Growing up is hard, but when children have to give up the things they love most–like sleeping in their parents’ bed–a perfectly good day can turn into a catastrophe! Transition Times is a concept of internationally known child psychologist and parenting expert Lawrence E. Shapiro, who has written a series of books to help children through their trying transition times, including: giving up their pacifier, sleeping in their own bed, using words to communicate, and sitting still in their own chair.

For most of today’s parents, raising young children is the central part of their lives. Bonding and attachment is rightfully a primary concern, but many parents ignore the fact that limit-setting and age-appropriate expectations are also an important part of raising happy and healthy children. Where previous generations might have simply said “no,” today’s parents are looking for less confrontational ways to guide their young children through the trials and travails of growing up.

Transition Times is designed to help parents through the difficult times when they have to deny their children some of the most primitive pleasures of childhood. Virtually every child will have difficulty with at least one transition time, and this series is intended to provide a gentle way to help children and their families through these periods.

Each picture book contains sympathetic illustrated explanations of why it is important to give up the habits of babyhood and become a big boy or girl. Each book also includes advice for parents on how they can best help their children through these poignant and sometimes harrowing times.

All four books in the series will be published simultaneously with illustrations by Hideko Takahashi.

Each book includes a colorfully illustrated story for kids and professional advice for parents on what they should do, and not do, to help their children with a difficult transitions.

“Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The characterizations of all the boys are superb.”—School Library Journal, Starred

“Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

An ALA Best Books for Young Adults

A New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year Amazon.com Review
Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn’t think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school’s fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it’s as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat–a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He’s just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor–or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published. And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, The Chocolate War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers.

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started–at Cousins Beach.

Cute, available, and one cabin over

Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends — including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori’s always been one of the guys.

But while Lori and the “baby” brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can’t deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean’s been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.

But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she’s girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girl friend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard….

Everything changes the day ninth-grader Will Tuppence learns one startling fact: protons-those tiny atomic particles, the building-blocks to the building-blocks of life-can die. The one thing that was so certain in this world to Will has an expiration date.

And Will′s carefully planned-out life?

Not so certain, either.

Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli tips Will′s world on its side to show that the beauty and wonder of life is in not knowing what comes next.

Ages: 10+

Hobbie’s marvelous illustrations are filled with telling details and subtle wit: Toot caroling his heart out in an Edinburgh blizzard with a few sheep buddies; Puddle curled up in an armchair with crayons and holiday cards (signed with a blank space before “and Puddle,” in anticipation of Toot’s signature). The devotion the pigs share for each other is sweet, never sickly, and young readers with best friends will know exactly how they feel, being apart at a most important time. Several more Toot and Puddle titles will also enchant, including A Present for Toot and You Are My Sunshine. (Ages 3 to 7) –Emilie Coulter

From award-winning illustrator, Tina Macnaughton, comes this tender declaration of love from a child for his Daddy.

When Little Bear is with his Daddy, he is the fastest, tallest, happiest Little Bear in the whole world.

Warm colors and a gentle rhyming text illustrate the special bond between this father and child. This beautiful book is the perfect gift for Father’s Day.

Look for My Mommy and Me, also by Tina Macnaughton, to complete the perfect set.

He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa–the one she has sworn to protect no matter what–and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?

“I don’t know what’s worse — sharing a dorm with girls I don’t know or sharing one with a girl I know too well — my sister, Cleo. This school trip is a major lesson in embarrassment!”

– Me, Amelia

“Amelia is getting older and she is going through the same things as my friends and I. Maybe you would not be embarrassed to write about that stuff…”

(I’m blushing, but still writing…)

– Vanesa, age 13

“I started to have my own notebook, and my problems were fixed like presto!”(Hooray!

Here’s to notebook power!)

– Isabella

But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl’s arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.

In a celebration of nonconformity, Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity–and the thrill and inspiration of first love. Amazon.com Review
“She was homeschooling gone amok.” “She was an alien.” “Her parents were circus acrobats.” These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona’s Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a “hotbed of nonconformity,” is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: “She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl.”

