MINI TREASURES: delightful mini picture books to treasure forever. MUMMY LAID AN EGG Mum and Dad decide it's time to tell the kids about the facts of life. But do they dare? And do the really know everything about the birds and the bees?

Two children explain to their parents, using their own drawings, where babies come from.

Never before have the facts of life been presented in such an accessible—or novel—way. Our hero is Willy, a little sperm who lives inside Mr. Browne with 300 million friends. Every day Willy practices for the Great Swimming Race. And when the day arrives, he swims faster than his 300 million friends to win the prize—a marvelous egg. Then something wonderful happens, and eventually Mr. and Mrs. Browne have a baby girl who has the same winning smile as Willy and who grows up to be a great swimmer. Hilariously funny, warm, and endearing, this is a picture book that appeals on different levels to both children and grown-ups. “Fresh, original, and imaginative. . . . Allan’s achievement is in couching fascinating facts within the construct of a gentle, direct narrative. A little knowledge is a wonderful thing, and as the rest of the facts of life fall into place, Allan’s readers will look back on this book with a mixture of fondness and wry amusement.” —The Guardian (UK)

Dr. dog is not your usual doctor. For one thing, he makes house calls. For another, he's a pet beagle! When his entire family falls sick, only Dr. Dog can save the day, with cure for head lice, pinworms, and (yikes!) even a case of too much gas...

_______________ From the author of the bestselling No Matter What comes a heart-warming tale about a little owl who's going to get a new baby sibling... I'm your baby owl. You don't need a new one! Little Owl isn't pleased to hear that there's a baby owl in the egg Mummy has laid. So Mummy pretends it might be a baby penguin ... or crocodile ... or elephant. In the fun of imagining different kinds of siblings, Little Owl realises that a baby owl might just be the best thing of all. A gentle, lovely story about the arrival of a new sibling, addressing fears that Mummy's love will stop. Debi Gliori is a bestselling, award-winning author – writing for the first time for another illustrator: the talented Alison Brown.

Two children explain to their parents, using their own drawings, where babies come from. Suggested level: preschool, junior, primary.

Disgusted by his bratty kid sister's demand for an egg hunt as part of a birthday celebration, Dana Johnson is amazed when he finds a football-sized, purple-veined egg that hatches a terrifying surprise.

There are many ways to say I love you to a child, and now way is sweeter than with a kiss. Every mother knows small hands, a plump tummy, tiny fingers, and wiggling toes all beg to be kissed time and time again. Margaret Anastas's loving rhyme and Susan Winter's gentle illustrations of animal mamas and their adorable babies will make this a family favorite.

As an executive at "The Washington Post" and mother of three, Steiner has lived every side of the "mommy wars." In this new book, she commissions 26 outspoken mothers to write about their lives, their families, and the choices that have worked for them. The result is a frank, surprising, and utterly refreshing look at American motherhood.

When Betty MacDonald married a marine and moved to a small chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, she was largely unprepared for the rigors of life in the wild. With no running water, no electricity, a house in need of constant repair, and days that ran from four in the morning to nine at night, the MacDonalds had barely a moment to put their feet up and relax. And then came the children. Yet through every trial and pitfall—through chaos and catastrophe—this indomitable family somehow, mercifully, never lost its sense of humor. A beloved literary treasure for more than half a century, Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I is a heartwarming and uproarious account of adventure and survival on an American frontier.