Polly's got a pen pal ... in Canada! Polly's sure that she and her new friend, Ally, will have a lot in common. When Ally writes that she's 125 centimeters tall and weighs 25 kilograms, Polly wants to know if she's the same. Polly wishes she could go and visit her -- but Ally lives 450 kilometers away! Young readers will learn about metric units like centimeters, kilograms, kilometers, and liters as they follow this story of two friends who can't be kept apart.

Tired of being poked at and fussed with, Polly's cat runs away from home and experiences absolute freedom, only to decide home with all its faults is the best place to be.

For readers of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Joshilyn Jackson, and Fannie Flagg, with a touch of Terms of Endearment A laugh-out-loud funny yet poignant novel about a daughter determined not only to keep her mother among the living but to find out the secrets of her long-buried past Willow Havens is ten years old and obsessed with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives to shoot varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the neighbors--and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the young, modern mothers of their small conventional Texas town. She was in her late fifties when Willow was born, so Willow knows she's here by accident, a late-life afterthought. Willow's father died before she was born, her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone and failing elsewhere: it's just her and her bigger-than-life mom, Polly. Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life that preceded her, and Polly has her own secrets that she won't reveal. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana, fifty years ago and vow never to return after a mysterious and terrible incident? Who is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed a man? And will Polly be able to outrun The Bear, the illness that finally puts her on a collision course with her closely guarded past and a final trip back to Bethel that will end with them, like Huck Finn, riding a river raft back home? THE BOOK OF POLLY has a kick like the best hot sauce, and a great blend of humor and sadness, pathos and hilarity. This is a bittersweet novel about the grip of love in a truly quirky family and you'll come to know one of the most unforgettable mother-daughter duos you've ever met.

New York Times Bestseller • From the "best advice columnist of her generation” (Esquire) comes a hilarious, frank, and witty collection of all-new responses, plus a few greatest hits from the beloved "Ask Polly" column in New York magazine’s The Cut. Should you quit your day job to follow your dreams? How do you rein in an overbearing mother? Will you ever stop dating wishy-washy, noncommittal guys? Should you put off having a baby for your career? Heather Havrilesky is here to guide you through the “what if’s” and “I don’t knows” of modern life with the signature wisdom and tough love her readers have come to expect. Whether she’s responding to cheaters or loners, lovers or haters, the anxious or the down-and-out, Havrilesky writes with equal parts grace, humor, and compassion to remind you that even in your darkest moments you’re not alone.

Polly loves her pink pajamas so much that she wears them day and night, but when Fred invites her to a party, she visits all of her friends to borrow the special clothes she thinks she will need.

Ay, a pirates' life is dangerous n' dirty life! But when this motley crew gets an invitation to a little girl's birthday party, they're simply delighted. What could be better than cake? Just as they're about to walk the plank, their pirate-y parrot tells them—as only a parrot or a mother could—that they need to clean up their act. With a scrub-a-dub-dub, brand new clothes, and a doll for the birthday girl, the 'pirates' show up sparkling and clean. But they're in for a big surprise. What the birthday girl wants most of all are real pirates—black feet, messy hair, stinky clothes and all.

She will keep her head held high, no matter what... Polly Pride’s life is falling apart. Her husband has lost his job, there’s no money coming in, and she has two young mouths to feed. With the prospect of poverty looming over her, and her husband wallowing in apathy, Polly takes control. She sells everything they own and buys a rickety old handcart. Polly piles it high with second-hand rugs and spends hours hawking her wares around Manchester’s cobbled streets. But her determination to persevere will be tested to its limits, as she juggles her work, the pressures of her young family, and her husband’s wounded pride. Will her life fall apart completely – especially when tragedy strikes – or can she keep it together? A compelling story of a woman making her way in a man’s world, perfect for fans of Sheila Riley, Maggie Ford and Rosie Harris.

Bill Bryson meets Bruce Lee in this raucously funny story of one scrawny American’s quest to become a kung fu master at China’s legendary Shaolin Temple. Growing up a ninety-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, young Matthew Polly dreamed of one day journeying to the Shaolin Temple in China to become the toughest fighter in the world, like Caine in his favorite 1970s TV series, Kung Fu. While in college, Matthew decided the time had come to pursue this quixotic dream before it was too late. Much to the dismay of his parents, he dropped out of Princeton to spend two years training with the legendary sect of monks who invented kung fu and Zen Buddhism. Expecting to find an isolated citadel populated by supernatural ascetics that he’d seen in countless badly dubbed chop-socky flicks, Matthew instead discovered a tacky tourist trap run by Communist party hacks. But the dedicated monks still trained in the rigorous age-old fighting forms—some even practicing the “iron kung fu” discipline, in which intensive training can make various body parts virtually indestructible (even the crotch). As Matthew grew in his knowledge of China and kung fu skill, he would come to represent the Temple in challenge matches and international competitions, and ultimately the monks would accept their new American initiate as close to one of their own as any Westerner had ever become. Laced with humor and illuminated by cultural insight, American Shaolin is an unforgettable coming-of-age tale of one young man’s journey into the ancient art of kung fu—and a funny and poignant portrait of a rapidly changing China.

Princess Polly is a best-selling, potty-training phenomenon! Now her well-loved potty adventure comes to life for the first time in an interactive sticker activity book, ideal for sharing with a potty-training child. Princess Polly is getting rid of her nappies and learning to use the potty like a big girl! Follow her on her potty training adventure and join in by adding stickers to the story. Then fill in your very own potty training reward chart at the end! With over 70 bright stickers, Princess Polly's Potty activity book is perfect for helping little girls feel confident and motivated about using the potty.