A funny, touching picture book from Children's Laureate, and Charlie and Lola creator, Lauren Child. Rat lives in dustbin Number 3, Grubby Alley. At night, when he's tucked up in his crisp packet, Rat looks up at all the cosy windows and wonders what it would be like to belong to somebody. To be an actual pet. To have a home of his own . . . Gently exploring themes of homelessness and poverty, this is the perfect way to talk about this often tricky subject with young children and encourage them to empathise with others. At least 10% of the purchase price of every copy of That Pesky Rat sold will be donated to St Mungo's Broadway, a charity providing help, support and advice to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. 'Clever, rewarding and hugely enjoyable' Guardian 'Another little masterpiece from Lauren Child' Mail on Sunday Winner of the Nestle Children's Book Prize Gold Award

Sometimes . . . I look up at all the cozy windows and wonder what it would be like to live with creature comforts . . . to be a real pet. Most of all I would like to have a name, instead of just that pesky rat.

Benito loves owning the only store in his small rainforest village. But a pesky rat drives away all of Benito's customers! His sister suggests he get a boa constrictor to scare the rat away. None of the boas the neighbors bring seem quite right: too big, too small, too full. . . . Will Benito ever find the perfect boa? Perhaps the answer is closer than he thinks! The colorful, expressive illustrations of My Brother Needs a Boa are beautifully reborn in this new Level 4 Star Readers edition. With age--appropriate vocabulary, this book helps developing readers enhance their comprehension skills and experience life in Benito's village.

Elmore Green started life as an only child, as many children do. He had a room all to himself, and everything in it was his. But one day, everything changed. This brand new picture book from the hugely talented Lauren Child about the arrival of a new sibling is bound to be a hit with parents and children. Told with humour and with wonderfully stylish artwork, this is Lauren Child at her absolute best.

Prepare to be disgusted, amazed, shocked (and informed) by the astonishing and mysterious creature that has annoyed humanity for centuries: Rats! Able to claw straight up a brick wall, squeeze through a pipe the width of a quarter, and gnaw through iron and concrete, rats are also revealed in this fascinating book to be incredibly intelligent and capable of compassion. Weaving together science, history, culture, and folklore, award-winning writer Albert Marrin offers a look at rats that goes from the curious to repulsive, horrifying to comic, fearsome to inspiring. Arresting black-and-white scratchboard illustrations with bold red accents add visual punch to this study of a creature that has annoyed, disgusted, nourished, and intrigued its human neighbors for centuries. * "[A] lively and informative overview of the history and behavior of the widely encountered rodent.... It's a different sort of discussion... for this well-known historian and biographer and one that he has clearly enjoyed, as will a wide variety of nonfiction readers and animal fans. There's a bibliography of adult sources and children's nonfiction as well as a listing of literary works featuring rats." —School Library Journal, starred review “Pleasantly icky.” —Booklist A Junior Library Guild Selection Includes bibliography, further reading list, and a list of rats in literature

Crack open Ruby Redfort’s second adventure — and you will literally be on the edge of your wits. Everyone’s favorite girl detective is back for a second mind-blowing installment, packed with all the off-the-wall humor, action, and friendship of the first book. This time, though, it’s an adventure on the wide-open ocean, and Ruby is all at sea. . . . Can she crack the case of the Twinford pirates while evading the clutches of a vile sea monster as well as the evil Count von Viscount? Well, you wouldn’t want to bet against her.

When someone steals the winner's trophy for the school book project, Clarice emulates her favorite book heroine, Ruby Redfort the detective.