A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year! A multicultural family story that celebrates kindness and differences Lila is excited for her cousins Takeo and Rosie to visit. They're going to ride bikes, paint, and camp together! But when the cousins arrive, everything's wrong: Rosie and Takeo are better painters than Lila, have skateboards instead of bikes, and don't want to camp outside. Lila is terribly disappointed until the cousins make her a surprise: a big banner for their "best cousin" Lila! Inspired by the author's own large, diverse family, When the Cousins Came is a sensitive story about insecurity, hosting, and friendship. Katie Yamasaki's tale, paired with bright mixed-media art, reminds children that negative thoughts and anxiety over exclusion don't always translate to reality, and that even when plans go wrong you can still have a good time together.

"A joyous spirit pervades this picture book and its fallible yet lovable protagonist." — Booklist (starred review) "I win! I’m the best!" Dog boasts. He can run faster than Mole, dig better than Goose, swim faster than Donkey, and he’s much bigger than Ladybug. He wins! Unfortunately, Dog’s nonstop bragging is starting to make his friends feel kind of sad. But what if they mixed things up and looked at them differently? Could they teach Dog a lesson — and remind him of what it means to be a best friend?

"Our Little Dutch Cousin" is a part of a series of books about the geographical peculiarities and sites of different world places. Other books in the series are "Our Little American Cousin," "Our Little Alaskan Cousin," "Our Little German Cousin," etc. Generally, the series comprises 37 books about different countries and their inhabitants. The books presented here render the beauty of the Netherlands and tell a little bit about the customs and traditions of the country and its role in founding the first settlements and cities in America.

Charlie is the lovable basset hound of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, and the star of the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book Charlie the Ranch Dog. Now our favorite bacon-loving dog is back in this new I Can Read story! Mama knows something's wrong with Charlie the Ranch Dog when he's not even hungry for bacon! So they're off to see Dr. Jan. Even though Charlie is nervous about his visit to the doctor, he's not half as scared as Hickory, the puppy he befriends in the waiting room. As the older hound, can Charlie put on a brave face for Hickory? With his usual hilarious antics, Charlie overcomes his fears about the doctor . . . as will the kids who read this book! This Level 1 I Can Read is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

"Our Little Hindu Cousin" by Blanche McManus is part of a book series about Indian culture. The book is aimed at introducing children to many other cultures in a fun way. The information honors the culture, educates the child, and opens their young minds to the possibility of several different people living wonderful lives in faraway places. Our little cousins of Hindustan are charming little people, even though their manners and customs and their religion are so very different from our own.