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Hello, Grass Roots Readers,
What better gift to give a child than that of reading? Featured in this week's special newsletter are selected titles that make excellent gifts for young readers of all ages, from picture books to activity books to nonfiction. And be sure to check out our selection of jigsaw puzzles and activity books for kids in the store.
Keep reading for more!
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by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
Ages 1 to 4
Two New York Times bestsellers finally available as board books! Even the roughest, toughest readers will want to turn off their engines and snuggle up with these sweet and soothing stories. Gentle rhyming text and vibrant art make these books surefire bedtime favorites for train- and construction-crazy kids everywhere.
Price: $15.99
Publisher: Chronicle Books; ISBN: 9781452146980
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If you're happy and you know it, beep along! With this new take on the classic sing-along song, kids can interact with their favorite Little Blue Truck and beep his horn while they visit with all his farm animal friends. Colorful illustrations, bouncy rhyme, and a cuddly truck with built-in squeaker make this a perfect interactive choice for play time and story time.
Price: $12.99 Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company; ISBN: 9780544568129
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Find out what award-winning author/illustrators' favorite animals are in this collection from Eric Carle and friends. Bringing together some of the finest modern children's book illustrators of our time, Eric Carle asks, "what's your favorite animal?" and the result is an astonishingly colorful parade of animals, from giraffes with their heads in the clouds to fuzzy dogs to squishy snails.
Price: $8.99 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company; ISBN: 9781627793032
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In the tradition of Margaret Wise Brown, Mary Lyn Ray presents a hushed book about the rhythm of the natural world on a small farm as all creatures prepare for sleep. Artist Christopher Silas Neal's classic illustrations quiet even the most restless little night owls with familiar childlike imagery and the comforts of routine. This padded board book is perfect for sending any child off to sleep with sweet dreams.
Price: $8.99 Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company; ISBN: 9780544579163
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"Arresting charcoal portraits of endangered animals, drawn in near-photographic detail, command attention in this counting book, which begins with 'one lion' and ends with '10 zebras.' The large-scale black and white images are set against white backgrounds and paired with poems printed in a bright orange suggestive of the threats the animals face. Cotton's pensive, unrhymed works describe the animals' behaviors, physical attributes, and beauty. . .Endnotes offering information about the animals and their endangered statuses conclude this powerful tribute to vulnerable creatures." - Publishers Weekly
Price: $22.00 Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA); ISBN: 9780763682071
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"[A] little girl. . .spots a mysterious book perched high up on a single shelf. Her teacher tells her it is a magical storybook and offers to let her take it home for the night. . .[But] she is bitterly disappointed to find only pictures inside. . .Then a voice whispers that all she needs to do is look closely at the pictures and imagine the stories to go with them. . .Two-time Caldecott Honor Book illustrator Zagarenski['s] tribute to the imagination shows young readers the magic of creating stories, in addition to reading them, and that is a powerful thing." - Booklist, Starred Review
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company; ISBN: 9780544416864
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Stillwater the giant panda and his friends Leo and Molly teach each other about patience, sharing, and compassion.
"Brother and sister Leo and Molly and their cat, Moss, have moved to a new neighborhood and find that their neighbor is a giant panda named Stillwater. Readers of Muth's earlier books will be familiar with Stillwater's serene grace as he delivers messages of life's essence to young friends. In this book, filled with light-infused watercolors of uplifting hues, Stillwater teaches Molly, a dancer, the value of patience with his story of Banzo's sword." - Kirkus Reviews
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Scholastic Press; ISBN: 9780545166690
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"Peter and his dog Harold are unhappy to find themselves on a journey with their dad through the dark woods on their way to a new home, [imagining] the woods could be filled with terrible creatures. . .Peter takes action by creating a watchman, Lenny, out of pillows and blankets, [but] Lenny needs a friend. So Peter and Harold create Lucy and the four become fast friends, making the home by the woods not so bad after all. . .This timeless story of a boy using his imagination to cope with loss and acclimate to a new environment is sure to draw in readers of all ages. . ." - School Library Journal
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; ISBN: 9781596439320
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"This lovely picture book is a tribute to imagination and the wonder in everyday spaces. Ernest D. leaves his ordinary house with too little fun to investigate the backyard pond. After a little probing with a long stick, he concludes that his pond has no bottom, and he decides to go exploring. He dons his deep-sea diving helmet and dives down, down, down, past turtles, frogs, squid, sharks, and sunken ships, and finally resurfaces on the other side. There he finds an amazing new world with wonderful things to discover, ghoulish and ghastly things to be faced, and endless surprises around every corner. . ." - Booklist
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen; ISBN: 9780062364272
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"A grove of saplings grows in the forest, and one little tree in particular loves the long perfect days of summer, when the birds sing and the animals play among his branches. As autumn creeps in, the trees begin to drop their leaves, but Little Tree, worried about what will happen after they fall, holds onto his with all his might. . .Fear of the unknown and losing what is familiar are concepts all children will recognize, and this story addresses those anxieties in a reassuring way young readers can comprehend. The illustrations are beautifully rendered, simple compositions saturated with rich colors. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Philomel Books; ISBN: 9780399163975
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"One day. . . I went to school. I came home. The end," says our storyteller, a girl with a busy imagination and a thirst for adventure. The art tells a fuller tale of calamity on the way to school and an unpredictably happy ending. The genius of this picture book is that each illustration captures multiple, unexpected, and funny storylines as the narrator tells her shorter-than-ever stories, ending with "One day. . . I wanted to write a book." An original and incredibly deep combination of text and art invites readers to make up stories of their own.
