Rumie, a forest dwelling mouse, longs to sail down the stream and find out where it leads. Unfortunately, it is spring and the season needs to see more rain before the stream will be deep enough for Uncle’s sail boat. However, after spotting a ladybird floating down the stream on a leaf, Rumie hatches an idea–they should build a raft! Uncle agrees to help out. They construct the raft and make plans to test it out together the next morning. Rumie wakes up bright and early and ready to raft, but Uncle is still sleeping. Rumie waits and waits, until they just can’t wait any longer, and they decide there’s no harm in testing out the raft alone. Rumie starts in the shallows, but rain from the night before made the current stronger than Rumie expected, and suddenly both Rumie and raft are swept away, down the stream. Before long, Rumie discovers exactly where the stream goes–right over a waterfall! The raft flips over and luckily, Uncle is there in time to throw Rumie a life buoy and pull them to shore. Back on the shore, Uncle reveals that he was up late the night before sewing life jackets. Rumie realizes that they should have waited for their Uncle instead of going out alone. As they row out onto the lake that afternoon together (with lifejackets on!), the ladybird floats by again. Suddenly, a new idea hatches, and Rumie’s head is filled with dreams of flying

Bing! Bang! Chugga! Beep! is the latest charming tale from rhyming pair Bill Martin Jr and Michael Sampson. This old car has been everywhere from the backyard to the sky, from the hills to the water. Bouncing between the mud in the ground and the clouds up high, the old car is loved by a clever young boy …

Buckle up for a little bear’s first flight in this adorable, light-as-air picture book by New York Times bestselling author Deborah Underwood and critically acclaimed artist Sam Wedelich. Follow a bear cub, their grownup, and their beloved stuffie Teddy as they make their way through the busy airport and cub’s first plane ride. Their destination? A bear-y special family reunion with grandma! This cheerful, rhyming, reassuring go-to for little ones preparing for their first (or second or tenth) flight is a gentle adventure full of accessible bear puns and delightful touches, plus a detailed map of the bear-port on the endpapers. Here’s the shuttle—climb inside. Time for your first bearplane ride!

It’s time to travel the world! Sing, dance, and play with children of other cultures