VerdiDeep in the jungle where all the pythons are green, Verdi is born a little bit different. This gorgeously illustrated picture book from the creator of Stellaluna sends a timely message to young readers about the importance of loving the skin you're in. Young Verdi doesnt want to grow up big and green. He likes his bright yellow skin and sporty stripes. Besides, all the green snakes he meets are lazy, boring, and rude. When Verdi finds a pale green

and set the stage for westward expansion from Mackinac Island to the Gulf of Mexico

collection of rescued animals than flirting in a stuffy ballroom

appearing everywhere she turns

his own life has become overwhelmed by wrong choices

ornot deviating from a norm

Like the uncommon capacity to deal with ambiguity and to think on the fly

* “Plumb funny

the moment they are voiced

retired policeman turned bookseller Alphonse Rivera

even as the trauma of her past threatens to undo her

Molly knows it’s her attitude that’s the problem

Malaya in the 1950s