Price: $16.95 Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; ISBN: 9781620914519
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Today is Princess Magnolia's birthday party, and she wants everything to be perfect. But just as her guests are arriving . . . "Brring! Brring!" The monster alarm! Princess Magnolia runs to the broom closet, ditches her frilly clothes, and becomes the Princess in Black! She rushes to the goat pasture, defeats the monster, and returns to the castle before her guests discover her secret. But every time Princess Magnolia is about to open her presents, the monster alarm rings again. And every time she rushes back, it gets harder to keep the other princesses from being suspicious. . .
Price: $14.99 Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA); ISBN: 9780763665111
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Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to. Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In I Really Like Slop!, Piggie invites Gerald to try her favorite food . . . slop. But Gerald is not so sure he's going to like it. At all. . .
Price: $9.99 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; ISBN: 9781484722626
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Reading books is fun. . .but what about making them? Armed with new colored pencils, Henrietta's ready to try. Peek over her shoulder as she draws the story of a brave young girl, a three-headed monster, and an impossibly wide world of adventure. Whether read aloud to a toddler or discovered by a young reader, Liniers's celebration of the creative process is sure to make everyone want to bring out their pencils.
"Liniers's creation brims with the power of invention, and Henrietta s boldness (and her confidence in her own talent) inspires." - Publishers Weekly
Price: $12.95 Publisher: Toon Books; ISBN: 9781935179900
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"Diva is a tiny white dog who lives in a grand, old apartment building in Paris, France. As the pet of the building's gardienne, she patrols the courtyard, making sure that all is well. Flea, on the other hand, is a large cat who roams Paris' streets. He is a great flaneur [who]. . . has seen everything, but still looks for more, because there is always something more to discover. One day Flea's flaneur-ing takes him past Diva's courtyard, and the two strike up a friendship. . .Humor and sincerity walk paw in paw through this simple chapter book, inspiring exploration, bravery, and making friends. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Price: $14.99 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; ISBN: 9781484722848
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Everyone thinks the Loch Ness monster is one-of-a-kind. But that just means Nessie's lonely. And only yeti Blizz Richards and his team of cryptozoologists can help her find a friend just like her. With a little help from a time-traveling leprechaun, the gang travels back 65 million years to the age of dinosaurs to begin the search. But they aren't ready for the dangers that wait for them: monstrously mean dinos. Giants with razor-sharp teeth. Terrifyingly cute little kitties. Can Blizz keep his team safe, or will they have to sacrifice everything to help Nessie find a friend?
Price: $8.99 Publisher: Scholastic Press; ISBN: 9780545556194
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Here's a list of things Pip Bartlett can talk to: Unicorns; Miniature Silky Griffins; Bitterflunks; basically, all magical creatures. Here's a list of things she can't talk to (at least, not very well): Parents; teachers; basically, all people. Because of a Unicorn Incident at her school (it was an accident!), Pip is spending the summer with her Aunt Emma at the Cloverton Clinic for Magical Creatures. At first, it's all fun, games, and chatting with Hobgrackles, but when Fuzzles appear and start bursting into flame at the worst possible places, Pip and her new friend Tomas must take action.
Price: $16.99 Publisher: Scholastic Press; ISBN: 9780545709262
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Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits. One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he barely knows who tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god. The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years and make a fatal decision. Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .
