The Twelve Days Of Snowball

Snowball, that lovable bundle of feline fluff readers first met as a kitten in Snowball’s Christmas, is all grown up. And now that she has her forever home at a cozy B&B, she’s determined to orchestrate a forever love match, just in time for the holidays . . . Snowball takes her job as the “official kitty” at the Victorian B&B Inn, Weber Haus, very seriously. Greeting guests and keeping tabs on them is a full-time feline job, after all. However, being nice to Daniel Aarons is not on her to-do list. The handsome construction manager almost messed up her forever family, and she isn’t about to forgive him anytime soon . . . But then someone new arrives at Weber Haus. Her name is Sophie Heidt—and she’s the B&B’s new manager. When Snowball goes missing on Sophie’s first day, Daniel, in charge of the new hotel wing, comes to her rescue by getting the cat to do what she does best: attack him. It doesn’t take long for Snowball’s animal instincts to reveal that Daniel and Sophie are meant to be together. Unfortunately, Daniel keeps making a mess of things. It’s going to take some special insight and holiday cheer to bring them together. But if anyone can do it, Snowball can—even if she has to tolerate turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, and other fur-raising human traditions . . .

Snowball—an aptly named bundle of feline fluff—is thankful to be spending her first Christmas in the comfort of Weber Haus, the Victorian B&B run by Miss Tilly. Emily Diemer, who cooks for the guests, dotes on Snowball, but she’s not thrilled about another new arrival at the B&B: Miss Tilly’s nephew, Lukas. Which is odd, because Snowball’s animal instincts tell her that Lukas and Emily should definitely be friends. Everything Emily needs is in this quaint community—including, she hopes, the chance to open her own bakery one day. She doesn’t think much of Lukas for leaving his aging aunt to struggle while he jets around the world taking photographs. But now that he’s here, helping to spruce up the property and getting mixed up in Snowball’s antics, she begins to soften a little. Until she learns what he has planned . . . Lukas is going to sell Weber Haus so that Miss Tilly can retire. But Snowball is certain that this B&B, and these people, are supposed to be her forever home. Somehow she has to get these stubborn humans to see things through the wisdom of a cat’s eye and a kitten’s loyal, loving heart . . . “Expertly crafted . . . the perfect Christmas treat.” —Booklist (Starred Review)

Cats and Christmas are a heartwarming combination in Kristen McKanagh’s series starring Snowball, the matchmaking kitty who brings unlikely couples together in stories “saturated with heart and humor” (Booklist starred review). Perfect for readers of Melinda Metz, Sandi Ward, it’s a sweet treat for fans of holiday-themed novels and cat fiction. Snowball, the fluffy furball who found her forever home at a cozy Victorian inn, has her paws full this Christmas bringing two stubborn hearts together. Good thing no mission is too big for this kitty cupid . . . Most cats have nine lives, but Snowball is one of the very few with two jobs. Officially, she’s the Weber Haus inn’s greeter. Unofficially, she’s the town matchmaker. Her track record is the cat’s pajamas—until she meets her owner’s grinchy brother, Peter Diemer. Peter hopes to move the family bookstore to a busy location downtown—but someone else has outbid him for the last storefront. Christmas is the ideal season for Lara Wolfe to fulfill her dream of expanding her home business into a real shop. Too bad someone is posting negative comments on the town forum. What kind of Grinch objects to a toy store? Snowball is sure these two are a perfect match. They already have so much in common—books are a kind of toy, right? Now all they need to add to the mix is love, and Snowball has just the shenanigans up her furry sleeve to deliver a sweet romance in time to make the season merry and bright . . . “Purrresistibly heartwarming.” —Modern Cat on The Twelve Days of Snowball

