Heloise likes a lot of things: sledding, giving rocks to her friends, and eating fish popsicles. She does NOT like certain things, like crowds, close-talkers and huddles.

The problem is, huddles are a big part of being a penguin. Everyone gathers together to keep warm and stay safe from leopard seals. But huddles give Heloise the collywobbles! Heloise sets off to find others like her. Along the way, she meets other animals who don't seem so friendly, and after a close brush with a leopard seal, Heloise realizes that she needs to get back to her community. Is there a way for Heloise to be a penguin and keep her personal space?

On a visit to the ocean, a curious little girl goes searching for a seashell and meets a new eight-armed friend

While at the ocean, a curious young girl goes searching for a seashell and finds an octopus friend instead. The encounter turns into an afternoon full of play and discovery. From eating, to napping, to playing, octopuses are just like us ... aren't they? Well, maybe not quite ...

For instance, when you spot an octopus, you might be tempted to shake its hand. Please don't! A friendly wave is just fine. A sidebar explains that all octopuses have eight arms, and some can even detach an arm to escape when trapped or threatened. (Don't worry--the arm will grow back!)

Throughout this underwater adventure, fun-to-read sidebars add context by describing a variety of fascinating facts about octopuses, while colorful, movement-filled illustrations perfectly capture the charm and gentle humor of this informational picture book.

A boy has some unexpected encounters in his neighborhood in this wordless book about celebrating differences and building bridges.

In this wordless picture book, a Deaf boy and his mother enjoy a walk through their community. Together, they greet their neighbors, stop by the playground, spy a bird's nest in a tree and buy cookies at the grocery store. Later, they visit their new neighbors, a woman and her daughter, who have only recently immigrated from another country. Although the girl is shy, and the two kids speak different languages -- American Sign Language (ASL) and Arabic -- find a way to communicate and become fast friends.

This sweet story by critically acclaimed author Deborah Kerbel explores the art of appreciating the world and the people around us and finding points of connection. Deaf illustrator Isaac Liang lends his lived experience to the visual story, choosing details and perspectives that reveal the world as it's experienced by the boy. At the heart of the story is a timely message about breaking down barriers and finding common ground, no matter our differences. Wordless picture books engage children's attention to detail as they follow the narrative of the story in the pictures, building their visual literacy and critical thinking skills. This book has curriculum connections to social studies lessons on community building and immigration, as well as to the character education values of empathy and kindness. It also models the practice of welcoming newcomers to our communities. A few ASL signs are demonstrated and translated within the story.

Morning sun, golden skies
Softly waking sleepy eyes

For preschoolers, sunny days are full of possibility. A sunbeam on the floor is the perfect place to curl up with a furry friend, and warming weather means seeds in the garden, mud pies in the yard, adventures at the beach, and ice cream in the shade. Evening brings the silly fun of watching little shadows stretch out long, and there's nothing so cozy as watching the sun set as a family.

In Sunny Days, author Deborah Kerbel once again weaves a spell of early childhood magic with couplets as bright as a summer afternoon. Illustrator Miki Sato's textural collage art nearly rises from the page with fascinating features made from paper, felt, and embroidery silk.

Blustery wind, burns and shrieks
Nibbles on my nose and cheeks

For preschoolers, windy fall days mean excitement and play. Strong winds stimulate children and their surroundings, as though an invisible hand is shaking the world. Gentler breezes help plants scatter their seeds, set pinwheels in motion, and keep kite strings taut. But fiercer winds begin to sting the cheeks as they bring about a new season...

In Windy Days, author Deborah Kerbel once again captures the magic of early childhood awe and wonder with rhyming couplets as light as a breath of fresh air. Illustrator Miki Sato's unique tactile collage art pops off the page through its detailed use of hand-stitching and textural materials.

Kerbel's couplets include both concrete details and more poetic abstractions. Sato's deceptively simple illustrations are almost tangible in their layers, showcasing an array of stitches, paper finishes, and fabric surfaces, and depicting an inclusive cast.--Publishers Weekly review of Snow Days

With more enticing collage art and sparkling rhyme from the creators of Snow Days, a preschooler's celebration of sunny weather and all the activities it makes possible.

Now in board-book format, an award-winning celebration of all the activities snow makes possible for preschoolers with sparkling rhyme and unique collage illustrations

Sunny
rain sparkling showers
Water
for our trees and flowers

For
preschoolers, rainy weather is full of possibility. A puddle in the back yard
is just waiting for a stomp in rubber rain boots. A light drizzle is perfect
for a search-and-rescue mission for worms and snails. And watching a heavy
rainfall makes sitting inside with a warm bowl of soup all the cozier.

In Rainy
Days, author Deborah Kerbel once again captures the magic of early
childhood awe and wonder with rhyming couplets that celebrate every kind of
rainy-day activity. Illustrator Miki Sato's unique tactile collage art nearly
rises from the page with fascinating features made from paper, felt, and
embroidery silk. A final page includes enriching STEM activities inquisitive
little ones. Rainy Days is the fourth book in the Weather Days
collection that includes the critically-acclaimed titles Snow Days, Sunny
Days, and Windy Days.

