Kristen Tracy

Don't look at this raccoon and think she'll eat just anything. Oh, no. She is picky! She's been choosy forever - and listen, it's a tough life. It's not as though the perfect snacks just fall from the sky (except when they do). You've got to work to find the sourest milk, the crunchiest bumblebees, and the most delicious trash. Snacking while picky is a real challenge sometimes . . . but you never know where you'll find the tastiest treats to try! From the gross to the giggle-inducing, I Am Picky is an unabridged board book sure to delight even the choosiest of eaters - and readers.

When kitty first got adopted, everything was purr-fect. Then came the rules. NO eating the bread! NO chasing the baby! BAD KITTY! Excuse me? She’s not a bad kitty. Left with no choice, she says goodbye to everything she loves (even her favourite crinkled-up receipt) and quits! But kitty's adventure in the great outdoors doesn't go as planned, and she realises that she may have made a few mistakes. She knows she can do better, but how can she get home? Would her family even want her back?

Get to know the history and mysteries of Alcatraz Island, home to one of the world's most famous prisons. This landmark off the coast of San Francisco was once home to many well-known criminals, including Al Capone.Former Alcatraz Island volunteer and seasoned author Kristen Tracy takes young readers on an adventure through the historic prison's grounds in this dynamically illustrated book packed with interesting facts and important stories. From individual cells in the Main Cellhouse to the ruins of the Warden's House, readers will get an in-depth tour of the island and its buildings. Tracy also shares important stories about how Alcatraz got its name, famous escape attempts, the gardens and the birds of the island, as well as the Native American groups who once occupied "The Rock."Award-winning illustrator Anika Orrock highlights the island’s beautiful (and also grim) history with stunning artwork that brings to life this mysterious island. Author Kristen Tracy brings her personality-filled writing to a classic topic sure to be a hit with young readers. Written with a sharp eye for detail and an occasionally comedic voice, this book provides curious kids with a compact yet thorough history of America’s most notorious prison island.

This fascinating picture book tells the unique, quirky, and true story of how one man in Idaho saved 76 beavers from destroying a town by parachuting them into uninhabited wetlands. In 1948, the town of McCall, Idaho was growing rapidly. World War II was over, and the little town tucked away in the mountains began to boom. There was only one problem. As the town expanded, they found beavers everywhere. A beaver here, a beaver there, and it didn't take long to realize that humans and beavers weren't great cohabitators. But one clever and resourceful Fish and Game Warden named Elmo Heter had an idea. Heter knew that the beavers were integral to the wetlands, so keeping the well-being of the beavers in mind he set out to find a way to relocate them. After a few failed attempts, he finally landed on a wild idea... parachutes. Using a surplus of parachutes left over from WWII and creating a special box with air holes designed to pop open when it hit the ground, Heter devised a way to parachute the beavers into Idaho's backcountry, an area that beavers hadn't inhabited in decades. Kirsten Tracy's fascinating and playful nonfiction text pairs beautifully with Luisa Uribe's detailed illustrations to bring this compelling true story to life.

This fascinating picture book tells the unique, quirky, and true story of how one man in Idaho saved 76 beavers from destroying a town by parachuting them into uninhabited wetlands. In 1948, the town of McCall, Idaho was growing rapidly. World War II was over, and the little town tucked away in the mountains began to boom. There was only one problem. As the town expanded, they found beavers everywhere. A beaver here, a beaver there, and it didn't take long to realize that humans and beavers weren't great cohabitators. But one clever and resourceful Fish and Game Warden named Elmo Heter had an idea. Heter knew that the beavers were integral to the wetlands, so keeping the well-being of the beavers in mind he set out to find a way to relocate them. After a few failed attempts, he finally landed on a wild idea... parachutes. Using a surplus of parachutes left over from WWII and creating a special box with air holes designed to pop open when it hit the ground, Heter devised a way to parachute the beavers into Idaho's backcountry, an area that beavers hadn't inhabited in decades. Kirsten Tracy's fascinating and playful nonfiction text pairs beautifully with Luisa Uribe's detailed illustrations to bring this compelling true story to life.

