Please Read To Me

Barbara Reid's celebration of reading and sharing has a fresh, new look! Best-selling author and illustrator Barbara Reid has created a colourful celebration of the pleasures of reading to babies and young children, any time and anywhere. Warm and detailed Plasticine illustrations of adults and children reading together join with bouncy, rhythmic verse to invite children and parents to share the joy of reading indoors and out, at any time of day! The perfect gift for new parents, Read Me a Book reminds us that reading to young children is key to the development of literacy and the enjoyment of learning -- plus the simple text also makes it great for kids just learning to read back to their parents.

Please Read To Me features the poem of the same name by Pam Leo, a family literacy activist. Seven Maine illustrators have contributed their work to the book. It is a board book for children.

In a book with foldout pages, Monica's father fulfills her request for the moon by taking it down after it is small enough to carry, but it continues to change in size.

One night, when Ethan reaches under his bed for a toy truck, he finds this note instead: "Monsters! Meet here for final test." Ethan is sure his parents are trying to trick him into staying under the covers, until he sees five colorful sets of eyes blinking at him from beneath the bed. Soon, a colorful parade of quirky, squeaky little monsters compete to become Ethan's monster. But only the little green monster, Gabe, has the perfect blend of stomach-rumbling and snorting needed to get Ethan into bed and keep him there so he falls asleep—which as everyone knows, is the real reason for monsters under beds. With its perfect balance of giggles and shivers, this silly-spooky prequel to the award-winning I Need My Monster and Hey, That's MY Monster! will keep young readers entertained.

Please Take Me for a Walk is a celebration of dogs and kids and community. The book stars a very persuasive pup pleading with his best friend—the reader!—to take him for a walk. He recounts all the fun things they can see and do: chase squirrels in the yard, greet neighbors on their block, visit the shopkeepers downtown, swing by the schoolyard, and then run and play in the park. The dog run at the park is filled with all kinds of amazing purebreds and mutts, and our puppy wants them all to see "my best friend and me." Susan Gal uses this story of a dog's best walk ever to catalog all the favorite places in a child's world. She starts in the house and the yard, then widens her scope to the block, the neighborhood, downtown, and the park. And she captures the magical way the people of a community can be brought together through their pets. The dog's enthusiastic voice and eagerness to go out walking will resonate with any dog owner. And Susan Gal's artwork is so enticing and adorable it will have even confirmed cat lovers heading for the pound! Happy walking, everyone!

Beloved author-illustrator Liz Climo is back with a hilarious take on (reluctant) friendship that will appeal to fans of We Don't Eat Our Classmates and I Want My Hat Back! When a carefree bunny is approached by a voracious bear in the woods, Bunny has just one request: "Please don't eat me." But the bear has a never-ending list of requests, and Bunny realizes maybe Bear isn't as hungry as he'd let on...maybe he just wants his new friend's company for a while. This witty and poignant exploration of predator and prey will have children and parents alike roaring with laughter--and looking for their next meal.

From the winner of The Great British Baking Show and star of Nadiya's Time to Eat comes a heartfelt story to help give children and parents the tools they need to talk about worries and anxiety. A touching story about a little boy whose worry monster follows him everywhere he goes. It's there when he gets dressed, when he wants to play with his toys, and even when his friends come over to visit. How can he escape his worries? Having struggled with anxiety for as long as she can remember, Nadiya Hussain has written this heartfelt story to ensure that no child suffers in silence—no matter what shape their worry monster may take.

Anne Fine, Vivian French, Adele Geras, Mary Hoffman and Michael Rosen are among the contributors to this collection of 50 stories. Perfect to read aloud, each one timed for two, five or ten minutes, they all have the magic touch that means children will want to hear them again and again. A huge value-packed book with gorgeous pictures.