Louise the Big Cheese is determined to make the grade in school this year and that means straight As. But she's stuck with the toughest teacher ever. Will Louise make the grade?

There’s nothing like a pair of sparkly, shiny, and pretty la-di-da shoes to bring out the Big Cheese in a girl. But Louise’s mother doesn’t quite see it that way. Instead Louise has to wear the dull and drab brown tie shoes she has worn for years. They are practical, Louise’s mother says. They are better in the rain, the shoe salesman says. It doesn’t matter that Louise doesn’t see it that way. Then Louise’s best friend Fern comes to school with shiny new patent leather shoes from Paris with sparkles on the toes! Are the bonds of friendship greater than shoe envy? Only Louise can say…

"Dream big" is Louise the Big Cheese's motto. But try though she might, she's just plain old Louise, no Cheese. When the casting call goes out for Cinderella, Louise just knows that it's her moment to shine and take the stage as the STAR of the show. Unfortunately, the director casts Louise as a mouse while her best friend, Fern, who wasn't even going to try out in the first place, gets to be Cinderella. Louise may be a mouse in the show, but in the end it's up to her to save the day.

Louise the Big Cheese is back, and she’s charming as ever...but is she VIP? “Dream big” is Louise the Big Cheese’s motto. But try though she might, she’s still feels like plain old Louise. Her new friend Claire E’Claire holds the promise of stardom with her VIP charm school…but is Claire all that she appears to be? Young readers will sympathize as Louise finds out it takes more than VIP charm to make a true friend.

Whether used for thematic story times, program and curriculum planning, readers' advisory, or collection development, this updated edition of the well-known companion makes finding the right picture books for your library a breeze. Generations of savvy librarians and educators have relied on this detailed subject guide to children's picture books for all aspects of children's services, and this new edition does not disappoint. Covering more than 18,000 books published through 2017, it empowers users to identify current and classic titles on topics ranging from apples to zebras. Organized simply, with a subject guide that categorizes subjects by theme and topic and subject headings arranged alphabetically, this reference applies more than 1,200 intuitive (as opposed to formal catalog) subject terms to children's picture books, making it both a comprehensive and user-friendly resource that is accessible to parents and teachers as well as librarians. It can be used to identify titles to fill in gaps in library collections, to find books on particular topics for young readers, to help teachers locate titles to support lessons, or to design thematic programs and story times. Title and illustrator indexes, in addition to a bibliographic guide arranged alphabetically by author name, further extend access to titles.

“A small child muses about the future as Mom guides the bedtime routine…Winning text and illustrations for bedtime.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “The whimsical pictures fill every page with happiness and variety as Chen presents exuberant ideas for the big dreams and wishes of childhood.” —Booklist “As a mother helps her young son get ready for bed…Mom assures him that the future is wide open, and ‘No matter what, I will always be there for you.’” —Publishers Weekly A little boy shares with his mom his dreams of what he might be when he grows up in this tender picture book from Julie Chen the host of Big Brother and formerly the host of The Talk and New York Times bestselling artist and Caldecott Honor recipient Diane Goode. One night while getting ready for bed a little boy starts to wonder what will life be like when he grows up. He could be a painter, a musician, a mountain climber, a mayor… He tells his mother all about his big ideas…and all of the other things he wants to do. But when will he grow up? And why does it take so long?

When Maxine wakes up on the wrong side of the bed one morning, she wonders if the problem might be her mother. What if she could try out a new mom who doesn’t make her brush her teeth or comb her hair? Enlisting Mom to help her with the search, Maxine interviews various prospects to be her new mother at the park, the toy store, and the zoo. Unfortunately, these other mothers present a host of new problems and concerns. Maybe her “old mother” was the best mother of all? For every child who’s ever wondered if the grass is greener, The Best Mother affirms that there’s nothing better than your own mother’s love.