New Release Books by Kate Banks

A story of woodland creatures discovering a lost doll is transformed into the perfect parable of love in this sweet, timeless picture book for fans of Corduroy and The Velveteen Rabbit. The wood mouse and the rabbit find a rag doll in the woods. Nothing about it is familiar: it doesn't smell like the fresh air of spring or feel like the rough bark of a tree. As the group of animals grows and searches for a clue to where the doll came from, they encounter more mysteries—and discover the one thing their hearts know to be true. Whether between parent and child, siblings, or friends, this beautifully illustrated story is about the way we show one other how much we care.

A storm is coming -- a big one. How does a young urban boy prepare? A lovely allegorical story about ecology and caring inspired by the ancient tale of stewardship. While his family readies his townhouse for an approaching storm, boarding up windows and laying in groceries, Noah heads to the back garden, where beetles are burrowing deeper into the bark and mice are stuffing their hole with moss. Quickly and efficiently, Noah sets to work building an ark for them and other backyard creatures -- salamanders and toads, snakes and spiders, even brightly colored hummingbirds. Setting out fistfuls of nuts and leaves, berries and seeds, the boy props a flashlight inside and arranges some miniature furniture for the animals to sit or sleep on. "Come," Noah whispers to his friends just as his mother calls him inside and the dark storm roars in. From an award-winning author and a Caldecott Honoree comes a quietly inspiring story about how taking action on behalf of our fellow earth travelers can help us face fearsome events.

Where the Wild Things Are meets Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in this emotionally satisfying picture book tailor-made for reading aloud, which celebrates creativity and the power of imagination. In a spare, lyrical text, young listeners and readers will follow a little boy through his day, from early morning till bedtime, and watch as what fills his active imagination becomes real. Toys grow to life-size: a tin monkey plays a real drum and fiddle--rat-a-tat, toot!--a stuffed lion roars--rumble, grumble--and a dump truck empties its load--BANG! But when quiet time comes, and a hush settles over his bedroom, animals nap, and the boy becomes absorbed in other activities, like reading and drawing. Here is an irresistible read-aloud by a picture-book master that captures all the joy of a child's play, and renders a boy's imagination real. Praise for And If the Moon Could Talk by Kate Banks: "With quiet phrases and luxurious color, Banks . . . evoke(s) a perfectly peaceful bedtime." --Publishers Weekly Praise for City Cat by Kate Banks: "If you have to pack a suitcase, . . . make room in it for this book." --The New York Times

A boy provides instructions as he searches high and low for an elephant, which the reader can find in the illustrations.

This deeply emotional read-aloud about a lost wolf pup who is raised by a loving polar bear is sure to resonate with families – particularly non-traditional ones. You are not my mother, said the wolf pup. I am not your mother, said the polar bear, but I can cuddle you and keep you safe. Here is a picture book that celebrates differences and promotes kindness , sure to resonate with the many fans of the beloved classic, Mama Do You Love Me? During the ice melt that follows an Arctic winter, a wolf cub finds himself spinning out to sea on a sheet of ice. He awakes lost and alone to an unfamiliar smell: a polar bear. And while the polar bear is not the wolf's mother, she takes him on her back to her den, where she feeds him, keeps him warm, and does everything a mother would do. Time passes, the cub grows into a wolf, and soon it's time for him to venture out into the wide world alone. Years later, the now grown wolf comes upon a tiny lost polar bear cub--and the cycle begins again. With poetic prose this beautiful picture book about the love and kindness of a stranger is sure to touch a deep chord, particularly with parents and children who have found each other in unexpected ways.

Eleven-year-old George has a dog, Bart, who seems to know everything about him-from when he is feeling sad to when he will arrive home from school. George's new neighbor and classmate, Lester, also has a dog, Bill Gates, and Lester thinks he is the smartest animal in the world. When their teacher assigns a school science project about animal behavior, George and Lester decide to conduct an experiment based on the world-famous Rupert Sheldrake's experiments about dogs. George even has an email exchange with Dr. Sheldrake to help him with the project-and he and Lester soon find out that, through a few simple experiments, kids can make scientific discoveries, too. This middle-grade boys and dogs story is inspired by Rupert Sheldrake's bestselling adult novel. Dogs that Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home.

Max and his two brothers hop into a car and go looking for problems they can solve. They cruise down highway number 4 on their way to Shapeville, but they see an abandoned number along the way. Is it a 6? Is it a 9? And what's it doing on the side of the road? Once the trio reach Shapeville, there's another problem: a flood washed away all of the squares. Max and his brothers show the town that putting together two triangles will bring their shapes back together, and then they follow the residents on a trip to Count Town, where they put the missing number back in its place in the countdown to a rocket's blastoff. This title has Common Core connections.

