Based on a real scientific event and inspired by a beloved real human in the author's life, this is a story about science and the poetry of existence; about time and chance, genetics and gender, love and death, evolution and infinity -- concepts often too abstract for the human mind to fathom, often more accessible to the young imagination; concepts made fathomable in the concrete, finite life of one tiny, unusual creature dwelling in a pile of compost amid an English garden. Emerging from this singular life is a lyrical universal invitation not to mistake difference for defect and to welcome, across the accordion scales of time and space, diversity as the wellspring of the universe's beauty and resilience.

Simon the snail is born into a family full of love. He has three beautiful sisters who shower him with praise. His father thinks Simon is the most handsome snail in the world, and he brings his mother nothing but joy. However, it soon becomes apparent to everyone that Simon is unlike other young snails, and his mother starts to worry. The other little snails tease Simon because they think he isnt smart. He struggles early on with almost everything and faces even more difficulties as he tries to deal with the demands of school. His teacher, Mrs. Slugly, is not very understanding or kind and reacts negatively toward Simon's predicament, which only worries his mother all the more. Ultimately, his family's show of support and acceptance win out and Simon realizes that he will overcome his struggles, as he is a most extraordinary snail. Simon the snail faces many challenges, but he triumphs in the end because of his mother's encouragement and unconditional love and his own willingness to do his very best.

When the sky grows dark and the moon glows bright, everyone goes to sleep . . . except for the watchful owl! With a spare, soothing text and beautifully rich and textured illustrations of a starry night, this is the perfect “book of sleep.” Join the owl on his moonlit journey as he watches all the other animals settle in for the night: some sleep standing up, while some sleep on the move! Some sleep peacefully alone, while others sleep all together, huddled close. Il Sung Na makes his American debut with this gorgeous bedtime offering. While each animal rests in its own special way, little ones will also drift off to a cozy sleep.

AN INDIE BESTSELLER ● A cute French snail searches for the book of his dreams in this laugh-out-loud second picture book in the bestselling Escargot series. Bonjour! Escargot is going on a trip to the library, where there are so many stories to choose from. Sadly, none of these tales are about daring—and adorable—snail heroes who save the day. But when Escargot asks you for help creating a fabulous story of his own, perhaps this could become just the book he’s been looking for. From New York Times–bestselling author Dashka Slater and former Pixar animator Sydney Hanson, A Book for Escargot is an irresistibly sweet and charming story that subtly teaches kids how to write their own magnifique story. This hilarious and interactive addition to the award-winning Escargot series is the ideal read aloud for story time and animal lovers alike. Don’t miss Escargot’s other funny and heartwarming adventures for kids ages 4-6 in: ● Escargot (also available as a board book for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old) ● Love, Escargot (also available as a board book for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old) ● Escargot and the Search for Spring (also available as a board book for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old)

An expansive collection of love letters to books, libraries, and reading, from a wonderfully eclectic array of thinkers and creators.

“I intend to stand firm and let the peacocks multiply, for I am sure that, in the end, the last word will be theirs.” —Flannery O’Connor When she was young, the writer Flannery O’Connor was captivated by the chickens in her yard. She’d watch their wings flap, their beaks peck, and their eyes glint. At age six, her life was forever changed when she and a chicken she had been training to walk forwards and backwards were featured in the Pathé News, and she realized that people want to see what is odd and strange in life. But while she loved birds of all varieties and kept several species around the house, it was the peacocks that came to dominate her life. Written by Amy Alznauer with devotional attention to all things odd and illustrated in radiant paint by Ping Zhu, The Strange Birds of Flannery O’Connor explores the beginnings of one author’s lifelong obsession. Amy Alznauer lives in Chicago with her husband, two children, a dog, a parakeet, sometimes chicks, and a part-time fish, but, as of today, no elephants or peacocks. Ping Zhu is a freelance illustrator who has worked with clients big and small, won some awards based on the work she did for aforementioned clients, attracted new clients with shiny awards, and is hoping to maintain her livelihood in Brooklyn by repeating that cycle.

When Snail leaves his bucket, he discovers a whole, wide world in this illustrated bind-up of sweet and funny chapter books Snail Has Lunch and Snail Finds a Home. Snail is a merry little mollusk who lives in a rusty bucket. Day after day, rain or shine, snail doesn’t move—and that suits him just fine. But when his bucket is turned over, his life takes a topsy-turvy turn. A journey through the vegetable garden opens up a whole world of new friends, new foods, and maybe even a little danger. Can Snail find happiness out here, or will he wish he never left his bucket? In his next adventure, Snail eats too many strawberries—his favorite food—and makes himself sick. His best friend Ladybug tells him he needs to find a forever home away from the tempting, yummy, red fruit. But Snail’s journey puts him in the path of a hungry chicken! Will he make it to his new home or be a tasty treat for this feathered, famished fiend? Filled with simple text, speech balloons, and engaging illustrations, these easy-to-follow stories are a blend between a picture book and a chapter book, making it an ideal bridge for independent readers.

A New York Times Notable Book Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award A personal, lyrical narrative about storytelling and empathy, from the author of Orwell's Roses Apricots. Her mother's disintegrating memory. An invitation to Iceland. Illness. These are Rebecca Solnit's raw materials, but The Faraway Nearby goes beyond her own life, as she spirals out into the stories she heard and read—from fairy tales to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein—that helped her navigate her difficult passge. Solnit takes us into the lives of others—an arctic cannibal, the young Che Guevara among the leprosy afflicted, a blues musician, an Icelandic artist and her labyrinth—to understand warmth and coldness, kindness and imagination, decay and transformation, making art and making self. This captivating, exquisitely written exploration of the forces that connect us and the way we tell our stories is a tour de force of association, a marvelous Russian doll of a book that is a fitting companion to Solnit's much-loved A Field Guide to Getting Lost.

Bedridden and suffering from a neurological disorder, the author recounts the profound effect on her life caused by a gift of a snail in a potted plant and shares the lessons learned from her new companion about her the meaning of her life and the life of the small creature.

This is one of the wisest books I've read in years... —New York Times Book Review No writer I know of comes close to even trying to articulate the weird magic of poetry as Ruefle does. She acknowledges and celebrates in the odd mystery and mysticism of the act—the fact that poetry must both guard and reveal, hint at and pull back... Also, and maybe most crucially, Ruefle’s work is never once stuffy or overdone: she writes this stuff with a level of seriousness-as-play that’s vital and welcome, that doesn’t make writing poetry sound anything but wild, strange, life-enlargening fun. -The Kenyon Review Profound, unpredictable, charming, and outright funny...These informal talks have far more staying power and verve than most of their kind. Readers may come away dazzled, as well as amused... —Publishers Weekly This is a book not just for poets but for anyone interested in the human heart, the inner-life, the breath exhaling a completion of an idea that will make you feel changed in some way. This is a desert island book. —Matthew Dickman The accomplished poet is humorous and self-deprecating in this collection of illuminating essays on poetry, aesthetics and literature... —San Francisco Examiner Over the course of fifteen years, Mary Ruefle delivered a lecture every six months to a group of poetry graduate students. Collected here for the first time, these lectures include "Poetry and the Moon," "Someone Reading a Book Is a Sign of Order in the World," and "Lectures I Will Never Give." Intellectually virtuosic, instructive, and experiential, Madness, Rack, and Honey resists definition, demanding instead an utter—and utterly pleasurable—immersion. Finalist for the 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award. Mary Ruefle has published more than a dozen books of poetry, prose, and erasures. She lives in Vermont.