Most Popular Books by Joan Holub

From the authors of the Goddess Girls series comes the third book in a series steeped in Norse mythology, magic, adventure, and friendship. Twelve-year-old Idun is the goddess of youth, and her magical and deliciously sweet golden apples are what keep all of the academy’s gods and goddesses healthy and youthful. They grow year-round—even in winter snow—in one very special grove in Asgard. But when the mischievous Loki ends up making a bet that jeopardizes Idun—and her powerful apples—she must figure out a way to protect herself and her magical orchards from a giant who wants those apples all to himself! Can Idun save the apples—and the gods and goddesses who rely on them—from the two bad seeds at Asgard Academy?

Get to know Clotho, one of the Three Fates, in this twenty-fifth Goddess Girls adventure! Eleven-year-old Clotho is always linked with her two big sisters. Together, they are all the Three Fates, with abilities to predict events in mortals’ lives. There are a few rules that the all-powerful Zeus has decreed for them, including a strict no-mingling with mortals policy. After Clotho discovers letterscrolls from unhappy mortals who don’t love their fates, she wishes there was a way to try and earn their respect. During a secret trip to the Immortal Marketplace—where there is always a chance to run into mortals, too!—Clotho finds herself in over her head as she gets swept up in a competition to celebrate the opening a new store. A competition where her identity as a fate could be revealed at any moment! If that weren’t enough, Clotho must face up to an old mistake she made several years ago that broke one of Zeus’s other rules: Never interrupt the telling of a fate. It could mess up a mortal’s whole life! Can Clotho manage to untangle the mess she has made while finding a way to bring the mortals and the Fates together?

From ballet class to rehearsal for the big show to the final curtsies—budding ballet stars show emergent readers each step and pirouette along the way! This Step 1 story has big type and easy words, rhyme and rhythm, and picture clues and two sheets of irresistably adorable stickers. It''s a natural for young readers who are learning ballet or aspire to take ballet classes.

Zeus and Hercules face a very hungry giant in this latest Heroes in Training chapter book! Zeus and Hercules may have gotten a scale from the nine-headed hydra, but that isn’t enough for King Eurystheus to forgive Hercules for egging his temple. For their next task, the Oracle Pythia reveals that, to make Eurystheus happy, they have to get the golden belt from the queen of the Amazons—a band of warrior girls. Although the Amazons are friendly enough, there’s just one problem…they think that boys are stinky! And Hercules hasn’t been great at getting people to like him. But before they even reach the Amazons, they are caught by the awful giant Alkyoneus. He has seven daughters to feed, and the boys would make for a perfect snack. Can Zeus and Hercules escape his clutches and get the belt in time? Or will they end up in hot water?

Ava and Itty Bitty Kitty are off to visit the firehouse! Ava’s giant cat is usually less than purr-fectly behaved, and this trip is no exception! Will Itty Bitty’s nose for trouble make them new friends—or make their visit to the firehouse a disaster? I Can Read Books are designed to encourage a love of reading. Itty Bitty Kitty: Firehouse Fun is a My First I Can Read book, and with basic language, word repetition, and great illustrations, it’s perfect for shared reading with a child.

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.

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.

When Medea and Jason find the golden fleece in an oak tree guarded by a serpent, Medea concocts a sleeping potion to help them get by the snake and retrieve what is theirs.

From the authors of the Goddess Girls and Heroes in Training series comes the first book in the School for Magical Monsters series about Pegasus’s first day at school—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! Pegasus is very excited for his first day at the School for Magical Monsters! At his old school, he was the only creature there, but now, he won’t be alone. In fact, everyone there will find their special power—and Pegasus can’t wait to discover his! But the first few days are a little rough—poor Pegasus keeps on stumbling over his hooves! And it seems like all his new friends start to receive their power before her does. With a little help from his new friends and a little magic, can Pegasus learn to soar at his new school?