Don’t look at this bear and think she is ferocious. She’s quite the opposite of grizzly. She is friendly! Being thoughtful has always come naturally to this grizzly bear - she thinks it’s appreciated by all her forest friends. But in reality, her friendliness usually complicates the other animals’ lives in laugh-out-loud moments. Like when she 'rescues' a rabbit from her own burrow or hands a hungry badger an angry hive of bees. From the silly to the sincere, this story will charm any reader who is drawn to animals, laughter, and unexpected bear hugs.

WHAT IF YOU SWITCHED PLACES WITH YOUR CAT? Mean Girls meets Freaky Friday in this laugh-out-loud story about self-acceptance, learning who your friends are, and coming of age . . . as a cat. Fifth-grader Poppy McBean likes rules and order. She's a follower, and she's totally okay with that. And if you judge her for that, she's okay with that too! But after falling prey to her friends' bullying one too many times, Poppy makes a wish to be happy-and it comes true in a very unexpected way: She wakes up in the body of her cat Mitten Man. Mayhem ensues as Poppy-the-girl attempts to navigate the wilds of the wilderness as a cat . . . and her free-thinking, groundbreaking kitty has had it with her owner's timidity. She's out to put the purr in perfectionist, and take over middle school-as Poppy. Hilarious and unexpected, Don't Trust the Cat is a coming-of-age adventure that will keep readers cringing, cracking up, and reconsidering what it means to be a good person.

I am a fox. Do you see me? Timeless and nostalgic, quirky and fresh, lightly educational and wholly heartfelt, this autobiography of a fox kit will delight all cuddlers and snugglers. See the world through a fox kit's eyes in a charming book about finding your place in the world. Over the course of four seasons, Kit comes of age in the forest. In spring, she gambols. In autumn, she races. In summer, she sneaks and slinks. But with her mama, she will always be a little kit. This is the second in a series of board books that pairs Kristen Tracy's enchanting, playful text with Alison Farrell's sweet, endearing art for an adorable treatment of everyone's favorite topic: baby animals!

Alison Farrell's The Hike meets Richard Scarry's I Am a Bunny in this delightful board book that combines sweetness and science. Timeless and nostalgic, quirky and fresh, lightly educational and wholly heartfelt, this autobiography of a bear cub will delight all cuddlers and snugglers. See the world through a bear cub's eyes in this charming book about finding your place in the world. Little cub measures himself up to the other animals in the forest. Compared to a rabbit, he is big. Compared to a chipmunk, he is HUGE. Compared to his mother, he is still a little cub. The first in a series of board books pairs Kristen Tracy's timeless and nostalgic text with Alison Farrell's sweet, endearing art for an adorable treatment of everyone's favorite topic: baby animals! PERFECT FOR BEDTIME KISSES: The book goes through a day in the life of a baby bear cub and ends tucked into his den with mama bear. The perfect book to take families through their own day, ending with a cozy goodnight moment! ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO IMAGINE OTHER PERSPECTIVES: This book is told in the first person: "I am a cub." This unusual narrator will get the youngest readers thinking about what it's really like to be a little bear cub! TEACHES COMPARISONS: The idea of seeing through the animal's eyes by comparing themselves to familiar ideas (cub is bigger than rabbit but smaller than mama bear) is a perfect introduction to comparative logic. CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ILLUSTRATOR: Alison Farrell is the author/illustrator of the fan favorite The Hike, along with Cycle City and Bicycle Bash. Here she brings her love of science and sweet animals a brand-new series based on forest animals! BABY ANIMALS!: There's one thing all babies love: baby animals! There are all kinds of animals to look at and learn about in these pages, rich with wildlife and filled with love. A BOOK TO BOND OVER: This is the perfect cuddly read between baby and parent, since it's focused on baby animals and their families. Perfect for: • Parents • Grandparents • Friends searching for the perfect baby shower gift • Animal lovers

