Lives West

A modern classic that no child should miss. Mike and his trusty steam shovel, Mary Anne, dig deep canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for city skyscrapers.But with progress come new machines, and soon the inseparable duo are out of work.

Owen’s fuzzy yellow blanket is his favorite possession. Everywhere Owen goes, his blanket goes with him. Upstairs, downstairs, in-between. Inside, outside, upside down. Everywhere! Owen’s parents are in despair—soon Owen will begin school, and he can’t take Fuzzy with him then. Whatever can be done? Performed by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Burt catches himself a lot more than a fish when he and his trusty boat, the Tidely-Idely, put out to sea. A whale of a tale!

Malusi, affectionately nicknamed Songololo by his grandmother Gogo, goes to the city to go shopping with her. Set in South Africa, Daly's text captures the warmth and tenderness shared by grandmother and child.

Norvin, a boy who closely resembles a shark, uses his talents to scare away all the swimmers at Caramel Cove, except for one female shark in love. Help!

Celebrate the slips and slides and swims and glides of delightful penguins in poetry and song.

Silly Auntie will try anything, from singing and dancing to standing on her head, to get Baby to smile!

Haida is traveling with her family for their annual hunt in Hecate Strait. Near Haida Gwaii, her family encounters an oil spill with potentially lethal consequences. Haida and her family must survive this man-made disaster and then face the challenges of delivering her newborn and protecting him from predators.

In Ghana and some other west African countries, when a baby is born, the extended family prepares for a whole week to welcome the little one at a celebration called an outdooring. Andani can't wait to meet her new baby cousin, but a week is so long! As her aunties and uncles prepare cassava, tuo zaafi, fufu, and other delicious foods for the outdooring, Andani will have to patiently (well, okay, sometimes not so patiently) wait to perform the most important job of all: being the first to greet the little one by name.

The Coffee Bean for Kids tells the inspiring story of Gavin, a young boy with the difficult task of starting school in a new town. Gavin's teacher, Mrs. Spring, teaches him the story of the carrot, the egg, and the coffee bean. The environments we find ourselves in, like a pot of boiling, hot water, can change, weaken, or harden us, and test who we truly are. We can be like the carrot that weakens in the pot or like the egg that hardens. Or, we can be like the coffee bean and discover the power inside us to transform our environment.

Oliver is a young transient orca swimming with his family off the east coast of Vancouver Island, BC. One day, during a family hunting episode, he ignores his family and chases an otter on his own. In the process he tangles with a ferry boat and ends up injured and beached.

Violet longs for the time when her family was connected: before life, distractions, and technology pulled them all away from each other. They used to gather at the table, with food and love, to make memories, share their lives, and revel in time spent together. But now her family has been drifting apart, and with nobody to gather around it, the table grows smaller and smaller. Can Violet remind her family of the warmth of time spent together, and gather around the table once more?

Ruby's mind is always full of ideas. One day, she finds some old boards and decides to build something. She invites her brothers to help, but they just laugh and tell her she doesn't know how to build. "Then I'll learn," she says. And she does! When she creates a dazzling fort that they all want to play in, it is Ruby who has the last laugh. This modern spin on the timeless favorite The Little Red Hen celebrates the pluck and ingenuity of young creators everywhere!

Wishes tells the powerful, honest story about one Vietnamese family's search for a new home on the other side of the world, and the long-lasting and powerful impact that makes on one of the youngest members of the family. Inspired by actual events in the author's life, this is a narrative that is both timely and timeless. Told through the eyes of a young girl, the story chronicles a family's difficult and powerful journey to pack up what they can carry and to leave their world behind, traveling to a new and unknown place in a crowded boat.

While driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. They stop the car, grabbing rusty scissors and an old paper bag, and the whole family wades into the mud to gather as much as they can. At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family just get food from the grocery store, like everyone else? But when her mother shares a bittersweet story of her family history in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged—and the memories left behind in pursuit of a new life.

When her gym class must face the school rock-climbing wall, Tanisha is discouraged. Her muscles are weak, and she knows she'll never reach the top like Cayla. But maybe strength is about more than just muscles. With help from her family, Tanisha learns that by showing up, speaking up, and not giving up, she can be strong, too. And that people are the strongest when they work together and trust each other.

Ruby's mind is always full of ideas. One day, she finds some old boards and decides to build something. She invites her brothers to help, but they just laugh and tell her she doesn't know how to build. "Then I'll learn," she says. And she does! When she creates a dazzling fort that they all want to play in, it is Ruby who has the last laugh. This modern spin on the timeless favorite The Little Red Hen celebrates the pluck and ingenuity of young creators everywhere!

A charming and innovative tale about a plucky little bird, from the award-winning author-illustrator of Fox the Tiger. Listeners will delight in following Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith.

In this extraordinary new tale from Peter H. Reynolds, Jerome discovers the magic of the words all around him—short and sweet words, two-syllable treats, and multisyllable words that sound like little songs. Words that connect, transform, and empower.

In this classic story from Eric Carle, Hermit Crab grows out of one house after another as he searches for the perfect home. Children who must change schools, move to a new town, or even graduate to a new grade in school will relate to Hermit Crab’s situation and take heart as they see that growing up isn’t really so scary after all.