A bear spends an autumn day preparing for the coming of cold weather.

The Very Cranky Bear is back, and this time he's facing Boris Buffalo in a battle of bravery! But will something surprising send them both fleeing through the jungle?

Boris is a musician, playing the songs he learned growing up in Russia. Stella is a baker, baking cakes and pastries like her father used to back in Italy. Boris and Stella live in the city and are best friends. They like movies, hats, and each other. At holiday time, Stella wants to give Boris the perfect present for Hanukkah. She wants him to know how special he is. Boris wants to give Stella the perfect present for Christmas—she means so much to him. But perfect presents cost money and their savings banks contain very little. To make their dreams of perfect presents come true, Boris and Stella each sacrifice something very special. In a nod to O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi comes this tender story celebrating traditions, friendships, and gifts from the heart.

Meet a young warthog with a taste for adventure. “A fun easy reader book with great full-color cartoons, brief text in large print, and likable characters.” —School Library Journal Boris lives with his mom and dad in Hogg Bay. Their home is a van that once traveled all over the world. Then one morning, Boris feels a jolt. Could it be? Is the van really moving? Is Boris on an adventure at last? But when Boris ends up on a trip to a wildlife refuge instead of the jungle safari he’d imagined, he ends up having an adventure he’ll never forget. Because for this little warthog, life never quite turns out as he plans. This series is part of Scholastic’s early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! “An early reader shaped just like a chapter book: What’s not to love? . . . For emergent readers who view themselves as accomplished (or wish to be seen that way), this . . . might just be the perfect choice . . . Full-color illustrations of his humorously anthropomorphized hog family and just one or two sentences of easy, large-print text per page make this an inviting read for transitioning readers.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Amos the mouse and Boris the whale: a devoted pair of friends with nothing at all in common, except good hearts and a willingness to help their fellow mammal. They meet after Amos sets out to sea in his homemade boat, the Rodent, and soon finds himself in extreme need of rescue. Enter Boris. But there will come a day, long after Boris has gone back to a life of whaling about and Amos has gone back to his life of mousing around, when the tiny mouse must find a way to rescue the great whale. The tender yet comical story of this friendship is recorded in text and pictures that are a model of rich simplicity. Here, with apparent ease and concealed virtuosity, Caldecott medalist William Steig brings two winning heroes to life. Amos & Boris is a 1971 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, Notable Children's Book of the Year, and Outstanding Book of the Year.

Morris the Moose and Boris the Bear have three exasperating encounters.