Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Animals & Nature

David Dixon is full of big, messy, wacky, wonderful ideas. Today he has the Best Idea Ever: bring in his new dachshund puppy, Bandit, for show-and-tell. But when it’s time to present, Bandit escapes! David races off to find him, but as he’s searching, David turns into a dachshund himself! As dogs, he and Bandit have a blast. They raid the cafeteria pantry, jump in a soapy sink, and run around the playground. But when the school janitor chases them and David can’t change back, he starts to wonder whether this was a big, messy, wacky, wonderful idea—or just a big mess.

I bet you've seen a furry gray animal scurrying across the highway late at night—you know, the one with the pink snout and long tail? That's an opossum, and it is a marsupial. Did you know that it is related to all sorts of different animals, including the kangaroo and the Tasmanian devil? Welcome to the wild, wonderful world of marsupials, a group of mammals found around the globe, though mostly in Australia and Southern Asia.

Madison loves helping people. So when it’s time for her class to plan an activism project, she knows this is her chance to prove she’s a leader. But when her ideas get shot down, she starts to feel small … really small. In fact, Madison turns into a mouse! Madison is panicked. Leaders do NOT have squeaky voices, whiskers, and tails! To change back, she will have to prove to others, and to herself, just what tiny beings can do—but first, she has to avoid getting stepped on.

Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head—the colors, the branches, and, most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. Meg set out to climb up and investigate the rain forest tree canopies—and to be the first scientist to do so. But she encountered challenge after challenge. Male teachers would not let her into their classrooms, the high canopy was difficult to get to, and worst of all, people were logging and clearing the forests. Meg never gave up or gave in.

Life is good for Cal—and his Panda Bear, Pudding! The family stage-show Panda-Mime is a hit, and there's talk of a Hollywood film. But is it too good to be true? A nosy reporter is sniffing around, and if she discovers that Pudding's a real-life bear, then all their dreams will be dashed.

Frank the cat has it good: Tons of toys, unlimited Whiskies™ and space and quiet to stretch and nap and think and write. Then his people bring home a box. A box with something unexpected inside. A puppy. A puppy who doesn’t know the rules of naps. A puppy who slobbers and tackles and barks. This won’t do. Frank will just have to find a better home. Should be easy, right?

HIS NAME IS REX DEXTER. Yes. THAT Rex Dexter. The one cursed with the ability to see and talk to dead animals. The solver of atrocities against the four-footed. The savior of the flipper-finned. Save your standing ovation for later, because Rex has bigger things on his mind.

Twelve-year-old Grace is desperate for a puppy. All she wants is someone to love - and to love her back. Someone who’ll make her new stepfather’s house feel like home. Christmas morning, Grace springs out of bed hopeful that her dreams are about to come true. But the present that awaits her isn’t soft and furry. It’s not a puppy at all - it’s a pig.

To some kids, Amelia's life sounds like the ultimate fantasy. She and her brothers are homeschooled by their adventurous parents, and the family travels around the country in an RV, scaling mountains, rappelling down canyons, and skiing down double black diamond slopes.There's just one problem - Amelia didn't inherit the family's daredevil gene. She's terrified of heights and would give anything to be reading instead of careening down a mountain. She's also desperate for the chance to attend a regular school and make real friends.

There is a great commotion in the beehive. The bees are cramped, they can’t play games, and after many complex calculations, it seems there is one bee too many! Who was it? Was she eating their honey? Could they identify her buzz? And once they did, what would they do with her?

Meet DJ Funkyfoot! He’s a Chihuahua and a butler! Meet Wolfgoose Pigwig! He's a very fancy, very famous opera star. When Wolfgoose Pigwig calls looking for the very best butler, DJ Funkyfoot jumps at the opportunity. But helping out this fancy star isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Wolfgoose’s demands keep getting more and more absurd. And so do the disasters. Robbery! Wrecks! Romance! And even … rapping?

It's her birthday! Not only is she having a fun party with her friends, but she’s also getting the most perfect present from her dad: a puppy! Mindy has wanted a dog ever since she can remember. She knows that a dog will be just the thing to cheer her dad up, too.

The Chicken Squad is back for its sixth (mis)adventure, and this time, there's a headless bear on the loose, and the Chicken Squad's beloved Barbara has gone missing!

While out searching for food, fruit bat Stellaluna and her mother are attacked by a vicious owl. Stellaluna is separated from Mother Bat and taken in by a family of birds where she must put aside her bat habits to fit in with her new family. But one fateful flight when she is separated from her adoptive siblings, Stellaluna is reunited with her bat family and learns that even though we're different, we're very much the same.

Can a perky little bird with an eye for neatness and a very messy monster find a way to be friends? Kalinka's a showy little bird with an eye for neatness, but her grumpy neighbor Grakkle doesn't care one bit about cleaning. He just wants to relax in his favorite chair and soak his feet in a cool bucket of pickle juice. "Grakk!" he complains as Kalinka "tidies up" his messes. "You're welcome," she responds. They simply aren't on the same wavelength. Can an unfortunate accident, plus a little humor and empathy, help an odd couple like this see eye to eye?

Barkus is back! With new tricks, new friends, and lots more fun. The lovable Barkus and his lucky young owner romp through this delightful series from Newbery Medal-winning author Patricia MacLachlan. The simple text told in short chapters is just right for children ready to take their first steps toward listening on their own.

Twelve-year-old Natalia Rose Baleine Gallagher loves possibilities: the possibility that she'll see whales on the beach near her new home, the possibility that the trans-gender boy she just met will become her new best friend, the possibility that the paparazzi hounding her celebrity father won't force them to move again. Most of all, Nat dreams of the possibility that her faraway mother misses her, loves her, and is just waiting for Nat to find her....

Hockey is Conor's life. His whole life. He'll say it himself, he's a hockey beast. It's his dad's whole life too - and Conor is sure that's why his stepmom, Jenny, left. There are very few things Conor and his dad love more than the game, and one of those things is their Doberman, Sinbad. When Sinbad is diagnosed with cancer, Conor chooses to put his hockey lessons and practices on hold so they can pay for Sinbad's chemotherapy. But without hockey to distract him, Conor begins to notice more. Like his dad's crying bouts, and his friend's difficult family life.

Pinduli's mama has always told her that she's the most beautiful hyena ever. But Dog, Lion, and Zebra don't think so. Why else would they make her feel so rotten about her big ears, her fuzzy mane, and her wiggly stripes? Poor Pinduli just wants to disappear. But then a case of mistaken identity lets her show the creatures of the African savanna how a few tiny words can create something enormous.

Tyrannosaurus Rex wants breakfast. He stomps and he roars and he gnashes his pointy teeth - and he scares all the other dinosaurs right out of the forest. Only Edna, the very first chicken, stands her ground. T. rex may have mighty claws and terrible jaws, but Edna has a mighty beak and terrible flapping wings. And sometimes, all it takes to defeat someone big and fierce is someone small and brave.