New Releases by Joan Holub

Iris has a rainbow of colorful experiences, from visiting the Underworld to conversing with her crush in this Goddess Girls adventure. Iris is the most colorful goddess girl at Mount Olympus Academy. In fact, her hair and delicate wings can change color according to her mood! When Principal Zeus entrusts her with the job of fetching some magic water, Iris is tickled pink—until she realizes she’ll have to get the water from the gray, gloomy River Styx in the Underworld! And when Iris figures out how to create magical rainbow slides that will allow her to travel from Mount Olympus to Earth and back in a flash, she suddenly becomes a messenger in high demand. All the while, Iris wonders whether her crush, Zephyrus, has caught wind of her infatuation, or if he’s into her BFF instead. Either way, Iris is determined she won’t go green with envy!

In 1876, France decided to give the United States a very big and very special present--the Statue of Liberty. The gift was to commemorate the 100th birthday of the United States, and just packing it was no small feat--350 pieces in 214 crates shipped across the ocean. The story of how the 111-foot-tall lady took her place in the New York Harbor will fascinate young readers.

Athena''s arrogance throws a wrench into her plans to improve King Minos''s labyrinth.

Odysseus tackles a monstrous challenge in this beautifully illustrated Level 3 Ready-to-Read retelling of the Cyclops myth, from Goddess Girls author Joan Holub! On their way home to Greece after fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus and his army are shipwrecked on an island—where Cyclops the one-eyed monster lives! Cyclops traps Odysseus and his men and threatens to eat them one by one. Can Odysseus come up with a clever plan to outsmart the people-eater and return his men to safety? This Level 3 Ready-to-Read retelling of the story of Odysseus and Cyclops is an ideal introduction to mythology for beginning readers.

When Groundhog realizes he needs helpers all over the country to accurately forecast the weather, he establishes a school to teach young groundhogs how to properly determine when spring will arrive.

Meet Cassandra, the newest student at Mount Olympus Academy! She has an amazing talent—but will her new friends believe her? This Goddess Girls story is based on the myth of Cassandra, who has the gift of seeing the future—except no one believes her. Can Apollo, the god of prophecy, help his new crush?

The Olympians must face the fierce giant Typhon in order to find magic seeds that will help grow the earth after the terrible drought brought upon the land by Hyperion.

A little red pencil embarks on a creative writing adventure in this delightfully illustrated children''s book with "style, humor, and solid writing advice" ( Publishers Weekly, starred review). At the Pencilvania School, all the young pencils are given a writing assignment. With a basket of nouns, Little Red embarks on the storytelling path, discovering the joys of creative writing. But when she gets tangled in a run-on sentence full of descriptive adjectives, she must escape a dangerous encounter with the pencil sharpener, Wolf 3000! Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. "The artwork—which integrates written text in a variety of lettering styles—fills the pages with a riot of color, shape, movement and design... Every writers'' group should start with this story." ( Kirkus, starred review). A Kirkus Best Children''s Books of 2013

The Goddess Girls by put a modern spin on classic Greek myths. This title focuses on Athena, goddess of wisdom.

When the Titan Hyperion turns up the heat and starts throwing fireballs around, Olympians Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, and Demeter search for a mysterious Olympic torch and steal the flame to light it.

A construction site crew is busy at work in this rhyming Step 1 story. As the work continues readers are in for a surprise--the "crew" is actually a group of young friends engaged in a fun day of dramatic play. Two sheets of vehicle-themed stickers are included. It''s a natural for young readers who love to build and are fans of vehicles that dig, scoop, and sometimes go ka-boom!

When Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon continue on a new quest in the search for the Helm of Darkness, they discover many things in the Underworld that Hades does not fear except a giant three-headed dog.

Hear the stories about the gold-seeking "forty-niners!" in this addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series. In 1848, gold was discovered in California, attracting over 300,000 people from all over the world, some who struck it rich and many more who didn''t. With black-and white illustrations and sixteen pages of photos, a nugget from history is brought to life!

Pandora is quite an inquisitive Goddess Girl—but she could stand to be more cautious. Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy—and probably the most curious of all the students in school. Her quizzical nature is famous—not that she thinks there is anything wrong with being curious, of course! When a godboy named Epimetheus brings a mysterious and fantastical box to school, Pandora’s curiosity is piqued. And when it unexpectedly lands in her lap—literally—she can’t help but take a look at what’s inside. What could be the harm in that? But little does she know that opening the box will open up more trouble than she thought….

A young Poseidon must triumph over aquatic terrors in this Heroes in Training adventure. The merciless Cronus and his Titan buddies are in hot pursuit of Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon, who plan to travel across the treacherous boiling sea in order to save a fellow Olympian. They have a boat, but they also have a problem: Poseidon can’t swim and is terrified of the water (well, really of the creatures that lurk in its depths). The group faces danger after danger as they battle singing sirens, a fishy and ferocious Titan named Oceanus, and people-eating monsters sent by Cronus himself. Can Poseidon overcome his fears and help his fellow heroes escape Cronus and his cronies?

