Most Popular Books by Lane Smith

Can it text? Blog? Scroll? Wi-fi? Tweet? No, it's a book. A donkey with a laptop computer and a gorilla with a printed book discuss the merits of their preferred formats. Playful and lighthearted with a subversive twist that is signature Lane Smith, It's a Book is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age. This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages. - Publisher.

He was a boy on a farm and a kid with chickenpox. He was a soldier and a husband and a gardener, and most of all, an artist. Follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson through a garden where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten. In his most enigmatic and beautiful work to date, noted picture book creator Lane Smith explores aging, memory, and the bonds of family history and love. By turns touching and whimsical, Grandpa Green opens the door to a garden of wonder for parents, grandparents, and children alike. - Jacket flap.

Pinocchio has been turned into a boy but no one, not even he, realizes it as he walks through Collodi-town trying to get some hot chicken soup for Geppetto.

Lulu's parents refuse to give in when she demands a brontosaurus for her birthday and so she sets out to find her own, but while the brontosaurus she finally meets approves of pets, he does not intend to be Lulu's.

Have you ever thought: I have so many problems and nobody even cares? Well, penguins have problems too! Discover them in this hilarious collaboration from Jory John (All my friends are dead. and Quit Calling Me a Monster!) and Lane Smith (The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales)! This penguin has come to tell you that life in Antarctica is no paradise. For starters, it is FREEZING. Also, penguins have a ton of natural predators. Plus, can you imagine trying to find your mom in a big ol’ crowd of identical penguins? No, thank you. Yes, it seems there is no escaping the drudgery of your daily grind, whatever it might be. Or perhaps we’ve just learned that grumps are everywhere. . . . This book is sure to tickle kids’ funny bones and will elicit appreciative sighs from the adults reading it aloud. "We are all Mortimer [the main character in Penguin Problems]." —The New York Times “Bursting with humor.” —Kirkus Reviews “The snark level is cranked up high.” —The Horn Book, Starred “Will be right at home with fans of Jon Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat.” —Booklist “Classic comedy.” —Publishers Weekly “Rib-tickling.” —School Library Journal

A transmission received from outer space in a combination of different Earth languages tells of an alien schoolboy's fantastic excuse for being late to school again.

When the teacher tells his class that they can hear the poetry of science in everything, a student is struck with a curse and begins hearing nothing but science verses that sound very much like some well-known poems.

Once there were four lads . . . John (Hancock), Paul (Revere), George (Washington), and Ben (Franklin). Oh yes, there was also Tom (Jefferson), but he was always off doing his own thing, so people usually forgot about him.The lads were always getting into trouble for one reason or another. Johns handwriting was bigger than all the other kids.Pauls ear-splitting job as a bell-ringer made him speak a LITTLE TOO LOUDLY all the time. George was too honest for his own good.Ben was always talking in proverbs. . . . And Tom, well, he was just plain independent.But somehow, these five lads grew up to start a revolutionone that would change this country forever.Legendary artist Lane Smith has created a totally fresh and funny way to learn about the Founding Fathers of our countrywith just a few liberties mixed in.

Goodreads Review: **You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong.** In this **hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point** of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.” “**In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version** of what really happens during his encounter with the three pigs…. Smith's simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale.” —Children’s Literature **“Older kids (and adults) will find very funny.”** —School Library Journal

Goodreads Review: **You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong.** In this **hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point** of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.” “**In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version** of what really happens during his encounter with the three pigs…. Smith's simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale.” —Children’s Literature **“Older kids (and adults) will find very funny.”** —School Library Journal

Gappers will get your goat. Literally. If You don't brush them off and return them to the ocean, whence they arrive every day, these bright orange, many eyead creatutes will cover your goats, and the goats will stop giving milk. In a village called Frip, goat's milk was the entire economy. Three families lived there — the Romos, the Ronsens, and a little girl named Capable and her widowed father, who wanted everything to remain the same. It didn't. One day, the gappers, despite an average IQ of 3.7 (±0.2), decided for a good reason to concentrate on Capable's goats. Oh, how the Romos and Ronsens turned their backs on the gapper ridden Capable! Oh, how they indeed lorded it over her! What kinds of creatures are we, one wonders, when such selfishness so often springs up so spontaneously among us? And, given the coldness of her neighbors' shoulders, what will Capable do about her gapper plague, as her share of the economy dries up? Literally, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip, with a brilliant story by awar-ridden short-story master George Saunders and fifty-tw ohaunting and hilarious illustrations by bestseller-plagued artist author Lane Smith, answers that question, by telling a tale as ancient as the Bible and as modern, as a memo from the Federal Reserve Board. And funnier than both — which isn't saying all that much, admittedly. You don't get to laugh and gaze in visual awe and pleasure all that often when the Golden Rule comes under such sertous attack and such staunch defense as it did in Frip. An adult story for children, a children's story for adults, an earhlings' story for aliens, an oceanside fable for irremediably landlocked, a capitalist tool for anarchists, a fish story for loaves, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip represents the classic instant of two young geniuses colliding and colluding. The result is — what else? — an instant classic!