Price: $19.99 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; ISBN: 9781423160915
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Who cut off Medusa's head? Who was raised by a she-bear? Who tamed Pegasus? It takes a demigod to know, and Percy Jackson can fill you in on the all the daring deeds of Perseus, Atalanta, Bellerophon, and the rest of the major Greek heroes. Told in the funny, irreverent style readers have come to expect from Percy, and enhanced with vibrant artwork by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, this story collection will become the new must-have classic for Rick Riordan's legions of devoted fans -- and for anyone who needs a hero.
Price: $24.99 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; ISBN: 9781423183655
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The journey begins on a ship at sea in 1766, with a boy named Billy Marvel. After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage. Nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis runs away from school and seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Albert Nightingale's strange, beautiful house, with its mysterious portraits and ghostly presences, captivates Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about the house, his family, and the past.
Price: $32.99 Publisher: Scholastic Press; ISBN: 9780545448680
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Life was better in the old days. Or was it? That's the question Greg Heffley is asking as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn't cut out for an old-fashioned world. With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, will Greg find a way to survive? Or is going old school just too hard for a kid like Greg?
Price: $13.95 Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; ISBN: 9781419717017
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"Firefly dreams of flying to the moon; Cricket, of being a baseball catcher like Yogi Berra; and Vole, of sailing to the sea. These three creatures of Firefly Hollow are brought together by their larger-than-life ambitions and a fascination with giants (humans) to tell a timeless story of friendship, perseverance, and growing up. . .Each of the hollow's nations is richly imagined, as are their respective ambassadors. Brimming with adventure, friendship, loss, and courage, this story will set your heart aglow." - Booklist, Starred Review
Price: $16.99 Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 9781442423367
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"Six years after debuting in Kelly's Newbery Honor winning The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, the budding Texas scientist returns, as curious and charming as ever, and now preoccupied with fauna instead of flora. Travis, one of Callie's six brothers, continually needs her help because of his bad choices in pets (armadillo, blue jay, raccoon, etc.). . .Meanwhile, the devastating 1900 Galveston hurricane sends refugees to Fentress that include an injured veterinarian, who finds an eager assistant in 13-year-old Callie, despite his reservations about a young lady working in an often gruesome field. Undeterred, Callie finds her passion at precisely the same moment she realizes how unfairly the deck is stacked against girls of her era. . . " - Publishers Weekly
Price: $16.99 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company; ISBN: 9780805097443
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Welcome to Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved. The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes! From graphic novel superstar (and high school computer programming teacher) Gene Luen Yang comes a wildly entertaining new series that combines logic puzzles and basic programming instruction with a page-turning mystery plot.
Price: $9.99 Publisher: First Second; ISBN: 9781626720756
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What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Harper Teen; ISBN: 9780062403162
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In September 1941, Adolf Hitler's Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest and most destructive sieges in Western history -- almost three years of bombardment and starvation that culminated in the harsh winter of 1943-1944. More than a million citizens perished. Trapped between the Nazi invading force and the Soviet government itself was composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who would write a symphony that roused, rallied, eulogized, and commemorated his fellow citizens -- the Leningrad Symphony, which came to occupy a surprising place of prominence in the eventual Allied victory.
Price: $25.99 Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA); ISBN: 9780763668181
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"High-school students Kady and Ezra have just broken up with each other when Kerenza IV, their mining outpost planetary home, is suddenly attacked by a rival company using both traditional and biological weapons. In the scramble to get off the planet, they are separated, ending up with a waning number of Kerenza survivors on two different space vessels that are trying to outrun one remaining BeiTech dreadnought; however, Kady and Ezra remain united in their desire to escape destruction, exact revenge, and maybe give each other a second chance. . .Kaufman and Kristoff have created a fast-paced, quasi-political sci-fi thriller that is completely unique. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Price: $18.99 Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 9780553499117
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"Growing up on a hardscrabble farm, Joan learned to avoid her cruel father, but she adored her mother, who encouraged her to work hard, study her lessons, and earn her own way in the world. In 1911, after Ma's death, 14-year-old Joan clashes with her father and flees to Baltimore. Representing herself as 18, she is taken into the household of a wealthy Jewish family as a hired girl. Joan works hard to please the Rosenbachs and their beloved, aging housekeeper, the testy Malka. . .Written as a diary, the first-person narrative brings immediacy to Joan's story and intimacy to her confessions and revelations. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA); ISBN: 9780763678180
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Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen. That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a "complete git," but he's probably right. Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here -- it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.
Price: $19.99 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; ISBN: 9781250049551
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Greta is the Crown Princess of the Panpolar Confederacy, a superpower formed of modern-day Canada. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. The hostages are Talis's strategy to keep the peace: if her country enters a war, Greta dies. The system has worked for centuries until Elian, a hostage from a new American alliance, arrives at the pretecture and disrupts Greta's quiet, structured world. Then Elian's country declares war on Greta's and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. . .
