New Releases by Jessica Harper

Learn how animals like to have fun with the help of an orphaned raccoon and his new brothers! Orphaned and abandoned, Kevin the Raccoon is alone and frightened. After crying for help, he is found on a construction site and is taken to his new home where he meets his new brothers, Opie the Opossum and Freddy the Squirrel. As young readers learn all the things Kevin, Opie, and Freddy like to do, from dress up and exercise to video games, they are invited to share their own experiences. Kevin the Raccoon's New Family shares the real-life story of authors John and Jessica Harper's adoption of an abandoned raccoon. Capturing all their pet's amusing antics, the book teaches children compassion for animals while illustrating just how quickly animals can become a part of the family.

An icky uh-oh moment makes for an entertaining story. Cleo has been bonked on the head by an avalanche of toys and had to wear underwear for a hat in a snowstorm, but nothing compares to the trauma of barfing on Mrs. Kenly?s fur coat. On the way to a birthday party, a combination of carsickness and too many pancakes turns Cleo green in the face, and before anything can be done, her friend?s mom?s fancy coat is a big, barfy mess. Cleo has never been so mortified, but kind grown-ups and good friends soon make her feel as if nothing even happened.

Introducing a very funny, slightly edgy, winning new kind of cookbook Jessica Harper—that Jessica Harper, star of Minority Report, Stardust Memories, Love and Death, Pennies from Heaven, and more—is a working mother of two who faces the same problems of every other woman who's the designated home cook: How do you feed a family of picky eaters when you're not crazy about being in the kitchen in the first place? A natural-born storyteller and terrifically engaging writer, she does what she's done all her life—entertain us—while at the same time offering 100 not just easy but really easy-to-make, really tasty recipes. Her stories are filled with charming crabbiness—of cooking early in the day for the two kids who eat only six things, then later for the husband who eats only about eight things, none of which share common ground with those first six; of inviting her mother-in-law for dinner and handing her an apron; of suffering HAS—Hostess Anxiety Syndrome—having the book club over and picking The Good Earth because it matches the neighborhood's great new Chinese take-out, so no cooking involved! She wants to give a Nobel Prize to the person who invented bagged salad, and she recounts a wonderful story of making homemade turkey pot pie for the very first time—its crust tasted like rosemary-scented Play-Doh—to serve to Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford. But crabby or not, she's found a way to make it work, and work brilliantly. The Crabby Cook is about how to change your food-i-tude—no more garnish guilt, for example, and why “sort of homemade” is just as good as homemade (ie, knowing when to go all out with Pain-in-the-Ass Minestrone and when to settle for the almost-as-tasty Lazy-Ass Minestrone). It's how to identify those Miracle Foods—the stuff that everyone loves, like Gobble-It-Up Turkey Chili and Tony's Rigatoni. And even a whole survival guide—despite her HAS—to entertaining, including drinks, Whore's

In the Small family, it?s best to expect the unexpected? six kids make for a lot of surprises?but who would ever imagine getting caught in a snowstorm in August? When the whole crew goes to visit Grandma in Colorado and Cleo, Jack, and Jenna go on a mountain camping trip with Mom and Dad, that?s exactly what happens. With lots of family fun, silly songs by Mom and creative problem solving, kids will be glad to laugh along with Cleo and her family?s ?Small disasters.?

When Cleo and her family go on vacation, they experience a freak August snowstorm while hiking on Mt. Baldy.

The animals in the barn are in a tizzy. Tommy didn't show up at his usual time! The dog tells them Tommy is gone-a big yellow bus took him to a place called kindergarten. "Where is kindergarten?" they exclaim. "What will happen to Tommy there? Will he ever come back?!" Eventually Tommy bursts into the barn with tales of all he learned in kindergarten including- A is for apple, B is for biscuit, C is for corn, and D is for dandelions (the treats he brings for each animal), and everyone is happy Tommy is going to school. A charming, tender story that's sure to reassure any child heading to kindergarten and everyone waiting at home to hear all about it.

How do you feel when: Your socks don't match? You share snacks with your friends? There's a boy like Ray in your class? Your best friend moves away? The Harper sisters show a school day's ups and downs with verve and warmth. The doings of Lizzy, Ruby, Claire, and Ray will give you lots to talk over -- and lots to laugh about too!

The rhyming story of a six-year-old boy who is sad about moving to a new home but ends up being happy when he gets there.

Four Jordans in one third-grade classroom cause chaos and confusion for teacher and students alike.

It seemed to Lizzy, all her mother ever said was Don't! Will she ever say DO? Kids will know just what Lizzy is feelins in every scene -- and moms will also find reason to smile!

What's going on in Nora's room? Is it a Moose on the Loose? Is it a game of Duck, Duck, Goose? Take a look inside!

One day the dog decides not to chase the cat, the cat decides not to chase the mouse, the mouse decides not to chase the lady, and they all have a party.

In this rhyming story everyone has a forgetful day.