I
cannot resist a clever bit of paper cutting, no matter how hard I want to... Layered
paper illustrations by Sato expertly provide the color you need in a book with
such gray skies.--School Library Journal, Fuse 8

Starting
with the rain and how that can sadden kids, to finding the joy in things that
kids can still (or only) do in the rain. Taking something that might make them
sad and giving them ideas to have fun is always a good lesson for all of us,
kids and parents. The illustrations are neat and clear, with details that
enhance without distracting the reader.--Youth Services Book Review

A graphic novel for ages 8 to 12 that tells the true story of the life-saving discovery of insulin

Readers will want to dig deeper into this true story of canine heroes and lifesaving science. -- Kirkus Reviews

In 1921, Frederick Banting was a young doctor with an idea: could the mysterious secretions of the pancreas be used to treat diabetes? We now call this substance insulin, and its life-saving discovery was an impactful milestone in medical science.

Banting and his assistant, Charles Best, worked together in a small lab to test the theory with street dogs. Banting formed a special bond with one of his test dogs and gave her a name: Marjorie. After Marjorie responded well to insulin treatments, the treatments went on to be used for humans with diabetes--and the results were deemed practically miraculous.

A real-life scientific milestone told in an innovative graphic novel format, the book also thoughtfully discusses the use of animals for medical research, including back matter on the subject and further information about diabetes.

Cheerful rhyme celebrates the varied aspects of snow from a preschooler's perspective.

First snow, surprise snow:
Nature's sparkly magic show

For small children, snow is a wonder. It sparkles and glitters. It transforms the outside world. Every kind of snow brings its own magic. It invites snow angels, skating, fort-building, and snowballs. Even blizzard days are exciting, when routines are overturned and everyone bands together to clear the snow away. For the youngest among us, winter is magical.

In Snow Days, author Deborah Kerbel captures that magic with nimble couplets that celebrate every kind of winter pleasure. Illustrator Miki Sato's fascinating textural collage art looks intimately touchable. She recreates the coziness and spectacle of the season in paper, felt, and embroidery silk, creating masterpieces that invite readers to look again and again.

An award-winning celebration of windy weather, now in board
book! The creators of Snow Days and Sunny Days return with a new
Toddler Tough padded hardcover featuring signature collage art and whimsical
rhyme.

Sunny
rain sparkling showers

Water
for our trees and flowers

For
preschoolers, rainy weather is full of possibility. A puddle in the back yard
is just waiting for a stomp in rubber rain boots. A light drizzle is perfect
for a search-and-rescue mission for worms and snails. And watching a heavy
rainfall makes sitting inside with a warm bowl of soup all the cozier.

In Rainy
Days, author Deborah Kerbel once again captures the magic of early
childhood awe and wonder with rhyming couplets that celebrate every kind of
rainy-day activity. Illustrator Miki Sato's unique tactile collage art nearly
rises from the page with fascinating features made from paper, felt, and
embroidery silk. A final page includes enriching STEM activities inquisitive
little ones. Rainy Days is the fourth book in the Weather Days
collection that includes the critically-acclaimed titles Snow Days, Sunny
Days, and Windy Days.

One whirligig's journey reveals the delights of the natural world

A stray maple seed, sometimes called a maple key or whirligig, is picked up by the wind and begins a long, wordless journey through a local neighborhood. It twirls and flips through a family's backyard. It slips beneath skateboard wheels and sneakers in the park. It falls into the hands of a few curious kids, who include it in their games and artwork. Eventually, it finds a place to rest. With the help of a nosy bird and a tender puppy paw, it is dropped into a forest and firmly planted in the ground. Years later, a family that encountered the whirligig on its journey takes a walk in the forest and meets the seed again--this time as a fully grown maple tree!

This gentle meditation on the cycle of life wordlessly draws connections between humans and nature. The dynamic and detailed artwork supports visual literacy and will spark discussion about plant life cycles. And the whirligig's journey on the wind may encourage readers to venture into green spaces and observe them with care and curiosity.

Grumble Yawn follows the onomatopoeic antics of a young girl and her cat as they resist the bedtime routine.

This toddler-friendly book is composed entirely of sounds, and adults and children alike will find humor in a silly story that calls out to be read aloud with emphasis and humorous inflection. Howl moan squawk stomp--readers may recognize their own cacophonous bedtimes as the main character thwarts going quietly to sleep. Conceptualized and written by award-winning author Deborah Kerbel and illustrated by artist Jacqui Lee, this board book will delight readers of all ages.

Life moves oh-so-slow when your little brother is a snail.

It takes forever to do anything! Really, it's enough to test the patience of even the most understanding big sister. But is Moe just slow or is there something else going on? With charming illustrations by Marianne Ferrer, award-winning author Deborah Kerbel has written a delightful story about love, support and the struggle for tolerance within the often tumultuous sibling relationship.

Orca Book Publishers is pleased to offer Slow Moe in two accessible editions. The audiobook features alternate text descriptions of images, including the cover. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Available in French as Lent Roland.

