Humorous Nature

Newbery Medal-winner Cynthia Rylant tells a charming story about the joys of sharing and teamwork. Every year, Henry makes a funny lunch for his mom on Mother's Day. This year, he will make a pineapple sofa! Henry and his dad head to the grocery store with Mudge, who gets to come in because everybody loves him. Mudge spends his time sniffing the Fruity Puffs and Cocoa Chews and eating crackers and a lollipop. Then they all head home to make Mom's special meal.

After his many years as a typical bachelor cowboy, Slim Chance is convinced - against his will - that he needs to build his own herd of cattle and invest in the future. But, just about the time his new herd is calved-out and his investment is beginning to look promising, the dry and windy weather conditions put the entire county on high alert for fire danger. Hank is sure he and Slim can defend the ranch against anything that comes their way...that is, until they come face-to-face with a wildfire unlike any grass fire they’ve seen before.

It's summertime, and the weather on Hank's West Texas ranch is hot and dry. So dry, in fact, that everyone is on the lookout for prairie fires. So Hank bravely adds the title of Head of Fire Safety to his already impressive list of responsibilities and gets to work. But patrolling for fires is dull, and it's hard to do on an empty stomach. Despite the distractions - desperate hunger, a cruel trick at the hands of Pete the Barncat - Hank somehow manages to stay focused on the job at hand.

Didi Dodo, the heroic spy, and Koko Dodo, the cookie chef, are off to solve another kooky caper! In Double-O Dodo, Koko has a big problem: His trusty assistant, the Queen, has been kidnapped! Over a frantic phone call, she tells Koko that she’s been kidnapped by a human, which is preposterous - everyone knows that humans aren’t real! Luckily, Didi is on the case. Her plan: To go undercover at the Humanland amusement park to find the Queen.

Keenan has lived all over the world but nowhere quite as strange as Centerlight Island, which is split between the US and Canada. The only thing weirder than Centerlight itself is his neighbor Zarabeth, a.k.a. ZeeBee. ZeeBee is obsessed with the island’s history as a Prohibition-era smuggling route. She’s also convinced that her beloved dog, Barney, was murdered - something Keenan finds pretty hard to believe. Just about everyone on Centerlight is a suspect, because everyone hated Barney, a huge dog - part mastiff, part rottweiler - notorious for terrorizing the community.

Buckle up for twists, turns, and emotional loop-de-loops in the most roller coaster-y Pigeon adventure ever! The Pigeon WILL be ready. Will YOU!?

One day at the fish store, Mr. Putter decides to buy some fish. Tabby is happy. Fish make his tail twitch. At home, Mr. Putter and Tabby watch the fish swim around in their glass bowl. Then Tabby starts to bat the bowl. Bat. Bat. Tabby can't stop batting the bowl, even when Mr. Putter covers it up. Soon, Tabby is so twitchy and batty, Mr. Putter calls Mrs. Teaberry. She has a solution to Tabby's problem - a very relaxing one!

There's something spooky going on at the ranch! When Halloween arrives, Hank - the self-appointed Head of Ranch Security - has got his hands full of adventure. First there's a problem with the Tricker Trees. Then the ranch is invaded by two skeletons, a witch, and a pirate. And when Hank goes to investigate a strange sound in the cake house, he's sure it can only be one thing...a ghost. Can Hank rid the ranch of this unwanted visitor? Or is he destined to be spooked for good?

It's early springtime on the ranch, and Hank is going through the usual motions of making sure that a warm spring arrives safely: singing songs about it, barking faithfully each morning, and helping the cowboys with their work around the ranch. However, in the midst of a particularly hard day's nap, he receives a report that his little birdy friend, Madame Moonshine, is in danger of being eaten by Pete the Barncat! Naturally, Hank springs into action to save her, but a misstep brings the wrath of Sally May down on him, and Hank must flee the scene and travel west on the Oregon Trail.

