Books published by publisher Scholastic Book Clubs Softcover Book and Audio CD

The popular Holiday Mice are back once again, and this time they're going on an egg hunt. Distracted by the beautiful spring day, the littlest mouse is the only one who doesn't find any eggs . . . until he stumbles upon a very special egg that turns out to be the best one of all. Young readers will identify with the littlest mouse's antics and delight in his eventual success as the story reaches its charming surprise ending. Filled with cheerful pastel colors, oversized eggs, and adorable mice in their Easter best, this latest book about the Holiday Mice is sure to please fans both old and new.

"I love to flip and fidget, / To dive and dart and dash. / I wiggle my bottom and jiggle my tail, / With a fidgety swish, splish, splash!" Join Fidgety Fish and all his friends as they tumble, twirl, whizz, and whirl through the ocean. Meet Smiley Shark, Clickety Crab, the Jiggly Jellyfish, and many more. A fun-filled collection of rhymes based on Ruth Galloway's popular series of underwater adventures. Welcome to the world of Fidgety Fish!

Fresh as a fiddlehead fern in spring, this beguiling bedtime tale features a pip of a young rabbit and his indulgent parent. Searching for words to tell his dad how much he loves him (and to put off bedtime just an eentsy bit longer), Little Nutbrown Hare comes up with one example after another ("I love you as high as I can hop!"), only to have Big Nutbrown Hare continually up the ante. Finally, on the edge of sleep, he comes up with a showstopper: "I love you right up to the moon." (Dad does top this declaration too, but only after his little bunny falls asleep.) Effused with tenderness, McBratney's wise, endearing and droll story is enriched by the near-monochromatic backdrop of Jeram's pen-and-wash artwork, rendered earthy tones of moss, soft brown, and gray for a visually quieting effect just right for that last soothing tale before sleep.

With a crew of capricious monkeys, a jaunty rhyming text, and energetic artwork, this book adds up to a good time. Hanging by his tail from a branch, a monkey clothed in bright overalls invites nine friends to play. Seven of the animals "twist and spin" from tree to tree, two of them "twirl and flip," and one "hangs by her knees in the breeze," adding up to 10 monkeys having "a tail-tangling, tree-dangling, jungle jamboree." Next, two of the monkeys "click sticks," four swing giant palm leaves "that whistle and sing," and four more "keep the beat" by slapping a log "with hands and feet," creating "a music-making, leaf-shaking, jungle jamboree." These antics continue, culminating in an encounter with a hungry yellow tiger which the clever primates manage to scare off. The rhythmic text and repeated refrain will have young listeners humming along. Done in inks and pencils, the stylized illustrations are appropriately lush, featuring shimmering shades of blue, violet, and green. Using changing perspectives, shifts between daytime and nighttime scenes, and unexpected splashes of bright color, the double-page spreads are fresh and appealing, and keep pace with the frenetic text. Children will enjoy looking closely at the pictures to locate each of the individuals performing the activities described in the verses. Youngsters who are more confident of their counting abilities will be interested in seeing how different number combinations can add up to 10. A fun, count-along romp.

On a breezy spring day, Mouse discovers various creatures. He wonders what each one is, and his mother patiently identifies a butterfly, bird, snail, frog, and worm. Each animal departs on a gust of wind, and, in the end, Mouse himself is carried away, but lands safely in his mother's loving arms. This gentle story is just right for toddlers who, like Mouse, are encountering new things every day. The brief text is full of wonderfully descriptive phrases, such as "fluttery buttery," "hidey insidey," and "squiggly squeeze." The simple, double-page illustrations are done in bright, colorful acrylics, just right for holding the attention of the youngest storytime attendee. A surefire hit in any season.

Eight twisty, twirly tentacles make Octopus really good at tickling. But most of his friends are beginning to find his tickling tiresome, especially when one teeny tiny tickle lands Octopus in BIG trouble! Octopus tickles Oyster and causes her to lose her precious pearl. How will Octopus get it back? Find out in Ruth Galloway's latest underwater adventure!

