Part lullaby, part love song, this perfectly pitched bedtime book gives a nod to its classic predecessors as it champions the vibrant independent spirit of local bookshops. Join the Little Bookshop’s friendly staff as they draw the curtain on another busy day of browsing. Choose a bedtime story, say your good nights and pet the shop’s friendly cat on your way out. Drawing on the best tradition of classic bedtime books, Amy Cherrix’s lilting text brims with sound play, soothing patterns and repetition, while E. B. Goodale’s bright, inclusive artwork offers people-watching at its best, conjuring the bustling, ineffable mood of a homespun hall of treasures. Penned by a bookseller and illustrated with warmth and zeal, this cosy homage to the neighbourhood bookshop ends with a gallery of bookstores around the world, encouraging local engagement and offering a gentle reminder that books are gifts that keep giving, the most comforting treasure of all.

What happens when conservation efforts for a species are so successful that there's a boom in the population? Part field science, part conservation science, Backyard Bears looks at black bears - and other animals around the globe - who are rapidly becoming our neighbors in urban and suburban areas. North Carolina's black bears were once a threatened species, but now their numbers are rising in and around Asheville. Can humans and bears live compatibly? What are the long-term effects for the bears? Author Amy Cherrix follows the scientists who, in cooperation with local citizens, are trying to answer to these questions and more.