Award-winning author Tony Johnston and Caldecott honor illustrator Melissa Sweet create a joyful story about the first day of kindergarten! "I'm off to kindergarten now.I'd better take my bear.He likes to sit beside me soI'll take a little chair. . . ."So begins the long list of things Bill absolutely needs for his first day of school. Along with his pillow and some cookies, he also plans on bringing his sandbox, some digging moles, and a moving truck!A touching story of first-day jitters and hopes, Tony Johnston's rhyming text is paired with Melissa Sweet's delightful illustrations!

After a move to a new home, comfort comes from a surprising place. Long ago, a young girl named Abigail put her beloved patchwork quilt in the attic. Generations later, another young girl discovers the quilt and makes it her own, relying on its warmth to help her feel secure in a new home.

Poor Coyote! What’s he doing, hanging upside down in the farmer’s house, next to a pot of boiling water? How’d he wind up underneath the jicara tree, getting bonked by rock-hard fruit? Who tricked him into whacking a wasps’ nest with a stick? And why is he always howling at the moon? Because of Rabbit, that’s why! Longtime collaborators Tony Johnston and Tomie dePaola look to the folklore of Oaxaca, Mexico, for this nutty, naughty tale of trickery and hijinks. Written with sly humor and illustrated in the vibrant golds, blues, and reds of the Southwest, this is a story with a flavor as distinctive as chile peppers.

A classic Halloween story about a pumpkin gone missing is certain to delight readers of all ages! When a 700-year-old woman and an 800-year-old man want to make pumpkin pie on Halloween, they can’t find their pumpkin. “Our pumpkin’s been snitched,” cries the woman. And off they go to find it. “A good bet for Halloween story hours.”—School Library Journal “There can never be enough Halloween stories. This one is appealing, participatory, fast-paced and a delight in the telling.”—Children’s Book Review Service

A wandering cat brightens the lives of six lonely people--and persuades all of them to feed him until a near accident brings them all together.

From award-winning author Tony Johnston and David Walker comes the perfect book for first time First Graders! Kindergarten? Done! "I'm zooming off to first grade now.I need about five friendsto play good games like hide-and-sneakand where-the-sidewalk-ends."Tony Johnston's playful stanzas meet with David Walker's joyful art to create a remarkable foray into first grade--with all its peaks and valleys. There's reading and counting, sure, but also show-and-tell, singing, crafts, and of course, recess! Watch out everyone, 'cause first grade, here I come!

First published in 1988, this gentle picture book set in Sardinia features refreshed illustrations by the beloved and award-winning Tomie dePaola and tells of the giving and sharing of music on a very special Christmas morning. Long ago, a painter and her son, Paolo, visited the poor but beautiful island of Sardinia and a shepherd shared with them his bread called foglia de musica, pages of music. When the mother offered to pay, the shepherd took his musical pipe and filled the air with music so sweet that Paolo danced and sang with joy. Many years later, Paolo, now a gifted composer, returns to the island with his entire orchestra on Christmas morning to share with the shepherds his own “pages of music”—a song of a night long ago, a blazing star, and a child born in a manger.

A boy wins over an abused, stray dog with persistence and love in this heartwarming story. Thoughtful care goes into a child's efforts to help an abused dog learn to trust humans again. Stooping near the bush where the dog is hiding, offering scraps of food, and leaving an umbrella in a rainstorm all convince the dog that the child's offering of friendship is real. When Mom insists on putting up "lost dog" signs, the boy is worried. But in the end, the dog and child find a new friend in each other.

Torn from his home and parents in Poland during World War II, a young Jewish boy starving in a concentration camp finds hope in playing Schubert on his harmonica, even when the commandant orders him to play.