Follow-up to Kit Chase’s popular and utterly charming debut, Oliver’s Tree, starring Lulu, Charlie, and Oliver The weather is stormy and Lulu is disappointed that she can’t play outside, so she makes a special Rainy Day Treat and plans the perfect party for her friends Oliver and Charlie. But when it’s time to taste the creamy hot chocolate, they quickly realize something went very wrong. Lulu is devastated that her party is ruined, but with some quick-thinking, Charlie and Oliver figure out a delicious solution to save the day! Kit Chase offers a sweet ode to friendship in this tale of three best friends who are always ready to use their imaginations and help each other out.

"Lulu is excited to have her friends Oliver and Charlie over for a rainy day party, but something goes wrong with her special treat and Lulu fears that her party is ruined, so her friends come to the rescue and save the day"--

Let the celebration begin! Whether you want to throw the best birthday bash ever or you’re dreaming up a just-for-fun sleepover extravaganza with your friends, Faithgirlz! has you covered. Packed full of creative and crazy-fun ideas, this book contains everything you need to know to plan fifteen great get-togethers from start to finish. From holiday parties to secret garden soirees, cookie bake-offs for a cause to “glamping” slumber parties, you and your BFFs will get detailed how-tos and plenty of tips for designing cute crafts, décor, munchies, and more. Plus, clever ideas throughout show you how to turn every day into a special occasion! Have a blast from invitation to gracious goodbye—all on a crafty girl’s budget.

Lulu the ladybug and her friends have a great time at her birthday party, even after it starts to rain.

A board book about three adorable best friends! Oliver, Charlie, and Lulu love to play outside together. Their favorite game is hide-and-seek, but it’s not fun for Oliver when his friends hide in the trees—he can’t reach them! So the friends set off to find a tree that Oliver can play in. But there’s a reason we don’t see elephants in trees, and just when Oliver is ready to give up the search, Charlie and Lulu surprise him with the perfect tree for them all to play in together!

2-5 yrs.

Most New Yorkers have very little knowledge of how influence is wielded in Albany. This acclaimed book offers a chance to look behind those closed doors. The authors - an Albany-based political scientist and a former State Assembly member, now joined by an expert on political blogging and networking - infuse their discussion of institutions and processes with the drama and significance of real power politics. Completely revised and updated with extensive new material, the book covers recent political developments and electoral contests as well as all the basics: constitutional issues; historical, economic, social, and demographic factors; the functioning of executive, legislative, and judicial institutions; urban, local, and special district governments; parties, interest groups, and bureaucracies; and, finance, budgets, health, education, and welfare programs. Throughout, the authors are attentive to the many paradoxes and dualities that distinguish political, social, and economic life in the Empire State.