When Verne the turtle and his woodland friends wake up from their hibernation, they find a suburban neighborhood encroaching on their forest home, Verne's first instinct is to retreat into his shell and leave, but then he meets R.J., a con-artist racoon. R.J. views suburbia as a treasure trove of goodies waiting to be discovered. And since he owes a very angry bear a lot of food, the opportunity is to good to pass up -- especially if he can convince his new friends to help him!

A scheming raccoon tricks a family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food by invading the new suburban sprawl that arrived while they were hibernating.

In their imaginations, children travel the world when they read such books asMadeline,A Bear Called Paddington,The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, andLittle House on the Prairie. Make these imaginary journeys a reality for your children with visits to the actual settings of these and dozens more of the best-loved tales in children’s literature.Storybook Travelsis the ultimate guide for book-loving parents in search of vacations the whole family will enjoy. LetStorybook Travelsbe your family’s companion on unforgettable excursions, including: A magical walk through London looking for the mysterious spots young Harry frequents inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone A fun-filled visit to the Plaza Hotel in New York City, reliving the charmed existence of Eloise A busy day in the tiny Tuscan village of Collodi, watching a puppet show, exploring a hedge maze, and enjoying other activities in homage toThe Adventures of Pinocchio A scenic trek following the same trail created by Brighty the Burro, a real-life hero whose story is told inBrighty of the Grand Canyon A wonderful sojourn in Paris and surrounding areas, visiting museums, eating at typical French cafés, and spotting the famous water lilies at Monet’s home in Giverny, all celebrated inLinnea in Monet’s Garden An afternoon of barbecue and music at the Chicago Blues Festival, in the imaginary company of Yolonda and her harmonica-playing little brother, the stars ofYolonda’s Genius With itineraries for more than thirty locales in North America and Europe,Storybook Travelsexplores destinations near and far, rural and urban. Whether you want to plan a trip that will mean as much to you as it will to your children (or grandchildren), are looking for ways to enrich already-planned trips, or want to bring to life the fondly remembered books of your own childhood,Storybook Travelsis your guide to one enchanting journey after another.

Call it six degrees of separation. The kids in 8th Grade Writer’s Workshop are awestruck when their teacher announces that through her husband’s cousin, she’s met rock superstar Nick Thompson and has invited him to their class. He’s come to talk about writing and he’s even cooler than they imagined. Nick, known for his music as well as his lyrics, tells the kids his secret: A song is just a bowl of fruit–one must figure out how to paint it. Words are to a writer what paint is to a painter. How many ways can one arrange the fruit? An infinite number. There’s style, voice, genre, and much more to consider. Nick gives the kids two weeks to complete the assignment using seven seemingly ordinary elements. Each student must tell an interesting story, reflecting his or her style. And so The Fruit Bowl Project begins. Rap, poetry, monologue, screenplay, haiku, fairy tale–and more.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 English children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures. It is seen as an example of the literary nonsense genre. The artist John Tenniel provided 42 wood-engraved illustrations for the book.It received positive reviews upon release and is now one of the best-known works of Victorian literature; its narrative, structure, characters and imagery have had a widespread influence on popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. It is credited as helping end an era of didacticism in children's literature, inaugurating an era in which writing for children aimed to "delight or entertain". The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children. The titular character Alice shares her name with Alice Liddell, a girl Carroll knewscholars disagree about the extent to which the character was based upon her.

"I've been reading the strip for a decade, and now I view the world through RJ and Verne colored glassess . . . . This outdoor odd couple holds up a fun-house mirror to our obsessions.".

In this Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch as a rabbit fears his favorite treats are out to get him. Includes audio! Jasper Rabbit loves carrots—especially Crackenhopper Field carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats them going to Little League. He eats them walking home. Until the day the carrots start following him...or are they? Celebrated artist Peter Brown’s stylish illustrations pair perfectly with Aaron Reynold’s text in this hilarious picture book that shows it’s all fun and games…until you get too greedy.

"A startling new philosophy and practical guide to getting the most out of your money-and out of life-for those who value memorable experiences as much as their earnings"--

Everyone has only nice things to say about my mom. Everyone likes her. She looks nice. She bakes great cookies and makes me feel better when I have a bad day. But would a really nice mom do embarrassing things like kiss me in public and tell loud jokes that no one thinks are funny? Well, my mom does those terrible things and worse - that's why I am sure that I have the most embarrassing mom in the world and that my mom is trying to ruin my life... Or is she?

A haunting and emotionally satisfying novel from a much-loved and critically acclaimed author, which weaves fairy tale and gritty realism together to dazzlingly effect.