Books published by publisher Sleeping Bear Press, 2010

Outside Beijing, China, in the year 1572, nine-year-old Hu-Wan tends the vegetable garden with his grandfather. Their specialty is growing gourds that are made into ladles and bowls and sold in the marketplace. Each year, one special gourd is made into a cricket cage. This year, it is Hu-Wan's turn to grow and carve the special gourd. He decides it should be carved into the shape of a sleeping dragon. When Hu-Wan learns that the emperor has died and his nine-year-old son is named Emperor of China, he decides to give the dragon cricket cage to the young emperor to offer comfort and cheer.

This charming tale of an overgrown pine always being passed by for Christmas, and what his woodland friends do to help him, is sure to become a Christmas classic. With delightful illustrations by wildlife artist Michael Monroe and enchanting text from Colleen Monroe, the birds, deer and squirrel of this story help make their special friend's wish come true.

Night 1 / My life is perfect. / I have a bowl full of seeds, a cozy pile of wood shavings, and room to run. / I'm never leaving here. / Question: Who's the luckiest hamster in the world? / Answer: ME! Seymour the hamster has the perfect life. He has a spacious cage, a constant food supply, and a FuzzyBoy 360 exercise wheel that lets him run to his heart's content. Life could not be better. Or could it? When Pearl the cat tells Seymour of the goodies beyond the safe confines of his cage, he starts to think he's missing out. And out is the new in! It's only after Seymour is out of his cage that he begins to fully appreciate his safe and cozy home.

Readers young and old will be delighted to discover the wonders of Washington State, from its natural beauty (Mount Rainier and evergreen forests), to its famous residents (Jimi Hendrix and Big Foot) and familiar skyline (Seattle's Space Needle). Intriguing facts coupled with beautiful, original artwork make E is for Evergreen an exciting journey.Marie and Roland Smith grew up in Oregon and live on a small farm south of Portland. Roland is the author of many award-winning books for children including Thunder Cave, Sasquatch, Jaguar, Zach's Lie, and The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, which won the Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Award. Marie and Roland also collaborated on B is for Beaver: An Oregon Alphabet, published in 2003. A professional artist since she graduated from The Art Center College of Design in California, Linda Holt Ayriss also holds a BFA from Pacific Lutheran University, WA. She is the recipient of a silver medal from the Best in the West Society of Illustrators, and has been recognized in the "Communication Arts" Annual. Linda has taught at Cal State Northridge and is currently mentoring two students in her studio. She lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, just across Puget Sound from Seattle.

Tallulah doesn't look like the other young mermaids living in the ocean. Her tail is a dull gray. And when all the other mermaids go on a quest to find the special gemstones that make their tails sparkle with color, Tallulah doesn't find her gemstone at all. When Turtle suggests that Tallulah searches the Great Lakes she is eager to give it a try, even though the other sea creatures believe mermaids don't belong in lakes. Tallulah explores the Great Lakes from north to south and east to west, until she finds a beautiful Petoskey stone and she realizes that she is finally exactly where she belongs.

Long, long ago, the ancient people of the forest gathered around warm fires and told the tale of a time long past, when the land known as "Michigane" was covered with ice and snow. For thousands of years the cruel North Wind ruled the land North of Up North, chasing away the gentle, benevolent winds from the East, West and South. Winter stayed the whole year round, so nothing could live in Michigane. Not until an old warrior and a young boy traveled through the frigid cold with nothing but warm hearts and an old pair of mittens was there hope that the frozen land would eventually come to life.Trinka Hakes Noble is the noted author of numerous award-winning picture books including The Scarlet Stockings Spy, the ever-popular Jimmy's Boa series and Meanwhile Back at the Ranch (both featured on Reading Rainbow). Her many awards include ALANotable Children's Book, Booklist Children's Editors' Choice, IRA-CBC Children's Choice, Learning: The Year's Ten Best, and several Junior Literary Guild Selections. Trinka makes her home in Bernardsville, New Jersey. The Legend of Michigan is the 20th book that Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen has illustrated for Sleeping Bear Press. His other titles include The Legend of Sleeping Bear, the #1 Midwest bestselling Legend of the Petoskey Stone, and Texas Bluebonnet runner-up Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot. Gijsbert and his family live in Bath, Michigan.

