Whether used for thematic story times, program and curriculum planning, readers' advisory, or collection development, this updated edition of the well-known companion makes finding the right picture books for your library a breeze. Generations of savvy librarians and educators have relied on this detailed subject guide to children's picture books for all aspects of children's services, and this new edition does not disappoint. Covering more than 18,000 books published through 2017, it empowers users to identify current and classic titles on topics ranging from apples to zebras. Organized simply, with a subject guide that categorizes subjects by theme and topic and subject headings arranged alphabetically, this reference applies more than 1,200 intuitive (as opposed to formal catalog) subject terms to children's picture books, making it both a comprehensive and user-friendly resource that is accessible to parents and teachers as well as librarians. It can be used to identify titles to fill in gaps in library collections, to find books on particular topics for young readers, to help teachers locate titles to support lessons, or to design thematic programs and story times. Title and illustrator indexes, in addition to a bibliographic guide arranged alphabetically by author name, further extend access to titles.

This collection of one novella and three short stories captures the traditional, emotional spirit of Christmas and presents the spirit in contemporary settings. Holly Day's Caf, the novella, relates the story of the last day of business at a Kentucky diner. This last day happens to be Christmas Eve. It is also the day of a rare blizzard-one which strands several customers in the diner. What occurs next demonstrates the magic and wonder of the power and spirit of Christmas. "Molly's Santa Claus" tells of the drunken homeless man that six-year-old Molly literally finds on her doorstep. What follows exemplifies this family's true, selfless Christmas spirit. "Angel Tree" is a story of Christmas promises broken and Christmas promises kept when a busy businessman comes face to face with his memories of Christmas past. Finally, "St. Nicholas of the Neighborhood" shows that things have a way of working out at Christmas, even when the presents are forgotten in someone else's house! This collection of Christmas stories for adults is also ideal entertainment for families to share together as they count the days until Santa's visit! Gerald R. Toner is a great lover of Christmas. He is the author of two other books about the holiday, Lipstick Like Lindsay's and Other Christmas Stories and Whittlesworth Comes to Christmas, both published by Pelican.

The Only Café is both a moving mystery in which a son tries to solve the mystery of his father's death--and an illuminating exploration of how the traumatic past, if left unexamined, shadows every moment of the present. Pierre Cormier had secrets. Though he married twice, became a high-flying lawyer and a father, he didn't let anyone really know him. And he was especially silent about what had happened to him in Lebanon, the country he fled during civil war to come to Canada as a refugee. When, in the midst of a corporate scandal, he went missing after his boat exploded, his teenaged son Cyril didn't know how to mourn him. But five years later, a single bone and a distinctive gold chain are recovered, and Pierre is at last declared dead. Which changes everything. At the reading of the will, it turns out that instead of a funeral, Pierre wanted a "roast" at a bar no one knew he frequented--The Only Café in Toronto's east end. He'd even left a guest list that included one mysterious name: Ari. Cyril, now working as an intern for a major national newsroom and assisting on reporting a story on homegrown terrorism, tracks down Ari at the bar, and finds out that he is an Israeli who knew his father in Lebanon in the '80s. Who is Ari? What can he reveal about what happened to Pierre in Lebanon? Is Pierre really dead? Can Ari even be trusted? Soon Cyril's personal investigation is entangled in the larger news story, all of it twining into a fabric of lies and deception that stretches from contemporary Toronto back to the massacre at the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon in September 1982.

In her late 30s, Lucie Tanguay is a self-reliant, lippy livewire when her high-pressure, upscale Vancouver life suddenly and shockingly unravels. With help from one of her few trusted friends, Lucie gets out of town and starts looking... for what? She doesn’t know. Car trouble maroons her in the small town of Sweetgrass, Alberta, where she takes a temporary job in a local café. She begins soaking in the natural beauty and drama of her surroundings, and comes to form close bonds with people in town. Sweetgrass becomes as much a state of mind for Lucie as a place she just might want to call home. She falls in love in a brand-new way, her world-view utterly altered. Then a series of frightening events causes another seismic shift in Lucie’s life, thrusting her into danger and suspicion – a terrifying situation in which she must learn to balance her long-held toughness with her newfound faith in love. A lyrical, contemporary romantic drama, The Sow’s Ear Café tracks one woman’s path to healing through spectacular landscape, friends, and love.

