New Releases by Joanne Ryder

When Miss Drake enrolls her dear human pet, Winnie, in The Spriggs Academy, an extraordinary school for humans and magicals alike, the feisty girl makes new friends and frenemies while outmaneuvering a kidnapping plot.

Winnie and her pet dragon Miss Drake are back to their lessons as they head to the 1915 San Francisco World''s Fair and wish-granting souvenirs follow them home.

Follow a day in the life of the panda cubs at China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at the Wolong Nature Preserve, the largest research facility for giant pandas in China.

Fans of How to Train Your Dragon will love this whimsical tale, the first in a series, by a Newbery Honor winner, featuring charming illustrations and pet "training tips" in each chapter. Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet—a ridiculous notion! Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encounters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Winnie’s sketchbook is not what it seems. Somehow, her sketchlings have been set loose on the city streets! It will take Winnie and Miss Drake’s combined efforts to put an end to the mayhem . . . before it’s too late. This refreshing debut collaboration by Laurence Yep, a two-time Newbery Honor winner and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner, and Joanne Ryder features illustrations by Mary GrandPré. Praise for A Dragon''s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans *“Warm humor, magical mishaps, and the main characters’ budding mutual respect and affection combine to give this opener for a planned series a special shine.” –Booklist, Starred “Aternately comical, suspenseful and sometimes sweetly emotional.” –Kirkus Reviews “With a black-and-white spot illustration opening most chapters, an engaging narrator, and a consistently fluid writing style, this title makes a fine dragon choice for readers.” –School Library Journal “In this series launch, Yep and Ryder conjure up a world where dragons and humans interact, and the results are heartwarming and quite funny.” –Publishers Weekly “A clever and amusing novel that imagines a magical world that nestles right up against our own and sometimes crosses over.” –The Bulleting of the Center for Children’s Books Praise for A Dragon’s Guide to Making Your Human Smarter "Yep and Ryder keep the magic coming with their whimsical fantasy, enhanced by Grandpré''s sweet drawings. The story positively vibrates with fun." —Kirkus Reviews " Lighthearted episodes of unusual school lessons and field trips, illustrated by GrandPré’s winsome spot art, are grounded by Miss Drake’s more serious encounters with the goons...a gratifying development as this buoyant, fantastical series continues."—The Horn Book Review

There are many kinds of kisses to share.

Rhyming text describes many different kinds of hugs.

Poems and illustrations trace the yearly life cycle of toads from tadoles in the spring to adults which hibernate in the winter.

A mama bear tells her baby how she will always love him.

The animals get ready for the annual barnyard party and dancing at Farmer Snow''s.

My mother calls me from darkness to light. . . . I wrap her words around me, warm with good wishes for the day to come. Joanne Ryder''s heartwarming text and Peter Catalanotto''s glowing art celebrate the tender, everyday moments shared between a mother and daughter. In every welcome and whisper, laugh and farewell, the ever-changing tones of a mother''s voice express a gift a daughter can treasure -- her mother''s constant love.

TWIN POLAR BEAR CUBS Kalluk and Tatqiq were only three months old when they were found orphaned in Alaska. Together they were brought to the World-Famous San Diego Zoo to be cared for. From the cubs'' first tentative months in the zoo''s infirmary to their home in the Polar Bear Plunge, this book chronicles the twins'' development with exclusive photographs from the zoo and Joanne Ryder''s poetic, informative text. Playful and curious, Kalluk and Tatqiq have won the hearts of more than three million people who visit the zoo each year. Whether they''re diving into the water, rolling in the dirt, or sliding down a snowdrift, these adorable bears will charm readers of all ages.

Details the daily activities of little Hua Mei, the first giant panda to be born in the Western Hemisphere in ten years, as she plays, naps, climbs, and frolics, in a charming story accompanied by pictures from the San Diego Zoo

In a lyrical tale, the young narrator visits the cabin that her grandfather built to rediscover the familiar woodland haunts they used to explore together, and even though she now wanders alone, she feels a comforting sense of oneness with the forest. Reprint.

Publisher Description

Everywhere -- even in streets and backyards -- there are wild birds. Swirling through the air, speckling the treetops, tiptoeing through the grass, wild birds are near, watching you watch them. During the bright warm days, they sometimes stay and share a place with you. And in winter, if you care for them, wild birds may flutter even nearer -- till you feel like a wild one, too. Wild Birds invites you to look and listen and to enjoy these lively flyers who share this ever-changing world with you.

