Pelican Publishing Children's Books

A grandfather reminisces about his service as a Tuskegee Airman.

Drifting down the bayou the night after Christmas, Boudreau discovers a fat alligator named Pierre, whom he takes home as a pet. The Boudreau children give Pierre their full attention, much to Pierre�s dismay, but in the end, it�s a very happy Cajun night after Christmas all through the year!

Saint Emergency Nick pays the hospital staff a surprise visit on Christmas Eve with helpful elves, new supplies, and even a Christmas tree.

Ride along with Jenny for another fun adventure in the Big Easy!

Jenny Giraffe's second New Orleans adventure begins with an invitation to attend her friend T-Boy's birthday party—on a rolling streetcar on the St. Charles line! Jenny is not sure what a streetcar is. Once her adopted family convinces her to try the new experience even though she is scared, she joins her friends aboard the historic streetcar. Decorated with ribbons and balloons, the party car rolls down the tracks! The streetcar, filled with happy children and one young giraffe, travels along St. Charles Avenue through the American and University sectors of the city and on to the Garden District. Jenny enjoys herself and gains confidence in this charming tale.

It's the night before Halloween, and these witches still have many last-minute things to do! In this spooky parody of Clement C. Moore's famous Christmas poem, the witches are up to their elbows in cobwebs and slime, trying to make sure their witchlings are well prepared for their first Halloween broomstick ride. Featuring witches like Mad-Maud and Snaggle-Tooth-Ruth and plenty of ghouls, zombies, monsters, skeletons, and moldy cellars that will satisfy all Halloween lovers, this good-natured book about these wickedly fun witches will have kids more amused than frightened.

'Twas a week before yuletide and things were asunder within the law office of Bluff, Bluster, and Blunder. This attorney-oriented parody of the popular poem focuses on large fees, paralegals, and torts--all in good fun. The lawyers at this firm proudly proclaim, "Merry Christmas to all! We do slips and falls here!"

Monsters, fractions, and cake, oh my!

Mariah's baking a cake for some monsters, and the measurements are all messed up. Who knew that 2 half cups equal 1 whole cup! Mariah is so confused. Does 30 minutes really equal a half of an hour? Brennan tries to help her figure it all out, smirking all the way, but the monsters will be coming over soon! Quick, bake that cake! Soon the cake is finished, smelling perfectly boggish, just like Mariah wanted . . . But, wait, Brennan wonders, why are monsters coming over anyway?

This extra special and delightfully silly story teaches children fractions in a fun, exciting way, all while showing the special power of friendship and the funny way perspective can be skewed. An action packed and sweet tasting activity is included at the end of the story so all little 'monsters' can bake along!

Whales and walruses! That's not a pirate's hat!

One day Paulina, engrossed in a book about the many types of hats, accidentally wanders onto a pirate ship only to sit on the captain's headdress. When the captain comes up to get his now squashed topper, Paulina, newly knowledgeable about hats, sees that his headgear isn't the right fit for a pirate ship's captain! She leads the crew on a madcap chase around the globe from Borka Borka Island to Polly Golly Canyon to find suitable parts for a faultless topper. Fish bones and flippers! Will they ever find the right pirate chapeau for the captain?

This uplifting, silly story is satisfying for any child from the swashbuckling to the scholarly and perfect for any parent who wants a phenomenal tale on the power of knowledge to be found in books.

When a scary situation causes a dinosaur-sized transformation, how will he adapt?

When Gregory wakes up in the body of a dinosaur on the morning of his class presentation, he's worried. He is scheduled to talk about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs and he has practiced all week so he won't be scared in front of the class but he didn't plan for this! As soon as Gregory gets out of bed, everything starts to go wrong. He spills the orange juice, forgets his diorama, and can only speak in roar. What is he going to do when his favorite teacher, Mrs. Anning, calls on him to present his project?

