Most Popular Books by Karla Oceanak

Ten-year-old Aldo lives with his family in Colorado. He''s not athletic like his older brother; he''s not a rock hound like his best friend; and he is none too fond of the outdoors—but that doesn''t mean he doesn''t have a passion. Aldo is passionate about bacon. Back at school adjusting to life in the 5th grade, Aldo is embarrassed about his artistic abilities. He has always underplayed his creative talent at school; but when he is around his cute new art teacher he suddenly finds himself behaving strangely. He loses the ability to speak when she’s around, volunteers to skip recess so he can clean paintbrushes, and finds himself working harder than ever before in a daring attempt to win the school art contest. The humorous plot and lively drawings in this book will captivate both enthusiastic and reluctant young readers who will identify with Aldo''s all-too-familiar predicaments. This fourth installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series features a vocabulary-building glossary of fun and challenging words starting with the letter D, such as debacle, doofus, and defenestrate.

When a warm March day beckons Aldo and his best friend, Jack, outdoors to their fort under the giant pine tree, stick-in-the-mud Aldo gets, well, stuck in the mud. As they dig Aldo’s sneakers out from the embankment, they unearth a humungous bone, which rock-hound Jack believes to be a dinosaur fossil from the Jurassic period. Their hilarious quest to figure out the bone’s origin and value takes them to the nearby university, the local pawn shop, the famous dino dig site a few hours away, and finally, over spring break, to Dinosaur National Monument. Meanwhile, Aldo discovers the Indiana Jones movies, writes a book report on Journey to the Center of the Earth, starts in on a jumbo jawbreaker, and tolerates Bee, whose newfound passion for journalism could make or break him. This tenth installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series also includes a glossary of fun and challenging “J words,” such as juju, jocular and jinx.

Ten-year-old Aldo Zelnick has decided it’s fun to be artistic, and when his grandma Goosy gives him a second sketchbook, Aldo fills it with more comic drawings, fun words, and accounts of his extraordinary adventures in everyday life. When Aldo and his best friends, Jack and Bee, find a diamond ring, they can''t decide if it’s real or fake; but real or not, they can''t seem to hold on to it. As the trio hunts for the misplaced ring, they also learn about other countries and cultures. This second installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series includes a glossary of words to help kids broaden their vocabulary.

If there’s a more inopportune date for an elementary school boy to have a birthday than February 14th, Aldo Zelnick wants to know what it is. With his 11th birthday—and Valentine’s Day—fast approaching, Aldo plans a guys-only party with absolutely no pink, lace, or hearts, thank you very much. But what will happen if the girls, who all seem to have a crush on Aldo’s friend, Danny, crash the party? In this story, told in part by Aldo’s friend-who-happens-to-be-a-girl, Bee, Aldo learns early that love means always having to say you’re sorry. The humorous plot and lively drawings in this laugh-out-loud book will captivate enthusiastic and reluctant readers alike. This ninth installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series also includes a glossary of fun and challenging “I words,” such as inkling, irk, and impervious.

Wimpy Kid and Dork Diary fans, meet Aldo Zelnick! Aldo Zelnick is not an athlete like his older brother or a rock collector like his best friend; he’s just a regular kid who likes to draw. On the first day of summer vacation after fourth grade, Aldo''s grandma, Goosy, gives him a sketchbook in which to record all of his ideas and adventures, and Aldo quickly discovers how much fun cartooning is. From petitioning for a neighborhood pool slide to his passion for slushies, Aldo illustrates his summer vacation, wacky friends, and loving family in this charming comic novel that blends text with illustrations on every page. Engaging and entertaining, the story and drawings in this book will captivate both enthusiastic and reluctant young readers. This first installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series includes a glossary of words to help kids broaden their vocabulary.

Just how humdrum is 10-year-old Aldo Zelnick’s life right now? So humdrum that he sets out to measure which January day will be the most boring. So humdrum that Jack and Bee succeed in getting him to try some weird hobbies. So humdrum that his recurring Hawaiian dream has become way more enticing than real life. So humdrum that even unathletic Aldo agrees to downhill ski with his superjock brother, Timothy—and finds that hotdogging it on the slopes can be hazardous to your health. The humorous plot and lively drawings in this book will captivate enthusiastic and reluctant readers alike. This eighth installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series also includes a glossary of fun and challenging “H words,” such as harbinger, hyperbole, and hogwash.

Cue the trumpets! As the legendary 5th grade medieval banquet at Dana Elementary nears, 11-year-old Aldo Zelnick and his friends Jack and Bee develop knight fever, don homemade armor, and undertake quests as simple as cleaning up trash in the neighborhood park, as chivalrous as helping a family in a financial pinch, and as heroic as confronting a new kid with knavish intentions. Meanwhile, Easter is also coming, and Aldo keeps catching glimpses of a fluffy white tail... This eleventh installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series also includes a glossary of fun and challenging "K words," such as klutz, kowtow, and keister.

The Zelnick family likes Christmas a lot, but Aldo—whose plan to get presents galore may be running into a glitch—does not. He thinks that “giving being better than receiving” is gobbledygook and doesn’t understand what the “Adopt-a-Family Tree” at the mall has to do with him. Guinness World Records, holiday gnomes, a glass-blowing grandma, and generous helpings of goofiness abound in this seventh installment in the series. A vocabulary-building glossary of fun and challenging words that start with the letter G, such as gumption, gloat, and gadzooks, is also featured.