Dave Pigeon is BACK! And so is his side-kick Skipper. But trouble is afoot. When their Human Lady leaves to go on a 'holiday' (whatever that is), Dave and Skipper are horrified to find that their food supply quickly runs dry. With delicious biscuits on their minds, they set off in search of a new owner—but is Reginald Grimster all he seems? Why is he so keen on feeding them? And why does he have so many books about cooking . . .?

Motor Mouse is a busy little mouse, between driving his delivery car, eating cake, and visiting with friends. Come along with him on his adventures! In "The Friday Cake Day", Motor Mouse and his friend Telly have been looking forward all week to their Friday tradition of eating cake. But when Friday arrives, the Cake Shop is closed. This is not acceptable! In "Going for a Look-About", Motor Mouse hires a cab. In "Front Row at the Picture Show", Motor Mouse and his brother, Vincent, are going to a movie.

Hank the Cowdog and his trusty partner, Drover, are just beginning their latest investigation when a pirate suddenly appears on the front porch! Has the ranch really been set upon by one-legged men of the sea? Hank and Drover soon realize that the pirate is just Little Alfred in disguise.

With a runaway lion loose in the neighbourhood, Derrick, Samantha and Michael feel scared. Nanny Piggins feels like a slice of cake. And Boris feels like that lion looks strangely familiar. In this third action-packed book of adventures, Nanny Piggins tames a lion and a lion tamer. She revolutionises the sport of ski jumping, introduces hot-pink leotards to the local Neighbourhood Watch, demonstrates trapeze skills on a moving bus, plays badminton with a wok and teaches Shakespeare a thing or two about how to write a play.

One day, Stan and Jan Berenstain were captured by a family of bears. It was a family of three - an overenthusiastic Papa whose high opinion of himself was exceeded only by his ability to do silly things (often placing himself in jeopardy from bees, skunks, low-hanging branches, whales, irate farmers, etc.) a wise, steady Mama with a firm grip on reality, and a bright enterprising little boy cub.

The drought on Hank’s ranch has finally ended, and it’s a beautiful spring day. In fact, it’s the kind of day in which the head of ranch security really wouldn’t expect to find himself protecting the ranch from bloodthirsty mosquitoes, doing toad duty, or, most especially of all, standing between his cowboy friends and a sick and angry cow. However, that’s exactly what happens when Miss Viola asks Slim and Hank to help Woodrow haul a cow to the veterinarian. And, what begins as a simple job soon turns into a circus when the cow proves to be a little more clever than anyone anticipated.

It's winter in the Texas Panhandle, and the ranch is covered in snow and ice. So when Sally May sets off for town, Hank decides to follow Pete the Barncat's advice and bravely escorts her car down the slick road. Before Hank realizes what's happening, Sally May's car skids into a snowdrift - and she is angrier than ever!

Welcome to the world of Runny Babbit and his friends Toe Jurtle, Skertie Gunk, Rirty Dat, Dungry Hog, Snerry Jake, and many others who speak a topsy-turvy language all their own.

Introducing everyone's new best friend: Stick Dog! He'll make you laugh . . . he'll make you cry . . . but above all, he'll make you hungry. Follow Stick Dog as he goes on an epic quest for the perfect burger.

Fall is an important time of year on a ranch, mostly because it means that winter is coming soon! And, on Hank’s ranch, that means that the cake house is about to be filled with bags of feed to get the cattle through the long frozen days ahead. Unfortunately, this particular feed-delivery is accompanied by a town mutt named Roy, who gets Hank into big trouble with some local yellow jacket wasps.

Theodosia Throckmorton has her hands full at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London. Her father may be head curator, but it is Theoand only Theowho is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. Sneaking behind her fathers back, Theo uses old, nearly forgotten Egyptian magic to remove the curses and protect her father and the rest of the museum employees from the ancient, sinister forces that lurk in the museums dark hallways.