“Sam the Library Mouse is back in this gentle story about facing fears and learning new things” (School Library Journal). One night in the library, Sam meets fellow mouse Sarah. Sam learns that Sarah is quite the explorer. She loves to scurry to the tops of shelves and explore the darkest corners of the building. Sam never climbs far up—he’s too afraid! He prefers to research subjects—such as exploration—and write about them. Sarah doesn’t know much about writing or research, but could reading and research help her learn more about the places she wishes to visit? Together this duo shows that, with teamwork, anything is possible. “The gorgeous, bright gouache illustrations are meticulously detailed and expressive. The story is an excellent way to introduce research to the youngest patrons, which, according to Sam, is “how you find out about things.” This visually appealing offering fits beautifully into the library curriculum.” —School Library Journal

The celebrated author and illustrator brings to life the joys of reading, writing, and sharing in this tale of a boy’s discovery of the library mouse. Sam the library mouse loves to write, and the children love his little books, which he leaves on the library shelves for them to find. But no one at the library has ever met him. When Tom can’t find a partner for a book-making assignment and finds Sam’s secret hole behind the children’s reference section, will the pair be able to work together, or will Sam’s secret identity be spoiled forever? A heartwarming tale about collaboration and creative ambitions, this book will enchant any young aspiring author or illustrator.

Sam makes friends with a student working on a book-making project in the library. The student writes a story of his own that Sam illustrates.

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: One night in the library, Sam meets fellow mouse Sarah. Sam learns that Sarah is quite the explorer. She loves to scurry to the tops of shelves and explore the darkest corners of the building. Sam never climbs far up—he’s too afraid! He prefers to research subjects—such as exploration—and write about them. Sarah doesn’t know much about writing or research, but could reading and research help her learn more about the places she wishes to visit? Together this duo shows that, with teamwork, anything is possible.

The library mouse learns about architecture, homes, and renovations in this illustrated adventure. When Sam the library mouse and his friend Sarah wake to find the library being packed up to prepare for a major renovation, they realize they won’t have a home during the construction. So off they go in search of a new place to live. Sam knows research is key, so he finds books about architectural styles to get ideas for building a temporary home from objects found around the library. They build and live in a variety of houses: a castle, an igloo, a yurt, a modern house, and even a geodesic dome. But none feels like home to Sam. Finally, though, the renovation of the library is complete, and they can move back to their true home, the library! The book includes photos of the real house styles discussed in the text and a relevant glossary of architectural terms. Praise for Library Mouse: Home Sweet Home “Kirk’s familiar gouache illustrations maintain a mouse perspective filled with library details. This clever presentation of world housing types has three pages of backmatter that describes each style and its location. Not only is the story amusing, but the information will be useful in classrooms.” —Kirkus Reviews “Newcomers and fans of the previous titles will welcome this tale, and librarians will put it to good use in their research lessons.” —School Library Journal “This is a fine use of light fantasy to teach a little lesson about building structures, and it will be especially useful to those preparing children for the disruptions that come with home renovations.” —Booklist

This essential guide has exactly the right books to help you celebrate special days throughout the year—even "holidays" you've never heard of—and provides hundreds of fun titles and activities that could inspire your students to become life-long readers. Young students need to continually be presented with a vast variety of types of books, authors, illustrators, and subject matter in order to find the perfect concept or image that sparks their imagination, takes their comprehension to a new level, or helps them turn the corner to becoming a book lover. Nancy J. Polette's The Picture Book Almanac: Picture Books and Activities to Celebrate 365 Familiar and Unusual Holidays can be used year-round as a key to open that great literary treasure vault. The books Polette has painstakingly selected for their value as learning opportunities tie into both familiar and unusual holidays, ranging from official, nationally recognized holidays to obscure ones such as Milk Day and Thesaurus Day. The daily featured book titles cover the classics, such as books in the Paddington Bear series and Cinderella to outstanding current and just-published titles, collectively representing the best choices for collection building over time. This book is an excellent tool for collection development as well as an indispensable resource for reading teachers and classroom teachers.