A mother tiger entices her child to sleep by telling of all that can be seen with one's eyes closed.

Follow ten lion cubs as they make their way home through the savanna in a lulling, lyrical read-aloud that gently introduces counting to young ones. Little lions everywhere listen to evening’s sounds. The wind is crying. Trees are sighing. It’s time to run along home. The sun begins to set on the savanna, and ten little lions must find their way home before dark. One by one, lion cubs emerge from trees, past bouncing monkeys and braying zebras. They cross a stream, watch a herd of thundering wildebeest, and explore the darkening beauty of the landscape. As the moon rises, ten little lion cubs curl up together just in time for bedtime, under their mothers’ watch in a space that is cozy and warm. Kate Banks’s gorgeously melodic text, paired with Lauren Tobia’s charming illustrations, create a lullaby to ensure the sweetest of dreams.

Each piece of sea glass, just like each person, is uniquely created. This book compares sea glass to people through God's eyes. It's a book for all ages and a great reminder that God loves us always, no matter what.

My daughter's most treasured possession, Hoppy the bunny, writes her a story about their adventures together.

An easy-to-read book about a globe-trotting cat that crosses paths with a vacationing family in the great cities of Europe. Includes facts about the cities.

Alice was making a farm in the middle of her bedroom. She asked Mama for a pig and chickens for her farm, but when Mama didn't have a horse, Alice turned to her papa. "Please, Papa," said Alice. "Okay," said Papa, who, since Alice asked so nicely, put her on his back and trotted around like a horse himself. A playful story where, with the use of a single polite word, lines between the real and the imaginary become blurred as toy animals come to life. A companion to Thank You, Mama, Kate Banks and Gabi Swiatkowska's Please, Papa is perfect for a quick and playful lesson in manners.

At the end of the day a little boy falls asleep as his mama reads about a bear hibernating. Full color.

Baz has always dreamed about following his two older brothers out of his dusty little town, so when a stranger comes to his family's home and asks him to be a weaver's apprentice, Baz is eager to start his journey. But when he reaches the village of Kallah and starts his apprenticeship, Baz learns that his master is very cruel. And when the master trades Baz to a magician for a sword, Baz expects no better from his new owner. But as Baz travels with this kind-hearted and wise magician, their journey takes him across the desert, up a mountain, and into the depths of life's meaning. He learns to re-examine his beliefs about people, the world, and himself, discovering that the whole world is connected and no person can ever be owned.

Three eraserheads that live with a boy in the land of pencils, paper, rulers, numbers, letters, and drawings become trapped in one of his pictures while trying to correct mistakes.

While a farm family bustles about, preparing for the arrival of Christmas, they do not notice the great anticipation spreading among the animals, who know that something very special is on its way.

While waiting for it to be born, a young child wonders what its new sibling will be like. Banks's lyrical poetry pairs with Swiatkowska's playful dreamlike scenes to create a must-have book for all children who are about to have new siblings. Full color.

When a father and child go fishing together, each does certain things his own way, and both have a wonderful day.

When Max finds a pile of forgotten toys under the bed, his brothers Benjamin and Karl wonder what's so special about some old blocks. So Max shows them. With some clever twists of both blocks and imagination, he constructs not only a castle but an entire adventure, complete with pirates and knights, a dark dungeon and a dragon. This ingenious sequel to Max's Words and Max's Dragons shows readers just how much fun wordplay can be. This title has Common Core connections.

Max is looking for words that rhyme. His dragon is in his wagon - or was, for now its tail has left a trail, which Max follows. He finds an umbrella on the ground-- "Found, ground," he says, while his older brothers mock him for believing in dragons and sitting under an umbrella when it isn't even raining. But Max believes in possibilities--and when he can show his brothers not only a dragon in the stormy clouds but also a dinosaur, they begin to come round. When Max demonstrates the power of his rhyming words to tame the dinosaur and the dragon and make the rain come, he wins them over completely. With amusing wordplay and beguiling illustrations, Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov celebrate language and imagination in a collaboration that is bound to be oodles of fun for everyone.

For use in schools and libraries only. A young baboon's view of the world changes as his mother shows him various parts of his environment.

We know very little about the fox and its habits--and our ignorance, Martin Wallen argues, is rooted in the fox's bad reputation. Lowly, sly, and classified as vermin, foxes raid henhouses and garbage bins, spread disease, and injure domestic pets. At the.

Max and his older brother Pete learn about stars, planets, and galaxies when their father takes them to an astronomical observatory.