Humorous Nature

Barkus is back! With new tricks, new friends, and lots more fun. The lovable Barkus and his lucky young owner romp through this delightful series from Newbery Medal-winning author Patricia MacLachlan. The simple text told in short chapters is just right for children ready to take their first steps toward listening on their own.

From the New York Times best-selling author of the Judy Moody books comes this hilarious story about a precocious youngster who’s thinking about eating her first bug. Beetle McGrady loves adventure and she wants to explore the world. When her class makes a food pyramid, she decides to add a new food group of her own - bugs! Beetle knows that people in other parts of the world eat bugs everyday, so when the other kids dare her to eat an ant, the real fun begins!

A popular author of fiction and nonfiction works for children, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen can often be found in schools sharing her beloved works with children all across the country. With its clever rhymes and cute-creepy storyline, Quackenstein Hatches a Family is the irresistible tale of a very special duck. Quackenstein has no family or friends to play with, until he finds an egg. But when it hatches, it’s not exactly what Quackenstein was expecting!

Kids and parents alike will rejoice in this lively read-aloud picture book, as the main character runs into (and away from) a tiger over and over again as the plot gets sillier and sillier. Perfect for acting out while reading, It's a Tiger! offers just the right amount of excitement without being too scary, and a sweet ending with a bit of a twist.

A persevering penguin is determined to fly in this adorably inspiring audiobook from the creator of Red Hat and Red Sled. Although little Penguin has the soul of an eagle, his body wasn't built to soar. But Penguin has an irrepressible spirit, and he adamantly follows his dreams to flip, flap, fly! Even if he needs a little help with the technical parts, this penguin is ready to live on the wind.

Lois Ehlert is the celebrated author of numerous best-selling picture books. Would you believe that Ralph the dog can talk? Yip, yip, yip - it's true. With Ehlert's simple, funny, call-and-response text, this fresh, engaging book is sure to get little ones laughing (and talking to their dogs!).

Carolyn Crimi scored a big hit with her first pirate bunny tale, Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, starring a rabbit named Henry, who is more interested in reading than pirating. The rest of the Salty Carrot's crew is too busy bowling with coconuts, shooting themselves out of cannons, and otherwise goofing off to care about a threatening letter received in a bottle. But Henry thinks there's something sinister behind the letter. Soon his fears become realized when the ship is attacked by crazy chickens!

Extraordinary hen P. Zonka spends her time taking in the beauty around her: the shiny green of the grass, the buttery yellows of the dandelions, the deep blue of the sky. The other hens can't understand why she never lays eggs like they do. Finally P. Zonka gives in and lays an egg. To everyone's delight, she produces a wondrous egg that contains all the colors and designs that she has stored in her creative imagination.

In this series opener, Koko Dodo the cookie chef has a big problem. Today is the day of the royal cookie contest, and someone has stolen his top-secret fudge sauce! Luckily, a spy enters the scene just in time (or rather, crashes in on her roller skates): Didi Dodo! This might be Didi's first case ever, but she has a daring plan to help Koko. Koko would prefer a safe, simple, sure-to-work plan, but without another option, he and the amateur sleuth take off on a wacky caper full of high-speed chases and big belly laughs....

Summer vacation means one thing - more time for Emily Elizabeth to play with Clifford! Until this summer, that is. Emily Elizabeth's family is going far away, so far that Clifford can't come. Or can he? Follow along as Clifford sniffs, swims, and tiptoes to find Emily Elizabeth - just in the nick of time!

For Henry Huggins and his friends Robert and Murph, a clubhouse is a place where they can do as they please, without being bothered by girls. The sign that says "No Girls Allowed - This Means You" especially means Ramona Quimby. Lately, Ramona has been following Henry on his newspaper route, embarrassing him in front of Henry's customers. The day Ramona follows Henry to the clubhouse, she wants to teach him girls aren't so bad, but she almost puts an end to his newspaper career forever.

Join a cat who loves to wear boots as he tries to buy a new pair of shoes at the Sixpence Shoe. When he accidentally tries on a pair of magic boots, he is transported far away! Now he must find his way back with the help of all your favorite fairy tale characters. Will he ever be able to buy a new pair of boots?

Max has a new pet rat named Furball! When Furball begins to act strangely, Max reaches out to Dr. Pett, a veterinarian. Every time Dr. Pett gives him advice, though, Furball experiences a strange new symptom. What is wrong with Furball? Will Dr. Pett be able to help him before he completely destroys Max’s house?

When the henhouse becomes haunted by a ghost, it's up to one brave chicken named Carmenella to get to the bottom of things. The farmer doesn’t understand her, and the cat doesn’t want to get involved. Carmenella wants to sleep in the nice warm henhouse instead of outside. What will she do to fix this dilemma?

How will a dog who can't fly, swim, talk, or sing win the title of Best Dog in the Universe? When Sam makes a sign declaring that her dog, Rufus, is the best dog in the universe, she has no idea that it will cause such a stir. Aliens from all over the galaxy want her dog so they can win the top prizes in the Omniversal Dog Show.

Can you catch a dinosaur and prove they're still around? Use your brain and set your traps to get that dino found! This installment in the New York Times and USA Today best-selling series is sure to delight every dinosaur fan!

It’s early January on Hank’s ranch when Slim and Loper receive word that an ice storm is headed their way. However, just as they’re about to prepare the cattle and stock tanks at the ranch to safely weather the storm, Deputy Kile calls with some bad news. It seems that one of their electric fences has short-circuited, and some of their wheat pasture steers have strayed into town and onto the Twitchell golf course! Slim saddles up his horse and heads off to retrieve the steers, but a few mishaps delay his cowboying just long enough to coat Twitchell in ice....

Sassy and Waldo have been cast in the school play and they couldn't be more excited. They love to play! Only this isn't that kind of play. Sassy and Waldo are good dogs. They will do anything for their boy, Stewart. That includes putting on a trench coat and pretending to be a new student named Salty in his class just to make sure he is happy. But this month Stewart's class is going to put on a play. Play! There's nothing that dogs love more than to play. Well, except maybe eating hamburgers, napping, and chasing squirrels. But they're all equal.

Of all the mysteries Hank has faced in his illustrious career as the head of ranch security, the only one that still has him truly stumped is the key to unlocking Miss Beulah's heart. Why on earth would she go for a bird-brained bird dog when a specimen like Hank stands ready to sweep her off her feet? Could there be more to this problem than meets the eye?

To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig, she's a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toast feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons' bed. BOOM! CRACK! Welcome to the wry and endearing world of Mercy Watson.