Giant Tess

“[Tess’s] self-confidence grows to match her giant heart. A fanciful story of empowerment.” —Kirkus Internationally acclaimed and bestselling author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino presents a larger than life picture book about a girl with a heart as giant as she is. Tess has a BIG problem. She’s a giant with an enormous wish to be like everyone else in the city of Myth-hattan. When she gives up on ever fitting in, she meets a friend just her size, and the two team up for a daring rescue. Can these misfits save the day—and the big city parade? This reassuring and heartwarming tale will empower young readers struggling to find acceptance, and it reminds us that there’s a hero within every one of us.

"George Stevens could do anything," said veteran Hollywood producer Pandro S. Berman, "break your heart or make you laugh." Winner of two Best Director Oscars--for A Place in the Sun (1951) and Giant (1956)--Stevens excelled in a range of genres, gave luster to some of Hollywood's brightest stars and was revered by his peers. Yet his work has been largely neglected by critics and scholars. This career retrospective highlights Stevens' achievements, particularly in his sweeping "American Dream" trilogy (A Place in the Sun, Shane (1953) and Giant). His recurrent themes and characteristic style reveal a progressive attitude towards women's experiences and highlight the continued relevance of his films today.

Navigating the world of dating can be like wandering an enchanted forest, full of creatures with peculiar habits and baffling behavior. In Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur, Francesca Lia Block provides a guide to this often-treacherous terrain, classifying all those mystifying men and women into various types of mythical forest fauna-Fauns and Werewolves, Mermaids and Banshees. After answering questions to determine your own type, you can learn to identify others-with the help of illustrations from artist Fumi Nakamura. By reading up on the various types' favorite activities, likely professions, sexual preferences, and parenting styles, you'll gain insight into compatible creatures. If you're a Wood Nymph (like Block), you could get your heart broken by a fickle Satyr, but if you can track down the strong, soulful Centaurs of the forest, you just might be on the path to true love. Clever and insightful, Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur is an invaluable guide for any dating creature.

Kendra and Seth seek help from the Giant Queen as the war against dragons moves into Titan Valley, a magical realm of towering giants and enslaved dragons.

Three entries from the New York Times–bestselling epic fantasy series that’s full of rip-roaring humor and nonstop adventure. Ghost Writer in the Sky Tartan and Tara, two Ordinary People from Mundania, travel through a portal to Xanth, a magical realm where they are met with a plea for help. Two princesses need them to stop the Night Colt and his ghost writer from causing chaos in their kingdom. Tartan and Tara don’t hesitate to join the quest to save Xanth from the ultimate pun-tastrophe. Together with their new friends, they embark on a journey full of magic and romance—and, of course, puns—that will lead them to a long-lost prince, a beautiful dragoness, the goddess Isis, and a demon named Ted . . . Fire Sail Lydell, a shy, naïve man of twenty-one, and world-weary grandmother Grania cross paths when they beseech the Good Magician to add some excitement to the dull lives. The Good Magician promises to fulfill their hearts’ desires on the condition they pilot a fireboat to its new proprietors, whoever—and wherever—they are. With an obnoxious bird and a robot dogfish for shipmates, the two sail off on a pun-tastic quest and far-flung fantasy adventure . . . Jest Right Jess is cursed to have no one take her seriously. When she meets the very handsome showman Magnus, he promises to fake taking her seriously—if she joins his traveling show. The Good Magician will let them use his flying Fire Boat to tour the realm if they complete a quest he can’t remember. As Jess and Magnus try to unravel the mystery, they discover their true mission: to save Xanth from a big bird with a bone to peck . . . These books are the forty-first, forty-second, and forty-third books in the Xanth series respectively, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A mother and her children murdered. A nanny on the run. A killer in pursuit. Hunted and reviled, ex-nanny Joanne Mason turns to her sister, Detective Karen Ratcliffe. Torn between duty and family, Ratcliffe asks Tess Grey and her partner Nicolas 'Po' Villere to bring Joanne in safely. A winter cyclone forces Joanne into hiding on the Canadian border - but she can't stay put for long. In close pursuit, Tess and Po head north into the heart of a storm, but they're not the only ones: the real murderer is also hot on Joanne's trail, trying to kill the only living witness to their crime. As the chase progresses it grows apparent that Joanne couldn't have been responsible for the murders . . . but the heat isn't off her. Some people think she might be a co-conspirator, not the terrified witness she is . . . and when the shocking truth behind the gruesome murders comes to light, Tess and Po have their work cut out to keep Joanne - and themselves - alive!

In four previously unpublished short works, a man explores his dark nature, a writer confronts a stranger, a cancer patient makes a deal with the devil, and a woman makes a horrifying discovery about her husband.