Patricia Lakin

Roscoe the raccoon happily lives alone in a junkyard, but when three visitors come looking for a new home, he discovers he can create more with others than he ever could on his own--and together they can build an environment that is better for everyone.

Early one morning, a young boy wakes to the light of his alarm clock. He puts on his hearing aids and clothes, then goes to wake his father. Together they brave the cold as they walk down the dirt road that leads to the beach. Lakin's understated story reminds readers that sometimes the best way to communicate doesn't involve words, while Steele's watercolor illustrations show that beauty is never far away.

When construction puts a friend's concert at risk, the Tinkerers agree: the show must go on! When road construction wakes Gus the groundhog from his hibernation a week early, the Tinkerers are more than happy to take him in. Before long, their new friend reveals that he has a special talent: he can play the ukulele! Every spring, Gus puts on a concert for his family and friends to celebrate the season, but this year, between the construction and...

Four crocodile friends have many adventures during a camp-out.

"Go behind the scenes and learn how craftsman Aaron Dykstra makes one-of-a-kind bicycles by hand with this nonfiction book that's full of photographs and illustrations about his process. Aaron Dykstra of Six-Eleven Bicycles in Roanoke, Virginia, got his first job at a small local bike shop when he was fifteen and he spent the majority of his teen years riding and racing bikes. After a stint in the air force, Aaron realized his true passion was on...

Max and Mo, the class hamsters, have fun after the students return from picking apples. Includes instructions for making apple prints and a recipe for applesauce.

Four young crocodiles find all sorts of ways to keep busy on a rainy day.

Describes some of the creative and subversive tactics the United States used to win the Revolutionary War, including sending secret messages, using invisible ink, and devloping ciphers.