Molly Lou Melon's grandma taught her to be happy with herself no matter what, but that's not all she learned. Molly Lou heard all about how her grandma didn't have fancy store-bought toys when she was little. She made dolls out of twigs and flowers and created her own fun in her backyard.
So Molly Lou does just that, proving that the best thing to play with is a huge imagination

High on energy and imagination, this ode to self-esteem encourages kids to appreciate everything about themselves--inside and out. Messy hair? Beaver breath? So what! Here's a little girl who knows what really matters.
At once silly and serious, Karen Beaumont's joyous rhyming text and David Catrow's wild illustrations unite in a book that is sassy, soulful--and straight from the heart.

A New York Times best-selling masterpiece featuring a sing-song rhyming text and humorous energetic illustrations about a spirited child and outside-the-box, creative thinking. When the child gets caught painting everything from the ceiling to the floor, Mama says "Ya ain't a-gonna paint no more!" But nothing will keep this artist from painting! Written to the familiar tune "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More," the text bounces alongside vibrant stylized pen-and-ink drawings, while page-turns offer up a fun read-aloud guessing game in which kids will delightfully participate. What will the child paint next? "So I take some red and I paint my . . . HEAD!" Silliness paired with the ruckus read-aloud appeal will have every reader begging for repeat reads.

Well-known songs, including "Oh Susannah" and "Row Row Row Your Boat," are presented with new words and titles, such as "I'm So Carsick" and "Go Go Go to Bed.

A long time ago some smart guys wrote the Preamble to the Constitution. You have probably read it before, but do you know what it means? And did it ever make you laugh? Now it will Perfect for inspiring discussion in classrooms and around kitchen tables, this fun-filled and cheerfully illustrated look at the Preamble provides an accessible introduction to America's founding ideals for citizens of "all" ages.
Includes a glossary of terms and a foreword by the artist.

Alex just has to convince his mom to let him have an iguana, so he puts his arguments in writing. He promises that she won't have to feed it or clean its cage or even see it if she doesn't want to. Of course Mom imagines life with a six-foot-long iguana eating them out of house and home. Alex's reassurances: It takes fifteen years for an iguana to get that big. I'll be married by then and probably living in my own house. and his mom's replies: How are you going to get a girl to marry you when you own a giant reptile? will have kids in hysterics as the negotiations go back and forth through notes. And the lively, imaginative illustrations show their polar opposite dreams of life with an iguana.

"Leave it to Molly to transform all her 'faults' into marvelous talents.. . . #Catrow's# pictures fill the pages with wild perspectives, goofy-looking kids, and hilarious details. . . . Leaves readers with the feeling that anything can be accomplished if you are the best person you can be and make the most of your gifts." (Kirkus Reviews)

"What keeps the storytelling fresh is the crisp prose and the heroine's full-spead-ahead determination. . . . Catrow's full-bleed pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, awash in ripe colors and animated by slapstick exaggeration, radiate a winningly eccentric elegance." (Publishers Weekly)

"The text is fast and funny, and Molly Lou is a fetching little heroine. Catrow's palette is intense. . . . This will make a comic readaloud." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)

Molly Lou Melon's mother taught her to use her big voice for good - to speak up for what's right, for those who can't, and even when it's hard. So she does. When school starts and a bully begins teasing everyone, including a new student, Molly Lou knows just what to do. From standing up for a friend to admitting when you've made a mistake, Molly Lou shows us how speaking up is always the right choice.

A hilarious companion to" I Wanna Iguana."
Ever since their baby sister came along, Alex has been forced to share a room with his little brother, Ethan, and it's a nightmare. Ethan always breaks stuff, snores like a walrus, and sticks crayons up his nose. No hardworking, well-behaved, practically grown-up boy like Alex should have to put up with that

Writing letters to his mom convinced her to let him get his pet iguana, so Alex puts pencil to paper again, this time determined to get his own room. Though all of his powers of persuasion can't get his dad to expand the house, he does come through with a fun alternative to give Alex some space of his own.

"Dear Kids, A long time ago, when you were little, Mom and I took you to where we wanted to build a house. . . . I remember there was one tree, however, that the three of you couldn't stop staring at. . . ."

After the family spares him from the builders, Steve the tree quickly works his way into their lives. He holds their underwear when the dryer breaks down, he's there when Adam and Lindsay get their first crushes, and he's the centerpiece at their outdoor family parties. With a surprising lack of anthropomorphizing, this is a uniquely poignant celebration of fatherhood, families, love, and change.

"Large format makes for great audience participation material, and the line-and-watercolor illustrations are disaster humor at its finest".--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.