Originally published in 2014 by Beach Lane Books.

A centipede in a shoe, revelations in a shoebox, nosebleeds, exploding women, and a dead mouse named Miraculous populate this collection of thirty-five short stories from one of India's most original young writers. "Not merely lyrical and strange, but also deadpan funny. I can't shake the feeling that I know this woman, personally like we hung out at a party or something. But I don't, and we didn't. She's just that good."

Real-life 7-year-old Sophia Spencer was bullied for loving bugs until hundreds of women scientists rallied around her. Now Sophie tells her inspiring story in this picture book that celebrates women in science, bugs of all kinds, and the importance of staying true to yourself. Makes a perfect gift for nature lovers on Earth Day and every day! Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder--and wouldn't leave!--at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies... but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia's mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response--letters, photos, and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs--and it worked! Sophia has since appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NPR, and she continues to share her love of bugs with others.

Is something bugging you? Bestselling award-winner David Shannon shows the funny side of waging war against -- oh no! -- head lice. This book is guaranteed to make you laugh -- and itch! From the opening picture of a happy, oversized louse appearing with his suitcases, you know these bugs are determined to stay, and Mom is about to go nuts! Nobody talks about them, but they are everywhere. (Some estimate 20 million children a year host them.) Oh the shame and humiliation of having bugs in your hair! But if you go to school, or have play dates, chances are good you might meet them someday. Maybe you already have! Lucky for you, the unwelcome bugs in this story are so funny you will be laughing aloud -- even when Mom attacks them with battle-tested anti-lice weapons.Shannon peppers his hilarious scenes with fun, "nitpicking" facts about these "lousy" critters and pokes fun at common denial: "It's probably ash from that volcano in Pogo Pogo."Soon the party's over -- Bye bye, Little Nasties! Once again Shannon has created a fresh, highly entertaining read-aloud classic that begs to be read again and again.

Bugs are for the birds! Lisbon is hungry and it’s hard to wait for dinner. When her animal friends try to help her find something tasty to eat, the real the problems begin! Join Lisbon on her funny misadventures. Each beautiful illustration is designed to inspire the imaginations of children. An activity page at the end of the book allows for more fun as they search for special items in the illustrations. This version of I Don't Want to Eat Bugs has been designed specifically for ebook with a fixed layout and larger text for easy reading. While this is a great read-aloud book for parents, teachers, and other adults to share with children, we have chosen fonts that are similar to the way children form letters for easy recognition as they begin to read on their own. The print book is also available in 8.5” x 11” format. Author’s Note: I Don't Want to Eat Bugs was written for my daughter, who was two when I wrote this story and didn’t like salad, but now she’s four and a half and loves it—if I give her plenty of salad dressing! (But don’t worry—this isn’t a book about eating salad.) Of course birds, cats, and dogs have a very different idea of what's good to eat, but through this fun adventure, Lisbon learns there is also food meant just for her—and it's good, especially compared with all the offerings from her animal friends. My daughter and I privately call this book the "Ice Cream Story" (she LOVES ice cream so there had to be ice cream involved), and now whenever something funny happens, she says, "We should write a new ice cream story about that." And we have! I Don't Want to Eat Bugs is the first book in a planned series called Lisbon’s Misadventures. I’ve written the next three books in the series, and Tim Petersen is hard at work creating the illustrations. Tim is obviously a fabulous artist, and I’m excited to be working with him. You can sign up on my website to learn when the next book comes out (http://teylarachelbranton.com/). Thank you and enjoy!

Some bugs hop. Some bugs make honey. Some bugs light up the sky! Come explore the amazing world of bugs! The friendly bugs that crawl all over these pages include hungry caterpillars, busy ants, and graceful dragonflies. Which one is your favorite?