"After stumbling into a pet cemetery, Hecate meets Melinoe, who calls herself a ghost herder. She is in charge of leading the ghosts of pets and other animals to the River Styx in the Underworld. But Melinoe doesn''t notice when one of her ghost animals follows Hecate home! More and more of the lost ghosts gather with Hecate, and she learns they have unfinished business left on Earth and refuse to enter the Underworld"--

When the road signs take a vacation, chaos and hilarity ensue--and they quickly learn how important they are. School is ending for the summer, and the stick figures on the school crossing sign are jealous of all the vacation plans they hear the students making. The stick figures work hard--maybe they deserve a vacation, too! So they abandon their signpost and set off on an adventure, inviting along all the other underappreciated road signs they meet on the way. It''s all fun and games for a while, especially when they stumble upon a fantastic amusement park. But the people they''ve left behind are feeling their absence, and soon there are traffic tangles and lost pedestrians everywhere. The signs are more important than they realized, and now it''s time for them to save the day!

This early reader in verse entertains with silly dogs getting up to some Halloween hijinks. The crazy dogs from Joan Holub’s Step 2 reader Shampoodle are back and as spirited as ever! There’s a puppy party in the backyard, but the scaredy-dogs skedaddle when "ghosts" and "ghouls" begin to arrive. What should these pups do? Don costumes and join the Halloween parade! Step 2 Readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. For children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

Join little Persephone on a sweet adventure in this tenth Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! Persephone and Aphrodite are continuing the quest to try and find some missing jewels. They end up meeting a lost bunny in their travels, who is looking for the Castle of What-Ifs. The girls end up in a magical, delicious land, where they meet a unicorn made of chocolate, with a very special crown—one that might be the key to finding one of the missing jewels!

In this fairy tale retelling, Gretel ventures into a forbidden forest and falls into the hands of evil villains and must foil their dastardly plans. Welcome to Grimm Academy, where beloved fairy tale characters are BFFs—and saving the world from the E.V.I.L. Society, one magical adventure at a time! Gretel joins the Grimmtastic quest for justice in a world where the E.V.I.L. Society must be stopped when she goes hiking in Nevermore Forest, against her the warnings of her teacher. When she is captured by the E.V.I.L. society, she must summon all her strength to fight back!

The mysterious Nyx, Goddess of Night, enrolls at Mount Olympus Academy in this twenty-second Goddess Girls adventure! Being the goddess of night is not as easy as it seems-after all, Nyx is in the constant shadow of Eos, Goddess of Light. When Nyx has the chance to go to MOA as an Unsung Hero, she thinks she can finally shine in her own way. But Principal Zeus is so scared of the darkness Nyx brings, he still sleeps with a nightlight! And her arrival seems to bring on more nightmares than sweet dreams. Can Nyx convince everyone that a little darkness is a good thing?

When the Olympians arrive on the island of Lemnos, they meet the metal-working Hephaestus who is hesitant to leave with the gods, stating that the only way he will join them is if he gets to be their leader.

Fang, a bat, is having a tough time getting to sleep. His brother Fink decides he needs a story - a scary story. Now Fang really can''t get to sleep. Next, brother Batrick thinks he has the answer - an adventurous pirate story! Fang is so excited that he is even more wide awake. Then sister Batsy offers a dramatic romance story about Cleobatra. That''s even worse! How will Fang finally get to sleep? There''s one story yet to hear . . . will it be the one that works?

Seeking a special shield called an aegis, the Olympians trek through a forest that holds many unpleasant surprises, including a flock of vicious birds.

Best Children''s Books of the Year 2013, Bank Street College American Association of University Women Award for Juvenile Literature, 2013 Nominee A fun trip to the pumpkin patch that includes counting, grouping, and more. Fall has come, and what better way to celebrate than a field trip to the pumpkin patch! From 20 name tags on coats all the way down to 1 last pumpkin song, the class counts everything in sight! Follow along in this sweet, rhyming picture book, with interactive counting on each spread. Count the 8 orange pumpkins, tall, 7 yellow pumpkins, bumpy, and much more! Including autumnal illustrations and pumpkin facts, this book is perfect for the fall season and an extra fun way to teach children to count backward from twenty.

