Musk Ox takes over an alphabet book, explaining to his friend Zebra why almost every letter can be used to describe musk oxen.

Letters are tangible language. Joining together in endless combinations to actually show speech, letters convey our messages and tell our stories. While we encounter these tiny shapes hundreds of times a day, we take for granted the long, fascinating history behind one of the most fundamental of human inventions -- the alphabet. The heart of the book is the 26 fact-filled “biographies” of letters A through Z, each one identifying the letter’s particular significance for modern readers, tracing its development from ancient forms, and discussing its noteworthy role in literature and other media. We learn, for example, why the letter X has a sinister and sexual aura, how B came to signify second best, why the word “mother” in many languages starts with M, and what is the story of O. Packed with information and lavishly illustrated, Letter Perfect is not only accessible and entertaining, but essential to the appreciation of our own language.

Dear Gazelle, For some time now I have wanted to write a letter to say how much I admire you. You are so graceful and fine. Even when you are running from tigers you are like a ballerina who is running away from tigers. I think that what I'm trying to say is that I love you. XO, OX And so begins an epic, if initially unrequited, love affair between a graceful gazelle and a clumsy, hapless ox. Romance will never be the same. Adam Rex's hilarious, sweet, and at times heartbreaking letters between a hopelessly romantic ox and a conceited, beautiful gazelle are paired perfectly with Scott Campbell's joyful illustrations to bring you a romance for the ages. A Neal Porter Book

See how the Roman alphabet began and how it has changed through the years.

Olivia the ox learns what her best qualities really are when her friend Mei needs help as a flood threatens their village. Lists the birth years and characteristics of individuals born in the Chinese Year of the Ox.

An ox gets himself into ridiculous situations made worse when he listens to the advice of his friend the fox.

The two men responsible for Collngwood's recent success dig to the core of what success - in sport and life in general - is all about in an inspirational book that transcends Australian Football.

Remember the mouse who wanted a cookie—and a glass of milk to go with it? Or the moose who wanted a muffin? In If You Give an Ox an Oxy, adolescents meet an ox who takes a prescription medication called an opioid. They follow him as he goes from taking a few opioids, to overusing them, and finally becoming addicted, learning about treatment for addiction and how dangerous taking illegal opioid drugs can be. Inspired by the mouse who was clearly addicted to cookies, Ox’s story demonstrates how opioid use often leads to a cycle of addiction and recovery. Too often this cycle is hard to break. Although Ox’s story is told in a childlike way, opioid use is a very serious and complex topic. Written by national expert on the opioid epidemic Dr. Laura E. Happe, If You Give an Ox an Oxy focuses on preventing opioid misuse for the next generation. Dr. Happe transforms the beloved childhood picture book into an educational resource that teens are sure to remember to help them understand the risks of opioid use—and why it’s best not to start in the first place.

The twin crises of illiteracy and youth violence haunt our age; the failure of increasing numbers of young people to attain even minimal levels of literacy signals a catastrophe at the deepest levels of our culture. A is for Ox is an important and impassioned work that both proves this conclusion and suggests what can be done to change it. Sanders argues that because of the omnipresence of electronically generated images and sounds in contemporary culture, children grow up lacking the oral experience of language crucial to attaining true literacy; without the technologies of reading and writing, the development of self is stunted. By tracing the long history of literacy in the West, Sanders demonstrates how the culture of electronic media is changing both cognitive development and social interaction. Taking the issue of literacy out of the narrow context of schooling and education, Sanders compels us to consider it in relation to the fundamental issues of both personal identity and a person's unforced consent to the social contract.