A Huffington Post Best Children’s Book of the Year

From Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley and Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo.

As her mom reads a bedtime story, Lucy drifts off. But later, she awakens in a dark, still room, and everything looks mysterious. How will she ever get back to sleep?

Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley’s first picture book, illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo, evokes the splashy fun of the beach and the quietude of a moonlit night, with twenty yawns sprinkled in for children to discover and count.

"Unexpected emotional depth. . . . A thought-provoking read-aloud." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)


Nothing makes Sierra happy like soccer. Her shoes have flames as she spins the ball down the spread-out sea of grass. But nothing makes her sad like soccer, too, because the restaurant where her auntie works is busy on game days and she can’t take time off to watch Sierra play. With honesty and subtlety, author Maribeth Boelts and illustrator Lauren Castillo portray an endearing character in a moving, uplifting story that touches on the divides children navigate every day — and remind us that everyone needs someone to cheer them on from the sidelines.

In this timeless picture book, a new reader trudges through deep snow with a mysterious suitcase in tow. He has something important to share with his faithful companion, who bolts ahead to wait at the top of a tall hill. Our small hero climbs higher and higher, until finally, he is there, too. Then he opens his suitcase—click, click—and soon the only sound in the world is the sound of the reader reading their very favorite book to the very last page…the very last word.

Amy Hest’s spare evocative text is a true celebration of new readers and good friends everywhere, while Lauren Castillo’s pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, with their bold saturated colors against winter white, perfectly capture the wonder and delight of this magical day.

A charming bedtime story about a child with very specific ideas on the appropriate time for sleeping, now available in a soft padded board book edition.

As the day comes to an end, bedtime draws near. But the little boy in this book is quite sure it is not time for sleeping.

As each piece of his evening routine is completed—helping with the dishes, playing with the dog, getting into pajamas, brushing teeth with Dad, being tucked in by Mom, and listening to a story—he becomes a little more certain: it is definitely not time for sleeping. The question is, when will it be time for sleeping?

A rhythmic, cumulative text and lush twilit scenes come together to create a perfect bedtime book that will be treasured for generations to come.

Bored and restless on a summer day, a little boy steals his sister’s bunny and sends it on an adventure. He is well satisfied with the results—until his own stuffed animal disappears. Could it be that he is not the only troublemaker around . . . ?

     A case of sibling rivalry is neatly resolved with the “assistance” of a hilarious raccoon in Lauren Castillo’s warm, simple text and gorgeous classic illustrations.

A plucky stray cat takes a Grand Tour in Kate Banks' story of a family on a European vacation. As the family travels from one city to the next, the cat finds its own means--by bus, boat, train, truck, and bike--to tag along on the trip, visiting historic landmarks like Buckingham Palace and the Cathedral of Notre Dame along the way. Readers will pore over the spreads to find where City Cat is hiding in each city, and detailed backmatter explains the history behind the sites in each locale.

Igel lebt mit ihrem Stoffhund Schnuff glücklich auf einer kleinen Insel im Fluss – bis zu der Nacht mit dem schrecklichen Sturm, in der Schnuff verloren geht. Igel ist untröstlich und macht sich mutig auf die Suche nach ihm. Zum Glück trifft sie dabei ganz viele neue Freunde! Mit der Hilfe von Maulwurfine, Eule, Biber und Henne findet sie nicht nur Schnuff wieder, sondern lernt auch das Mädchen Annika kennen. Auch sie hat etwas verloren: ihr geliebtes rotes Notizbuch. Klar, dass die Tierfreunde auch Annika helfen!

Von der preisgekrönten Autorin selbst liebevoll vierfarbig illustriert

»Ein herausragendes Kinderbuch, das sich sofort so gemütlich vertraut anfühlt wie ein Klassiker.«
Kirkus, starred review