Animal Friendships

K. A. Nuzum - best-selling author of A Small White Scar, delivers clear, crisp prose that's reminiscent of John Steinbeck. The Leanin' Dog tells the bittersweet tale of a girl with agoraphobia, a dog with claustrophobia, and the friendship that saves them both. Dessa really needs a friend. A friend with whom she can confide and share all the joys of Christmas. But with hope almost gone, Dessa hears a scratching sound that changes her life forever.

Deep in the water, Mr. Fish swims about with his fish face stuck in a permanent pout. Can his pals cheer him up? Will his pout ever end? Is there something he can learn from an unexpected friend?

Join Rachel Anne Ridge, author of the beloved memoir Flash, in a journey back to the pasture. As she adopts a second rescue donkey as a little brother for Flash - a miniature named Henry - she finds that walking with donkeys has surprising lessons to teach us about prayer, renewing our faith, and connecting to God in fresh ways.

It's a new calendar year, and Stella is determined to make it her best one yet. Not only are Stella and her family finally becoming United States citizens, but the Sea Musketeers are also presenting their plastics pledge to the school council. With her trusty schedule in hand, Stella is ready for anything! But after life takes unexpected turns, Stella will have to fight to keep her perfect year on track. Not to worry, because Stella Diaz is to the rescue! Right?

Three lonely riverside dwellers - a boy, a firefly, and a cricket - are all trying to make sense of unexpected changes in their world. Each has a secret dream, but each finds himself trapped. Becoming friends brings them happiness and solidarity, but more changes are in store. Each character stands up to his greatest fear, and, in doing so, finds his greatest strength.

Stick Dog and his gang of hungry hounds want to play tug-of-war. Their search for rope leads to something even better - spaghetti! Once they get a taste, they must get some more. It will be their most difficult mission ever and will demand all of Stick Dog's problem-solving skills. They'll need to scale the tallest mountain in the suburbs and sneak into a restaurant filled with people.

Old Lady Lottis is a recluse who lives next door with her monkey. Geraldine and her brother Gordon try to befriend her, but she accuses Gordon of stealing her jewelry! What happens when they find the real culprit? Will Old Lady Lottis finally be able to see the good in others?

An abandoned calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the achingly lonely howl of a chained up, abused hound dog deep in the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest and the hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate. They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family.

Cracker is one of the U.S. Army's most valuable weapons: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. Rick is headed to Vietnam to prove to everyone who didn't think he was cut out for war that they were wrong. When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isn't so sure about this new owner. He's going to have to prove himself to her before she's going to prove herself to him. They need to be friends before they can be a team, and they have to be a team if they want to get home alive.

Andi loves dogs. So when an adorable stray shows up, Andi wants to save it - but she can't take it home. With the help of her brother Bruce, she rescues the stray and its puppies and moves them into an abandoned house down the block. Then they check in Red Rover, an Irish setter whose owner mistreats him. And MacTavish, who begs for scraps in the school playground. And more...

Genuinely funny books for children are few and far between. So, when a story like Henry Huggins comes along, it comes to stay. Children everywhere see themselves in this irresistible boy's adventures.

She was a perfect baby, and she had a perfect name. Chrysanthemum. When she was old enough to appreciate it, Chrysanthemum loved her name. And then she started school. "I'm named after my grandmother," said Victoria. "You're named after a flower." Chrysanthemum wilted. Life at school didn't improve. In fact, it got worse. Then the students were introduced to their music teacher, Mrs. Twinkle. Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle. And suddenly, Chrysanthemum blossomed...

Frog and Toad are always together. Here are five wonderful stories about flowers, cookies, bravery, dreams, and, most of all, friendship.

Every year, young princesses and princes arrive at Mrs. Paws' Magic Pet Shop to pick a perfect unicorn pet. But this year, Princess Ava arrived too late. There are no unicorns left...only Pugicorn! He's short and hairy. He can't sit still or gallop gracefully - and he certainly can't leap over rainbows. Can a pugicorn ever be a princess's best friend?

Lauren’s life is a mess. She has a storage unit full of candles she can’t sell, a growing mountain of debt, and a teenage daughter, Dove, who barely speaks to her. Then her husband sends her a text that changes everything. Eager to escape her problems, she drives herself and Dove south to her late mother’s rundown trailer in Florida. While keeping her eccentric new neighbours at Swaying Palms at bay, Lauren begins to untangle the truth about her estranged mother. How did world-famous portrait photographer Imogen Starr end up at Swaying Palms?

Duck is going as a spooky ghost. Goose is going as a brave superhero. And Thistle’s costume . . . well, that's a secret. But what will Duck and Goose do when they hear a very scary swamp monster is looking for them?

Following a devastating earthquake and tsunami, a young man in Japan finds a stray dog outside a convenience store. The dog’s tag says “Tamon,” a name evocative of the guardian deity of the north. The man decides to keep Tamon, becoming the first in a series of owners on the dog’s five-year journey to find his beloved first owner, Hikaru, a boy who has not spoken since the tsunami. An agent of fate, Tamon is a gift to everyone who welcomes him into their life.

When Justin's older brother, Kyle, is killed in Afghanistan, Justin can't believe that his brother is really gone. Except there's one thing that Kyle left behind.... Max is a highly trained military canine who has always protected his fellow soldiers. But when he loses his handler and best friend, Kyle, Max is traumatized and unable to remain in the service. Max is sent home to America, where the only human he connects with is Justin, and he is soon adopted by Kyle's family, essentially saving his life.

In Pete the Cat: Making New Friends, Secret Agent Meow, also known as Pete the Cat, is ready to crack the case! Join Pete and Squirrel as they go on a mission to make new friends.

A new school year and new friends for everyone's favorite classroom pet! Humphrey is excited to get back to Room 26 and see all his old classmates. But on the first day of school, a bunch of strange kids arrive and no matter how loudly he squeaks up, they don't realize they're in the wrong room! Finally Humphrey realizes that these kids are his new classmates, and he sets off to learn all about them.