, Champ's Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too!, Count Down to Fall, Fur and Feathers, Henry the Impatient Heron, Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean, Little Skink's Tail, Riverbeds: Sleeping in the Worlds Rivers, How the Moon Regained Her Shape, If a Dolphin Were a Fish, Happy Birthday to Whooo?, One Odd Day, My Even Day, Newton and Me, Sort it Out!, Panda's Earthquake Escape, Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter, Whistling Wings, What's New at the Zoo: An Animal Adding Adventure and The Rainforest Grew All Around. 4-6 pg For Creative Minds educational section in the back 40-60 pg cross-curricular Teaching Activities and 3 Interactive Quizzes available free on the book's homepage eBooks with Auto-Flip, Auto-Read and selectable English and Spanish text and audio

On her own since birth, a young garter snake learns important skills such as how to find meals and protect herself from predators such as crows and dogs. Includes facts about garter snakes and a glossary.

This set contains 16 Sylvan Dell titles between 700 and 790 Lexile Levels: Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!**; My Even Day**; Ready, Set WAIT!; A Day In The Salt Marsh**; If A Dolphin Were A Fish**; Octavia and Her Purple Ink Cloud**; Paws, Claws, Hands, & Feet; The Giraffe Who Was Afraid of Heights; Fur and Feathers**; Henry the Impatient Heron**; Turtles In My Sandbox; Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter**; Meet the Planets; Astro: The Steller Sea Lion; A Day on the Mountain; One Wolf Howls** (**Award Winners). 4-6 pg For Creative Minds educational section in the back 40-60 pg cross-curricular Teaching Activities and 3 Interactive Quizzes available free on the book's homepage . eBooks with Auto-Flip, Auto-Read and selectable English and Spanish text and audio

Sophie dreams of wild animals losing their fur, feathers, scales, and skin, and helps them all find their proper coverings again.