In this loose adaptation of the literary classic by Franz Kafka author Paul Many encourages children not to give up when things get scary. Stan Jaskiel's humorous illustrations show Gregory adapting to his startling new reality and, once he has, everything changes!

In the town of Oyville, the children were preparing for Hanukkah. But the kvetch who lived high on the hill said what he said every year: "The latkes smell bad, the dreidels make me dizzy, and to hear children laugh puts me in a tizzy." This year, will Hanukkah represent another great miracle, finally bringing a smile to the kvetch's face?

How would the animals celebrate their Seder? There's mayhem at the zoo when not a single animal can find a Haggadah that isn't too worn to read. Then, Shai Elephant remembers the ceremony and soon each animal has its own role in the Pesach celebration. This fanciful and funny Passover verse invites all to share a tongue-twister, chant the Dah-yaynoo with Horsey, steal the Afikoman with a Baboon, and end the meal with Lion's Ma-Roar.

She may be spineless, but this invertebrate has a lot of backbone!

A great big tale about peach pickin' fun. Join Tall Papa Tom, Pretty Mama May, Little Buddy Earl, and the rest of the bunch as they head to the Peach Pickin' Festival. Little Buddy Earl yodels each time they pass a field, but what's the use of that? His yodel soon comes in handy when he turns a tiny peach into the largest in the land! Complete with a recipe for peach cobbler, this tale about teamwork proves that sometimes the smallest person can be the biggest help.

When someone mysteriously takes bites from Lydia's birthday cupcakes, the whole class suspects the new kid, whose name not even the teacher, Mr. Eliot, can remember. But Kevin O'Malley is the only one who knows how to get Lucky to stop playing pranks and help the children with their homework.

Upsie Downsie has convinced his mother he's having trouble falling asleep, so she brings in the neighborhood experts to help. They try lullabies, tedious recitations, storytelling, a massage, a warm bath, and even counting, but they all succumb to sleep, leaving Upsie to the next neighbor.

A holiday "who done it" for kids. Tallie's Christmas lights were stolen, and she's determined to track down the culprit. Was it the mail man? Her slobbery pup Fuego? To find out, Tallie dons her spy gear, sets a trap, finds the thief, and trades him a more suitable decoration to get her glowing candy canes back.

The highly anticipated sequel to This Side of Paradise-which Kirkus heralds as an "an entertaining, suspenseful thriller"-Paradise Lost delivers the same chilling scenarios and head-scratching secrets that fans expect from author Steven L. Layne. After a summer break, former wallflower Chase Maxfield returns to school with a new found confidence to match his sudden, yet classic, good looks. But Jack Barrett suspects something sinister is behind Chase's unexpected transformation, and his skepticism only grows as other eerie events occur. When Jack's grandmother is mysteriously poisoned, his brother disappears, and his girlfriend soon develops an interest in someone else, Jack becomes even more determined to discover the truth. Packed with action and off-the-wall incidents, this fast-paced novel invites readers on an adventure that builds momentum until the very last page.

A young peasant boy convinces his poor but wise father to enter a contest to solve the warlord's puzzle, which is actually the original tangram. Recommended by the Califorina Department of Education.

Libby longs to be a great librarian like her aunt Nora, and it just chaps her hide when kids vandalize books. She hangs up Wanted posters to drive the "outlaws" from her "territory." But when she realizes that a librarian's real job isn't protecting books but connecting them with readers, she must find a way to lure them back.

Meerkats and other animals, birds, and insects from southern Africa's Kalahari Desert star in this engagingly illustrated cooking safari for young people. Funny, "wildly" educational, and sometimes yucky facts about these creatures are accompanied by recipes such as Dung Beetle Pancakes (using either real dung beetles or breakfast sausages), Sun Spider Bundles (using either real sun spiders or tuna), and Spaghetti with Grasshopper Heads (using either real grasshoppers or peas). The author guides safaris in southern Africa, directs a meerkat wildlife center, and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London.