Books in Candlewick Sparks series

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Rabbit is excited. He is going to surprise his good friend Robot at home. DING DONG! When Robot opens the door, he is surprised. He wasn't expecting Rabbit. In fact, he is already engrossed in a game of checkers with another friend, Ribbit. Now Rabbit is the one who is surprised, and a bit jealous. While Robot thinks everything Ribbit says is humorous, all Rabbit hears is ""ribbit."" And Ribbit eats flies with her popcorn. Gross! When Rabbit and Ribbit get mad because they both want to be Cowboy Jack Rabbit, Robot's Emotion Decoder overheats, leaving him out of commission. Can Rabbit and Ribbit find a way to work together to revive their friend? New readers will find plenty to chuckle over as Robot's two friends become friends themselves.

“A sweet Christmas treat.” — Kirkus ReviewsChristmas is coming, and Zelda and Ivy have high hopes. Zelda longs for a fancy evening gown, and Ivy has her heart set on a Princess Mimi doll complete with ballet accessories. But when the fox sisters realize their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Brownlie, is spending Christmas alone, they have more than just their own holiday wishes to think about. Will the Christmas Elves leave something special under the tree for everyone?With favorite characters, an endearing story line, and beautiful illustrations trimmed with merry details, award-winning author-illustrator Laura McGee Kvasnosky's third book about the fabulous fox sisters has all the makings of an enduring Christmas classic.Candlewick Sparks are perfect for the newly independent reader:* Award-winning stories by top authors & illustrators* Short, engaging chapters* Vibrant illustrations* Welcoming design* Rich vocabulary

“Lovable characters, accessible text, and fresh, spirited illustrations combine nicely here.” —Kirkus ReviewsEnergetic Squirrel is eager to make sure his friends have fun in four charming (mis)adventures. Mouse has cleaning to do, Turtle is too slow to run around the pond, and Rabbit is reluctant to alter his grass-eating routine, but Squirrel’s comedic assistance always makes for unexpected adventure. Welcome back the funny, exhausting Squirrel and his ever-patient friends in a medley of stories perfectly suited for reading alone or reading aloud.

“These pals are reminiscent of other endearing friendship pairs such as Frog and Toad and Elephant and Piggie.” — School Library JournalMonkey and Elephant are very good friends, very good friends with nothing on the agenda. So they decide to go gadding. "Gadding," Monkey explains, "is walking along, looking around, finding something fun, stopping awhile, then moving on." Beginning readers will love the antics in this cheerful ode to friendship, family, and the joys of serendipity.

"Interactions between patient Simon and exuberant Annie are both credible and comical." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s BooksCandlewick Sparks are perfect for the newly independent reader:* Award-winning stories by top authors & illustrators* Short, engaging chapters* Vibrant illustrations* Welcoming design Rich vocabularyCandlewick Sparks are sure to ignite a lifelong love of reading.

“This story of friendship is full of puns that will make readers chuckle.” — School Library JournalThe funny, endearing insect pals Ant and Honey Bee find a way to be more than fair-weather friends in a second early chapter book. Megan McDonald, author of the Judy Moody series, and award-winning illustrator G. Brian Karas team up to show that true friends can weather whatever comes their way—even if one is feeling antsy and the other has blissful hibernation in mind.

“Babysitting isn’t as easy as it seems. . . . Fans of the earlier titles will delight in Monkey and Elephant’s last escapade.” — School Library JournalWhen Monkey’s cousin MeeMee tells Monkey and Elephant she needs someone to watch her three babies for an afternoon, the two friends volunteer. But Monkey and Elephant don’t quite know what to expect. Will babysitting be hard? Will they need some rules? Will they be any good at it? And when some old baddies show up, will the two babysitters know what to do? Beginning readers will recognize the conflicting feelings that come with trying new things even as they delight in the antics of this unlikely pair of friends.

The endearingly mismatched duo has their hands full when a party for a friend goes comically awry.One day Joe, an exuberant giraffe, hears a commotion coming from another part of the famous cageless zoo he calls home. Joined by his small, green, slightly more serious turtle friend, Sparky, Joe discovers the source of the hullabaloo: a group of children — or noisy short people, as Joe and Sparky call them — having a party. Inspired, Joe decides to throw a party for his pet worm, Wiggy. There’s just one problem: Sparky is not entirely sure if Wiggy even exists! What will happen when every animal in the zoo shows up to Wiggy’s party with presents and cake? Worm or no worm, this silly, satisfying tale is sure to leave new readers smiling.

The extraordinarily gifted illustrator and storyteller Bob Graham turns his distinctive attention to the animals of the African plains.Morris the crocodile and his best friend, Billy, a tortoise, like nothing better than messing around down at the waterhole. After all, that’s where their friends gather: zebras, hippos, giraffes, elephants, warthogs, and all the rest. In five amusing stories, Morris and company do just what kids do during a long, hot summer- perform ill-timed stunts on the diving board, get soundly beaten by a team of moms in a soccer match, or see their wildebeest friends off on vacation (also known as their annual migration). By turns wry and laugh-out-loud funny, Bob Graham’s whimsical waterhole gang pays tribute to the merriment and mishaps of young friendships everywhere.

Can a relentlessly cheery Mouse wear down a party-pooping Bear? The unlikely pair are back in a droll, utterly charming tale that early readers will celebrate.Bear does not like birthdays. He doesn’t like parties or balloons, cards or candles. In fact, Bear does not like anything to do with birthdays at all. He would much rather spend his birthday alone cleaning his house, but Mouse, small and gray and bright-eyed, has other ideas. The author and illustrator who created the best-selling picture book A VISITOR FOR BEAR return with another comedy about the curmudgeonly Bear and his eager friend Mouse, this time in an early-reader format.

Laura McGee Kvasnosky's newest trio of stories is an entertaining and genuine look at the ups and downs of sisterhood."You go, girls! . . . Three satisfying stories of two sisters create one rewarding read." — THE HORN BOOK (starred review)The fabulous fox sisters return in three fresh, funny stories. This time around, Zelda and Ivy combat the injustice of cucumber sandwiches for lunch, decide what to leave the children of the future in their time capsule, and attempt to solve Zelda’s writer’s block, all to the amusement of both new and returning fans.