In time, incredulity gives way to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl’s wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchant for celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high school symbol of acceptance, she is even recruited as a cheerleader. Popularity, of course, is a fragile and fleeting state, and bit by bit, Mica sours on their new idol. Why is Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing basketball teams? The growing hostility comes to a head when she is verbally flogged by resentful students on Leo’s televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air. While the playful, chin-held-high Stargirl seems impervious to the shunning that ensues, Leo, who is in the throes of first love (and therefore scornfully deemed “Starboy”), is not made of such strong stuff: “I became angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. I imagined my life without her and without them, and I didn’t like it either way.”

Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens, elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-pretty emotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pitted against conformity. Spinelli’s Stargirl is a supernatural teen character–absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with life’s primitive rhythms, meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self-confident. It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders. (Ages 10 to 14) –Karin Snelson

Amazon Exclusive: Sketches from Renata Liwska, Illustrator of The Quiet Book
(Click on images to enlarge)

Drawing an iguana. It can be tough making the characters look the same throughout the book.	I like to do finished drawings at a coffee shop and color them later on my computer.	The bunny must have turned over in between the sketch and the finished drawing.	Thinking about bubble baths.
A small sketchbook for a small drawing.	The owl gets emotional in the final drawing.	Trying to figure out how to say quiet.	Some of these guys got left out of the book.

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.

Do twins begin in the womb?
Or in a better place?

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family — on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that’s where their differences begin.

For Kaeleigh, she’s the misplaced focus of Daddy’s love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites — and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.

Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept — from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it’s obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is — who?

So begins the story that has touched the hearts of millions of Americans. Since publication in l986, “Love You Forever” has sold more than 15 million copies in paperback and the regular hardcover edition (as well as hundreds of thousands of copies in Spanish and French).

Now this bestseller is available in a bigger hardcover edition. Made from new film with a dust jacket added, this 10″ x 10″ new edition will be appreciated by all of the book’s fans who want a bigger, keepsake edition of their favorite book. Amazon.com Review
The mother sings to her sleeping baby: “I’ll love you forever / I’ll love you for always / As long as I’m living / My baby you’ll be.” She still sings the same song when her baby has turned into a fractious 2-year-old, a slovenly 9-year-old, and then a raucous teen. So far so ordinary–but this is one persistent lady. When her son grows up and leaves home, she takes to driving across town with a ladder on the car roof, climbing through her grown son’s window, and rocking the sleeping man in the same way. Then, inevitably, the day comes when she’s too old and sick to hold him, and the roles are at last reversed. Each stage is illustrated by one of Sheila McGraw’s comic and yet poignant pastels. (Ages 4 to –Richard Farr

He’s always been a happy little utensil. But lately, he feels like life as a spoon just isn’t cutting it. He thinks Fork, Knife, and The Chopsticks all have it so much better than him. But do they? And what do they think about Spoon? A book for all ages, Spoon serves as a gentle reminder to celebrate what makes us each special.

With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can’t explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year’s Eve to look forward to, Em’s reached the end of her rope. . .what’s the point of even going on?

But when she discovers the truth about Nikki’s secret, she knows there’s only one person she can turn to.

Emerson Watts is on the run: from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.

With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can’t explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year’s Eve to look forward to, Em’s reached the end of her rope. . .what’s the point of even going on?

But when she discovers the truth about Nikki’s secret, she knows there’s only one person she can turn to.

Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved–since if he agrees, there’s every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed–this time, permanently?

Maybe it would be better for Em to just keep on running.

Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can’t wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.

When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a “reality version of Sex and the City,” they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!

Soon Jane is TV’s hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she’s lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane’s spotlight.

In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it’s not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it’s like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.

She wished something would happen.

Something good. To her. Checking her wish for loopholes, she found one. Hoping it wasn’t too late, she thought the word soon.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, he felt as if the world was opening. Life was rearranging itself; bulging in places, fraying in spots. He felt himself changing, too, but into what?

So much can happen in a summer.

If Hoppi can make the best Easter egg, he will get to help the Easter Rabbit deliver the eggs on Easter morning. But it is not so easy. Discouraged, he goes into the woods to think when a blue robin’s egg tumbles out of its nest. Hoppi keeps it safe and warm until the baby bird hatches, and when the Easter Rabbit arrives, he chooses the empty blue eggshell to reward Hoppi for his kindness.

