Although he is a very serious bear, Benjamin Bear has a funny way of doing things, like drying dishes on a rabbit's back or sharing his sweater without taking it off.

Benjamin Bear, accompanied by his faithful rabbit friend, continues to share his observations and questions about the world around him.

Bear likes going to the beach, but Chipmunk says "Not me!" in this Guided Reading Level D story, perfect for beginning readers. Summer is here, and Bear and Chipmunk are headed to the beach. Bear likes the sun, and the sand, and swimming. But Chipmunk doesn't. The sun is too bright, the waves are so big, and the big fish are scary when you're so small! Full of humor, Valeri Gorbachev's colorful illustrations add detail and help support understanding of the text—and they're sure to make young readers laugh, as Bear floats serenely past Chipmunk, who's stuck upside-down in a float. "Why did you come?" asks Bear finally, as Chipmunk tries to help collect their things. "I came to be with you," replies Chipmunk. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you're doing—as long as you're with your friends! Bear and Chipmunk enjoy winter weather, too, in Me Too!, another I Like to Read® book. The award-winning I Like to Read® series focuses on guided reading levels A through G, based upon Fountas and Pinnell standards. Acclaimed author-illustrators--including winners of Caldecott, Theodor Seuss Geisel, and Coretta Scott King honors—create original, high quality illustrations that support comprehension of simple text and are fun for kids to read with parents, teachers, or on their own! Suitable for late kindergarten readers, Level D books feature wider vocabulary, longer sentences, and greater variety in sentence structure than levels A, B, and C. When Level D is mastered, follow up with Level E.

Abuelita's plan is set into motion, but will meeting Stuff mean the end of Jonesy's true love of him?

Will stage fright prevent a very funny bear from becoming a stand-up comedian?

Izzie and her unusual pet make a big splash at the county fair in this punny easy reader comic from a beloved children's book illustrator and comics artist. Izzie can't wait to debut her pet at the county fair. While the other children have brought pigs or chickens, Izzie brought a...Kraken! Even though everyone thinks Kraken is big and frightening, he is not. He's like Izzie, sweet and shy. Kraken and Izzie use creativity and humor to win over the crowd in this hilariously adorable comic. The variety of panel styles, speech bubbles, and fonts are all perfect for engaging developing readers. I Like to Read Comics are created for kids just learning to read. Sequential art and simple text--and a powerful relationship between the two--are the perfect conditions for developing readers. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

The out-of-this-world outlook of a down-to-earth bear! Explore the world through the eyes of Benjamin, a bear who takes his silly way of doing things very seriously. In the third book about Benjamin's adventures, author PHILIPPE COUDRAY continues to delight readers by bending the rules of common sense and breaking the laws of physics. Pull up a chair, grab a friend, and open your mind—today's forecast is for BRAIN STORMS! Praise for Philippe Coudray's Benjamin Bear series: * "A marvel of economy in setup, delivery, and payoff."—Booklist, STARRED REVIEW * "This book rewards what six-year-olds are already good at (scrutiny), encourages a new skill (reading), and enlarges the imagination (heaven)."—The Horn Book, STARRED REVIEW "A visually formatted joke book to inspire thinking as well as laughs."—Kirkus Reviews "A must-have for early readers who would like to try a graphic novel or comic." —School Library Journal

Our favorite fuzzy friend, the idiosyncratic Benjamin Bear, returns with a whole new set of problems to solve. Knitting a sheep a sweater? Visiting a fish’s underwater house? Soaring down a staircase on a square-wheeled bicycle? These could only be the predicaments of beloved character Benjamin Bear! Our favorite fuzzy friend returns with a whole new set of problems to solve—but when it comes to Benjamin Bear, the solutions may cause just as much trouble. Get ready for some of the brightest and silliest ideas yet!

Praise for Philippe Coudray's Benjamin Bear series: "A visually formatted joke book to inspire thinking as well as laughs."—Kirkus Reviews "A marvel of economy in setup, delivery, and payoff."—Booklist, starred review "This book rewards what six-year-olds are already good at (scrutiny), encourages a new skill (reading), and enlarges the imagination (heaven)."—The Horn Book, starred review Benjamin Bear can always surprise his friends, whether it's by walking on his hands during a snowstorm or by using a tree as a parachute. This unassuming bear may at first seem down-to-earth, but his ideas are always out of this world. His zany approach to life has earned him two Eisner Award nominations and bestseller status among kids everywhere. In the third book about Benjamin's adventures, author Philippe Coudray continues to delight readers by bending the rules of common sense and breaking the laws of physics. Pull up a chair, grab a friend, and open your mind—today's forecast is for BRAIN STORMS! Philippe Coudray loves drawing comics, and his many children's books are often used in the schools of his home country of France. His work was chosen by students to win the prestigious Angoulême Prix des Écoles. His first two books in English, Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking and Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas, were both nominated for the Eisner for Best Publication for Early Readers.

Reading the World’s Stories is volume 5 in the Bridges to Understanding series of annotated international youth literature bibliographies sponsored by the United States Board on Books for Young People. USBBY is the United States chapter of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), a Switzerland-based nonprofit whose mission is bring books and children together. The series promotes sharing international children’s books as a way to facilitate intercultural understanding and meet new literary voices. This volume follows Children’s Books from Other Countries (1998), The World though Children’s Books (2002), Crossing Boundaries with Children’s Books (2006), and Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children’s Books (2011) and acts as a companion book to the earlier titles. Centered around the theme of the importance of stories, the guide is a resource for discovering more recent global books that fit many reading tastes and educational needs for readers aged 0-18 years. Essays by storyteller Anne Pellowski, author Beverley Naidoo, and academic Marianne Martens offer a variety of perspectives on international youth literature. This latest installment in the series covers books published from 2010-2014 and includes English-language imports as well as translations of children’s and young adult literature first published outside of the United States. These books are supplemented by a smaller number of culturally appropriate books from the US to help fill in gaps from underrepresented countries. The organization of the guide is geographic by region and country. All of the more than 800 entries are recommended, and many of the books have won awards or achieved other recognition in their home countries. Forty children’s book experts wrote the annotations. The entries are indexed by author, translator, illustrator, title, and subject. Back matter also includes international book awards, important organizations and research collections, and a selected directory of publishers known for publishing books from other countries.