secrecyâ

Splat the Cat tries to plan the best surprise party ever for his friend Seymour. But Seymour gets worried by all the secrecy—does Splat not want to be friends anymore?

simple

PreS—A simple text and spacious spreads speak of the boundless love of a parent for a child, in this case Big Bear and Little Bear. The soft-focus illustrations blend well with the text to carry the message. However, some of the metaphors may be difficult for a preschooler to comprehend, such as, 'I love you as bright as the sun' or 'I love you as blue as the sky.' Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You (Candlewick, 2003), Barbara Joosee's Mama, Do You Love Me? (1991) and Papa, Do You Love Me? (2005, both Chronicle), and Margaret Wise Brown's The Runaway Bunny (HarperCollins, 1942) all convey the same emotions in more understandable terms.—Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

refreshingly

'[When I finished the book], I was sniffling and my eyes were moist: It's what's meant by the phrase 'being moved to tears.'...the book is beautifully written, authentic-sounding and smart....all the right traditional values are underscored: honesty, cleverness, generosity, trust.' - Philadelphia Inquirer'A touching and realistic portrait of gay teens. The characters are three-dimensional, and Russell narrates in a perfect teen patois that is often hilarious. Teens -- gay and straight -- will connect.' - Kirkus Reviews'Hartinger is a master at crafting a high school setting, and Russel, Min, Gunnar and all the rest are just great characters ... A brave, bold book.' - Bookslut.com'Lest any of this sounds angst-ridden, it's all leavened by Russel's chatty, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes enthusiastic teen voice. He addresses the reader like one teen telling his story to another, lending the story an immediacy and sense of reality, and his observations can be funny as well as refreshingly honest.' - Kliatt'The story transcends queer kid romance angst ... The Order of the Poison Oak, with its easygoing emphasis on the virtue of tolerance and the value of friendship, is a well-pitched novel for teen readers -- but one that will appeal to grownups with a yen for intelligent, humorous coming-of-age fiction.' - Richard Labonte's Book Marks'A delight ... funny, touching ... With this third novel from Brent Hartinger, I can see that he is an author who is only becoming more accomplished. (Highest Rating)' - Midwest Book Review'Superb. 5Q (Highest Rating)' - VOYA