There was a sign on Rosie's door that said, "If you want to know a secret, knock three times." Kathy, Rosie's good friend, knocked three times and learned the secret-that Rosie was no longer Rosie, but Alinda, the lovely lady singer. Adventures with Alinda were fun for Kathy and Sal and Pudgy and Dolly. Even Lenny, who occasionally didn't believe in Alinda, was delighted by the Fourth of July celebration that Alinda, with the help of the Magic Man, held. At the end of the celebration, Alinda was gone forever, and Rosie had returned, but she soon found something else nice to be. Maurice Sendak, the well-known artist and author-illustrator of Kenny's Window and Very Far Away, has written a story of real children, playing as only children know how. Young readers will wish that Alinda lived next door to them.

When his family moves to a new neighborhood, Louie has to leave his friends behind. Playing alone, he creates a scene out of a shoebox. it has a magical effect, calling his imagination back to old friends, old times. Then the spell ends, and -- satisfyingly -- a real-life adventure begins as Louie joins some new friends for Halloween night.

When Mary Ellen gets bored with her reading, Grandpa knows a hunt for a bee tree is just what she needs. Half the town joins the exciting chase, but it's not until everyone returns home that Mary Ellen makes a discovery of her own: Sometimes, even the sweetest of things must be worked for. * "Polacco has created another charming picture book featuring a child learning from a grandparent in an idyllic pastoral setting . . . Both the writing and artwork are fresh and inviting." --School Library Journal, starred review "The newest gem from Polacco's treasure chest of family stories extols the virtue of reading--and of taking a study break . . . Like Mary Ellen, readers will emerge refreshed from this respite, ready to seek out new adventures." --Publishers Weekly "Young readers will savor this." --The Horn Book

Relates Sally Jane's experience of changing times in rural America, as she lives through the drowning of the Swift River towns in western Massachusetts to form the Quabbin Reservoir.

Celebrate the power of friendship! This treasury includes the complete art and text from three classic Arnold Lobel books: Frog and Toad Are Friends (1970), Frog and Toad Together (1971), and Frog and Toad All Year (1976). Share the adventures of best friends Frog and Toad as they fly a kite, resist the temptation of cookies, and search for a lost button. No matter what kind of situation they find themselves in, one thing is certain: Frog and Toad will always be together.

The Levines are finally getting a pet--a furry one that is. They are excited about adopting a kitty they name Jelly, but they don't get very far in the process when Ben starts sneezing. Oh no, he's allergic! Lola is devastated and sets out to find Je

The adventures and mishaps that befall Artie Granick, a 13-year-old Brooklyn boy, when he moves to Florida. As he seeks companionship and excitement in his new home town, he learns to value his own abilities and succeeds in finding true friendship.

Skinny Chancy and his newly found friend, the great rascal, enjoy humorous escapades as they travel by their wits up and across the Midwest in search of Chancy's family.