Filled with humor and brought to life by the beautiful illustrations of Vuthy Kuon, this book offers not only a chance for children to laugh, but also an opportunity for them to realize the value of what is different and special about themselves.

"Elmer is a special needs Dachshund who lives at Danny and Ron's Rescue, but he longs to be adopted, and when he attracts the attention of a family he is willing to do anything to impress them -- including working hard at the agility course for the pet talent show."--

Once a year on Elmer's Day, all the elephants decorate themselves and have a parade, and this year Elmer comes up with a plan to include the other animals as well as the elephants. Children's BOMC Alt.

A young carpenter starts a new life in a small New England town where he makes toys for an unscrupulous boss. He meets a single mother and helps her sons? gang, The Airlords, build Buck Rogers spaceship looking sleds to race. They expose the boss's sham and on Dec. 24th he delivers toys to every child so they can ?feel fortunate, even if it's for just one day'. Along the way he earns the love of the single mother and her sons.

Wonderfully funny and also deeply touching, I Am One of You Forever is the story of a young boy's coming of age. Set in the hills and hollows of western North Carolina in the years around World War II, it tells of ten-year-old Jess and his family -- father, mother, grandmother, foster brother, and an odd assortment of other relatives -- who usher Jess into the adult world, with all its attendant joys and sorrows, knowledge and mystery. Jess's father is feisty, restless, and fun-loving. His mother is straitlaced and serious but accepts with grace and good humor the antics of the men of the family, a trait she learned from her own mother. Johnson Gibbs is the orphaned teenager who comes to live with them on their mountain farm. Life on the laurel-covered mountain is isolated and at times difficult, but for Jess it is made rich and remarkable through his relationship with his father and, especially, Johnson Gibbs. Visiting the farm from time to time is a gallery of eccentric relatives who are surely among the most memorable creations in recent fiction. Uncle Luden is a womanizer who left the mountains years ago for a job in California that "paid actual cash money." Uncle Gurton has a spooky way of appearing and disappearing without ever seeming to enter or exit, but it is his flowing beard, which he has apparently never trimmed and which he keeps tucked inside his overalls, that is of most fascination to Jess. Uncle Zeno is a storyteller. With the words "That puts me in mind of..." everyone around knows that he is about to launch into another of his endless tales. Uncle Runkin, who always brings his handmade coffin to sleep in whenever he visits, spends his time carving intricate designs into the coffin and trying to find just the right epitaph for his tombstone. Aunt Samantha Barefoot stops by for a brief spell, too. A country singer and cousin to Jess's grandmother, she is a woman of uncensored speech (Jess learns a lot from her) and honest emotions. Chappell tells the story of all of these characters in a series of chapters that range from fantasy and near farce to pathos. As notable for its lyrical descriptions of the rural settings as for its finely honed vernacular dialogue, I Am One of You Forever shows us a world full of wit and wisdom and the sadness at the heart of things. As one would expect from a poet like Fred Chappell, every line offers its own pleasures and satisfactions.