children's stories

Annie wants to adopt a Chihuahua named Azzie, but her siblings all want less typical pets.

"Do you believe in unicorns? Phoebe does. She has no choice. One day she skipped a rock across a pond, and hit a unicorn in the face. Improbably, this resulted in a lasting friendship between Phoebe and the unicorn, one Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. Come along for the unicorn ride with Phoebe, as she deals with the usual burdens of childhood (cruel classmates, gym class, piano lessons) and also some unusual ones (magic hair, candy-breathing dragons, and the legendary Shield of Boringness). Can a precocious little girl and a self-absorbed mythical forest creature find common ground? Indeed they can, and that's how Phoebe and her unicorn unfolds"--Page [4] of cover.

A young Dominican American girl in New York City moves from jealousy to empathy as her parents babysit children whose families work the overnight shift in this picture book debut. Night after night, a young girl watches her mami set up a cot in the living room for guests in their Washington Heights apartment, like Raquel (who's boring) and Edgardo (who gets crumbs everywhere). She resents that they get the entire living room with a view of the George Washington Bridge, while all she gets is a tiny bedroom with a view of her sister (who snores). Until one night, no one comes, and it's finally her chance! But as it turns out, sleeping in the cot in the living room isn't all she thought it would be. A celebration of the ways a Dominican American community takes care of one another while showing young readers that sometimes the best way to be a better neighbor is by imagining how it feels to spend a night sleeping on someone else's pillow.

"Follow along with our narrator as he passes through his busy neighborhood in search of the Paletero Man. But when he finally catches up with him, our narrator's pockets are empty. Oh no! What happened to his dinero? It will take the help of the community to get the tasty treat now"--Provided by publisher.

"Anika has recently emigrated from India and is having a difficult time adjusting to life in a new country, not to mention life in a new school. Remembering the advice her grandmother gave her, she prays to Lord Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god. But Lord Ganesh is slow to respond and Anika takes to the internet to attract his attention. When her problems begin to resolve themselves, she can breathe a sigh of relief. But has Lord Ganesh truly been helping her, or has she been relying on her own inner wisdom all along? This is a sweet and witty story about staying true to one's beliefs and finding strength in unlikely places."--Back cover.

"Filled with loving advice and encouragement, Dear Baby, reminds little ones that the world is big, bright, and ready just for them. There's no limit to what they can be, where they can go, or what they can do! With the same tenderness as Dear Girl, and Dear Boy, Paris's charming text and Holly Hatam's stunning illustrations beautifully come together to reassure babies everywhere that no matter how far they go, they are loved"--Amazon.com.

Third grader Maria Isabel, born in Puerto Rico and now living in the U.S., wants badly to fit in at school.