Stories include: 1st Day, The Tree - Anders swore he'd cut down his own tree this year, even if it killed him. 2nd Day, The Doves - Kelly's abusive husband couldn't tolerate the birds crapping on his car. 3rd Day, The Hens - Eris's mother-in-law offers to make her and Jessup a Christmas Eve meal to remember. 4th Day, The Birds - Mackie assures Gennie that the dead birds the cat was bringing her were meant to be a present. 5th Day, The Rings - Ricky tells his parents a bad Santa came to visit him and demanded the boy give him five gold rings. 6th Day, The Geese - They say geese can be mean-spirited. Daisy discovers why. 7th Day, The Swans - Alice found an old Victrola in her grandparents' attic. It was the music it played that horrified her. 8th Day, The Milk - Dara and her sister wonder why everything has the same expiration date. 9th Day, The Ladies - Careen couldn't figure out why her daughter no longer wanted the "nine dancing ladies" dolls for Christmas. 10th Day, The Leapers - Vina's daughter asks for more salt to finish the ten circles she's pouring in her bedroom. 11th Day, The Pipers - Macy noticed that one of the pipers on display is missing...but not for long. 12th Day, The Drums - Jayne gets to the point where she can no longer stand the relentless pounding in her skull.

Pull on your mittens and head outside with Lois Ehlert for a snowball day Grab some snow and start rolling. With a few found objects, like buttons and fabric and seeds, and a little imagination, you can create a whole family out of snow. "Ehlert uses collages of cut paper and vibrant, textured objects to dazzling effect in her tribute to building a snowman--and snowgirl and snowcat. Her inventive designs extend the reader's perspective and tweak the limits of the picture-book format."--Publishers Weekly

This beautiful, rhyming picture book, the perfect winter read-aloud on cold, snowy nights, is now available as a board book! Snowball moon, bright as noon. Mittens, boots, warm snowsuits. Grab the sled in the shed. Race outside for a ride. On a quiet snowy night, the lights go out, and the bright snowball moon outside illuminates everything. Two children meet up with some of their neighborhood friends to have fun in the snow sledding, building snow forts, and having snowball fights. They then go back inside to warm up by the fire with hot cocoa before going to sleep, dreaming of sleds and the next time they can have more snowy fun! With charming, retro illustrations and simple rhyming text, kids will love this warm winter board book!

These quick, engaging activities help students enjoy the vibrant, authentic literature of Jan Brett. Cross-curricular before-, during-, and after-reading activities are provided for a comprehensive study of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Did the Earth once undergo a super ice age, one that froze the entire planet from the poles to the equator? In Snowball Earth, gifted writer Gabrielle Walker has crafted an intriguing global adventure story, following maverick scientist Paul Hoffman’s quest to prove a theory so audacious and profound that it is shaking the world of earth sciences to its core. In lyrical prose that brings each remote and alluring locale vividly to life, Walker takes us on a thrilling natural history expedition to witness firsthand the supporting evidence Hoffman has pieced together. That evidence, he argues, shows that 700 million years ago the Earth did indeed freeze over completely, becoming a giant “snowball,” in the worst climatic catastrophe in history. Even more startling is his assertion that, instead of ending life on Earth, this global deep freeze was the trigger for the Cambrian Explosion, the hitherto unexplained moment in geological time when a glorious profusion of complex life forms first emerged from the primordial ooze. In a story full of intellectual intrigue, we follow the irascible but brilliant Hoffman and a supporting cast of intrepid geologists as they scour the planet, uncovering clue after surprising clue. We travel to a primeval lagoon at Shark Bay in western Australia, where dolphins cavort with swimmers every morning at seven and “living rocks” sprout out of the water like broccoli heads; to the desolate and forbidding ice fields of a tiny Arctic archipelago seven hundred miles north of Norway; to the surprising fossil beds that decorate Newfoundland’s foggy and windswept coastline; and on to the superheated salt pans of California’s Death Valley. Through the contours of these rich and varied landscapes Walker teaches us to read the traces of geological time with expert eyes, and we marvel at the stunning feats of resilience and renewal our remarkable planet is capable of. Snowball Earth is science writing at its most gripping and enlightening.