Books with author Peter Lourie

Tales of pirates' treasure are real to Killian and his friend Alex, who set off on a hunt for gold doubloons buried by Captain Kidd, the notorious pirate who stashed his loot in the Hudson Highlands when his ship went down in a storm 300 years ago. Spurred on by Killian's recurring dream of the ghostly pirate pointing the way to the gold, the boys desperately try to keep one step ahead of Cruger, a crazed treasure-hunter whose cave they discover on haunted Bannerman's Island. Even the prospect of meeting the huge ghost dog who guards Kidd's treasure isn't enough to stop Killian in his quest, as his pirate dream fast becomes a nightmare.

Ted Scheu is fast establishing himself as one of the top poets for children in the US. In “I Froze My Mother and Other Seriously Funny Family Poems” he manages to capture—with honesty and loads of rich, ironic humor—all the dreams, screams, groans, and giggles of family life, seen through the clear eyes of a child. Children ages 6 to 11 find rhyming answers to nagging questions about dealing with puzzling parents and siblings. Titles include “I Froze My Mother,” “The Alien in Our Bathroom,” “My Father is a Baby,” “How to Beat a Bully,” and “Scream Quietly, Please.” Sprinkled in among these 58 fun and funny poems are startlingly beautiful photo illustrations from the camera of Peter Lourie. His black and white, close-up images of kids perfectly compliment the adjacent poems. This updated edition of “I Froze My Mother” is one of the freshest collections of poems for kids to tumble down the stairs in years.

Here they are—60 of the ‘funnest,’ smartest poems about school and teachers in the solar system! Leave it to children’s poet (and veteran elementary teacher) Ted Scheu to capture, spot-on, how kids see their teachers and themselves, as they navigate a school day. With his trademark humorous rhyming verse, Ted describes the ups and downs and smiles and frowns in every elementary classroom. These powerful poems, and the sparkling Pete Lourie photographs that illustrate them, will absolutely brighten your day. This collection is a perfect gift for your favorite teacher, or just for yourself!