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Readers all across the world have fallen in love with Bear and Bird through Jarvis's young reader series. Now the duo features in their youngest adventure yet! Cozy, funny, and with heaps of heart, this picture book--a prequel to the internationally successful young reader series--tells a story of first friendship from the beloved creator of The Boy with Flowers in His Hair, winner of the Oscar's Book Prize. When Bear arrives at the Woody Woods for the first time, he is looking for a friend. But it seems like all the friends are already taken. Then he meets Bird, who is looking for something, too--the Puffy Fluffy Octopus Cloud! Bear decides to help her look for it, and so begins an unexpected adventure . . . Will they ever find that octopus-shaped cloud? Perhaps they might find something even better!

A secret is in the air as the unlikely friends return in four more stories threaded with Jarvis's signature warmth and subtle humor. Best friends Bear and Bird may not always understand each other, but they always want the other to be happy. So when Bird feels left out because Bear has given a cute nickname to everyone but her, she's relieved when her hasty list of names for Bear doesn't reach him (Stinky Sock Muffin, anyone?). And when the two of them learn they have zero dislikes in common--from lasagna to chess to the word armadillo--and wonder if they can still be friends, they soon realize there's one important dislike they can both agree on. Whether the challenge is being hopeless at keeping a secret (Bear), or getting befuddled about the rules for hide-and-seek (Bear again), this ever-endearing pair continue to charm in a sixth set of gentle stories.

在這個全新的聖誕故事中，馴鹿達雪發現，比創造聖誕奇蹟更美好的，是找到一位可以分享奇蹟的朋友。就在平安夜前的一個明亮夜晚，達雪仰望繽紛的極光時，遇見了溫柔又害羞的北極熊喬治。當喬治得知達雪能在天空中飛翔，忍不住吐露自己一直以來的夢想──希望有一天，也能飛上天空。達雪很想把聖誕魔法送給這位新朋友，於是耐心地教他飛行，卻一次次以失敗告終。即使是習慣付出、不輕言放棄的達雪，也開始懷疑，是否真的能讓喬治的夢想起飛。有些禮物並不裝在聖誕老人的袋子裡，而是存在於陪伴、理解與共同見證奇蹟的時刻之中。In this all-new Christmas tale, Dasher the reindeer discovers that the only thing better than making Christmas magic is making a new friend to share it with. One bright night just before Christmas, Dasher the reindeer is out admiring the stunning colors of the northern lights when she meets George, a sweet polar bear. Astounded to see that Dasher can fly, George confides that he has dreamed of soaring through the sky himself. Dasher would like nothing more than to bestow some Christmas magic on her new friend, but their flying lesson turns out to be a disappointing failure. Even Dasher, an intrepid reindeer in the habit of giving--not giving up--begins to wonder if anyone can make George's dream take flight. In this sparkling new Christmas story,

With a hefty dollop of humor, Atinuke’s rollicking counting story takes on a life of its own when Granny’s mischievous goats start escaping.Granny’s got a goat! Granny’s got a goat!Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4,but more and more and more and more!Excitement is in the air as Granny collects more and more goats! Eight are great, fifty are nifty . . . but when their number reaches one hundred, things start to get out of hand. There’s a brown goat beeping on the bus, a gray one sitting in the salon, a white goat stealing panties from the line, and one has gone missing altogether—who can count in all this mayhem? Beloved storyteller Atinuke has a field day following goats throughout the town, while a gleeful crowd of children try their best to track them. With colorful, spirited illustrations by Lauren Hind, here’s an uproarious read-aloud you can count on to bring giggles and smiles.

Jarvis revisits his beloved, sometimes befuddled, duo in a fifth set of stories where gentle mix-ups and genuine friendship abound.Bear and Bird may not always understand each other, but they both want nothing more than for their best friend to be happy. So when they each find today’s date circled in red, they obviously assume it’s the other one’s birthday (so sorry, Snail!). And when Bird puts her pal through his paces—to prove he’s himself and not his look-alike cousin—she finds a sweet way to soothe an unhappy Bear when the test is done. Whether it’s Bird bravely helping Bear to retrieve a ball from a cave full of stinky goo (or so they’ve heard) or both of them putting their faith in a flying umbrella when Bird blithely removes the candy trail meant to lead them home, Jarvis’s subtle humor and sweet illustrations create a charming world that young readers are eager to come back to.

"Beekeeper Boelts infuses her narrative with both appropriate vocabulary and empathy. . . . Could be just the ticket for turning bee-phobes into beekeepers." --Booklist Kaia is the brave type. Like hottest-hot-pepper brave. But there is one thing that scares her: BEES! And right now, thousands of bees live on her roof because Kaia's dad is a beekeeper. Her dad says that the world needs bees and that's why they are beekeepers. But only he goes on the roof, not Kaia--unless she can find a way to be the brave girl she always says she is. Against a sunny city setting, author Maribeth Boelts and illustrator Angela Dominguez depict Kaia's small courageous steps--and her tiny insect neighbors--with great empathy and charm. Buzzing with storytime potential, Kaia and the Bees is an honest and relatable tale about bravery and compassion, as well as the importance of bees to our world.

Is there ever such a thing as being too considerate? It's another comedy of errors in this fourth set of stories featuring Jarvis's lovable duo."Bird, why are you blowing in my face?" said Bear."I'm just stretching my cheeks," said Bird. "Important to stretch your cheeks."Bear and Bird are the kind of friends who just want to make each other happy. So when Bird realizes Bear has had a leaf stuck to his face all day, she goes to comical extremes not to embarrass him--even if it means encouraging a new trend. And when they both grab the same excellent stick on a windy day, they outdo each other trying to give it back--until Bear comes up with a better use for their imagination. Whether following a hilariously--and touchingly--circular path on Swapsy Day or discovering there are as many times of day as there are things to do, Jarvis's classic pair fuses humor and heart in another quartet of adventures.

"The kids--and the use of historical and presidential facts--are a backdrop to the engaging storyline. . . . A wholesome, solid story with fun characters."--Kirkus Reviews It's Presidents' Day, and all the students in Miss Maxwell's classroom are choosing their special projects. Classroom pets Fergus and Zeke want to participate, too! Zeke appoints himself president of their cage. But the power goes a bit to his head, and his "leading" and "supervising" leave Fergus to do all the work. Will these two mice be able to agree on what makes a good president--and a good friend--in time to turn in their project with the rest of the class? Humorously illustrated and sprinkled with presidential trivia, this fifth title in the delightful series is a winning candidate.

"Readers may have to count to 100 to cool their heels waiting for this clever pair's next adventure." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Fergus and Zeke love being the class pets in Miss Maxwell's classroom, and they do everything the students do. But when the kids start collecting items and doing gym challenges and making projects to celebrate the one hundredth day of school, the mice can't seem to find a way to join in. One hundred miles is a very long distance when you're running on your spinny wheel. One hundred seconds is a very short time when you're trying to take a nap. Stacking one hundred wood chips makes a tower that tips and falls before you're even halfway done. And writing a story with exactly one hundred words means abandoning your characters in the middle of the action! Will these two classroom mice ever come up with the perfect project to celebrate the one hundredth day?