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.

Learn all about influential women who changed history in this engaging and colorful board book perfect for trailblazers-in-training! Paving the way to a future that’s bright. Helping the world with their skills, smarts, and might. Little trailblazers cause great big changes. In this follow up to This Little President and This Little Explorer, now even the youngest readers can learn all about great and empowering female trailblazers in history! Highlighting ten memorable women leaders who paved the way, parents and little ones alike will love this girl power primer full of fun, age-appropriate facts and bold illustrations.

Join little Aphrodite on a sweet adventure in this seventh Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! After reuniting with her fellow Little Goddess Girls on the Hello Brick Road, Aphrodite hopes they are going to have another big adventure. When a talking carrot named Prometheus leads them to a mysterious magical box named Pandora, which has the words Do Not Open written across the top, the girls wonder what could be inside. It turns out that Pandora might be the key to solving the mystery of who—or what—is accidently burning a magical vegetable patch.

Join little Artemis on a sweet adventure in this eighth Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! The Goddess Girls are on their way to the Sparkle City Pet Show when they discover a cute, pink kitten on the Hello Brick Road. Two boys, Prince Paris and Odysseus, both claim the kitten is theirs. Can Artemis figure out which boy is telling the truth and get the sweet kitty back home?

Zeus and his friends are back for another adventure in this latest Heroes in Training chapter book! Since defeating the Titans, Zeus and his fellow Olympians have taken over Mount Olympus. Things are nearly back to normal…until a stranger named Hercules shows up, asking for help. He’s on the run from Eurythseus, King of Argon, who is after Hercules for egging his temple. Before Zeus can help, Eurythseus himself appears. It turns out that Hercules has also been bragging that he is the ruler of Olympus, and Eurythseus intends to declare war on the Olympians’ new home. Zeus’s friends come up with an idea—maybe Hercules could make up for egging Eurythseus’s temple. The Oracle Pythia reveals that in order to do this, Hercules must get a scale from a huge, nine-headed serpent—the Hydra. Will this be enough to please Eurythseus? Or is another battle on the horizon for the Olympians?

Little Athena finds herself on a Wizard of Oz inspired adventure in this first Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! After a strange and sparkly storm carries her away from home, Athena finds herself in a land filled with magic, talking animals, and incredible objects with magical powers—the land of Mount Olympus! When Athena arrives, she’s greeted by the talking Owlies and is paired with very special magical sandals—sandals with powers that Medusa, a green, snake-haired girl, wants for herself! A glowing goddess (of hearth and home) named Hestia appears and warns Athena that if Medusa gets her snakes on those sandals, she’ll surely use its powers to make trouble for Mount Olympus! But Athena has more important things on her mind—like going back home! Determined to find her way back, Athena heads off on an adventure through the magical landscape of Mount Olympus to try and elude Medusa—and find her way back to the mortal world once and for all with the help of the great and powerful Zeus!

From the authors of the Goddess Girls series comes the second book in a brand-new series steeped in Norse mythology, magic, adventure, and friendship. Twelve-year-old Sif is goddess of the harvest, with her abilities woven into her long, blonde hair. She also has special prophetic powers—she is a seer—but is reluctant to share them after a mishap years ago caused a big rift in a friendship that meant a lot to her. And Sif is determined to not let that happen again! But when the mischievous Loki cuts her hair in a horrible prank gone wrong, Sif orders Loki to fix it. Without her hair, the crops in the land of Midgard—which supplies the wheat for food in Asgard Academy as well—are in danger of dying off. With Sif and Freya, Loki goes to ask for help from the dwarfs, specifically, the sons of Ivaldi who are all skilled blacksmiths and strikes a bargain with them. They hammer and spin gold into fine golden strands along with a spear and a ship that will grow to full size once in water. On his way back through the cave, Loki gets an idea for how to get more treasures by playing one set of dwarfs off against another. Envious of the work of the sons of Ivaldi, the dwarfs Brokk and Eitri say they can do better. Loki replies that he doesn’t think they can and that, furthermore, he’ll stake his head on it. Is that a bet that Loki will regret? And will Sif be able to restore her magical powers to prevent the drought in Midgard?

