As soon as Lily Harrison makes her way into the world, her nursemaid, Shannon, notices something is different about the beautiful baby. After she hands Lily to her happy parents, Shannon wrestles with how to tell them that Lily has Child Mind, a disability that is not accepted in her land ruled by a king determined to kill any baby born with a handicap.After Shannon reveals Lily's condition to her parents, they must decide whether to secretly care for her or send her to the king where she will almost certainly meet her demise. Shannon, who is certain Lily is going to do something special in her life, is relieved when Lily's parents decide to care for her until she is two and then tell the authorities she has died in a horrible accident, before sending her away to live in an Elven monastery. But when they discover the authorities are closing in sooner than expected, they must immediately put their plan into place. But little do they know that sometimes even the best plans do not go as expected.In this captivating tale, a special little girl who embarks on an adventurous quest to live is eventually led to a final showdown with a king--and to her true destiny.

It’s Kangaroo’s birthday, but no one will play with him: not the emu, the platypuses, the koalas, or even the dingos. They all have too many things to do. What exactly are they doing? They’re using multiplication to figure out just how many things they have to do to plan a big surprise for Kangaroo!

Best Children’s Science Books 1997 (Science Books and Films)

Kangaroo is back! In this story he and his friends at camp divide into halves, thirds, and fourths to form teams at field day. Readers will cheer on this rowdy crew of Australian animals as they swim, canoe, play tug-of-war, and have a good, goofy time.

Illustrated by Kevin O'Malley

We've all wished for "Someday" to get here, and now it is. Follow the tale of the young beaver, Max, and his quest to spend quality time with his parents and family. The tale for the ages and ageless will bring a happy tear of joy and love and a smile to the face of every child who undoubtedly heard the answer "Someday" after having asked "When?"

An inspiring read for all of us, "Someday" finds Max looking for "Someday" on his calendar and realizing if it did exist, it would surely be the busiest day of the week. Don't pass on the chance to share this tale of love and the importance of family.

Illustrator Kevin O'Malley and author Denise Brennan-Nelson bring "Someday" to frolicking life by setting aside their somedays as the days to make a difference. Parents, teachers, family and friends can do the same by picking up the book and let that special little one in their life know that they are more important and every moment together is a gift to be cherished today.

An ALA Notable book

An Orbis Pictus Recommended title

When Heather L. Montgomery sees a rattlesnake flattened on the side of the road, her first instinct is to pick it up and dissect it--she's always wanted to see how a snake's fangs retract when they close their mouths, and it's not exactly safe to poke around in a live reptile's mouth. A wildlife researcher with a special penchant for the animals that litter the roadways, Heather isn't satisfied with dissecting just one snake. Her fascination with roadkill sets her off on a journey from her own backyard and the roadways of the American South to scientists and kids in labs and homes across the globe. From biologists who use the corpses of Tasmanian devils to investigate cures for a contagious cancer, to a scientist who discovered a whole new species of bird from a single wing left behind, to a boy rebuilding animal bodies from the bones up, to a restaurant that serves up animal remnants, Heather discovers that death is just the beginning for these creatures.

This engaging narrative nonfiction is an eye-opening and irreverent look at the dead and dying animals that we pass by without a second thought--as well as a fascinating insight to the scientific research process.

Where is it partly cloudy and 860 F? Venus! This classic picture book is a fascinating exploration of space written by children's nonfiction veteran and former chairman of the American Museum of Natural History-Hayden Planetarium Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by Kevin O'Malley. Full of interesting facts about the eight planets in our solar system, including our very own Earth, this bestselling book also features photographs from Voyager and other space explorers. Now rebranded with a new cover look, this book features a find out more section with instructions for making your own solar system mobile and web research prompts about how to track the moon. Both text and artwork were vetted for accuracy by Jurrie van der Woude of NASA. This is a Level 2 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores more challenging concepts perfect for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

A remake of the 1962 French film, relocated to Ireland. In a quiet corner of southwest Ireland the children of Carrickdowse and Ballydowse are involved in an undeclared war, which occurs without the knowledge of the adult population. The battle lines have already been drawn, but the war must be over by dinnertime!

The new school year brings standardized testing to every school and Miss Malarkey's is no exception. Teachers, students, and even parents are preparing for THE TEST-The Instructional Performance Through Understanding (IPTU) test-and the school is in an uproar. Even though the grown-ups tell the children not to worry, they're acting kind of strange. The gym teacher is teaching stress-reducing yoga instead of sports in gym class. Parents are giving pop quizzes on bedtime stories at night. The cafeteria is serving "brain food" for lunch. The kids are beginning to think that maybe the test is more important than they're being led to believe. Kids and adults alike will laugh aloud as Finchler and O'Malley poke fun at the commotion surrounding standardized testing, a staple of every school's year.

As soon as Lily Harrison makes her way into the world, her nursemaid, Shannon, notices something is different about the beautiful baby. After she hands Lily to her happy parents, Shannon wrestles with how to tell them that Lily has Child Mind, a disability that is not accepted in her land ruled by a king determined to kill any baby born with a handicap.After Shannon reveals Lily's condition to her parents, they must decide whether to secretly care for her or send her to the king where she will almost certainly meet her demise. Shannon, who is certain Lily is going to do something special in her life, is relieved when Lily's parents decide to care for her until she is two and then tell the authorities she has died in a horrible accident, before sending her away to live in an Elven monastery. But when they discover the authorities are closing in sooner than expected, they must immediately put their plan into place. But little do they know that sometimes even the best plans do not go as expected.In this captivating tale, a special little girl who embarks on an adventurous quest to live is eventually led to a final showdown with a king--and to her true destiny.

Principal Wiggins has promised to dye his hair purple and sleep on the school roof if the students read 1,000 books this year, and Miss Malarkey is determined to find the right book for every student, including this story's reluctant-reader narrator. Winning her students over book by book, Miss Malarkey will have students loving to read in no time. As the best selling series continues in paperback, no teacher, librarian, or parent should leave this book behind