American Bookseller Pick of the Lists & Newsweek's Best Kids' Books of the Year

A young boy's snacktime is interrupted by a visit from an elephant. As soon as he moves over to make room, they are joined by a tiger ... and a hippo ... and a big blue whale ... and soon a full menagerie, each insisting there's room for one more. With his trademark marriage of story and song, children's entertainer Bill Harley tests the boundaries of his young hero's patience--and hospitality.

Young readers will delight in counting candles on the birthday cake that is among the many favorite foods to be found in Kitty Harvill's vibrant, kinetic cut-paper collages, which capture the energy and rhythm of Harley's cumulative tale. This vibrant animal story will teach readers the importance of sharing.

Charlie Bumpers has his heart set on playing the role of the evil Sorcerer in the fourth-grade play. But his dreams of villainous stardom go up in smoke when he finds out that Mrs. Burke has cast him as the Nice Gnome! Determined to rectify this terrible injustice, Charlie concocts one plan after another, but nothing seems to work.

To make matters worse, his dad has assigned chores to all the kids in the family, and Charlie's job is walking Ginger--the diggiest, sniffiest, and poopiest dog in the universe. Can Charlie deal with these challenges without causing havoc all around him?

Black and white illustrations throughout.

When his father takes a new job in Massachusetts, Ben Moroney must leave behind his best friend Tony, a western banded gecko named Lenny, and worst of all, the Arizona desert home he has loved and explored. Ben's adjustment to his new environment is not going well until he unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in his eccentric fifth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Tibbets. She introduces him to the rare and elusive Eastern spadefoot toads that make their home on her rural property.

When Ben discovers that Mrs. Tibbets's land may be sold to developers, he knows he has to do something. As Ben's obsession with saving the spadefoot toads' habitat grows, his schoolwork and his relationships with his family and new friends suffer. But just when it seems things can't get any worse, Ben finds a way to meet his responsibilities to the people around him and demonstrates the importance of even the smallest efforts to save the earth's rapidly disappearing habitats.

Charlie Bumpers has his heart set on playing the role of the evil Sorcerer in the fourth-grade play. But his dreams of villainous stardom go up in smoke when he finds out that Mrs. Burke has cast him as the Nice Gnome! Determined to rectify this terrible injustice, Charlie concocts one plan after another, but nothing seems to work.

To make matters worse, his dad has assigned chores to all the kids in the family, and Charlie's job is walking Ginger--the diggiest, sniffiest, and poopiest dog in the universe. Can Charlie deal with these challenges without causing havoc all around him?

Black and white illustrations throughout.

Shortly before school starts, Charlie Bumpers learns that he will be in Mrs. Burke's class. It doesn't matter that she's been named Teacher of the Year. He's still afraid of her. Last year when he was horsing around in the hall, he accidentally hit her in the head with his sneaker (don't ask). The exasperated teacher declared that if anything like that ever happened again, Charlie would be banned from recess forever. How will he survive a year under a teacher who is just waiting for him to make another stupid mistake?

Black and white illustrations throughout.

Shortly before school starts, Charlie Bumpers learns that he will be in Mrs. Burke's class. It doesn't matter that she's been named Teacher of the Year. He's still afraid of her. Last year when he was horsing around in the hall, he accidentally hit her in the head with his sneaker (don't ask). The exasperated teacher declared that if anything like that ever happened again, Charlie would be banned from recess forever. How will he survive a year under a teacher who is just waiting for him to make another stupid mistake?

Black and white illustrations throughout.

This is a book about a transformative decision-making process designed to address the conditions and complexities of modern life for individuals, pairs, families, neighborhoods, villages, cities, organizations, states, nations, and the world community. This process not only fosters wise, just, and practical decisions, but spiritual and social advancement for both the people using it and those impacted by the decisions. Our previous book1-about the purposes of life; the spiritual, intellectual, and social growth patterns designed into life by an all-loving Creator; and how to act in alignment with these purposes and patterns-described this decision process briefly and promised an in-depth exploration in our next book. This remarkable process came to our attention in 1968, and we began trying to use it in all areas of our lives.

