Jean Van Leeuwen

Meet the bunnies. There's bossy big sister Flossie. The twins, Homer and Henry, always on the go. Little George. He loves trucks and tricks. And messy but much loved Baby Sadie. She's small, but does that stop her? No way Whether trying to outdo each other or cheering one another on, making the most of an unexpected mishap or coping with a big sister in charge, these high-spirited bunnies will hop, pop, twirl, and leap right into your heart. Irresistible watercolor illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf bring these three wise and witty stories to life.

Amanda Pig is going to be a first-grader This year she won't have to take naps, she?ll play on the big playground, and, best of all, she?ll learn how to read. But something is wrong, because when Amanda tries to read, she can recognize the letters but not the words Is first grade going to be harder than Amanda thought? Will she ever be able to read? Once again, Jean Van Leeuwen and Ann Schweninger create a funny, friendly, and kid-relevant world.

After clearing enough forest to build a log cabin for their new home, Pa returns east to fetch the rest of the family, while young brothers Daniel and Will stay behind to watch the land. Pa had planned to return within six weeks . . . but something must have gone wrong. Now the boys must survive the winter with only a few supplies and their ability to invent and improvise. But are they alone in the woods? Jean Van Leeuwen's engrossing novel of pioneer survival is based on a true incident.

Finally it is the day Amanda Pig has been waiting for. It is the first day of school. Whether making a new friend, coloring a picture to put up in the classroom, or twirling around in the sandbox, Amanda is everyone's favorite schoolgirl.

Whether building a snow fort, braving the big hill on their sleds, or building a snow pig, the lovable Oliver and Amanda Pig find plenty of fun after the "big snow." "The warm interactions among family members continue to make these gentle stories a delight for early readers."-- The Horn Book

Award-winning author Jean Van Leeuwen tells the moving story of a pioneer family during the Westward Expansion One day in early spring they packed everything they had into our wagon, and set out to find a new home. Sleeping under the stars, weathering terrible storms, and fording swollen rivers, Hannah and her family made the journey of a lifetime. An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists. "Like pages torn from a frontier journal, stirring sketches and lyrical text form a moving tribute to the brave families to whom the book is dedicated."--Publishers Weekly

A fictionalized account of the journey made by nine-year-old Mary Ellen Todd and her family from their home in Arkansas westward over the Oregon Trail in 1852