Baby Duck and the Cozy Blanket

Price: $10.99
ISBN: 9780763615826 (hardcover)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Jill Barton

"The star of You're the Boss, Baby Duck and more is back in Baby Duck and the Cozy Blanket by Amy Hest, illus. by Jill Barton, whose fuzzy yellow tummy peeks out of the cut-away cover. Inside, little ones can touch the "sticky jam" that has soiled the blanket then put it in the "straw basket" on washing day. The newly cleaned "cozy blanket" is ready for cuddling up with in the end." Publishers Weekly


The Dog Who Belonged to No One

Price: $16.95
ISBN: 9780810994836 (hardcover)
Grade level: preK-1
Illustrator: Amy Bates

"No one takes notice of a small dog with crooked ears who doesn't have a home. He explores the narrow streets and wide boulevards every day, while across town a little girl named Lia pedals on her bicycle alone, delivering breads and cakes. Both dream of finding a friend, until fate brings them together.


Don't You Feel Well, Sam?

Price: $15.99 OUT OF STOCK
ISBN: 978-0-7636-1009-8 (hardcover)
Price: $4.99
ISBN: 9780763624088 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Anita Jeram

"In this followup to the team's Kiss Good Night, bear cub Sam comes down with a cough 'Hck, hck!' he hacks and is doted upon by his unflappable mother. If Sam can steel himself to take his cough medicine ('Tastes bad,' he says, before his mother even pours out the syrup. 'I don't have a cough'), then Mrs. Bear will reward his bravery by letting him stay up to watch the snowfall. 'Sam leaned back on his mama's soft belly, and it wriggled while she talked,' writes Hest after the deed is done." Publishers Weekly

 

Guess Who, Baby Duck!

Price: $15.99
ISBN: 9780763619817 (hardcover)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Jill Barton

"Baby Duck is a bit under the weather in Guess Who, Baby Duck!, the newest in the series by Amy Hest, illus. by Jill Barton. But when Grampa comes to visit with an album 'all filled up with pictures,' Baby Duck soon feels much better. This comforting story may well inspire readers to look through their own baby albums. " Publishers Weekly


In the Rain with Baby Duck

Price: $6.99
ISBN: 9780763606978 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Jill Barton

"Who has ever heard of a duck that doesn't like rain? Baby Duck must walk in the rain to get to Grampa's house for breakfast. Baby's crankiness over having wet feet and a wet face ends when Grampa brings her to the attic to get an umbrella and a pair of boots that were once worn by Baby's own mother who had similar dislikes as a child. Baby Duck sings a happy song all the way home." Children's Literature


Jamaica Louise James

Price: $6.99 OUT OF STOCK
ISBN: 9780763602840 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S to 2
Illustrator: Sheila White Samton

"On her 8th birthday, Jamaica Louise James receives a paint set from her mother and grandmother. When Jamaica worries about the cost, they reply that instead of worrying, she could be doing something as wonderful as painting the world. This gives Jamaica the idea to plan a big surprise for her grandmother's birthday. Her grandmother works in the 86th Street Subway station, collecting tokens and every night, when she returns home, she describes all the different people she meets. As her grandmother talks, Jamaica Louise James quietly sits at the table and paints all the characters. Finally, on the morning of her grandmother's birthday, Jamaica and her mother go to the subway station before her grandmother does and they turn the Subway into an art gallery filled with Jamaica's pictures." Children's Literature


Kiss Good Night

Price: $15.99 OUT OF STOCK
ISBN:9780763607807 (hardcover)
Price: $6.99 AVAILABLE
ISBN: 9780763621148 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S to 2
Illustrator: Anita Jeram

"Sam the bear cub will not go to sleep. "I'm waiting," he keeps telling Mrs. Bear, even though she's checked off everything on the bedtime list: book, blanket, friends (his stuffed toys) and milk. Then it dawns on Sam's mom that she's forgotten the kiss good night. Sam manages to coax a total of 10 goodnight kisses from Mom. With understated repetition and lyricism, Hest establishes the coziness of the nighttime interplay as well as the menacing sounds of the storm from inside Sam's bedroom: 'Splat! on the roof. Splat! Splat! on the windows. The wind blew. Whoo, whoooo.'" Publishers Weekly