This process has helped us navigate our personal development, cultivate a lasting marriage, raise enlightened children, guide and nurture our grandchildren, assist our aged parents, deal with chronic illnesses, find and practice professions that allow us to be of meaningful service to others, and build responsible, spiritually centered communities that are the hallmark of an emerging global civilization. Working respectively as a professional coach and organization development consultant and as a psychotherapist, we have also applied this methodology with our individual, group, and organizational clients. Whether working with a depressed and anxious individual, a married couple on the verge of divorce, an individual seeking a more meaningful life path, a work group in the midst of conflict, an organization seeking to design its future, or a community trying to take responsibility for its own social, material, and spiritual development, this methodology has provided the guidance needed to make transformative decisions that foster healing, deepened understanding, spiritual growth, social advancement, and unity.

Fourth graders Charlie and Tommy have big plans for Halloween. They're going to trick-or-treat and sleep over at Alex's house. But when Charlie finds out that the entertainment at the party will be the Scariest Horror Movies Ever, he is struck by panic. Charlie loves candy, he loves sleepovers with his friends, but he absolutely hates horror movies.

There is yet another wrinkle in Charlie's Halloween plans. He is determined to win the big prize (ten movie tickets) that will be awarded for the best costume, but when he finally comes up with a genius prize-winning idea, he runs into an unexpected obstacle. How will Charlie be able to enjoy Halloween this year?

Black and white illustrations throughout.

It's Thanksgiving in the Bumpers' household, and Charlie has to be the perfect host to his annoying little cousin, Chip. Chip makes everything hard for Charlie―gets him in trouble, ruins his things, and generally makes a nuisance of himself.

On top of that, for homework, his fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Burke has assigned him the task of writing what a family means to him. Will Charlie be able to see past his turkey of a cousin to understand the real meaning of family?

Black and white illustrations throughout.

Charlie Bumpers and his best friends are finally on the same soccer team and are sure the Pirates will be the best team ever! But their high hopes are crushed on the first day of practice. Not only do they have a bunch of shrimpy and inexperienced teammates, but also their new coach doesn't believe in star players. And the first few games provide little to be proud of.

If they can't be on a winning team, Charlie thinks maybe he, Tommy, and Hector can at least win the prize for selling the most candy bars for the team fundraiser. But after a series of near catastrophes, Charlie and his friends learn that hotshot plays and gimmicky sales techniques aren't as effective as hard work, honesty, and cooperation.

Black and white illustrations throughout.

While his classmates are boasting about their parents' jobs, fourth grader Charlie Bumpers gets carried away and leaves the impression that his accountant dad is not only the president of his company but also that he will hand out free calculators to everyone. Then, with rumors flying around the school and expectations escalating, Charlie tells his teacher that his dad can speak to their class during Career Week.

But just before the big event, Mr. Bumpers loses his job. How will Charlie explain to his class? Will his dad still come in during Career Week? Fortunately, Mr. Bumpers has some very surprising plans of his own.

Black-and-white illustrations by Adam Gustavson enhance readers' enjoyment of the story.

When Charlie learns that Hector's family is moving back to Chile at the end of the year, he is crushed. So with Tommy's help, he immediately starts cooking up schemes to keep Hector here, including a campaign to get him selected as next year's School Ambassador. (Surely Hector will have to stay, Charlie reasons, if he has such an important job.) As usual, Charlie's schemes lead to one near-disaster after another.

But moving away from his friends turns out to be the least of Hector's problems. Three mean boys have targeted him for bullying and are making his life miserable. Hector wants to solve the problem by himself, but Charlie and Tommy see that he needs help. They start a campaign to save Hector and to defeat The Jerzollies of Darkness.

Black and white illustrations throughout.

