Erica S. Perl

After getting a job in a vintage clothing shop and quickly bonding with two older girls, fifteen-year-old Veronica finds herself making bad decisions in order to keep their friendship.

Vintage Veronica

In this version of the classic tale, a hungry goat pays a visit to the home of the three bears.

Goatilocks and the Three Bears

While preparing for their bar mitzvahs, comedy-obsessed Noah and Dash find their friendship threatened by a personal tragedy.

All three Stooges

Fed up with their sports-obsessed school, seventh-grade playwright Olive and her best friend Reynaldo decide to kidnap the school's capybara mascot in an attempt to get more benefits and respect for non-athletes.

A Novel in Three Acts

The Capybara Conspiracy

Prepare to be amazed as Louise (AKA The Great Louweezie) predicts the future in the first book of this easy-to-read series! Arnold is a large black bear. His best friend, Louise, is a small chipmunk. But one day, Louise insists she is NOT Louise--she's the Great Louweezie, and she can predict the future! But when the Great Louweezie's demands begin to test Arnold's patience, the game feels much less fun. What will happen if friendship isn't in their future?

The Great Louweezie #1

Jackie Urbanovic

Each of the animals at the zoo thinks of himself as King of the Zoo, but Carlos the Chameleon is sure that the crown is his, and he has at least one ally.

King of the Zoo

It's Hanukkah, and Max and Rachel are excited to light the menorah in their family's new apartment. But, unfortunately, their Hanukkah box is missing. Luckily, their neighbors happily help, offering thoughtful, often humorous, stand-ins each night. Then, just as Hanukkah is nearly done, Max and Rachel, inspired by the shamash ("helper") candle, have a brilliant idea: to celebrate the Ninth Night of Hanukkah as a thank you to everyone!

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah

Dolly Parton

From the legendary Dolly Parton comes a story about her god-dog and Instagram personality, Billy the Kid, who is hoping to make it big as a country music star in Nashville, Tennessee. French bulldog Billy the Kid was born with an ear for music. And not just any music. He loves barking to the beat of country music! So Billy sets out to Nashville to sing his heart out. But when he meets some big bullies at the Battle of the Bow-wows, Billy worries he's barking up the wrong tree. He'll need his favorite songs ("Jowlene" and "I Will Pawlways Love You," of course), a group of scrappy new friends, and his favorite country music star to regain self-confidence and be the star he always knew he could be. Written by Dolly Parton with Erica S. Perl and illustrated by MacKenzie Haley, this is a delightful picture book about standing up to people (and dogs) who put you down and finding the drive to achieve your dreams.

Dolly Parton's Billy the Kid Makes It Big

Veronica Walsh is 15, fashion-minded, fat, and friendless. Her summer job in the Consignment Corner section (Employees Only!) of a vintage clothing store is a dream come true. There Veronica can spend her days separating the one-of-a-kind gem garments from the Dollar-a-Pound duds, without having to deal with people. But when two outrageous yet charismatic salesgirls befriend her and urge her to spy on and follow the mysterious and awkward stock boy Veronica has nicknamed the Nail, Veronica’s summer takes a turn for the weird. Suddenly, what began as a prank turns into something else entirely. Which means Veronica may have to come out of hiding and follow something even riskier for the first time: her heart.

Humorous illustrations accompany silly rhyming text about a mother and her son as they do the grocery shopping and she falls victim to her son's jokes.

Chicken Butt's Back!

Erica S. Perl and Henry Cole team up once again to deliver spot-on humor with their unforgettable chicken character. In this cheeky (sorry!) sequel to the wildly fun Chicken Butt!, the young jokester and his chicken muse are back, but this time they're trying to trick Mom. She thinks she has caught on to the gag, but as she distractedly does the grocery shopping, she falls victim to a flurry of jokes using homonyms and homophones—words such as "dear" and "deer," and "which" and "witch." Wordplay has never been so much fun. Like Chicken Butt!, this story encourages children to participate in a call-and-response reading format that reinforces their reading skills. Praise for Chicken Butt's Back! "Coles’ tickled-pink cartoonish artwork gets right into the mix, the chocolate chip to the cookie dough. The denouement is so merrily explosive that just to imagine the shrieking voices of a read-aloud is mightily cheering.” –Kirkus Reviews “Cole's kinetic, acrylic and colored pencil cartoons strike the right tone of mild disobedience.” –Publishers Weekly “Fans of Chicken Butt! are going to love this sequel. This is the kind of book that siblings will beg to read to each other, especially since it’s set up for two voices.” –School Library Journal

Can a vegetable and a dessert really be friends? Find out in this sweet story of solidarity! Cookie and Carrot are a true dynamic duo. Carrot teaches Cookie how to dip (in hummus), and Cookie teaches Carrot how to dunk (in milk). But when Cookie and Carrot's other pals make fun of their friendship, the two start to wonder if different food groups can ever really be friends. Packed with plenty of puns, this satisfying tale of acceptance and forgiveness will leave kids asking for more. Exciting, easy-to-read books are the stepping stone a young reader needs to bridge the gap between being a beginner and being fluent.

