Most Popular Books by Joan Holub

Get ready for a new kind superhero—a smelly one! An eleven-year-old boy with the power of super smelly farts and his new dog sidekick team up to defeat an evil alien scientist before he takes over the world! From New York Times bestselling author of Mighty Dads. One day at P.U. Smellamentary, a regular kid named Phartolomew discovers his farts are super strong... strong enough to blow away some bad guys! But that’s not the only thing he discovers! He finds a hidden lab in the school basement that belongs to the nefarious Professor Gravypants, the evil alien scientist who created him. When the professor’s former minion Reeky Dog reveals that the Professor Gravypants is getting ready for world domination, Phartolomew decides to team up with newly-good Reeky Dog and use his fart powers for good. With his new alien friend Reeky Dog by his side, Phartolomew is on a mission—to stink up Professor Gravypants’s evil plans to take over the world by becoming a new superhero called Fart Boy! New York Times bestselling author Joan Holub teams up with celebrated cartoonist Rafael Rosado to create a hilarious (and odorous) new superhero tale.

Zeus and the Olympians must deal with monstrous spiders and dangerous webs in this Heroes in Training adventure. A giant spiderweb in the sky with the words “Surrender Olympians” shows Zeus and his friends that they are in for another battle. Dodging the silky and sticky webs, the Olympians find themselves scattering in all directions to avoid getting caught. But those dangerous webs actually contain a hidden gem—Athena’s magical object. And the Olympians soon discover that the Threads of Dread might not be as dreadful as they appear…

Red Riding Hood might have a terrible sense of direction, but her grimmtastic friends are always there to help! Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia...Red Riding Hood is thrilled to try out for the school play. Acting is her dream, and she's great at it--too bad she has stage fright! After a grimmiserable audition, Red decides to focus on helping her friends Cinda, Snow, and Rapunzel save Grimm Academy from the E.V.I.L. Society. But when Red gets lost in Neverwood forest and runs into Wolfgang, who might be part of E.V.I.L., she needs her magic basket and a grimmazingly dramatic performance to figure out what's going on!

When Odysseus goes shopping with his mom, she tells him to stay close, and he does—until he is tempted by The Odyssey–inspired play area in the mall and wanders off. He has fun at first, but when he can’t find Mom, he gets scared. Not to worry: Mom was always close behind, and, reunited, they make their way home together. Conceived and crafted by Greek-mythology expert Joan Holub and illustrated by the bestselling Leslie Patricelli, this book also includes a summary of the original journey of Odysseus.

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. Hear the stories about the gold-seeking 'forty-niners!' With black-and-white illustrations and sixteen pages of photos, a nugget from history is brought to life!

Many people like snakes, lizards, and turtles, and there's so much to find out about all of these scaly-skinned animals. Are all snakes poisonous? Why do snakes shed their skin? What unusual things can lizards do? Do lizards ever lose their tails? Why do turtles have shells? Kids will find the answers—and much more—in this fun, fact-filled introduction to reptiles. Filled with colorful photographs and illustrations, this is just right for any reptile lover.

Welcome to Groundhog Weather School! Ever wonder where Groundhog Day first began? Want to know the reason why we have different weather seasons? Curious about how some plants and animals can help predict the weather? Learn the answers to these questions and many more at Groundhog Weather School! This clever story—starring a cast of lovable groundhog characters—is a fresh, informative, and fun look at Groundhog Day through the eyes of the animals who are the stars of it each year.

A heartwarming tale of planting, growing, and sharing—perfect for celebrating gardening, harvest time, and the joys of fall! After planting the seeds and watching them grow, huge pumpkins appear in a patch. Now we can make pumpkin pie and jack-o'-lanterns! Planting a garden is so much fun, and this rhyming reader shows us how. Perfect for autumn read-alouds, classroom lessons, and cozy family storytimes, it’s a timeless reminder of how patience and care bring wonderful rewards.

Many children love cats, and there is so much to know about America's most popular pet. Why do they meow, hiss, and purr? Why do they have whiskers, tails, and claws? Beginning readers can find out the answers to those questions and many more in this fun, fact-packed book filled with colorful feline photos and drawings.

Aphrodite copes with unexpected feelings in the third book in the Goddess Girls Graphic Novel series. Aphrodite, goddess girl of love, must deal with jealousy after giving Athena a makeover. It doesn’t seem fair that the god boys 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. New readers and old fans alike will enjoy these full-color graphic novel adaptations of the long-running Goddess Girls series.