From Suzanne Del Rizzo, award-winning illustrator of My Beautiful Birds, and author Deborah Kerbel comes a unique story about a brave sled dog puppy's adventures under the Arctic Circle's midnight sun.

Juno and her boy live in a red house at the top of the world. One day Juno will be big and strong enough to help pull a sled across the tundra, but for now she is just a small puppy with a big-dog heart.

Small puppies have to go to bed when their boys do, but Juno can't sleep with the midnight sun shining out across the town. She slips outside to play. Returning to see a hungry polar bear sniffing around the open door, Juno has no time to be afraid. It's time to summon the big dog inside her and save her beloved boy.

With Deborah Kerbel's warm, expressive text, Sun Dog is a love letter to life in the Arctic Circle from the perspective of a sled dog pup. Suzanne Del Rizzo's dimensional art in polymer clay and acrylic wash offers both an intimate romp with a young puppy and a sweeping celebration of the vast and beautiful tundra.

A Junior Library Guild Pick!

MYRCA Northern Lights Selection, 2025

Opposite Identicals is a non-stop adrenaline rush from start to finish. Deborah Kerbel has written two unforgettable characters who take turns telling the story. Kids of all ages will race through this book, desperate to find out what will happen to the twins when catastrophe strikes in a near future world, changed forever by climate crisis. Don't miss this one! -- Carol Matas, author of A Struggle for Hope and Past Crimes

Opposite Identicals is an upper middle grade novel set in the very near future -- a time when climate change has irreversibly altered our planet and lifestyles. Nova and Joule are fourteen-year old twins whose scientist parents have recently uprooted the family from their urban home and moved to the country on a year-long research assignment, studying the effects of GMO 'SuperCrop' farming on the environment in the final regulatory phase before global expansion.

Surrounded by nature and quiet, open spaces, shy, bookish Nova is in heaven. But Joule -- whose life's ambition is to be famous and reach a million Hollagram followers -- is desperate to escape. One day, Joule gets her wish, although not in a way anyone ever expected. In an instant, she's gone -- swallowed up by a mysterious sinkhole under her bedroom floor. Suddenly twinless, Nova is forced to step in and lead the search for her missing sister. But can she face her fears and figure out what caused the sinkhole in time to save Joule?

Told from alternating points of view, it's a fantastical adventure about overcoming obstacles, self-discovery, and environmental awareness.

With suspense, adventure, and plenty of creepy crawlies, Opposite Identicals will have fans of Stranger Things looking at the ground below and wondering, 'what if?' Nail biting suspense, sisterly love, and subterranean adventures make for an exciting middle grade sci fi read! -- Colleen Nelson, author of The Undercover Book List

See below for English description.

Un jour, une araignée affamée est prise dans une rafale et se retrouve projetée sur une musaraigne! L'araignée apprend que la musaraigne vient de perdre sa maison à cause d'un tracteur, de sorte qu'il y a maintenant une musaraigne sans maison, et une araignée sans repas. Quand l'araignée propose gentiment d'aider la musaraigne à trouver une nouvelle maison, les deux amies finissent par rencontrer d'autres animaux qui ont besoin d'aide. Ce duo de bestioles saura-t-il s'unir pour s'entraider?

Les magnifiques illustrations de la célèbre illustratrice québécoise Geneviève Côté donnent vie à cette histoire touchante sur la communauté, la compassion et l'amitié.

When a hungry spider gets caught in a gust of wind, it gets blown right into

a shrew! The spider learns that the shrew has just lost its home to a tractor,

so now there's a shrew without a home and a spider without food. The spider

kindly offers to help the shrew look for a new home, but they end up coming

across many other animals in need of help. Can this crew of critters band

together to help one another?

A touching story about community, compassion, and friendship is brought to life

by beautiful illustrations from celebrated Quebecois illustrator Geneviève Côté.

Original title: When Spider Met Shrew

Perfect for Mother's Day or a baby shower gift, a celebration of a family's anticipation of a new baby

Before...You were a song in our hearts, a star in our eyes.

Told from the perspective of new parents welcoming their baby to the world, this touching love letter to young children by Governor General's Literary Award-nominated author Deborah Kerbel describes with lyrical grace all of the promise held by new life. As the seasons change from fall through winter and into spring, the expectant parents' anticipation over the baby's arrival is mirrored in the animals around the family's seaside home, marrying the natural world to the family's experience.

Suzanne Del Rizzo, author-illustrator of My Beautiful Birds -- a New York Times Notable Children's Books selection and winner of the 2018 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award -- adds an intricately tactile element with her lush illustrations rendered in polymer clay and acrylic wash, depicting the animals in scenes at times playful and other times serene.

Swish Slosh follows the onomatopoeic escapades of a young child and their dog as they delight in the tactile joy of getting messy.

This toddler-friendly book is composed entirely of sounds and adults and children alike will delight in a sweet story that calls to be read aloud with joyful emphasis and humorous inflection. Woosh swoosh slosh splosh-- readers will romp through a day at the beach, enjoy a sweet treat and noisily make their way through bedtime routine in this vibrant board book conceptualized and written by award-winning author Deborah Kerbel and illustrated by artist Jacqui Lee.