Meet the 21st century Shel Silverstein! Chris Harris's debut poetry collection molds wit and wordplay, nonsense and oxymoron, and visual and verbal sleight-of-hand in masterful ways that make you look at the world in a whole new wonderfully upside-down way. This entirely unique collection offers a surprise around every corner, from the ongoing rivalry between the author and illustrator, to the mysteriously misnumbered pages that can only be deciphered by a certain code-cracking poem, to the rhyming fact-checker in the footnotes who points out when "poetic license" gets out of hand.

A holiday picture book from award-winning author/illustrator Lane Smith that features the woodland character, Stickler, who wanders the forest delivering Christmas presents. In a picture book that’s both silly and sweet, readers will be inspired by this story of holiday kindness. Happy-go-lucky Stickler, an original character covered in sticks, is celebrating Christmas by passing out presents for all his friends. He has carefully selected the right stick for each of them, including: a Hop-Higher Stick for Rabbit, an Idea Stick for Crow, an In-a-Pear-Tree Stick for Partridge. But Doug-the-Fir doesn’t want a present, he is too worried about being covered with decorations and lights and being the center of attention. So, Stickler promises to think of a solution and finds the perfect stick. But in order to help his shy friend, Stickler needs to be the one to shine. A Stickler Christmas encourages empathy and kindness with a joyful, lighthearted touch. Lane Smith, the award-winning author and illustrator of recent picture books, including A Gift for Nana (where Stickler first appears) and Stickler Loves the World, brings imagination and laughter to a clever story featuring a delightful character.

Augie Hobble lives in a fairy tale—or at least Fairy Tale Place, the down-on-its-luck amusement park managed by his father. Yet his life is turning into a nightmare: he''s failed creative arts and has to take summer school, the girl he has a crush on won''t acknowledge him, and Hogg Wills and the school bullies won''t leave him alone. Worse, a succession of mysterious, possibly paranormal, events have him convinced that he''s turning into a werewolf. At least Augie has his notebook and his best friend Britt to confide in—until the unthinkable happens and Augie''s life is turned upside down, and those mysterious, possibly paranormal, events take on a different meaning.

A humorous look at five of our country''s founding fathers.

"Glasses are for dorks". At least that''s what one boy thinks, until the eye doctor begins a list of well-adjusted eyeglass wearers that he knows: moms, dads, scientists, Hong Kong flu bugs, snowmen, robots, worms and potatoes. This wildly imaginative story will convince any child that wearing glasses will help him or her see things in a whole new way. Full color throughout.

Today is a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Cat is lounging among the daffodils. Dog is sitting in the wading pool, deep in the cool water. Chickadee is eating fresh seed from the birdfeeder. Squirrel is munching on his very own corncob. Today is a perfect day in Bert''s backyard. Until Bear comes along, that is. Bear crushes the daffodils, drinks the pool water, and happily gobbles up the birdseed and corncob. Today was a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Now, it''s just a perfect day for Bear. Lane Smith uses perfect pacing and vibrant illustrations to emphasize the power of perspective in this hilarious picture book about the goings-on in Bert''s backyard. This book has Common Core connections. An NPR Best Book of 2017 A 2018 ALSC Notable Children''s Book

Bestselling and award-winning creator Lane Smith presents an interactive read-aLOUD that invites readers to take a break, run wild with their imaginations, and join in on some good-natured, school-sanctioned shenanigans School is where you go to learn. It is fun. But sometimes you need a little break from all the fun. That is why there is recess. But what if it''s not recess time? No problem! You can have a Now Recess, a Really-Need-a-Break Recess, a Wherever-You-Are Recess. It doesn''t matter what you call it. Just make sure you shout it: RECESS! Featuring the distinctive humor and beloved art of bestselling Caldecott honoree Lane Smith, this irresistibly fun, interactive read aLOUD is the perfect stress reliever to send kids into fits of giggles and shaking out their wiggles.

A little girl imagines what her day would be like if she were President of the United States.

A delightful story about a boy and a girl who explore an abandoned house and imagine who might have lived there. Deep in the woods is a house, just a house that once was but now isn t a home. Who lived in that house? Who walked down its hallways? Why did they leave it, and where did they go?

When a schoolgirl gets separated from her tour of the White House and finds herself in the Lincoln bedroom, she also discovers the ghost of the great man himself.

When a young boy embarks on a journey alone . . . he trails a colony of penguins, undulates in a smack of jellyfish, clasps hands with a constellation of stars, naps for a night in a bed of clams, and follows a trail of shells, home to his tribe of friends.