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

As in her Caldecott Honor Book, In a Small, Small Pond, Fleming creates a vibrant, exciting portrait of often-overlooked creatures. Here she uses expertly crafted fiber collage to celebrate beetles, and both words and pictures vibrate with the relentless energy of her subject. The rhyming couplets call out descriptions of beetles with the pounding rhythm of a chant: "Striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles." The beautiful images, colored in bright, saturated shades shot through with electric jolts of neon, magnify the places where beetles hide -- under leaves, inside pavement cracks -- drawing young children into the secret insect world where predators sometimes lurk. The final spread shows the beetles' activity as a wild, joyful dance, which may inspire preschoolers to try out a creepy-crawly boogie of their own. A great choice for a restless crowd demanding a high-voltage read-aloud.

In Jonathan London's latest picture book about the only too human Froggy, our floppy-footed hero experiences yet another first -- a new sibling. Froggy waits eagerly for his brother to be born. When Pollywogilina finally arrives, Froggy gets over his disappointment at her gender, but quickly loses patience with her inability to do anything. He wants to teach her how to jump off a swing, bounce on a pogo stick, and catch flies with her tongue. Will she ever be big enough to play? Wise older siblings will be happy to inform Froggy that yes, one day Polly will be bigger and ready to be bossed around. Only children who are expecting younger siblings will be intrigued at the process of becoming a big brother or sister, and may even learn a little about patience in the process. And everyone will love watching Froggy's green cheeks turn red when his first diapering job doesn't quite do the trick! Frank Remkiewicz's cheerful illustrations capture the ups and downs of those early days with a squalling baby in the house -- and an antsy big brother waiting for the fun to begin.

On the night before Christmas, Big Mouse and Little Mouse are decorating the tree. Little Mouse scampers out to search for holly, but finds big white flakes falling from the sky. "Goodness Me!" he cries. "The sky is coming undone!" As Little Mouse's world is covered in snow, he discovers strange and frightening things all around him, but Big Mouse shows Little Mouse that snow isn't scary at all. In fact, it's magical, and a very snowy Christmas is a very good Christmas indeed! With cheery illustrations by Jane Chapman, Diana Hendry's holiday adventure is sure to tickle children, who'll delight in knowing the real identities behind Little Mouse's imagined snow monsters.

Little Noelle is blasé on Christmas morning when she gets numerous presents including a computer and a pony. Her father grumbles at the abundant feast (Turkey with chestnut dressing and mashed potatoes and carrots and peas and five kinds of pie again?). As it turns out, their dissatisfaction is justified, for Noelle and her family live in a town where it is Christmas 364 days a year. They are grateful for the one day when the decorations get packed away, folks can relax and eat TV dinners, mail gets delivered, and children finally get to go to school! Catrow's colorful, zany illustrations perfectly capture the tone for this tongue-in-cheek cautionary tale. Be careful what you wish for, indeed!

Little Bear eagerly awaits Santa's arrival. In fact, he's so excited that he can't sleep. He catches Big Bear drinking Santa's milk and eating Santa's blueberry pies, and then catches his mother putting presents in the stockings. The furry, cuddly bears fall asleep together by the Christmas tree. They all miss seeing Santa, even though he sees them. The family's warmth and love are evident through details in Warnes's illustrations. Rendered in yellows, browns, and greens, they convey the coziness and really carry the appeal of this title.

The ten cuddly animal friends from Ten in the Den return for a game of hide-and-seek in a bright, lush meadow. Bear is it and uncovers his friends hiding, sometimes by twos, under daisies, foxgloves, bluebells, and lilies. All except for Mouse, who has grown tired and is only discovered in the end, fast asleep in his own bed. However, observant children will quickly spy Mouse on many pages, as he appears with each new discovery, though quite unnoticed by the other animals. Butler's soft, wide-eyed animals will appeal to children. The soft purple glow of the waning light as the edges of night creep over the meadow is beautifully depicted. The rhyming text can be sung to the first stanza of the traditional song referred to in the title, but this pattern doesnt continue to the second stanza. Instead, snappy dialogue contributes to the pacing of the story and makes it well suited for reading aloud.

An enchanting animal guessing game for preschoolers. Lloyd, a baby llama, asks each of his friends, "Is your mama a llama?," and all respond in turn with a rhyming description of their mother that is answered on the following page. Young listeners will delight in the playful rhythm of the text, and each riddle is sure to result in a resounding chorus of response. Kellogg's full-color illustrations of animals in their natural surroundings maintain their usual appeal and humor and will carry well to groups, while individual readers will be further rewarded by the subtlety and detail of the backgrounds.

The title of Rylant's exuberant tale is an understatement, for when "those relatives" came, they came en masse and they came for an extended stay. Their anticipation at seeing kin during their long, long drive and finally hugging them "against their wrinkled Virginia clothes" set the tone for this welcome family reunion, a visit that never wears thin. The relatives are depicted as a support system to help a fatherless family with all the things that need to be done in and around their house. In down-to-earth language that harbors strong emotion, Rylant recounts the festive celebration of the relatives' stay and the ensuing sadness when they depart. The relatives in question are a large rural brood, depicted, in Gammell's joyous color pencil drawings, as running the gamut from porcine to scrawny, old to young, and rowdy to silent. In pictures of this group hugging, eating, and sleeping, the unspoken closeness of the unnamed relatives can be felt. These softly colored pictures, which capture the spirit of the brief text, are large enough for sharing in groups -- a use of this warm book that seems particularly appropriate.

"If you don't believe in dragons, / It is curiously true / That the dragons you disparage / Choose to not believe in you," matter-of-factly claims America's premiere children's poet Jack Prelutsky. Dragons aren't all the same, of course--some are amiable, some are disconsolate, and some are downright nasty. Here Prelutsky, who has written over 30 books of poetry for children, turns his considerable talents to the subject of dragons--a secret dragon, a thunder dragon, a mechanical dragon, even a lazy dragon who likes to sleep all day. The 17 poems range from the whimsical to the scary, but all reflect Prelutsky's incomparable flair for rhythm and humor. The fabulous fire-breathers are illustrated in all their irresistible splendor by award-winning artist Peter Sis. The sophisticated style of his large oil paintings is complemented by his trademark borders in antique gold, giving the pages an Old World look. If you don't believe in dragons then you need this book, because the magical combination of art and poetry will make you and your kids believers. If you listen closely, you might even hear the dragons singing tonight: "We are dragons! We are real!"