Little Chick

Price: $17.99
ISBN: 9780763628901 (hardcover)
Grade level: preK-3
Illustrator: Anita Jeram

Little Chick may be a good and patient gardener, as Old-Auntie observes, but what if you simply can’t wait for your carrot to grow tall? What if you skip like a pro but still can’t lift your kite in the air? Or if you’re a really good stretcher but can’t reach your favorite star? With affection and humor, Amy Hest offers three vignettes about a curious chick and a loving auntie who knows how to soften disappointments by keeping the spark of wonder alive.


Love You, Soldier

Price: $16.99 OUT OF STOCK
ISBN: 9780763609436 (hardcover)
Grade level: 3-7
Illustrator: Sonja Lamut

"The war came and my father left in a uniform,'' begins this brief but affecting first-person narrative of the many changes wrought within a girl's family during WW II." Publishers Weekly


Make the Team, Baby Duck!

Price: $16.99 OUT OF STOCK
ISBN: 978-0-7636-1541-3 (hardcover)
Grade level: Pre-S to 2
Illustrator: Jill Barton

"Hesitant Baby Duck is back, with all her insecurities. She watches the swim team having fun, but is reluctant to jump into the water with other youngsters. Grandpa Duck comes to the rescue again, with his wise words that inspire her to have confidence in herself. She jumps into the town pool and, to her surprise, she swims amazingly well." School Library Journal


Mr. George Baker

Price: $6.99
ISBN: 9780763633080 (paperback)
Grade level: K-3
Illustrator: Jon J. Muth

"Mr. George Baker is one hundred years old and he has decided it is time he learned to read. He waits for the school bus on his front steps as his young neighbor runs across the lawn to join him. Mr. Baker gives the boy a chocolate from his pocket and helps him tie his shoestrings so they will not come undone. He drums his fingers on his knees, reminiscent of his many years as a drummer. When Mrs. Baker brings out his lunch in a paper bag, he gets up and they enjoy an impromptu dance together. The young boy proudly helps Mr. Baker walk to the bus. When they arrive at school, they go to different classrooms, but they are both there for the same reason." Children's Literature


Off to School, Baby Duck!

Price: $6.99
ISBN: 9780763634384 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Jill Barton


The Purple Coat

Price: $6.99
ISBN: 9780689716348(paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S to 2
Illustrator: Amy Schwartz

"Once in a while it's good to try something new, declares this fanciful tale's heroine, as she conspires to break out of a clothing rut." Publishers Weekly


Remembering Mrs. Rossi

Price: $14.99
ISBN: 9780763621636 (hardcover)
Price: $6.99
ISBN: 9780763640897
Grade level: 2-6
Illustrator: Heather Maione

"Eight-year-old Annie is devastated by the sudden death of her mother. She and her father try to get through the days and weeks and months without her, groping their way through birthdays, vacations and school. Mr. Rossi is perhaps as bewildered as Annie by their loss, but keeps up a brave front and a loving, honest relationship with Annie. Annie treasures a memory book created by Mrs. Rossi's elementary-school students, reading and rereading it as a means of keeping her mother close. Hest handles a delicate subject with compassion and understanding, without descending into maudlin emotion. Annie's reactions are perfectly in keeping with her age, and she is never presented as an example of the proper way to mourn. The "actual" memory book that has brought Annie and her father so much comfort follows the conclusion of the story. It allows the reader an additional glimpse into Mrs. Rossi's character and the grief felt by her family and students." Kirkus Reviews


When Jessie Came across the Sea

Price: $6.99 OUT OF STOCK
ISBN: 9780763612740 (paperback)
Grade level: 3-6
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch

"This narrative of 13-year-old Jessie's journey from a poor village in Eastern Europe to New York City at the turn of the century affords readers a panoramic view of events and people. The author's exploration of a variety of emotions and feelings provides modern youngsters with a sense of connections with times long past. There is the familial devotion between Jessie and her grandmother, whom she has to leave behind. A shipboard friendship with Lou, a young shoemaker, helps Jessie survive the hardships and uncertainties of the ocean crossing. Her skill as a lacemaker, painstakingly learned from her grandmother, insures her success in the dressmaker's shop where she goes to work. Her romance with Lou is rekindled when they meet years later on a wintry day in Central Park. Jessie's reunion with her grandmother, whose ticket she has purchased with money saved during years of hard work, is the poignant conclusion to this tale." School Library Journal


When You Meet a Bear on Broadway

Price: $16.99
ISBN: 9780374400156 (hardcover)
Grade level: 3-6
Illustrator: Elivia Savadier

What do you do when you meet a bear on Broadway? Suck in your breath. Stick out your hand. And say, "Stop there, Little Bear!" If he cries and tells you that his mama is lost, you must help him find her. With great humor and charm, Amy Hest's wry, deceptively simple text captures every child's worst fear - being separated from his mother - while Elivia Savadier's whimsical watercolors bring to life the spirit and spunk of this memorable take-charge young heroine in an unforgettable urban romp through the streets of New York.


You Can Do It, Sam


Price: $4.99
ISBN: 9780763636883 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Anita Jeram

"In this third visit to the cozy home of a little bear and his loving mama, Sam has grown just a bit bigger, but not much bolder. When the two of them set out to make early-morning deliveries of the tasty cakes they have baked for their friends, Mrs. Bear encourages him to go to their doors. "All by myself?" he whispers. A heartening hug helps him to muster up his courage and make his way through the new snow to leave a red-bagged surprise on the doorsteps of several houses. And when they return home from making these neighborly gestures, there are two bags left over, just right for a brave little cub and his caring mother." School Library Journal



You Can Swim, Baby Duck!

Price: $6.99
ISBN: 9780763627324 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Jill Barton



You're the Boss Baby Duck!

Price: $6.99
ISBN: 9780763608019 (paperback)
Grade level: Pre-S
Illustrator: Jill Barton

Baby Duck is back--and she's not the baby anymore! Hot Stuff, Baby Dick's little sister, has arrived, and everyone is making a great big fuss over her. Baby Duck fells pretty cranky about the whole matter. Luckily, Grandpa knows just what to say and do to help Baby feel special again. Amy Hest and Jill Barton tell another warm and funny story full of familiar feelings for everyone in the family.

The books below are no longer available.

The Great Green Notebook of Katie Roberts

Price: $16.99 OUT OF STOCK INDEFINATELY
ISBN: 978-0-7636-0464-6 (hardcover)
Grade level: 3-7
Illustrator: Sonja Lamut

"This third book about Katie Roberts is set in Texas in 1948. Katie, 12, pours her heart out in her diary and in her letters to Mrs. Leitstein, her old neighbor and dear friend back in New York City. She writes about her mother and stepfather, the antics of her infant twin brothers, her best friend Lucy, and the ups and downs of her life as a seventh grader. She also deals with her feelings about her father, who was killed in the war. When Rudy, a shy boy from Italy, joins her class, Katie is made his spelling tutor and reluctantly goes to the library at recess to help him. As time passes, however, her feelings about him begin to change. Historical details are nicely woven into the story as are the religious practices of Katie and Rudy's Jewish families." School Library Journal


The Private Notebook of Katie Roberts, Age 11

NO LONGER AVAILABLE
check your local library
Grade level: 3-6
Illustrator: Sonja Lamut

This book is a sequel to Love You, Soldier. It picks up with Katie four years after her father's death in World War II. Katie's mom is remarrying and both of them will be moving from New York to Texas. Katie's diary sets out in no uncertain terms how she feels about this imposition on her life-as well as her feelings on all of life's other injustices. Alternately sweet, feisty, funny and wry, Katie's notes and the squiggled margin pictures portray with intelligence and humor the problems of growing up and adjusting to new realities. Children's Literature

© 2001-2011, visitingauthors.com