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R. R. Pottle the Third has a truly wonderful, extra-extraordinary collection of hats. But happiness eludes him. He is lonely and dreams of meeting a perfect wife ' who will, of course, be wearing a perfect hat.

One day, a day so bad that R. R. Pottle wears not one, not two, but three hats at once, his dream comes true in the best possible way.

This warm, comical story by talented new author Laura Geringer is crowned with full-color illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Arnold Lobel.

Notable Children's Books of 1985 (ALA)
A Reading Rainbow Featured Selection

The corn is ripe...and the raccoons are hungry. As the moon rises a mother raccoon and her two young begin an all night feast in a cornfield. Acclaimed nature artist Jim Arnosky gives young children an unforgettable wildlife-watching experience.

In this warm, poignant story, a little girl hears how, long ago, another little red-haired girl--her grandmother--sailed across the sea with her older brother to join their immigrant parents in a strange new land called America.

Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, develops her creativity through science and math. When she meets Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first mechanical computer, Ada understands the machine better than anyone else and writes the world's first computer program in order to demonstrate its capabilities.

Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.

At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.

Meanwhile Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own. . . ."

When it comes to animal rescue, the rescuer is often a human rescuing an animal. But it can also involve an animal rescuing a human. This book tells true stories from both sides amazing feats of courage, kindness, and love:
-Tossed out on the side of the road, Lucky was one unlucky cat until Jen adopted him. One stormy night, Lucky gets the chance to show his devotion when an escaped prisoner crashes through the front door and attacks Jen.
-A toothless old dog named Poochie puts herself in the direct path of a charging alligator in order to protect her friend.

How do some people accomplish so much with their lives? Is it that they're just lucky? Or amazingly smart? Or is it that they are ordinary people who have learned to motivate themselves, even when the going gets tough? Read about real-life people who have faced real-life obstacles--maybe some of the same obstacles that stand between you and the achievement of your dreams. Despite their problems, all have found ways to motivate themselves to succeed. Here are four of the people you'll meet in this book:

When her mother died in a fire, eight-year-old Jerri thought life couldn't get worse. She was wrong. Sent to live with people who didn't want her, Jerri was powerless to stop her once-happy childhood from becoming a nightmare of cruelty and neglect. Only a stubborn belief in her own worth and a fierce will to live allowed her to reach adulthood physically and emotionally intact. This is a book that will inspire not only those who have been orphans or foster children, but anyone who has known the pain of being unwanted.

....Is a hero simply someone who has achieved great financial and popular success? Is heroism just about money and fame? If so, any rich celebrity could qualify as a hero.

Or does being a hero have to do with the quality of a person's character? is it more about courage, determination, and a kind of inner fire that keeps a person going in the face of all kinds of difficulties?

Eleven-year-old Perry T. Cook shouldn't be living in a prison; he has committed no crime.

Perry was born and raised at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in tiny Surprise, Nebraska. His mom is a resident on Cell Block C. So far, Warden Daugherty has made it possible for them to be together. Anyone who knows about the arrangement is quietly okay with it. But when Perry is discovered by the new, ambitious district attorney, Thomas VanLeer, everything changes.

Here are five things Soledad knows to be true:
*What happened to Amelia was her fault.
*Evil Vea will never be her mother. Ever.
*Manny is a good friend. Maybe even the best.
*She'll do anything to protect her little sister Ming.
* Louisiana is not the same as the Philippines. Not even close.

The first spectators arrived early in the morning. By late afternoon, the cliffs were packed with people. They came on steamships from Toronto, on overcrowded trains from Buffalo, and in horse-drawn carriages from every direction.

They all came to see the Great Blondin

Have you ever wondered what your dogs are thinking? What they’re feeling? Now you finally can! The answers will surprise and delight you as scientist and dog-owner Alexandra Horowitz explains how our four-legged friends perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human.

April Pulley Sayre’s wry, quirky storytelling tone shines from the warning on the first page (“This is a S-L-O-W book. Do not read it while surfing, water skiing, or running to escape giant weasels.”) right through to the glossary at the end. In between, readers will explore an astounding variety of information about all things slow—in nature, geology, art, outer space, etc. Throughout, The SLOWEST Book EVER playfully encourages readers to slow down and savor everything.

There's an old yellow dog wandering around town, and you can bet that eleven-year-old Callie--fearless, a little stubborn, and a lot nosy--is gonna figure out who he belongs to. But her sleuthing causes her to cross paths with Wendell, a white boy her very same age. As the two try to find the old dog's owner, their segregated town doesn't take kindly to their new friendship.