This gentle tale of a bunny's sleepless night has lots of charm. While Lily's mother carefully explains the sources of the many barnyard sounds preventing the curious rabbit from sleeping, some of the animals causing the disturbances come forward to share their nighttime comforts, lullabies, and bedtime stories with the tired creature. While their offerings do little to soothe Lily, the hens' straw beds intrigue her. When she finally snuggles down on one of her own, the sleepy horses awake to a new sound in the barn -- Lily snoring peacefully. The soft, warm watercolor-and-pencil illustrations match the tone of this comforting tale. While this book is a grand storytime choice, it will also be terrific for one-on-one sharing.

The sun may be setting, but the wackiness is escalating on the shores of the farm pond. "Wheeeee!" proclaims a wide-eyed frog as it jets into the air, "Can you dance like me?" A duck, a pig, and a sheep are the first animals to rise to the challenge, and Mitton, building up the momentum, begins by patterning their respective responses in cumulative verse. As more and more critters join in, each proud of its own inimitable style ("Playful Pony began to prance. Donkey drummed his hoofbeat dance"), Mitton shifts the narrative's structure to move the action resolutely forward toward a literally splashy climax, in which everyone falls in the water. Parker-Rees ratchets up the goofiness of his kinetic watercolor cartoons by giving his animal stars the arm and leg extensions of ballerinas but the bodies of couch potatoes; their faces radiate an infectious silliness. The typography, too, enters into the spirit by shimmying and bouncing through the full-bleed spreads. Kids will likely want to dance or chant along.

In this engaging read-aloud, a little girl stumbles, drops her ice-cream cone, and gives a frustrated cry, despite the narrator's warning to "Never, EVER shout in a zoo because if you do anything might happen." Before long, the hapless heroine is being pursued by a scary bear, a moose on the loose, escaped apes, and an ever-growing menagerie of other animals. Released from tanks and cages, the creatures exact their revenge and gleefully surround the child, locking her and some other humans in a pen. The last page shows the girl, who is now standing next to an exhibit of a frozen dinosaur, stifling another shout. Observers are drawn into events on the first page, where the watercolor-and-pencil illustrations simply but effectively introduce the locale and then quickly propel the action forward. Presented against broad white backgrounds, the expressive animals project a benign ferocity tempered by baffled amusement. The bouncy text makes use of alliteration, repetition, and rhyming phrases as the narrator speaks directly to the bumptious child: "Uh-oh! Don't say I didn't warn you." This lighthearted romp disguises a slightly scary concept, as captive creatures successfully break their bonds in an otherwise familiar and "safe" setting, but the mischievous tone and predictable developments mitigate the fear factor. Pair this with Shirley Neitzel's Our Class Took a Trip to the Zoo for a silly armchair adventure.

A white rabbit jumps out of a black top hat and discovers that he can make magic. He pulls out nine balls that resemble the planets and juggles them, drives around in a car that has emerged from the hat, and creates a picnic of delicious food. However, though he enjoys doing tricks, he decides that he needs a friend. After failed attempts with a frog that hops out of the hat and off the page, two mice that scurry away, and three fluttering blue jays, the rabbit discovers there's another hat inside his magic one. A second rabbit shoots out of it, and, PRESTO!, a friendship is born. The richly hued oil paintings with their varying perspectives and textures are the highlight of this tale. The story is charming, but children will focus on Watson's spectacular art, which fuses realism with fantasy. The rabbits look like those which children might find in the garden, but the spreads burst with stars, scarves, and planets, and decks of cards fly through the air. Watson is an excellent colorist, using deep, fruity background hues to give a lift to every spread. The oversize format, short text, and eye-candy visuals make this a good choice for story hour.

Hopscotch hates to have his ears cleaned. To avoid it, the little rabbit covers his head with a saucepan, upside-down pants, and oven mitts. On one occasion, he just runs away. Some parents may squirm at the way his mom begs and even bribes her child; they may also blink at how easily the youngster comes around as he follows his older cousin's example and eventually performs the task himself. Although the text is sometimes wordy, it lends itself well to reading aloud, with plenty of potential (including silly song lyrics) for hamming it up. Rankin's acrylic inks and paints have a watercolor gentleness combined with concentrated tints. The characters are funny, adorable, and expressive. Children can look at the pictures over and over and keep finding more enchanting details. A good book for sharing, with a childlike protagonist and a satisfying ending.