Most Popular Books by Joan Holub

Concerned that the increasing influence of Americans will make her island's traditional ways disappear, seven-year-old Princess Lydia Liliuokalani commits traditional stories of the Hawaiian people to paper and presents them to King Kamehameha on Restoration Day in 1846.

Learn more about the cartoonist who created Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the lovable Peanuts gang in this new addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series! Charles (otherwise known as Sparky) Schulz always loved drawing from the time he was a young child, and as he grew older, he turned this passion into a phenomenally successful career. His early doodles of his mischievous dog and of a shy boy inspired two of his most familiar and beloved characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Here's the story about Peanuts gang and Charles's life that's sure to excite all readers but especially those who love the classic cartoon series.

Welcome to Grimm Academy, where Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Rapunzel are BFFs -- and saving the world from the E.V.I.L. Society, one magical adventure at a time! Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia . . .Rapunzel's enchanted fast-growing hair can be a nuisance, especially when an accident gives it magical powers she can't control! But Rapunzel can't let her grimmiserable hair woes distract her -- she and her friends, Cinda, Red, and Snow are trying to save Grimm Academy from the E.V.I.L. Society. Once Rapunzel tracks down her magic charm, she won't let a bad hair day get in the way of stopping E.V.I.L.!

Hercules is not as interested in “playing nice” as he is in playing strong! But when one feat of strength destroys his little sister’s 12-piece tower, he must use his powers for good to restore the tower and seek her forgiveness. She forgives him indeed, and then shows her own strength by gleefully knocking down the stacked blocks herself! Joan Holub’s expertly focused text pairs perfectly with Leslie Patricelli’s famously humorous illustrations. Includes a summary of the original Hercules’s Twelve Labors myth at the end. Also available in the Mini Myths series: Don't Get Lost, Odysseus and Good Job, Athena! Praise for Mini-Myths: Play Nice, Hercules! "These adorable volumes feature the title characters learning important life lessons with slight allusions to their Greek mythology counterparts." --School Library Journal

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!

Learn all about dreamers who changed history in this engaging and hopeful board book perfect for dreamers-in-training! In this sixth book in the This Little series, now even the youngest readers can learn all about important people in history who dared to dream big for a better future! Highlighting ten memorable dreamers who paved the way, parents and little ones alike will love this inspirational primer full of fun, age-appropriate facts and bold illustrations.

Marco Polo was seventeen when he set out for China . . . and forty-one when he came back! More than seven hundred years ago, Marco Polo traveled from the medieval city of Venice to the fabled kingdom of the great Kublai Khan, seeing new sights and riches that no Westerner had ever before witnessed. But did Marco Polo experience the things he wrote about . . . or was it all made-up? Young readers are presented with the facts in this entertaining, highly readable Who Was . . . ? biography with black-and-white artwork by John O?Brien.

When Pandora is warned by her mother not to open a box, her spirited curiosity trumps her obedience. Pandora harmlessly touches the box, innocently leans on the box, and eventually, albeit accidentally, bursts the box open! The cupcakes that were hidden inside are ruined, except for one last vestige, which Pandora presents in the hope that her mother still loves her. Leslie Patricelli’s depictions of this physical comedy bring a lively narrative to Joan Holub’s carefully crafted text. Includes a summary of the original Pandora’s Box myth at the end. Also available in the Mini Myths series: Don't Get Lost, Odysseus and Good Job, Athena! Praise for Mini-Myths: Be Patient, Pandora! "These adorable volumes feature the title characters learning important life lessons with slight allusions to their Greek mythology counterparts." --School Library Journal

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.

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!

Young Cleopatra saves her father's throne, which is endangered by unrest among the peasants.

The kids in Ms. Brandt's class create a special report on the United States of America, with each child doing research on ten states. There's a double-spread map of the whole U.S. and a page for every state jam-packed with trivia, interesting facts, handwritten captions, and jokes. At the end of the book is a map showing how the United States grew over time, a spread on the presidents and what states they hailed from, as well as a "bibliography" of books the kids used in their research. Written by a team of well-known author/artists, this 64-page Smart About History book is a great guide for kids.

It's Halloween, and the Ant Hill kids are all dressed in costume and visiting a spooky fun house! They see and hear all sorts of creepy things, but once they switch on their flashlight, the house turns out to be not so scary at all!

Planning a vacation? Want to find a haunted house in your own state? Want to get really scared? Here's the definitive listing of spooky places in every single state and some Canadian provinces, too. Read these true ghost stories and find out some fascinating history -- but watch out, ghosts are everywhere! DID YOU KNOW... About the Gold Rush ghost who still haunts Room 23 at the Golden North Hotel in Skagway, Alaska? About the Winchester mystery house in San Jose, California, with 13 bathrooms,13 steps on the grand staircase, and 13 palm trees lining the driveway? About Floyd Collins, who still yells out for help in Mammoth Caves in Kentucky after being buried alive in 1925?

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.

Red Riding Hood, who suffers from stage fright, must give a dramatic performance when she is lost in Neverwood Forest and encounters Wolfgang, who may be a member of the E.V.I.L. Society.

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.

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.