The story begins when Duck spies a bicycle and decides he will learn to ride it. But as soon as he starts peddling, the other barnyard animals all have something to say about it. Cow thinks it's silly. Sheep says he'll get hurt. Horse thinks he's faster than the bike. And the goat simply wants to eat it. Then one day some kids leave their bicycles unattended and everyone gives cycling a try—discovering that it's really fun! Shannon briefly departs from his David books and treats us to this wonderfully illustrated story with the subtle message that learning something new can be fun.

Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague

Like an unhappy kid in summer camp, Ike the dog feels imprisoned at Brotweiler Canine Academy, aka obedience school. After trying every excuse he can think of—preying on the sympathies of his owner and feigning illness—Ike finally makes his escape. Teague's charming illustrations are half color and half black-and-white, juxtaposing Ike's pampered lifestyle at the academy versus the dismal existence that Ike sees (besides, dogs are color-blind). Kids will giggle at every page when they see what Ike is up to next.

Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg

Van Allsburg has won several Caldecott Medals for his earlier works such as The Polar Express and Jumanji. On the last page of Jumanji, brothers Danny and Walter are seen running off with a game, which is later revealed to be Zathura. When Danny and Walter decide to play it, their first roll of the dice sends them on an unforgettable adventure through time and space. Van Allsburg's carefully rendered black-and-white illustrations dominate the pages and bring the imaginative tale to life.

Biscuit is a small yellow puppy with perky little ears who is always looking for a hug. His curious nature has made this learn-to-read series so much fun. Biscuit goes to school, he visits a farm, he makes new friends at the park, and he celebrates holidays. The charming illustrations endear readers to him even more. Biscuit Goes to the Park is a newer book in the series, kids will find plenty to enjoy in all the books.

Spider-Man®: I Am Spider-Man by Acton Figueroa

With the popularity of the Spider-Man movie this year, it's no surprise that this book is a favorite. Mirroring the movie, Figueroa captures for young readers Peter Parker's dramatic change after a spider bite gives him super spider-like powers. Ron Lim has been illustrating comics for years and his talents really shine in this book.

Park captures the phrases and idioms of typical grade-schoolers, making Junie B. Jones all the more believable. Even reluctant readers have fun reading about Junie B.'s adventures with the everyday challenges of school life. Now that she's a first grader, Junie B. faces all sorts of new challenges. In this book, Junie B. tackles the age-old debate of "brought" lunches versus "bought" lunches. She decides to help out Mrs. Gutzman, the snack lady, and becomes a hair-netted, plastic-mitted helper in the school cafeteria.

The New Captain Underpants Collection by Dav Pilkey

Pilkey learned early that bathroom humor was universally funny when his second-grade teacher mentioned the word "underpants" in class and everyone started laughing. With this collection of the first five books, you'll get introduced to everything from wedgies and Flip-O-Ramas to attack talking toilets. Marginal students, Harold and George jump from one disaster to another with Captain Underpants always ready to save the day. It's quite a surprise that Captain Underpants is really their Principal Krupp! The Captain Underpants books offer pure silliness that keeps kids reading at an age when they may start slowing down.

This A-Z primer serves a dual purpose in that it not only teaches the alphabet, but also offers an introduction to American history. Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, continuously advocates the importance of knowing our country's history, but this edition is special as each letter highlights specific historical and patriotic events. Each illustrated page is brimming with facts and notations that relate to each particular letter.

Scholastic Children's Dictionary

This is a newly updated version of a classic reference. Over 200 new entries have been added, with words such as air bag, browser, cell phone, DVD, rap, Internet, and SUV. Pronunciation guides are easy to understand and word descriptions include sample sentences for complete comprehension. Maps of the United States and the world are presented in a colorful way and are easy to use. Facts about the U.S. and a list of American presidents are designed for kid-friendly usage, making it a valuable resource for learning.

To the joy of all Fudge lovers across the world, Blume wrote another installment to her popular Fudge books. Peter Hatcher is now 12 and worried about beginning middle school while his spirited little brother, Fudge, has developed a new obsession—money. The Hatchers also discover their long-lost cousins—the Howie Hatchers of Honolulu, Hawaii, one of which is much like Fudge (in case one of him wasn't enough): Cousin Farley Drexel Hatcher. There's never a dull moment in the Hatcher household as Blume entertains us with a child's viewpoint of life in New York City.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Hiaasen's sarcasm and wit about politics and the environment are essential to his books for adults. He has now managed the difficult feat of transferring that sensibility to his first kids' book. While the language is toned down, the pleas for the environment still remain and the biting wit still crackles. Roy Eberhardt is the star of Hiaasen's first children's novel. He's the new kid in Coconut Grove and finds that life in Florida can be more than a little odd. But soon he's on a mission to save the burrowing owls and foil a developer's plan.

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Snicket warns readers throughout his books that if they're looking for a happy ending to stop reading immediately. But Snicket's bizarre and tongue-in-cheek humor has caught on with young readers like wildfire. Three Baudelaire siblings bounce from one disastrous predicament to another. In the ninth book of the series, The Carnivorous Carnival, the orphans face a lion untamer, an ambidextrous person, a caravan, and Chabo the wolf baby. And on top of everything else, they have to watch out for their money-grubbing uncle, Count Olaf.

The bestselling author and accomplished film director Barker has said, "One usually thinks of fantasy as being an escape from the world. I think of fantasy as being a way to reconfigure one's approach to the world so that one sees it with new, and perhaps more truthful, eyes." This year Barker directed his unbridled imagination toward children's books. In Abarat, Candy Quackenbush is whisked from Minnesota to the islands of the Abarat—a world of sorcery, mystery, and unusual characters. Barker's colorful illustrations complement the text, making it not only a wonderful story but a beautifully rendered book as well.

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

Cabot is the author of the popular Princess Diaries, which spawned the movie by the same name. In All-American Girl, Cabot dances with royalty of another kind—the son of the president of the United States. Samantha starts out as an ordinary college student, but after she thwarts an attempt on the president's life, she's named teen ambassador to the United Nations. Samantha's dry wit takes on Washington, D.C., and her top-10 lists sprinkled throughout the book enumerate everything from why she can't stand her older sister, Lucy, to what not to do at a press conference.

Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison

This is Bridget Jones's Diary for the teenager. Georgia Nicolson offers her secret confessions about life through her daily journal entries. But being 14 years old, her attention is focused mostly on herself, boys, her friends, sometimes school—and the total embarrassment of being seen with her parents. And, because Georgia lives across the Pond, you're introduced to a whole new glossary of English teenage vernacular, which is thoughtfully included in the back of the book. Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas is the third book in this series and each one is a laugh-out-loud read.