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This popular series has been trimmed and translated into a new format. With middle school girls as protagonists, the visual storytelling amplifies characters and clarifies difficult concepts to make it appropriate for younger readers. Tough topics like stepfamilies and medical problems are discussed with sensitivity (and sometimes humor) through the context of the girls’ friendship.

Who else except Lilly would Mr. Slinger, Lilly’s favorite teacher, invite to be flower girl in his wedding? His niece, Ginger, that’s who! Lilly’s indomitable personality and the author’s genuine respect for children shine through in this wholly credible story — a very funny and satisfying saga in which Lilly saves the day.

Lettice, a small rabbit, is asked to be the flower girl in her dance teacher’s wedding. Giselle, a human, has asked a boy named Harry to be the ring bearer. Harry and Lettice share the joy and a bit of tension at this special occasion that is as sparkly as the pages of the book.

Otis Spofford likes to stir up a bit of excitement at home and in his third grade class; nothing awful, of course, just enough to keep things interesting. But he meets his match when he teases Ellen Tebbits and gets his comeuppance!

Henry Huggins is a regular kid who longs for some excitement in his otherwise normal – and he thinks boring life. When it arrives in the form of a scrawny dog he names Ribsy, the adventures and laughs begin!

When Rosa’s grandmother becomes sick, Rosa comes up with an idea that not only makes Grandma feel better, it helps add coins to the family’s near empty money jar. Translucent watercolors illustrate this timeless, affectionate tale of family, community and the power of music.

When their mother bakes a dozen cookies, Sam and Victoria plan to have six each. Then the doorbell rings — again and again! Just when it seems that there aren’t enough cookies, grandma saves the day!

Reenie and her mother often fish along a river nicknamed Jim Crow, where they often see Peter and his father fishing, too. Since Reenie is black and Peter is white, they never speak — until Reenie reaches out to bridge a divide even wider than the river. A hopeful ending concludes this expressively illustrated recollection of the author’s childhood.

Milne’s classic books, Winnie-the-Pooh and House at Pooh Corner are brought together in one volume. Short, episodic chapters and playful language punctuated with Ernest Shepard’s line drawings make this an ideal read-aloud that can be read over time.

A turkey hatches from a found egg, creating great anticipation by an old woman and her cat. They look forward to a yummy Thanksgiving dinner of roast turkey! The happy ending is as humorous as it is tasty; the friends all gratefully share their vegetarian meal together.

More than just delicious food comes from Granny Torrelli’s kitchen. The recipes for friendship and family are there in abundance for Rosie and her pal Bailey as they listen to Granny’s timeless tales.

Ivan Itch finds friendship as well as Arthur Bobowicz’s 266-pound chicken in this hilarious adventure which started in Hoboken Chicken Emergency. The slapstick humor resumes in The Artsy Smartsy Club in which art enlivens an otherwise dull Hoboken summer for Ivan, Bruno Ugg, Loretta Fischetti, and, of course, Henrietta.

Children and their parents are encouraged to get ready for preschool in stories, poem and games that deal with a range of skills and topics: basic shapes, friends, the alphabet, body parts, and more. Activities and information are vivified with cartoon-like illustrations that create movement and show the action. A note for parents completes this attractive package.

Hunter learns that even though he and Stripe are best friends, he can still be true to his feelings. The gentle text and humorous illustrations demonstrate the difficulty presented by peer pressure. Hunter and Stripe become rivals but resolve it in Hunter & Stripe and the Soccer Showdown. (opens in a new window)

Having Clifford around makes every day special for Emily Elizabeth. Not every girl can invite the kids at school to ride home on the back of her big red dog. In this look at the life of Clifford’s best friend, young readers are likely to imagine what life would be like if their family pet was larger than life.

Corduroy, a teddy bear, comes to life to search for his lost button after the store closes. Though he doesn’t find the button, he does find friendship in this enduring tale.

By all accounts, Eloise is an extraordinary child. Who else has spent her lifetime in New York’s Plaza Hotel with all of its amenities? Eloise charms us with her precocious nature and her ability to transform an adult world into a giant playground. This 50th anniversary edition also provides a glimpse at her creator and illustrator.

Eight-year old Joe is about to become a big brother when he meets Mika from planet Eljo, where children hatch out of eggs and life in general is quite different from what Joe knows. The importance of questioning everything, from what’s a pancake to religious beliefs, makes this gentle story fun to read as well as eye-opening.

A collection of poetry conveys the joys of a young girl.

In this special Passover story, Larnel Moore, a young African-American boy, and Mrs. Katz, an elderly Jewish woman, develop an unusual friendship through their mutual concern for an abandoned cat named Tush. Together they explore the common themes of suffering and triumph in each of their cultures.

In this charming tale, a little boy makes friends with a snowman. He wakes up on a snowy day, tells his mother he’s going outside, then begins a flurry of snowman-building. That night, he can’t sleep, so he opens the front door and lo! the snowman has come to life.

The adventure of Christopher Robin, his friends, Pooh (“the bear of very little brain”), and the other animals in the Hundred Acre Wood remain as fresh as Milne’s language and Shepard’s line illustrations, presented here on sturdy, cream-colored pages. The narrator’s voice of the audio book is well-matched for the tone of A. A. Milne’s writing.

Despite coming from different backgrounds, fifth-graders Jess and Leslie develop a deep friendship. Together they create an imaginary place where they alone rule as king and queen. This Newbery Medal book is told with humor and sensitivity and is filled with the joy of friendship, the pain of losing it, and the hope of healing.

The classic story of friendship and how a spider named Charlotte saves Wilbur, a small pig, from certain death with words in a web is now more than 50 years old. Nonetheless, it remains as fresh as the day it was first written.