It''s fun to explore a place that''s new as kitten discovers when her good friend dog takes her on a tour of the garden and the world outside it, meeting on the way birds, a bumblebee, mice, a centipede, a lizard and a frog. Small children who are just beginning to explore their own worlds will empathise with kitten as she discovers the magic of the world all around her.

A series of poems that depict the world of a field mouse from sundown to sunup.

The moon is full and all the bears are gathered together for a ball under the stars.

An intriguing journey into the natural world -- from deep in the grass to high overhead. "There''s a worm on a string, who is swaying in space. There''s a white butterfly on a circle of lace." As a young child takes a walk in the woods, the world comes alive with creatures and treasures big and small -- from ants and lizards to moles and hawks. But the most special discovery of the day is the fawn in the grass who watches the narrator''s journey begin and end. Joanne Ryder''s lyrical text and Keiko Narahashi''s beautifully detailed illustrations capture the wonders of nature from a child''s point of view.

Illustrations and poetic text describe the wings of an owl, a hummingbird, a butterfly, an eagle, a bat, and other creatures and their different experiences of flight.

In this exciting addition to a "consciousness-expanding series" ALA Booklist, readers are invited to travel back sixty-four million years to the domain of one of the last of the true giants--the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. As in all the Just for a Day books, scientific information, exciting illustrations, and an evocative text combine to help readers imagine what it would be like to be a mighty dinosaur, just for a day.

In dynamic words and dramatic pictures, Earthdance invites young readers to become not just part of the earth, but Earth itself.

Four furry squirrels leap and glide through the night sky, feeding and playing until the approach of daybreak.

Because they never give up hope and always want to change the present into something better, Fox and Lemming annually trick Winter into trading snow for sun.

One fall day a great white shark, hungry and alone, glides unseen, watching and waiting for someone unwary to become his meal.

In a field of lacy leaves, a small caterpillar hatches, grows, and sheds its skin, becoming a smooth, green creeper. It eats and changes some more, then in a sequence of remarkable close-ups, spins a sliken sling in which to pupate—until it finally bursts forth as a brilliant black swallowtail butterfly. Includes suggestions on how children can grow butterfiles in their own gardens.

Imagine climbing your favorite tree, speckled in sunlight and shadows, then changing...into a mighty spotted cat in a faraway rain forest. You are a jaguar hidden in a world of green. Giant trees stretch upward, where flowers bloom, birds soar, and butterflies glide above your reach. Jaguar in the Rain Forest invites you into the lush, tropical world of one of the most magnificent hunters on earth. Be a jaguar just for a day- prowling the forest floor; crossing a flowing river in search of prey; filling the darkness with your deep, grunting call; then, silent and deadly, stalking a creature that never knows you are there. In this dramatic addition to the Just for a Day series, award-winning author Joanne Ryder and nature artist Michael Rothman once again imagine the life of a wild animal in its own natural world. Meticulously researched and marvelously evocative, their book invites you to live among the creatures of the rain forest- just for a day.

Sometimes--with a gesture, a touch, a look--humans and animals can bridge the gap between their worlds in ways that reach deeper than words ever could. In a perfect partnership of poetry and color images, author Joanne Ryder and photographer Barbara Sonneborn have created a moving portrait of humans and animals together. An elephant and a human embrace, arm and trunk entwining; a giggly boy and a wiggly pig spend a playful moment together; a dolphin and a human swimmer move through the water in a joyful dance. In Ryder''s words, "each finds a way to touch, to move, to play, sharing pleasure with each other, learning how much we really are the same." This remarkable album is one that readers of all ages will return to again and again. With its compelling words and unforgettable pictures, it reinforces our precious sense of connection to all the living creatures with whom we share our planet. colour throughout

Softly realistic illustrations perfectly complement this vivid yet warmly childlike story, as a small boy imagines the wanderings and playful antics of the bears he is sure inhabit the wilderness around his home. Full color.

Slowly the morning sun lights up a graceful spring garden, warming the plants and animals that live there. Nestled on a tree branch, a tiny creature awakens. Then, stretching and spreading his wings wide, the hummingbird dances into the sunlight to begin his busy day. Together, award-winning nature author Joanne Ryder and wildlife artist Judith Lopex paint a background of charm and delicacy against which we follow the movements of the lively humming bird and his mate. Readers of all ages will be captivated by this gentle portrait and will readily appreciate the drama and beauty to be found in the lives of these tiniest of birds.