Half-Hazard is the Winner of the Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation for a debut by an American poet over forty. Half-Hazard is a book of near misses, would-be tragedies, and luck. As Kristen Tracy writes in the title poem, "Dangers here. Perils there. It'll go how it goes." The collection follows her wide curiosity, from growing up in a small Mormon farming community to her exodus into the forbidden world, where she finds snakes, car accidents, adulterers, meteors, and death-marked mice. These wry, observant narratives are accompanied by a ringing lyricism, and Tracy's knack for noticing what's so funny about trouble and her natural impulse to want to put all the broken things back together. Full of wrong turns, false loves, quashed beliefs, and a menagerie of animals, Half-Hazard introduces a vibrant new voice in American poetry, one of resilience, faith, and joy.

Perfect for summer reading is this first book in a fun new series about two middle school BFFs as they experience the highs and lows of friendship, boys, sixth grade politics, sister drama, and popularity. Middle school isn't a popularity contest. It's a war. Perry and her best friend, Venice, are excited to be yearbook photographers and tell the story of their school through their art. But that's before they find out the truth: the spontaneous moments they're supposed to capture are all faked.Yearbooks should include everybody--even the dorks. But Perry feels totally stuck. Until she starts taking flattering shots of popular people, none of her candids will ever be chosen. Fighting back isn't going to win her any friends--she might even lose some. It's time to decide what's more important: fitting in . . . or standing out.

Bessica Lefter is back in this hilarious, all-too-relatable middle school novel that "will have readers laughing aloud" (Booklist). Now that Bessica's the half mascot at her middle school and made some new friends, she finally feels like she's fitting in. But Alice, the other half mascot, hates her. And after some mean texts, Bessica's friendship with Sylvie might be over. Bessica doesn't want drama. She's got her first big game to worry about. Not even taking care of gorgeous Noll Beck's lizard or deciding whether to crash Sylvie's party can distract her. Bessica will be facing off as mascot against T.J. the Tiger, who has a reputation for embarrassing the competition. Letting him make fun of her would be like letting him humiliate her whole school. Bessica's worked hard to have some social status. And she'll work even harder to keep it. . . ." Bessica's] endearing qualities keep one rooting for her." --School Library Journal"A fun story." --Midwest Book Review"Informative and worthwhile." --VOYA

From the author of the Project (Un)Popular series and Too Cool For This School, a funny, authentic story about fitting in, growing up, and making it in middle school After an unfortunate incident at the hair salon, Bessica is not allowed to see her best friend, Sylvie. That means she's going to start middle school a-l-o-n-e. Bessica feels like such a loser. She wants friends. She's just not sure how to make them. It doesn't help that her beloved grandma is off on some crazy road trip and has zero time to listen to Bessica. Or that Bessica has a ton of homework. Or that gorgeous Noll Beck thinks she's just a kid. Or that there are some serious psycho-bullies in her classes. Bessica doesn't care about being popular. She just wants to survive--and look cute. Is that too much to ask when you're eleven? "Funny, goofy, anxious, and absolutely emotionally authentic." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review "Many a middle school girl will find a piece of herself in Bessica Lefter." --VOYA

From the author of the Project (Un)Popular series and Too Cool For This School, a fun middle school story about a girl determined to make the best of any situation. Imagine being Camille McPhee. She has low blood sugar, so she carries extra food in a cooler. Would you want to do that? Didn't think so. And you wouldn't want to fall under the school bus. That happened to Camille too Her cat, Checkers, is lost. And her best friend, Sally, moved to Japan. It would be hard to stay optimistic, right? But Camille is what her mom calls HOPEFUL. Because really? There are plenty of things to be positive about: gifted readinga nonsqueaky mattresseating banned foodsthe big blue butterfly Even making a new friend. Imagine that "This book about friendship and loss kindly teaches that life is pretty much what one is willing to make of it." --School Library Journal, starred review " A] touching debut." --Kirkus Reviews