Teacher Picks

Meet Alfie the friendly bookworm and his pet dust bunny, Betty! When Betty runs off, Alfie travels through each letter in the alphabet searching for her--and finds much more along the way.

From An Awesome Assembly of Animals to a Zamboni Ride Through the Zoo, follow Alfie and discover all the wild wonders of the alphabet--like a bobcat barber blindly buzzing a baboon, and a unicorn on a unicycle playing ukulele! What else can you spot?

Part Where's Waldo, part I-Spy, this is an ABCs book unlike any other. Each letter of the alphabet is its own unique destination, with a richly illustrated scene full of creatures, objects, and actions that begin with the corresponding letter, a rhymed poem, and a guide to help young readers decode each scene!

Whether reading alone or with the whole family, Alfie's A to Z delivers endless hours of entertainment, and children will love following along with the adorable characters as they learn the alphabet!

A long, long time ago, in a far, far corner of the universe, there lived a lonely little star. One day, a comet appears--is this finally the star's chance to make a friend? Inspired by Halley's Comet, this picture book written by Korean singer-songwriter Lee Juck and illustrated by acclaimed artist Lee Jinhee is about the moments of connection--however brief or rare--that give us the joy and hope to shine bright across the vast universe.

Living with his grandfather and struggling in a new high school, Damian decides to summon his mother's ghost so he can talk things out - but he blows it and summons Saskia, a scruffy, annoying kid. Trying to settle into his new life, Damian doesn't need her hanging around trying to 'help' him with his crush - but Saskia's suffering too, and everything they're both hiding deep down might be just what they both need to get some peace. John Moore and Neetols paint a sweet and hilarious tale of young love amid grief, where someone's flaws might be the reason you love them the most.

Once again, Hervé Tullet brilliantly and successfully coaxes children to recognize and celebrate their innate artistic talent. He convinces each reader that their hand is magic and capable of transforming a few simple lines, squiggles, dots, and shapes into . . . well, pretty much anything they can imagine!

A new Hervé picture book is always a cause for celebration. This is his first in seven years and a companion to Press Here, Mix It Up!, and Let's Play! with all the hallmark whimsy and imagination that will delight his many fans. Whether enjoyed in a family living room, a kindergarten reading nook, or a preschool art class, there's something here to enchant every reader.

AN INVITATION TO PLAY, EXPLORE, AND LEARN: Hervé is a master at involving his readers visually, intellectually, and physically in his books by inviting them to touch the pages and perform a series of fun activities, all to yield surprising and delightful results.

SCREEN-FREE INTERACTIVITY: Without technology, electronic bells and whistles, or moving parts, Hervé's books brilliantly harness the imagination to let readers experience the world through new eyes.

BUILDS DEXTERITY: For very young children, here's an innovative approach to building dexterity and a brilliant way to learn about following directions using simple hand movements and gestures.

CREATIVE VALUE: Combining rhythm, motion, and shapes with Hervé's signature bold primary colors and even a bonus gatefold, here's a great tool for arts education that will appeal to parents and educators looking to build children's creative thinking and curiosity skills.

HIGH-PROFILE CREATOR: Hervé Tullet is a renowned artist and children's book author with more than eighty internationally acclaimed titles, including Mix It Up!, Let's Play!, Say Zoop! and, of course, Press Here, the longest-running picture book on the New York Times Bestseller List, celebrating nearly five years there!

Perfect for:

DING DING DING!! Is that the school bell, or is it three million readers ringing in the return of V.E.S.T.-wearing case-busting secret agents Mango and Brash for another hilarious adventure? (It's the latter, we'll solve that mystery for free.)

The InvestiGators are back...to school?! Mango and Brash have always been a class act but can these alligator detectives convincingly go undercover as average middle-school students? Why has the super-spy organization S.U.I.T. been assigned protection detail for a small-town team mascot? Is it a coincidence that the school happens to be the same one that Agent Mango (just barely) graduated from? Is Mango's family in danger? Will Brash pass home economics? Is Friday still pizza day? Find out in Class Action, the A+ return of the New York Times bestselling series by John Patrick Green! Read up, because there just might be a pop quiz later!

From the moment he was born, all Milo has ever known is knighthood. He eats, sleeps, and breathes it every moment of his life, never taking his armor off even for a minute. After all, Milo lives in the shadow of generation upon generation of knights before him and feels duty-bound to defend his colony should a dragon ever attack. But while training one day, rain begins to fall and eventually turns Milo's armor to a pile of rust, leaving the young knight weakened and unable to move. It isn't until a chance encounter with a court jester, who helps him shed his armor and lay down his spear, that Milo has his first taste of freedom.

"Masterful. . . Effortlessly blending fantasy and reality." (BCCB, starred review)

Through narrative and comic panels, Hendrix chronicles Lewis and Tolkien's near-idyllic childhoods, then moves on to both men's horrific tour of the trenches of World War I to their first meeting at Oxford in 1929, and then the foreshadowing, action, and aftermath of World War II.

He reveals the shared story of their friendship, in all its ups and downs, that gave them confidence to venture beyond academic concerns (fantasy wasn't considered suitable for adult reading, but the domain of children), shaped major story/theme ideas, and shifted their ideas about the potential of mythology and faith.

The Mythmakers also shows the camaraderie and the importance of the social/literary circle of friends called the Inklings, and how the friendship of these two great men fell apart and came together again. Hendrix concludes describing how the writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien had re-enchanted the 20th century, after two World Wars.

In writing aimed at scholars, adults, and young people, these two tweedy academics altered the course of storytelling and embraced the concept that fantasy writing for an adult audience was an accepted form of literature.

The format is similar to The Faithful Spy: prose interspersed with images and narrative comics. The narration is often conversations between a knowledgeable wizard and a comical lion. Through brisk conversation between these two friends, they explain some of the bigger ideas in an approachable and entertaining way.

Throughout the story, there are "gateways" that lead readers to the back matter where certain themes, such as how myth/fantasy evolved or the art of world-building, are discussed more fully. This device keeps the main story flowing quickly and smoothly for those readers not interested in the more academic ideas behind the narrative.

Among the ideas covered in the narrative and back matter:
- Tolkien's world-building
- The "Theology of Creation" linking their faith to their writings
- The meaning of real friendship
- Notions of modernity and mythology
- The value of fantasy
- The power of a creative community
- An exploration of the different kinds of storytelling in Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, both relying on "the Myth" as a storytelling device, but differing in the use of allegory vs. symbolism
- The creative differences of Lewis and Tolkien: the high standards of Tolkien's fiction and the faster and more immediate approach of Lewis's
- Logos vs. Mythos: Lewis created from images, Tolkien created from language
- The mixing of mythologies

Also included are an author's note, endnotes, bibliography and index.

When the deliverymen set off in the morning, the children wait for the flicker of pedal and wheel. It's the demae-- delivery men-- setting off to deliver steaming trays of noodles to hungry customers all over the city. They are acrobats: whizzing past other bicycles, soaring around curves, avoiding the black smoke of motorcycles. When the children see them, they want to be them. And so they practice with bowls of wobbling water stacked on trays. The day passes, and, finally, exhausted, the demae return home, to their families, and, yes, to steaming bowls of noodles.

This beautifully crafted, visually exciting story by a powerhouse author and illustrator team is sure to be adored by food lovers, young and old.