Price: $17.99 Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; ISBN: 9781481442718
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Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength. This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad. As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land. In the final Discworld novel, there will be a reckoning. . .
Price: $18.99 Publisher: HarperCollins; ISBN: 9780062429971
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Introducing an incredible storytelling package a full-color, 144-page book paired with a collection of 20 six-sided, beautifully illustrated storytelling cubes that make it easy for any imaginative child (and that is every child) to start creating wonderful stories. Roll the blocks, and you can make anything happen, to anyone, anyplace in this or any other world. The book is a guide to the principles of creative storytelling. It covers the essential elements like conflict that thing that no one likes in real life, but without which no story could ever start characters, motivation, dialogue, theme, and, of course, the climax.
Price: $19.95
Publisher: Workman Publishing; ISBN: 9780761184577
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A magical theatre within a book where children can stage their own productions of Sleeping Beauty with exquisitely designed paper cutouts. Inside the ingeniously designed pop-up theater stage between the two covers is a jewel box of moveable pieces: scenery sheets set the stage; characters add the story and colorful props provide the finishing touch. The book contains a pocket to hold the pieces when they're not in use, and an enclosed booklet contains instructions on how to stage your own performances of Sleeping Beauty for family and friends, including a script. The Sleeping Beauty Theatre will be coveted by children and adults alike who love to make believe.
Price: $29.95
Publisher: Thames & Hudson; ISBN: 9780500650547
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Have you ever wondered how archaeologists piece together the remains of anicent buildings and objects to figure out what they looked like and how they worked? Like a detective solving a crime, they uncover clues, such as a rusty horseshoe, a stone ball buried in rubble, or even a mass grave, that might indicate the site of a medieval castle. Read about life in a castle and medival battle tactics as you uncover different parts of the castle and learn how archaeologists work. Pop out the pieces and use your knowledge to fit them together to create an amazing 3D castle, complete with knights and siege weapons!
Price: $12.95
Publisher: Storey Publishing; ISBN: 9781612126517
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What a big idea! And what big fun: A whopping oversize book of interactive paper models to appeal to every kid who loves big machines which pretty much covers all of them. These are the coolest big machines that kids love each re-created in an oversize paper model that, once built, really moves. The book has everything the reader needs to pop out, fold, and create a full-color model of ten big machines: a dump truck, space shuttle, excavator, ladder truck, front loader, concrete mixer, steam locomotive, steamboat, dirigible, Chinook helicopter.
Price: $24.95
Publisher: Workman Publishing; ISBN: 9780761176404
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"In a handsome overview of world antiquities (a companion to Animalium, more than 130 artifacts from Africa, America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania are grouped into six galleries and recreated in illustrations set against colored plates. Nelson contextualizes the objects with overviews of more than a dozen individual cultures, which include the Mayan and Pueblo peoples of the Americas, the Maori, and ancient civilizations of Korea, Persia, Rome, and more. . .Wilkinson's striking replications and Nelson's informative descriptions offer insight into objects both sacred and mundane." - Publishers Weekly
Price: $35.00 Publisher: Big Picture Press; ISBN: 9780763679842
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Exactly the book for every young explorer who loves finding stuff in nature and bringing it home. Cabinet of Curiosities is a lavishly illustrated introduction to the wonders of natural history and the joys of being an amateur scientist and collector. Nature writer Gordon Grice, who started his first cabinet of curiosities at age six when he found a skunk's skull, explains how scientists classify all living things through the Linnaeus system; how to tell real gold from fool's gold; how to preserve butterflies, and more. . .
Price: $24.95 Publisher: Workman Publishing; ISBN: 9780761169277
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In this stunning pop-up book, meet seven animal builders and see how their unique skills help them survive -- and to live together in harmony in the "neighborwood." At the edge of the forest a spider spins her web, while nearby, a hummingbird uses strands of spider silk to build her nest. These are just two of the many animals (including a beaver) who live side by side, sharing the resources they need to construct homes, traps, or places to store food. From award-winning artist Shawn Sheehy comes an up-close look at the architectural masterpieces of the animal world.
Price: $29.99 Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA); ISBN: 9780763665944
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| Folkmanis Finger Puppets! |
These cuddly critters make the perfect companions to read along with you! Above, you can see our cornucopia of Folkmanis Finger Puppets, including beavers, barn owls, monarch butterflies, penguins, turtles, and more in our children's section. Try them out and take them home! |
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