Join little Persephone for a sweet adventure in this sixth Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! Persephone, Artemis, and Aphrodite are on a quest to save their fellow Little Goddess Girl, Athena, from the evil King Hephaestus. It turns out the king has turned Athena (and her dog, Oliver) into treasures, and have hidden them in a massive treasure room. The girls only have seven guesses as to what and where exactly they are—before their friend is stuck forever!

Artemis and Orion help each other on their quests in this twelfth Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! Artemis is on the final quest to bring the last missing jewel—a diamond—back to Zeus. She ends up in the Forest of Lost and Found, where she meets a young hunter named Orion. He’s looking for something, too: a dog! With some extra magic and the power of friendship, can Artemis and Orion both find what they are looking for?

April showers bring May flowers! That is what the Ant Hill kids learn when they plant a garden of their very own and watch it grow!

Aphrodite has her hands full with Eris, who loves to stir up mischief, in this Goddess Girls adventure. Eris is a goddess girl who has a penchant for causing trouble. So when her brother, Ares, is celebrating his thirteenth birthday, she can’t let the occasion go by without a little mischief. After all, she is the goddess of discord and strife! Aphrodite is determined to make sure Ares gets the attention he deserves, but can she handle what Eris has planned?

Little Athena and Persephone travel to meet the great and powerful Zeus in this Wizard of Oz inspired Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! After dropping onto the Hello Brick Road, little Athena and her new friend, the flowery Persephone, are on their way to meet the great and powerful Zeus at the top of magical Mount Olympus. While Athena is looking for help getting back home, Persephone would love to have Zeus cure her bad luck-itis and give her the gift of good luck so she can help her favorite flowers grow big and strong!

Join little Athena on a sweet adventure in this ninth Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! Athena wants to help a mermaid find some stolen jewels! But she is in a bad mood after losing a contest. With the help of some magical walking, talking dishes and some goddess girl magic, will she find the special pearl hidden somewhere on Mount Olympus?

"Little explorers discover a great big world"--Back cover.

Learn all about important leaders who represent, empower, and support the LGBTQIA+ community in this engaging board book perfect for proud leaders-in-training! Now even the youngest readers can learn all about important people who are from or helped support the LGBTQIA+ community! Highlighting ten memorable people who paved the way, parents and little ones alike will love this discovery primer full of fun, age-appropriate facts and bold illustrations.

Odysseus tackles a monstrous challenge in this 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—the 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 Ready-to-Read retelling of the story of Odysseus and Cyclops is an ideal introduction to mythology for beginning readers.

Join little Athena for a sweet adventure in this fifth Little Goddess Girls story—part of the Aladdin QUIX line! After sparkly adventures on Mount Olympus, Athena is called back to help a boy named Hercules. They have been asked by Hestia to rescue the rightful queen of a magical island, who has been captured by the evil King Hephaestus. The key seems to be a mysterious enchantress named Circe—but Athena and Hercules aren’t sure if she’s a friend or foe! With the help of her fellow little goddess girls, can Athena help save the queen?

A brief biography of the life and travels of thirteenth-century explorer, Marco Polo.

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.

With a giant spiderweb in the sky with the words "Surrender Olympians" written in it, Zeus and his friends know they are in for a fight, but the webs actually contain a hidden gem, Athena''s magical item.

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.