Children’s Books
My Lala
Lala wakes up one morning and decides that she owns the world. Quick as a fox, she bounds to her box of treasures and finds her shiny red dots — to mark what is hers, because there's nothing that's not!
Lala's bear gets a dot, as does her blankie, boots, and even the markers she uses to make scrawls on her walls. When she finishes labeling everything in her room and goes to label her dad-daddy’s socks, Lala realizes that she’s out of dots! But when Lala discovers that she can simply create her own red dots, will anything be safe from Lala?
Join rambunctious Lala on her quest to own the world in this joyful picture book that celebrates confidence and positive thinking.
Coyote Tales
Two tales, set in a time “when animals and human beings still talked to each other,” display Thomas King’s cheeky humor and master storytelling skills. Freshly illustrated and reissued as an early chapter book, these stories are perfect for newly independent readers.
In Coyote Sings to the Moon, Coyote is at first the cause of misfortune. In those days, when the moon was much brighter and closer to the earth, Old Woman and the animals would sing to her each night. Coyote attempts to join them, but his voice is so terrible they beg him to stop. He is crushed and lashes out — who needs Moon anyway? Furious, Moon dives into a pond, plunging the world into darkness. But clever Old Woman comes up with a plan to send Moon back up into the sky and, thanks to Coyote, there she stays.
In Coyote’s New Suit, mischievous Raven wreaks havoc when she suggests that Coyote’s toasty brown suit is not the finest in the forest, thus prompting him to steal suits belonging to all the other animals. Meanwhile, Raven tells the other animals to borrow clothes from the humans’ camp. When Coyote finds that his closet is too full, Raven slyly suggests he hold a yard sale, then sends the human beings (in their underwear) and the animals (in their ill-fitting human clothes) along for the fun. A hilarious illustration of the consequences of wanting more than we need.
A Coyote Solstice Tale
Trickster Coyote is having his friends over for a festive solstice get-together in the woods when a little girl comes by unexpectedly. She leads the party-goes through the snowy woods to the mall—a place they have never seen before. Coyote gleefully shops with abandon, only to discover that filling your shopping cart with goodies is not quite the same thing as actually paying for them…
Coyote’s New Suit
Coyote’s back and he’s stirring up trouble again—or is he?
Coyote loves his soft, toasty brown suit—at least until Raven hints that it might not be the finest in the forest. Suddenly, Coyote is noticing suits wherever he looks: Bear’s is certainly impressive, Porcupine’s is sporty, Raccoon’s is positively chic, and Skunk’s is perfect for formal occasions. No one would mind if he borrowed them for awhile, would they?
Soon the forest is in an uproar. With their suits missing and nothing to wear, the animals don’t know what to do—until Raven makes an unusual suggestion. When the situation threatens to get completely out of hand, only Raven can set things right.
Coyote Sings to the Moon
Every evening, Old Woman and the animals gather at the pond to serenade the moon. When Coyote overhears them, he knows that what they really need is a good tenor.
Clearing his throat and checking his teeth with his tongue, he gallantly offers his services. But the other animal’s recoil in horror, telling him that his atrocious singing voice will scare the moon away.
“Hummph,” says Coyote, whose feelings are hurt. “Why would anyone want to sing to the moon, anyway?” In fact, he wonders, who needs the moon at all? All she does is make the sky so bright it’s almost impossible to get a good night sleep.
But Moon is listening, and she decides it’s time to teach ill-mannered Coyote a lesson. So she packs her bags, slides out of the sky, and dives deep into the pond, leaving the animals in utter darkness.
When all their efforts fail to entice Moon to return, Old Woman and the animals concoct one final, desperate scheme to get her back into the sky.
A Coyote Columbus Story