When Carrot Met Cookie

You know what? What? Chicken butt! The classic schoolyard joke has been recast as an irreverent picture book, with call-and-response parts for parent and child. The word repetition in Erica S. Perl’s text, and wonderfully comic illustrations by beloved artist Henry Cole, make this a particularly inviting book for new readers, as does the opportunity to “trick†? a parent or other adult into participating in a very silly joke. The humor builds to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Warning: Kids will want to read this one over and over and over again! “An unhinged piece of slap-happy rhyming...rocket-propelled artwork...the romp is a powerful piece of cacophony, more frenetic by the moment.†?—Kirkus Reviews

Chicken Butt!

Young dog lovers will enjoy sniffing out the TRUTH about their favorite animals in this innovative Step 3 nonfiction reader. Dogs don't sniff each other's butts as often as we think, right? That's a LIE! The TRUTH is, dogs almost always greet each this way! It gives them lots of information about other dogs. Though this engaging early reader is 100% fun, 25% of it is FALSE! In a unique Q&A format, proficient readers are quizzed about dogs to see if they can separate facts from "lies." The book's mascot--the Truth Sleuth--guides readers through this funny and fact-packed book, which features photos and illustrations of a wide variety of canines. Step 3 Readers feature easy-to-follow plots about popular topics, for children who are ready to read on their own.

Truth or Lie: Dogs!

While hosting a tea party for her inanimate rock friends, Whale meets Quail and Snail and invites them to join.

Ready-to-Read Level 2

A Whale of a Tea Party

Arnold wants to celebrate the start of the cozy autumn season indoors. Louise does not. How can they celebrate fell if they're not celebrating together? In this story designed to engage early readers, charming characters combine with simple text, lively illustrations, and laugh-out-loud humor to help boost kids' confidence and create lifelong readers! On one brisk, chilly day, Arnold the bear is determined to stay inside and make popcorn balls. But his best friend, Louise the chipmunk, wants to be outside and make leaf piles. After all, the leaves have finally fallen to the ground, bringing the first day of what Louise calls fell, the season between fall and winter. An argument ensues, so they decide to do their preferred activities separately. But when they both realize that one thing is missing--each other--can they find a way to celebrate together? Exciting, easy-to-read books are the stepping stone a young reader needs to bridge the gap between being a beginner and being fluent.

Happy Fell #3

Zelly Fried has finally convinced her parents to let her get a dog, with the help of her grandfather Ace. Unfortunately, said dog (also named Ace) is a shoe-chewing, mud-tracking, floor-peeing kind of dog. Despite Zelly's best efforts to drag Ace (literally!) to puppy kindergarten, his flunking report card says it all: "This Ace is wild." Also wild is the other Ace in Zelly's life. Grandpa Ace has decided to begin dating again and is dining and dancing every night, against his doctor's orders. Determined to get both Aces under control, Zelly enlists the help of her two best friends, Allison and Jeremy (despite the fact that they don't quite see eye to eye). They need to come up with a plan, fast. But how? It's not like either Ace ever does what he's told.

Aces Wild

Goatilocks gobbles more than porridge in this fractured fairy tale that puts a hilarious twist on a favorite story. Once upon a time, there was a kid named Goatilocks. She lived down the road from a family of bears... Goatilocks can’t resist sampling first Papa Bear’s porridge, then Mama Bear’s porridge, then Baby Bear’s porridge—and his bowl and spoon, too. And it turns out Goatilocks has a taste for chairs and beds as well. Has Goatilocks devoured her way to disaster? What will happen when the Bear family returns home from their walk? This playful adaptation of a favorite fairy tale is full of tummy-rumbling fun.

with audio recording

Arnold, a bear who likes to collect things, reluctantly lends one of his treasures to best friend Louise the chipmunk, who often loses things.

Lost and Found #2

SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD HONOREE FOR OLDER READERS! WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE! An unforgettable coming-of-age story about comedy, loss, and friendship for fans of Jennifer L. Holm and Gary D. Schmidt. Spoiler alert: This book is not about the Three Stooges. It's about Noah and Dash, two seventh graders who are best friends and comedy junkies. That is, they were best friends, until Dash's father died suddenly and Dash shut Noah out. Which Noah deserved, according to Noa, the girl who, annoyingly, shares both his name and his bar mitzvah day. Now Noah's confusion, frustration, and determination to get through to Dash are threatening to destroy more than just their friendship. But what choice does he have? As Noah sees it, sometimes you need to risk losing everything, even your sense of humor, to prove that gone doesn't have to mean "gone for good." Equal parts funny, honest, and deeply affecting, All Three Stooges is a book that will stay with readers long after the laughter subsides. "Perl has created a moving coming-of-age journey steeped in Jewish traditions and comedic history, elegantly balancing humor with an honest look at the impact of suicide. Noah's genuine voice and tricky situation will have readers pulling for him."--Publishers Weekly "This novel is excellent on multiple fronts. A satisfying story that will appeal to all middle grade readers."--SLJ "Watching Noah repeatedly sliding on a banana peel (even, once, literally) gives readers plenty of occasions to wince, to chortle, and ultimately, to applaud."--Booklist "A welcome portrayal of a very difficult situation’s impact on someone not ready to deal with it—and there are plenty of funny moments to make it all easier to take."--Horn Book

Erica S. Perl

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