DEATH BY DUMPLING Juli Mason hired Bertie the Bag Lady, living in the alley behind Snips and Snails, out of desperation. It was a smooth move. Who knew Bertie would clean up so well? … Or that she was in actual fact, a Sous Chef with serious skills in the kitchen?When the Hat River in Veil Falls coughs up a wrecked Cadillac Sedan beneath the Fae Road Bridge and Bertie Faints at the news...Juli smells a mystery... There's something strange going on in Veil Falls. It's up to Juli Mason to solve the case...or the results could just be murder. LOCKED, LOADED, AND BAKED? What happens when Teenage Hijinks turn into Murder? When the latest in a slew of Dumpster fires at the local campground turn up a finger and a ring, Jack Lovelace smells a corpse...and a job for his girlfriend Juli...Part-time Detective...Full-time Soup Witch at Snips and Snails Cafe... Is there a Serial Killer Loose in Veil Falls? Will they find the culprit before a new grave is dug for the next victim? But first, she'll need to get cooking. If she's to survive what's coming, she'll need a new kind of Hero. And she has just the right recipe to conjure one up… RIBOLLITA ROBBERY The Gloves are off, or is it hats? in Veil Falls Someone has an axe to grind with Jerry Watson, who has the popular vote in town, and is favored to win by a landslide come election time. There's the rash of mean graffiti all over town, smearing Jerry's reputation and making him look like a poor second candidate to the standing police chief, Larry Jokerbridge. If Juli doesn't want to visit her favorite sheriff in prison and have 'The Joker" around for another four years, she'll have to get busy, find the real killer, and clear Jerry's name.

High-powered executive Steven Kerner is living the dream in southern California. But when his bottled pain ignites in anger one night, his wife kicks him out. Then an eccentric mystery man named Andy Monroe befriends Steven and begins unravelling his tightly wound world. Andy leads Steven through a series of frustrating and revealing encounters to repair his life through genuine friendship and the grace and love of a God who has been waiting for him to accept it. A story to challenge and encourage, Bo's Cafe is a model for all who struggle with unresolved problems and a performance-based life. Those who desire a fuller, more authentic way of living will find this journey of healing a restorative exploration of God's unbridled grace.

Cafe Wisconsin returns in a new, updated version that provides a sure-bet guide to Wisconsin's best small town, home-cooking cafes. For this second edition, author Joanne Raetz Stuttgen traveled more than 12,000 miles in six months, revisiting old business districts and main streets in search of the ultimate cafe, the perfect slice of homemade pie, and the meaning of life in Wisconsin's down-home cafes. Featuring 133 cafes, with another 101 Next Best Bets alternatives, Cafe Wisconsin is every hungry traveler's guide to real mashed potatoes, melt-in-your-mouth hot beef, from-scratch baked goods, and colorful coffee klatches. At the counter of aptly named cafes like the Coffee Cup, Main Street, and Chatterbox, you'll laugh with owners, shake dice with customers, and find the authentic taste and flavor of Wisconsin. Come on. Let's go out to eat!

Rosalie Hart has finally opened the café of her dreams. Decked out with ochre-tinted walls and stuffed with delicious organic fare, the Day Lily Café is everything Rosalie could have hoped for. But not five minutes into the grand opening, Doris Bird, a dear and trusted friend, cashes in on a favor--to help clear her little sister Lori of a first degree murder charge. With the help of her best friend and head waiter Glenn, Rosalie is on the case. But it's not going to be easy. Unlikable and provocative, murder victim Carl James Fiddler seems to have insulted nearly everyone in town, and the suspect list grows daily. And when Rosalie's daughter Annie gets caught in the crossfire, the search for the killer becomes personal in this charming cozy perfect for fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Joanne Fluke.

Brenda Wilson is an impulsive young woman who longed for a soulmate with whom she could share all her hopes and dreams, including her secret desire to own a coffee shop. Corey Chambers is a more reserved individual who simply wanted someone to love and treasure him, just the same as he would do for her. When these two strangers crossed paths, they began a journey together that would change the course of both of their lives.

Doss Chambers’ dreams of having his own restaurant crash and burn after a lapse of judgment leads to a fatal accident. Doss pays for his mistake, but starting over with a criminal record isn’t always easy. He’s lucky to have the support of his family, and he’s working hard to fulfill the dream he’s never given up on. If only he could cook… Henri Courtan is a vampire with a checkered past, as well as being the best pastry chef in Paris. Searching for a place to belong, he ends up cooking for a group of vampires with a penchant for human food. The last thing he expected was to fall in love. But then he accepts a special delivery and logic goes right out the window. Two men trying to make fresh starts—will their pasts bring them closer together or keep them at arm’s length?