When Charlie learns that Hector's family is moving back to Chile at the end of the year, he is crushed. So with Tommy's help, he immediately starts cooking up schemes to keep Hector here, including a campaign to get him selected as next year's School Ambassador. (Surely Hector will have to stay, Charlie reasons, if he has such an important job.) As usual, Charlie's schemes lead to one near-disaster after another.

But moving away from his friends turns out to be the least of Hector's problems. Three mean boys have targeted him for bullying and are making his life miserable. Hector wants to solve the problem by himself, but Charlie and Tommy see that he needs help. They start a campaign to save Hector and to defeat The Jerzollies of Darkness.

Black and white illustrations throughout.

Have you ever wanted to play when no one else did?

On the night of the full moon, Bear wants to celebrate, but none of his friends are interested. The birds want to sleep. Porcupine doesn't get the point. Moose thinks it just won't work. But their lack of interest doesn't stop Bear. Undaunted, he distributes invitations, sweeps the clearing, prepares the food, and rests up for his party, even if it's going to be a party of one. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for his music and song to draw in a hesitant Dad Fox with his brood of fox cubs. By the time the moon rises, all of the animals, birds, and insects from the field and forest are singing and dancing under a full moon.

Bill Harley's unique ability to blend a story's narrative into the structure of a song, combined with Melissa Ferreira's beautifully detailed, acrylic paintings makes Bear's All Night Party an instant classic. This original story encourages us to stop and celebrate the here-and-now, rather than wait for opportunities that may never arrive. As Bear is fond of saying, You never know what might happen.

When her mother dies, fifteen-year-old Mari is desperate to avoid being caught up in the foster system....again. And to complicate matters, she is now the only one who can take care of her super-smart and on-the-spectrum nine-year-old stepbrother, Conor. Is there anyone Mari can trust to help them? Certainly not her mother's current boyfriend, Dennis. Not the doctors or her teachers, who would be obliged to call in social services.

So in a desperate move, Mari takes Conor and sets out to find their estranged grandmother, hoping to throw themselves at the mercy of the only person who might take them in. On their way to New England, the duo experiences the snarls of LA traffic, the backroads of the Midwest, and a monumental stop in Missouri where they witness the solar eclipse, an event with which Conor is obsessed.

Mari also learns about the inner workings of her stepbrother's mind and about her connections to him and to the world...and maybe even a little about her own place in it. This heartwarming, fast-paced, and engaging middle grade novel is a beautiful exploration of identity and family.

When her mother dies, fifteen-year-old Mari is desperate to avoid being caught up in the foster system....again. And to complicate matters, she is now the only one who can take care of her super-smart and on-the-spectrum nine-year-old stepbrother, Conor. Is there anyone Mari can trust to help them? Certainly not her mother's current boyfriend, Dennis. Not the doctors or her teachers, who would be obliged to call in social services.

So in a desperate move, Mari takes Conor and sets out to find their estranged grandmother, hoping to throw themselves at the mercy of the only person who might take them in. On their way to New England, the duo experiences the snarls of LA traffic, the backroads of the Midwest, and a monumental stop in Missouri where they witness the solar eclipse, an event with which Conor is obsessed.

Mari also learns about the inner workings of her stepbrother's mind and about her connections to him and to the world...and maybe even a little about her own place in it. This heartwarming, fast-paced, and engaging middle grade novel is a beautiful exploration of identity and family.

Decisions, large and small, determine the course and quality of life-for an individual, a couple, a family, an organization, a community, a country, and the world. Today, we are experiencing a decision-making crisis. Increasing complexities in life are outpacing our decision-making resources. In this book, the authors, a life coach/consultant and a psychotherapist, introduce and explain a revolutionary, transformative decision-making process that:

-Engages the whole human being-spiritually, intellectually, socially and emotionally;

-Improves relationships at all levels;

-Calls forth latent qualities & capacities in its practitioners;

-Fosters true interpenetration of diverse thoughts;

-Dramatically deepens understanding;

-Yields creative, robust decisions that rise above partisan & ideological bickering;

-And results in justice & unity.