Athena finds out she’s a goddess and goes to Mount Olympus Academy in this first book in the Goddess Girls Graphic Novel series, based on the popular and long-running Goddess Girls series. 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.

It's panda-monium in this rollicking nonfiction picture book about bears habits, habitats, and more. Perfect for the curious cub in your house! Hello! I am Brown Bear, and in this book, you'll get to learn about ME--the only bear in the forest! Hold on a minute. Polar Bear here, and I am the only bear in this book. Though I live in the Arctic, not a forest. Hey now, Spectacled Bear here, and we are bearly-scratching the surface. There are tons of great bears to learn and laugh with in this fact-filled picture book! New York Times bestselling author Joan Holub teams up with award-winning illustrator Laurie Keller for a paw-sitively hilarious nonfiction picture book about bear classification!

Abby was always the best speller at witch school. But now there is a new student who can also spell like magic. And the spelling bee is coming up. Which little witch will win? Read this magical story and find out!

Something wicked was brewing in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. It started when two girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, began having hysterical fits. Soon after, other local girls claimed they were being pricked with pins. With no scientific explanation available, the residents of Salem came to one conclusion: it was witchcraft! Over the next year and a half, nineteen people were convicted of witchcraft and hanged while more languished in prison as hysteria swept the colony. Author Joan Holub gives readers and inside look at this sinister chapter in history.

Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training – Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis– as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most priviledged gods and goddesses of the Greco-Roman pantheon hone their mythical skills. In each book, readers get to see how each goddess became who we know today. These much-beloved classic myths are given a modern twist and follow storylines familiar to modern tweens, from dealing with bullies (Athena and Medusa) to first crushes (Persephone and Hades). Athena the Brain follows Athena's first days at Mount Olympus Academy. She always knew she was smart and special, but she didn't realize that she was a goddess! When she's whisked away to MOA, 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. In Persephone the Phony, Persephone develops a crush on bad-boy Hades. Her mom (Ceres) doesn't approve, and neither do her friends. Persephone finds herself sneaking around to see him, but he ultimately tells her that she should tell them the truth and it's revealed that he isn't all that bad, just misunderstood! The GG support her and eventually her mom comes around too. Aphrodite the Beauty features Aphrodite, goddessgirl of love, as she deals with jealousy after giving Athena a makeover (godboys pay more attention to her!), and dealing with a crush from an unlikely place -- the nerdy Hephaestus (god of the smith).

After little Icarus and his dad make a bird-shaped kite, Dad warns Icarus to hold on to the string and not let it fly too high. But Icarus disobeys, and soon the kite gets caught in the trees! Dad helps him repair the kite so they can play with it again, and Icarus learns the importance of being careful. Joan Holub’s carefully crafted text is brought to life by Leslie Patricelli’s famously humorous illustrations. Includes a summary of the original Icarus myth. Also available in the Mini Myths series: Don't Get Lost, Odysseus and Good Job, Athena!

Midas wants everything to be his favorite color—yellow! He chooses yellow clothes, eats yellow foods, and uses only the yellow paint at his easel. But when he impulsively paints his beloved green Dinoboo, Midas discovers that too much of a good thing is a big mess! Joan Holub’s carefully crafted text is brought to life by Leslie Patricelli’s famously humorous illustrations. Includes a summary of the original Midas’s Wish myth at the end.

Building the most magical place on earth was no fairy tale. Learn the story behind the creation of Walt Disney World. In 1964, when Walt Disney and his brother Roy decided to build a second theme park in the Florida swamplands, they kept it super hush-hush. Why? Well, if word got out that they planned to buy up lots of land, the price would have skyrocketed. So the Disneys cleverly covered up their trail, avoiding the Orlando airport and even using made-up names, like Walt and Roy Davis, for their flights. The deception worked. In covering the history of the "Most Magical Place On Earth," Joan Holub takes readers both behind the scenes and underneath the park (there are secret employee-only tunnels that form one big circle under the Magic Kingdom). Loaded with fun facts, this book is a great companion to Who Was Walt Disney?

Young Elizabeth I gets valuable advice from her father the king when she tries to teach her pony to jump over a wall.

Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena are competing for Paris’s candy apple. When Aphrodite offers Paris a toy horse, she wins the prize! But her bragging results in the hurt feelings of others. When Aphrodite stops boasting, though, and offers to share her snack instead, the three friends happily play together. Leslie Patricelli’s illustrations bring a lively visual narrative to Joan Holub’s expertly focused text. Includes a summary of the original myth of Aphrodite and the Golden Apple.