Spring is everywhere in gorgeous illustrations framed with pussy willows, flowering vines and flowers. Side borders feature busy rabbits making their unusual eggs and, in a border above, the Robin’s family drama unfolds.

A gatefold surprise reveals the Easter Rabbit.

When Cammie “The Chameleon” Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she’s in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she’s there to watch Macey’s father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world’s best school (for spies), “exciting” and “deadly” are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers’ plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

As her junior year begins, Cammie can’t shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn’t feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion’s corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey’s private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth..

The Anxiety Workbook for Teens will show you how to deal with the day-to-day challenges of anxiety. It will help you develop a positive self-image and recognize your anxious thoughts. The workbook also includes resources for seeking additional help and support if you decide you need it. What are you waiting for? Don’t spend another minute paralyzed by anxiety.

In picturesque Rosewood, Pennsylvania, neighbors gossip over picket fences, and gleaming SUVs sit in every crushed-granite driveway. But recently, friendly smiles have been replaced with suspicious glares and accusatory whispers—and it’s all because Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer just can’t keep their mouths shut. . . .

First they claimed they found a dead body in the woods behind Spencer’s house, only to have it vanish without a trace. Then when the same woods went up in flames, they swore they saw someone who’s supposed to be dead rise from the ashes. And even after all that, the pretty little liars are still playing with fire.

Hanna’s trading in her Dior trench for a straitjacket. Aria’s trying to contact the dead. Emily’s dumped her boyfriend and is skipping town . . . again. And Spencer thinks someone in her family has gotten away with murder.

The friends insist they’re telling the truth about what they saw, but all of Rosewood thinks they’re simply out for attention—and nobody likes a girl who cries wolf. So when the big bad killer comes after the girls, will anyone believe them . . . or will they be the next to disappear?

What would Llama like to do?
Llama Llama feels so new . . .

It’s Llama Llama’s first day of preschool! And Llama Llama’s mama makes sure he’s ready. They meet the teachers. See the other children. Look at all the books and games. But then it’s time for Mama to leave. And suddenly Llama Llama isn’t so excited anymore. Will Mama Llama come back?

Of course she will. But before she does, the other children show Llama Llama how much fun school can be!

Fuzzy flocking in each spread makes this book doubly appealing!

Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can’t wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.

When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a “reality version of Sex and the City,” they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!

Soon Jane is TV’s hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she’s lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane’s spotlight.

In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it’s not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it’s like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.

The young man soon realizes that the old man meant, as the poor and ill he encounters on his journey, illuminated by his Christmas candle, become the faces of his relatives, so he feels compelled to help them. he arrives home cold and penniless, but richer for his newfound realization that we are all part of one family.

This beautifully illustrated original fable by the acclaimed author of The Christmas Box will become a treasured part of many families’ Christmases for years to come. Amazon.com Review
Would you be more responsive to a brother’s request for money than to a beggar’s request for money? This is the question that Richard Paul Evans, author of The Christmas Box, asks his readers to consider in The Christmas Candle, a morality tale whose haunting moodiness evokes the Dickensian ghost of Christmas past. In this story, a rather unpleasant-seeming young man named Thomas is making his way home on a dark, bitterly cold Christmas Eve. In search of a candle for his tin lantern, he pushes aside a beggar to enter the shop of a village candlemaker, who has rows and rows of candles sculpted into angels, sprites, princesses. Thomas, impatient, just wants a plain old candle. The Yoda-like candlemaker sells him one, warning cryptically, “It is only four coppers, but you may find it costly.” Indeed. This strange candle somehow makes Thomas see his mother’s face in the face of the next beggar he encounters, and a figure lying in the gutter reveals itself to him as his brother. He gives them everything he has. Finally, penniless and cold, he reaches the music and laughter of his childhood home. When his family asks him why he has arrived empty-handed, he suddenly understands why the old man told him the candle would be costly, and his heart fills with joy: “For that Christmas Eve, a lesson was learned and taken to heart: If we will see things as they truly are, we will find that all, from great to small, belong to one family.” The Christmas Candle–heavily laden with American Realist Jacob Collins’s gloomy still-life paintings and bleak, eerily lit oil portraits of dour-faced beggars–is not exactly a joyous expression of holiday cheer. It is, however, a time-tested tale of charity that will resonate with young and old alike. (Ages 6 and older)