Grade: 2

A wolf named Tempesto huffs and puffs in this wildly comic retelling of an old favorite. (”Open up, Pork Chop, or I’ll flatten this dump!”) In this rendition, the three pigs, Percy, Pete, and Prudence, and their mama, Serafina Sow, enjoy a thriving waffle business until one morning when Tempesto shows up with a taste for more than waffles. Children will cheer the pigs’ efforts to outwit the surly creature and comb the pictures for Kellogg’s hilarious visual nuances. The story might also motivate a comparison of Kellogg’s retelling with the traditional story and other variations, such as Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Viking).

Aloo-ki’s quiet morning of fishing comes to an abrupt when she realizes that her loyal sled dogs have become stranded on an ice floe. Running for help, the young girl soon finds an igloo, but it is empty, its polar bear inhabitants off on a pre-breakfast stroll. Hungry herself, Aloo-ki decides to sample the goodies and then, sated, settles down for a comfy nap. When she awakes, she and the reader will make several happy discoveries. Perfect bedtime reading.

Bill Martin, Jr., a master of rhyme leads children through the seasons in this picture book in verse, celebrating the wonders of each month. Greg Shed’s vibrant paintings cast a golden glow on an exuberant brother and sister as they go through the turning seasons–building a January snowman, floating paper boats in the thawing streams of March, splashing through April puddles, and delighting in the wild plums and sun-kissed fields of summer. A December snowfall completes the cycle, warning, “Get ready for a winter morning!”

Two half brothers led parallel lives in a village. The mean brother lived in a large home full of fine things. The cheerful brother — a humble farmer — was a man of meager means. When the farmer finds a giant turnip growing among his crops, he gives it to the royal family. As a reward, the king makes him a royal gardener. Upon learning this, his greedy brother brings the king an enormous ruby. Instead of earning a royal position, he earns his just reward — a giant-sized slice of the turnip! In this tale, an ordinary turnip is an extraordinary gift because it is given without expecting one in return.

This adaptation of Margery Williams’s treasured childhood classic tells how a toy rabbit learns what it means to be loved by a child–and how toys become “Real.” This book will bring kids hours of fun as they read the engaging story and color in the pictures.

“I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side—the Communist side—of the Iron Curtain.” Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sís shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe. But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. Sís learned about beat poetry, rock ’n’ roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band. Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion. But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities—creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed. By joining memory and history, Sís takes us on his extraordinary journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art.

Our second Dick and Jane treasury is here! The World of Dick and Jane and Friends is acompilation of some of the best-loved Dick and Jane titles. The treasury includes stories parents and grandparents will remember from Guess Who, The New We Come and Go, and The New We Look and See. Share a classic treasury with a new generation of Dick and Jane readers, who will love the Dick and Jane stories as much as you did!

A thrilling follow-up to DiTerlizzi and Black’s first Spiderwick Chronicles book, The Seeing Stone has Jared and Mallory rescuing Simon from a band of goblins. When the young boy is kidnapped, Thimbletack leads Jared to a stone that allows him to have “the sight,” or the ability to see magical creatures. Soon, the brother and sister are outfoxing a hungry troll, working with a helpful goblin named Hogsqueal to thwart the other goblins, and taking care of a wounded griffin. With more enchanted action than the first book and a suspenseful ending, this second installment will have kids chomping at the bit for more.