Nancy Carlson

Special delivery! Louanne Pig is thrilled to find a beautiful valentine in her mailbox on February 14. But she's dying to know whom it's from. Is George her mysterious valentine? Is it Arnie or Harold or perhaps Big Mike? Louanne's only clue is that her secret admirer uses a green pen. Children and sweethearts everywhere will recognize the warm feelings that come with finding out someone likes you. Readers will chuckle as Louanne steals their hearts...

Vinney is short. He gets picked on, overlooked in the lunch line, and passed by for the good parts in the school play. He can't reach the chapter books in the library and never gets passed the basketball! Vinney hates being short. That is, until he learns to Think Big! Vinney takes his new positive attitude to school and turns the downsides of being short upside down. It's tough being little in a big world, but Vinney learns that it isn't so bad after...

The first day of school can be scary enough as it is without a bully stealing your lunch! And that's just what happens to poor George when he runs into Big Mike, the sixth-grade bully, on the walk to school. Every day George is tormented—not to mention hungry—and too afraid to tell anyone, until his good friend Harriet steps in and helps George give Big Mike a taste of his own medicine.

Eight-year-old Sam is always daydreaming about exploring space and the deepest seas, which is awesome—except when he's supposed to be focusing on schoolwork or stuff at home. It seems like all he hears is, "Focus, Sam!" and "Pay attention!" The doctor says Sam is lucky: He has a very powerful brain! But he does need some help focusing. She gives Sam and his dad lots of strategies to try, like staying organized, eating better food, and asking

...

The first big snow of the winter has finally arrived. Harriet can't wait to enjoy it. But her mother insists that Harriet take along her little brother, Walt. As he soon shows, Walt has a real knack for messing things up—and Harriet tells him so. But when George starts picking on him, Harriet puts her criticism aside and gives George a piece of her mind. Brothers and sisters everywhere will relate as Harriet's protective side gets the best of her,...

It's summer vacation, and Loudmouth George is too busy having fun to do his chores. Now the house is a mess and his mom won't let him go to the movies with Harriet. So George comes up with a brilliant plan. He convinces his brothers to do his chores for him in exchange for taking them to the movies-after all, they'll surely be too tired to go after all the work! But each brother makes a mess out of each chore and now there is an even bigger mess to...

Curtains up! Harriet loves her ballet class, but when Miss Betty announces a recital, Harriet succumbs to a bad case of stage fright. She worries about falling. She's afraid her costume will rip. And she's positive that she'll forget every step of her dance as soon as she steps on stage. Young readers are sure to recognize some of their own fears in this hilarious story of Harriet's first recital.

When facing down a bully, a trip to the dentist, or your mom's prune oatmeal, there's only one thing you can do—smile a lot! And you'll pull through! In this appealing new offering from best-selling author/illustrator Nancy Carlson, a determined little frog discovers that even when you don't want to, smiling can make any situation better.

Offers advice on the kinds of things to do if you don't want to have any friends.