The Very Best Birthday Present Ever

It's Bear's birthday and Squirrel wants to give his friend the best birthday present ever! But what do you give the bear who has everything, including the Mallow O'Matic 5000 Marshmallow Canon and the Amazing Pop-Up Castle Tent Which-Looks-Like-A-House-With Two-Floors? Squirrel has just the answer! A stick. Except it's so much more than a stick . . . A funny, warming story of friendship and birthday fun. Would make a perfect gift for anyone -- not just bears! Winner of the 2016 Dundee Picture Book Award.

It is an exciting day for Bird. It is his best friend, Owls, birthday! As Bird searches for a special gift for Owl, he worries whether he can find just the right thing. Knitting Owl a lovely sweater to keep him warm in the winter seems like a great ideauntil Bird cannot decide what size to make it. Creating a painting for Owl seems like an even better ideauntil Bird cannot decide what colors to use. After his friends, Squirrel and Mouse, cannot offer any good suggestions, Bird suddenly comes up with a great idea! Now it is up to his little author friends to create their own ending to his story. In this interactive childrens book, little ones are encouraged to illustrate and imagine the perfect ending for an entertaining tale about a birds determined quest to find a special birthday gift for his very best friend.

A quest for the perfect birthday gift makes for laugh-out-loud fun. “I wanted to get you the greatest present ever,” our narrator says. But somehow, nothing quite worked out. First there were the hand-knitted birthday socks (have you ever tried knitting birthday socks?). Then, a ten-scoop ice cream cone (a disaster to carry), a magic kit (it disappeared, just like magic!), an apple juice-fueled jet pack (just a few kinks to work out). And still our narrator has nothing. Or, maybe there is something here to give after all … Everyone knows it’s the thought that counts, right? Especially when it’s a gift that comes from the heart.

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: Nana teaches Nate that the best birthday gift doesn't come in a box. Character concept: Fairness: Listen to others.

The Best Birthday Present Ever – Billy’s Airplane Surprise is a story about a boy named Billy who loves the thought of flying, and for his tenth birthday his parents surprise him with an airplane ride. Before the flight, Billy learns all about airplanes and how they work, as he follows Cap, the pilot, as he performs the preflight inspection. As Cap performs the inspection, he explains what he is looking for and how things work as he proceeds. Billy learns how an airplane can fly and how they can turn in the air. He discovers what flaps and ailerons are and how they work, how the propeller is able to create so much wind, and many other interesting facts. This story is full of fun facts and will help young children understand how airplanes work, while emphasizing safety in an entertaining way.

What gift would you give your best friend for their birthday?It's Bear's birthday and Squirrel wants to give his friend the best birthday present ever! But what do you give the bear who has everything, including the Mallow O'Matic 5000 Marshmallow Canon and the Amazing Pop-Up Castle Tent Which-Looks-Like-A-House-With Two-Floors? Squirrel has just the answer! A stick. Except it's so much more than a stick . . .A funny, warming story of friendship and birthday fun. Would make a perfect gift for anyone -- not just bears!

In 1999, Karyn Schad became the two hundreth woman in the world to be diagnosed with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare disease that mainly affects women of childbearing age. Muscle-like cells grew out of control in her lungs, stealing her breath away. She lived with the disease until finally receiving the gift of life, her new lungs on May 17, 2009, delivering her from the foggy line where life rubs shoulders with death. On their wedding day forty years before, neither Karyn nor Richard could possibly have foreseen the tremendous trial in their future. Together, they found the courage to brave LAM, and are truly grateful for the wisdom they've gained. In this memoir, Richard shares their story, combining his recollection of events with Karyn's diary entries. He considers the joy they have now and the lessons they have learned from the experience--how it opened their eyes to the beauty surrounding them. Although the disease exploded in Karyn's body, it never touched her heart, and that's where hope lives.

My birthday is 5 months, 3 weeks, 2 days, and 8 hours away. Today I'm starting to plan my party. So what if the Big Day's not exactly around the corner? This little girl is planning her party now. She has to, if she wants to have the best birthday party ever. She'll have the tallest birthday cake in the world, plus camels, elephants, a ferris wheel (of course), and a castle . . . with a moat. Kids will laugh out loud at the girl's wild plans, and love the oh-so-sweet ending, which involves a modest but fun party. Jennifer LaRue Huget and LeUyen Pham brilliantly capture what it feels like to be the Birthday Girl—a feeling many children will relate to.