The first-ever standalone superspecial in the Goddess Girls series—let the games begin! Athena, Medusa, Artemis, and Persephone are sick and tired of being left out of the annual boys-only Olympic Games. Their solution? The Girl Games! But as the Goddess Girls work to make their dream into a reality, they come up against plenty of chaos and competition. Told in alternating points of view, this superspecial is packed with Olympic spirit!

A fun trip to the pumpkin patch that includes counting, grouping, and more.

Medusa is the ultimate mean girl in this series that blends modern drama with ancient myths. Well researched and true to the original myths, each volume in the Goddess Girls series addresses contemporary issues, like friendships and relationships, from a classically accurate—and entertaining—perspective. In Medusa the Mean, Medusa is sick and tired of being the only mortal at Mount Olympus Academy. Not only is she surrounded by beautiful, powerful, immortal classmates, but she also has snakes for hair and a reputation for being mean. Immortality, she thinks, will solve everything. So when she finds out about a necklace that promises just that, she’s sure it will help her get the two things she covets most: to be as popular as the four Goddess Girls and to have her supercrush, Poseidon, finally notice her. But when the necklace brings about popularity in the totally wrong way, things go from bad to worse. Can Medusa overcome her “meanie” status and prove that there’s more to her that meets the eye?

It''s time for the Olympic Games at Mount Olympus Academy and Artemis is not happy that she can''t compete because the games are for boys only.

In Athena the Brain, Athena always knew she was smart and special, but she didn’t realize that she was a goddess! When she’s whisked away to Mount Olympus Academy, she worries about fitting in and dealing with her dad (Zeus). Luckily, she meets the Goddess Girls and finds the best friends she’s ever had.

Well-researched and true to the original myths, each volume in the Goddess Girls series addresses contemporary issues like friendships and relationships from a classically accurate—and entertaining—persepective. In Aphrodite the Beauty, Aphrodite, goddessgirl of love, must deal with jealousy after giving Athena a makeover. It doesn’t seem fair that the godboys pay more attention to her friend when Aphrodite is supposed to be destined for love! She also copes with a crush from an unlikely source—the nerdy Hephaestus (god of the smith)—and learns that love comes in many forms.

Jim Henson broke into television with a five-minute puppetry segment when he was only a freshman in college. He created puppets like none ever seen before, with expressive fabric faces and rod-controlled arms. His Muppets became world-renowned celebrities and formed the backbone of a media empire. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this easy-to-read biography will be published twenty years after Henson''s untimely death.

Persephone learns that it’s ok to stand up for herself in the second book in the Goddess Girls series! Persephone usually goes along with whatever everyone else wants instead of doing what makes her happy. So when she meets Mount Olympus Academy bad-boy Hades, she finally feels like she has found someone with whom she can be herself. But her mom (Ceres) and her friends don’t exactly approve. If Hades can make her feel so special, is he really that bad, or just misunderstood?

Apple facts and counting combine in this fun trip to the apple orchard. Field trip today—to the apple farm! Count 20 name tags, 19 kids on the bus, and 18 miles to the farm. There are 14 cows and 13 ducks (10 white and 3 black) and 12 rows of apple trees. Count the apples in your sack, count 3 pies to eat (divided into 20 pieces), and all too soon it''s 2 p.m., time to go! But wait—Lee has a number 1 surprise. Joan Holub''s creative countdown, from 20 to 1, includes grouping and simple addition. Her multicultural students enjoy all that the apple farm has to offer, from counting the cows and ducks to picking different varieties of apples. The inside cover of this cheerful book is filled with apple facts.

When dawn comes and it''s time for bats to go to bed, Fink can''t sleep so the whole bat family pitches in to help by telling bedtime stories to lull him to sleep.

While attending a St. Patrick''s Day parade, Mike, Matt, and the other young ants pursue a mischievous ant leprechaun convinced that he will bring them good luck.

Why Do Rabbits Hop? And Other Questions about Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, and Gerbils Did you know that rabbits can jump 10 feet in one hop, guinea pigs bump noses to say hello, and baby gerbils are called pups?

A silly twist on the classic tale. The school principal bakes a gingerbread cookie and brings it to school in his lunchbox. When the principal opens his lunchbox, the gingerbread kid winks and jumps off the desk. Where is he off to in such a hurry?

There are many different kinds of dogs and so much to find out about them. Why do dogs bark, howl, or bury bones? Why do they like to lick and sniff people? What jobs can dogs do? You''ll find the answers to these questions and many more in this fact-filled reader about man''s best friend.

Her excitement at having a pen pal quickly turns to disappointment when Daisy, a second-grader, receives some unwelcome news about this new "friend."