An Instant New York Times Bestseller * An Instant Indie Bestseller * An Indie Next List Selection Feeling fried? Peel yourself on the couch and meet your new pal-tato! The winning fourth picture book from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, and The Cool Bean, Jory John and Pete Oswald, will get you and your kids moving! The Couch Potato has everything within reach and doesn't have to move from the sunken couch cushion. But when the electricity goes out, Couch Potato is forced to peel away from the comforts of the living room and venture outside. Could fresh air and sunshine possibly be better than the views on screen? Readers of all ages will laugh along as their new best spuddy learns that balancing screen time and playtime is the root to true happiness. Check out Jory John and Pete Oswald’s funny, bestselling books for kids 4-8 and anyone who wants a laugh: The Bad Seed The Good Egg The Cool Bean The Couch Potato The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape! The Bad Seed Presents: The Good, the Bad, the Spooky! The Cool Bean Presents: As Cool as It Gets That’s What Dinosaurs Do

A funny family story that turns the meaning of “couch potato” on its head. Mr. Russet is the first to spot it. A potato. Right in the middle of the couch. He’s had enough. “Every day I pick up this, I pick up that, I pick up everything!” he exclaims. “I will not pick up that potato!” And he doesn’t. In fact, he won’t pick up anything else either! But as the days pass, the rest of the family don’t seem to mind the potato in the living room. Or the growing mess. What’s a potato protestor to do? A cautionary tale that kids will devour whole!

Major newspapers, news programs, and magazines across the country have recently addressed the current issues of childhood obesity, the link between exercise and improved academic focus, and the importance of diet and exercise in improving the health of our children. As many schools consider cutting recess and removing physical education from their curricula, it has become increasingly important to examine the possible effects of this decision and what it might mean for children and their physical and mental well-being. In Young Athletes, Couch Potatoes, and Helicopter Parents, Jessica Skolnikoff and Robert Engvall look at the important issue of play and its changing role in today’s hyper-structured society. The authors conducted countless interviews combined with extensive research in order to gain a comprehensive theory on the current nature of play and how it has affected children’s lives. Specific topics addressed include the impact of over-involved parents upon the play of their children, how kids are chosen for sports teams and the effect of these selections on the kids, the lack of unstructured play, and the lasting impression of society’s competitive mindset on children. This book is not a criticism of parents who want to be involved in their children’s lives, but addresses the structural and cultural issues around the changing role of play and the ways in which kids’ sports are viewed in today’s society. Intended not only for childhood development studies, education, sociology, popular culture, and sports studies, this book will be of interest to parents, coaches, athletic directors, school administrators, and educators.

A New York Times bestseller! This is a book about a bad seed. A baaaaaaaaaad seed. How bad? Do you really want to know? He has a bad temper, bad manners, and a bad attitude. He’s been bad since he can remember! This seed cuts in line every time, stares at everybody and never listens. But what happens when one mischievous little seed changes his mind about himself, and decides that he wants to be—happy? With Jory John’s charming and endearing text and bold expressive illustrations by Pete Oswald, here is The Bad Seed: a funny yet touching tale that reminds us of the remarkably transformative power of will, acceptance, and just being you. Perfect for readers young and old, The Bad Seed proves that positive change is possible for each and every one of us. Check out Jory John and Pete Oswald’s funny, bestselling books for kids 4-8 and anyone who wants a laugh: The Bad Seed The Good Egg The Cool Bean The Couch Potato The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape! The Bad Seed Presents: The Good, the Bad, the Spooky! The Cool Bean Presents: As Cool as It Gets That’s What Dinosaurs Do

You know those times when you're surrounded by a squadron of blood-thirsty ninjas, your back is to the wall, you're down to your last heart container, and all hope seems lost? In situations like that, it's important not to panic, to take a deep breath, and to remember that even if you do shuffle off this mortal coil, by the laws of Etheria you'll shuffle right back on it again.Meet Tasha, a couch potato with no accomplishments to her name. That all changes one fateful day when she gets sucked into the world of Etheria. Here, in this world of adventure, she can become the strong person she's always wanted to be.After rescuing a princess from ninjas, one thing leads to another, and before she knows it, she's drawn into a massive quest to save Etheria. With friends by her side, Tasha must figure out who she really is.---This is a LitRPG/RPG Gamelit novel with stat progression, video game mechanics, and narrative spreadsheets. It features heavy satire and the kind of silly over-the-top situations you might expect in a 16-bit video game. No velociraptors have been harmed in the production of this novel.

One small act of kindness can change the world. From esteemed bullying expert and author of The Invisible Boy, Trudy Ludwig and Little Elliot illustrator Mike Curato comes a tale as simple--and simply inspiring--as the golden rule. When one child reaches out in friendship to a classmate who seems lonely, she begins a chain reaction of kindness that ripples throughout her school and her community. One kind act begets another, small good deeds make way for bigger ones, and eventually the whole neighborhood comes together to build something much greater than the sum of its parts. From acclaimed bullying expert Trudy Ludwig, The Power of One not only conveys a message of kindness, it offers concrete steps that kids can take to make a difference in their own communities. As Trudy says in the final line of the book: "Acts and words of kindness DO count, and it all starts with ONE."

A hysterical memoir of growing up as a husky . . . plump . . .heavy-set . . . OK, FAT! child, who struggled with weight problems through adulthood, Stephen Furst shares his tips and recipes for how he went from an out-of-control 320-pound person with diabetes, to his lean, mean, low-fat eating machine of 175. A self-help cookbook of epic proportions­­or actually, epic portions­­filled with all kinds of tips and anecdotes, it includes everything from real recipes (such as cheesecake, soup, and pasta) to how to get through the holidays without killing yourself instead of your relatives. You've tried everything else­­try laughing your way to better health. Stephen Furst has been an actor for the past 23 years, starring in the classic movie comedy Animal House and two multiaward-winning television series­­"St. Elsewhere" and "Babylon 5."

Welcome to Boring, Indiana, home to patio cookouts, homeowner dues, carpeted lawns, and neighbors so welcoming they're dying to meet you -- literally. City slicker turned suburbanite housewife Laura Berry isn't taking well to life in her new neighborhood. She moved to follow her husband's dream, and now she can't tell if she's clinically depressed or just bored half to death. But Boring becomes anything but when Laura discovers her neighbor Candace Flynn face up on a sofa with her hand buried in a snack bag. With a healthy dose of neighborly suspicion and street smarts, Laura sets out to find Flynn's killer, but her curiosity becomes desperation when the killer targets Laura. Someone is determined to stop her from digging deeper into the murder, but Laura is just as determined to figure out who's behind the death-by-poisoned-pork-rinds.