Lulu and her cousin Rocky are visiting the city of Milwaukee. There are so many fun things to see and do, like canoeing, visiting a lighthouse, riding surrey-bikes, going to a fish fry, and even gearing up and burning rubber at the Harley-Davidson Museum! Written by Barbara Joosse and illustrated by Renée Graef, this first book in the Our City Adventures series explores the city of Milwaukee, visiting well-known sites and attractions as well as unexpected gems.

New Mexico rightly earns its nickname "Land of Enchantment" with natural treasures such as the White Sands National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns, and the Gila National Forest. But more than a beautiful landscape, New Mexico is steeped in the mystique, history, and tradition of multiple cultures, including the ancient Aztec and early Spanish explorers. From pueblo villages and stately missions to the nuclear energy research at Los Alamos, E is for Enchantment showcases the past, present, and future of New Mexico. Helen Foster James has been an educator for more than twenty years, and is now a lecturer at San Diego State University. She received her doctorate from Northern Arizona University. One of her goals is to travel to all fifty states, and she's already visited more than half. She lives in San Diego, California, with big stacks of children's books and her husband Bob. Neecy Twinem is an award-winning children's book author and illustrator of more than seventeen published books. She earned a fine arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute, and has exhibited her artwork in the United States and Europe. After a family trip to northern New Mexico, Neecy fell in love with the Southwest and now makes her home in the natural surroundings of the Sandia Mountains area.

Recipient of the 2019 Eureka! Honors Award As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees. What began as a small thicket of bamboo, grew over the years into 1,300 acre forest filled with native plants and animals. The Boy Who Grew a Forest tells the inspiring true story of Payeng--and reminds us all of the difference a single person with a big idea can make.

What country is made up of 95 islands, invented the game of golf, and raised a warrior worthy of the name "Braveheart"? Welcome to Scotland! In B is for Bagpipes: A Scotland Alphabet, Scottish native Eve Begley Kiehm gives an A-Z tour of the country that may be small in size but a giant in history and rich in tradition. Kick up your heels at a Highland dance, visit the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby as he stands guard near his master's grave, and finally dig into a dish of haggis with a side helping of "tatties and neeps." From the splendors of capital city Edinburgh to the stories of Robert Louis Stevenson to the gloomy waters of Loch Ness and its lonely "Nessie," the treasures of Scotland are revealed. Colorful artwork captures the proud spirit of its landscape and culture.Eve Begley Kiehm was born in Bridge of Allan, Scotland. She has a master's degree in Scottish History and Literature from Glasgow University and an early childhood education certification from the University of Toronto. Her books about Scotland include a YA historical adventure novel. Eve lives in the San Diego area. Alexa Rutherford lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has illustrated many books for UK publishers and a handful of US publishers, as well as US children's magazines.

Completing Sleeping Bear Press's acclaimed Discover America State by State series is A is for Aloha: AHawaii Alphabet. The landscape of Hawaii is as exotic as its history and people. Written and illustrated by native Hawaiians, U'ilani Goldsberry and Tammy Yee, Ais for Aloha is a lovingly created introduction to one of the most-visited places on Earth. From the meaning of the word aloha to the plight of the state bird author U'ilani Goldsberry answers questions that most Malihinis have about this lush multi-island paradise. Author U'ilani Goldsberry was born on the island of Maui, in the small town of Pu'unene. She now lives in La'ie on the northeastern coast of O'ahu. She has written a variety of books including three Auntie U'i books. Illustrator Tammy Yee grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. She currently lives in Windward O'ahu.AWARDS:2006 Hawaii Center for the Book selection to represent Hawai'i at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.