The Story Of Frog Belly Rat Bone

A boy finds a mysterious treasure in a junkpile and creates a monster to guard it.

“Frog Belly plants the idea that with some strategy, good communication, and goodwill, you can grow wonderful things.”— Portland Press Herald Once upon a time, in a gray endless place called Cementland, a boy finds a treasure box. It’s filled with tiny specks and a wrinkled note that says, “Put these wondrous riches in the earth and enjoy.” But a special treasure requires a special guardian, so the boy conjures a creature to protect the specks: Frog Belly Rat Bone. With subtle, delicate tones, fantastical figures, and bursts of glowing color, the surreal artwork and hand-lettered text of Timothy Basil Ering’s picture book debut exude all the whimsy of an inspired imagination.

A boy finds a mysterious treasure in a junkpile and creates a monster to guard it. Suggested level: primary.

A boy finds a mysterious treasure in a junkpile and creates a monster to guard it.

Unlike the other wiggleskins who live happily in the mud and only stick their necks out to eat, Edwin is eager for different experiences and follows his mother's advice to stick his neck out for adventure.

Learn about how these captivating creatures flop and plop and call and play their way in and out of the icy waters they call home. What’s the ruckus? What’s that sound? Walrus calls and songs astound— Honk, honkkkk! HOOO, HOOOOT! Diving, feasting, twirling—catch a glimpse of the joy found in a walrus’s icy home. Follow as it plays hide-and-seek with a friend, lounges on an ice floe, and demonstrates an impressive repertoire of sounds. Janet Lawler celebrates the many wonders of being a walrus in a story that’s brought to life through Timothy Basil Ering’s exuberant artwork. Readers curious to learn more will find a glossary at the end, along with some cool walrus facts: Did you know that a walrus can eat more than four thousand clams in a feeding frenzy—and that some walruses weigh more than a car?

A cranky toddler has an enormous tantrum.

“This tale is a sturdy one that is made even more emphatic by Davies’s terse writing style. The text is heightened in every way by Carlin’s outstanding mixed-media artwork.” — Booklist (starred review) On a mean street in a mean, broken city, a young girl tries to snatch an old woman’s bag. But the frail old woman says the thief can’t have it without giving something in return: the promise. It is the beginning of a journey that will change the girl’s life — and a chance to change the world, for good.