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The challenges of overcoming our differences and the joys of new friendships are captured in the whimsical illustrations of the world-renowned float designer Blaine Kern (1927-2020). The debut story written by his wife, Holly, uses songlike verses to take beginning readers on a dreamlike tour under the sea. There, wanderers meet a tree that is totally out of its element. Rooted to the sea floor yet surrounded by the wonders of the ocean, the tree realizes how lonely life is without friends. It is so hard to make friends when we are different! When the tree's new companions are threatened, it uses their differences to save the day. In typical Mr. Mardi Gras® fashion, the story ends with the aquatic playmates coming together in a parade celebrating their friendship.

Barnacle Brown is a seafaring hound, but even he is surprised by the dangerous storm that sinks his boat and leaves him stranded in the ocean, far from home. Thank goodness he wore his life jacket! But there is no way that even a hound as brave as Barnacle Brown can swim through the ocean's waves and back to shore all by himself. Just when the pup fears all is lost, a friendly loggerhead turtle arrives to bring him safely back to the beach. One good turn deserves another so he promises to help Loggerhead Lou, his new friend, protect her vulnerable hatchlings on their own journeys to the sea. This sweet tale of helping those in need contains a fact sheet about loggerhead turtles and includes ways young readers can play a part in protecting this endangered species.

Author Ed Shankman and illustrator Dave O'Neill turn their attention to Vermont and one of that state's great legends: Champ, the Monster of Lake Champlain. Champ is seen through the eyes of a likable tomboy, who sets out from her favorite spot by a maple tree and finds herself by the lakeshore. She meets Champ, who turns out to be a very kid-friendly monster--inviting the girl to sit on his head and ride with him through the Vermont countryside. Together, these unlikely friends dash past farms and mills and over covered bridges, meet some cows, eat some maple syrup-covered cheese, and eventually return to the girl's favorite maple tree. The charming story ends as it began: If you come to Vermont / Near a lake called Champlain, / And you cut through the woods / On an old country lane, There's a chance you will see / My friend Champ and me / Playing happy and free / By the old maple tree.

From the dynamic duo behind The Lake I Love and I Met a Moose in Maine One Day comes a moving and unforgettable tail of mindfulness, friendship, and discovering the magic of letting yourself just be.

Leo the lizard spends his days relaxing in the desert sand, gazing at the sky, and basking in the sun. The other desert animals think Leo is lazy, but the roadrunner isn't so sure . . . could it be that Leo has learned something the others have not? Perhaps there is more to this lazy-looking lizard than truly meets the eye?

With its playfully melodic rhymes and stunning desert illustrations, Leo the Lazy Lizard invites readers of all ages to discover the beauty of quiet moments - to smell every scent, feel every breeze, and love how they feel 'cause they feel so at ease! A true celebration of mindfulness, connection, and learning to appreciate the things that make us all so wonderfully unique, Leo the Lazy Lizard will delight families for generations to come!

Meet Little Laveau as she journeys around the Louisiana bayou helping friends and animals wherever she adventures. In the first of The Adventures of Little Laveau, her friend Thomas is having bad dreams and is too scared to sleep. Little Laveau has just the magical cure for his bedtime blues in this delightful and encouraging picture book. Watercolor illustrations that capture the mystery of the bayou accompany this tale perfect for beginning readers--whether they live in Louisiana or not!

Surrounded by the waters of the Mississippi, the blooming magnolias, and the buzzing mosquitoes, a solitary raccoon made his home in a cypress trunk.

As yet another Christmas approached with no friends to share the holiday season, Roux vowed to make a change. He built a tall bonfire, in the Cajun tradition, in hopes that Papa Noel would see the warm light of the flames on his Christmas Eve flight. 

Roux tucked himself into bed that cold, lonely night with not an inkling that Santa would indeed stop by his swampy abode. The jolly man in red brought gifts for the raccoon who had been nice all year, but gifts, he knew, were not what would bring little Roux cheer. As Santa set off to continue his Christmas Eve rounds, he scoured the bayous and towns for what would make Roux’s holiday complete. Can Santa find the perfect present to save Roux’s Christmas? 

This heartwarming story about the power of hope and the magic of friendship is sure to brighten your holiday reading. Children will enjoy this story of an unlikely friendship set in the southern swamps that references customs and traditions familiar to the littlest Cajuns. A recipe for Roux’s Bayou Stew completes this special tale.

The team who brought grins to young readers with The Boston Balloonies and I Met a Moose in Maine have created a third charmer about a family of codfish and their friends. According to Shankman's rhyming narrative: The Cods of Cape Cod / Love their summer vacation, / And though they could go / Anywhere in the nation, / They keep coming back / To their favorite location, / 'Cause they know that Cape Cod's / A vacation sensation! The Cods of Cape Cod / Have a house on the beach, / And it's just the right size, / With a fish tank for each. . . . To this colorful fish-friendly house come the Cods' many fishy friends, shrimp comes from Sandwich, bass from Mashpee, swordfish from Chatham, and so on. And boy, do they know how to have fun!

The Sea Lion's Friend is the tale of an unlikely friendship between a sea lion and a sea gull--two inseparable buddies who do all kinds of fun things together. Readers will be touched by this tale of best friendship. As with all Shankman & O'Neill books, the bouncing, Seussian rhymes and colorful illustrations make this a story to read again and again!

Flora Martus lived on Elba Isle near Savannah, Georgia, in the early 1900s. Her family were the lighthouse keepers, and the little girl Flora grew up to be a light for others in her own way, waving to ships at sea for more than forty years.