As summer draws to a close, 10-year-old Aldo Zelnick travels to the Anderson farm in Minnesota for a family vacation. Aldo’s mom is eager for him to experience her favorite childhood pastimes such as shucking sweet corn, milking cows, gathering eggs—and best of all—enjoying fresh air and living off the land. But Aldo suspects that farm life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and his worst fears are confirmed. The rooster wakes him at dawn, the chores exhaust him, and the cousins—identical twin pranksters—are in cahoots against him. Even the creepy old portrait of his great-grandfather seems to be watching these shenanigans from the frame on the wall. Aldo must endure all this without the consolation of TV or computers, because the farm is (gasp!) technology free. The humorous plot turns and lively drawings in this book will captivate both enthusiastic and reluctant young readers. This third installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series features a vocabulary-building glossary of cool words starting with the letter C, including conniption, charisma, and cattywampus.

As Thanksgiving rolls around, Aldo Zelnick—a fifth-grade foodie if there ever was one—is flummoxed by his best friend Jack''s refusal to try new food. Jack, who famously eats nothing but peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, is so finicky that he''s even grown squeamish about Aldo''s incessant talk about food. Meanwhile, a family friend has opened a new restaurant, and Aldo, Jack, and Bee are invited for a kitchen tour and cooking lesson, and to help serve the homeless on Thanksgiving Day. With flash mobs, black-footed ferrets, a friend with a food allergy, and all the folderol this A-to-Z series is known for, this sixth installment also features a vocabulary-building glossary of fun and challenging words starting with the letter F, including fluke, and frenzy.

In this adorable gift board book for one-year-olds, baby bear''s special year as a one-year-old is celebrated in rhyme. The sometimes sweet, sometimes silly story calls out many of the things baby will learn to do between the ages of one and two. With space for the gift-giver to inscribe To, From and a brief message, this book makes a perfect keepsake that will be read over and over and cherished forever.

It''s October, and Aldo thinks he''s Einstein. Gloating over his epic first-quarter grades and test scores, he even decides to dress as the iconic scientist for Halloween. But his bubble bursts when he realizes he''s not living up to expectations in one class, Español, and that the consequences may be more hurtful than a bad grade on a report card. Is Aldo''s friendship with his bilingual best friend, Jack, at stake? Egghead is, in part, an homage to Madeleine L''Engle''s classic children''s novel A Wrinkle in Time, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. It was a dark and stormy night... Look for enigmatic, éclairs, eureka and lots more fun, challenging "E" words used throughout Egghead!

It’s closing time at the brewery. While the moon rises, the happy crew sings and dances as they wind down for the day. Join them in saying goodnight to the beer-making equipment, brew ingredients, and styles of suds. This humorous parody of a children''s literature classic is a "pitcher book" for grown-ups. It''s the perfect anytime story for beer lovers everywhere!

In this adorable gift board book for two-year-olds, baby monkey''s special third year is celebrated in rhyme. The sometimes sweet, sometimes silly story calls out many of the things the toddler will learn to do between the ages of two and three. With space to inscribe To, From, and a brief message, this book makes a perfect gift that will be read over and over and cherished as a keepsake forever. Also in the Year-by-Year Books series: You''re Here! and You''re One!

In this adorable gift board book for newborns, baby elephant''s arrival is welcomed in celebratory rhyme. The sometimes sweet, sometimes silly story calls out many of the things baby will learn to do during the first year. With space to write To, From and brief message of congratulations, this book makes a heartfelt gift that will be read over and over and cherished forever. Also in the Year-by-Year series: You''re One! and You''re Two!

What to expect in pregnancy and new parenthood boiled down to 100 funny words and cartoons

With this fill-in-the-blank-style journal from the creators of the Aldo Zelnick comic novel series, kids will find it effortlessly fun to tell their own life stories. The "art-o-biography" format encourages both drawing and writing and gives minilessons on things such as shading sketches and choosing zingy verbs. Parents will enjoy reading their kids'' completed books, and children will love being the author and illustrator of an entire story all about themselves.

In their final month of elementary school, 11-year-old Aldo Zelnick and friends are faced with a series of Lasts: Last Cafeteria Meatloaf; Last Band Concert; Last Monkey Bars Fail. Blindsided by an uncharacteristic sense of loss, Aldo decides to bag some new Firsts--including putting himself out there for the 5th grade talent show--only to be beset by a series of logjams. This twelfth installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series also includes a glossary of fun and challenging "L" words, such as lackadaisical, loony, and limbo..

Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn... And lucky you--whether you know it or not, you ARE a unicorn In this inspiring picture book for unicorn lovers young and young-at-heart, readers are urged to believe in their remarkable, singular, imperfect selves. And it''s not what''s on the outside that makes a unicorn a unicorn. It''s what''s on the inside. Which means anyone can be a unicorn So what are you waiting for? Go Frolic in every forest. Slide down every rainbow. Swim in every glittery sea. And charge fearlessly in the direction of your most outlandish dreams. Written and illustrated by the creators of the bestseller Goodnight Unicorn, Always Be a Unicorn makes a spot-on gift for anyone enchanted by unicorns, celebrating a big life moment, or in need of a reminder about how special and beloved they are. Perfect for birthdays, holidays, graduations, milestones, and just because.

It''s opening time at the coffee house. While the sun rises, the lion and kangaroo baristas welcome a menagerie of colorful customers. Join them in saying good morning to the beans, machines, and--yes, please!--caffeine! Smile along as they greet the espressos, lattes, mochas, frappes, drips, sips, and much more. Yay coffee! Whether you prefer brewed or pressed, black or cream, mochas or macchiatos, single origin or groovy blends, if you''ve gotta have your daily grind, this playful picture book for grown-ups and coffee-culture families is for you.Good Morning Brew is brought to you by the same author and illustrator team behind the bestsellingGoodnight Brew: A Parody for Beer People. Need a refresher on how coffee travels from field to cup? Perplexed by espresso options? Don''t miss the bonus coffee infographics at the end of the book!