Showing results by narrator "Kevin Connolly" in All Categories

What do you get when you put together the coolest kid in class, an unpredictable live-in grandmother, and a caring but anxious grandson? Disaster? No. You get to know Ruben Plotnick. David is worried about how zany Ruben Plotnick will react when he meets Grandma Rosie, who often says and does unexpected things. Will Ruben make fun of her to their classmates? Will he imitate her whispery voice? What will he do if Grandma Rosie suddenly wants to dance?

When Emmy accidentally spills juice on her dad's pants, she takes refuge behind Mom's knee. Expecting a reprimand, Emmy is surprised when Mom tells Dad, “Now, sweetheart, you should let it be. After all...she's only three.” What an amazing discovery! She's too young to be punished!

Despite some silly, sleepy mistakes, genteel Jackson finds a fun and quiet activity for each of his noisy neighbors. He finally gets a great night's sleep–and discovers three new friends in the morning.

Darcy has plans. She and her friend are going to play dress up, do each other's hair, and polish their nails. Daddy has plans, too. He's going to read the paper, mow the lawn, and fix the fence. When Darcy's friend cancels and she's sure her day is ruined, Daddy suggests a Darcy-Daddy Day. Now they can tackle their to-do lists together. But will Darcy enjoy hammering? Will Daddy do nails? You bet!

When Ethan can't sleep, he doesn't count sheep—he says his ABCs. But in monster-loving Ethan's alphabet, A is for Arms, B is for Belly, C is for Claws, and D is for Drool! Kids will love pointing out the alphabetical attributes on the silly monsters that parade across Ethan's room—like earlobes, noses, spikes, and wings—and discovering where all of those monsters are headed. By the time Ethan gets to Y, he's Yawning. And by Z, kids will be ready to sleep as Ethan does, surrounded by the tails, tentacles, and drool sticking out from under his bed. ZZzzzzz.

When a boy brings his pterodactyl to school for show-and-tell, hilarious havoc ensues. The dinosaur's delightfully demented antics, the kids' expressions as they try to avoid the hungry pterodactyl, and the out-of-control imagination of the boy yield a wild and wacky romp.

This book for 0-3 year old listeners, presents the little monster-loving boy from I Need My Monster and Hey, That's MY Monster!, as he tries to find the monster that matches his drawing. He describes his monster (green, long tail, pointy nails, big teeth), and then looks for these features in an assortment of amusing monsters until he finds the perfect match, which turns out to be his beloved STUFFED monster toy.

“Honesty is the best policy.” That's Frank's motto. But Frank's overly frank comments tend to annoy his friends and teachers. Not even his own mother is all that fond of Frank's “tell all” attitude. So Frank turns to his grandpa for help. “Everyone is mad at me for being frank. I'm not sure honesty is the best policy anymore.” “That used to happen to me, too,” said Grandpa Ernest. A few outrageous hats, a spicy jar of relish, and some grandfatherly wisdom help Frank realize that truth is best served with more sugar and less pepper.

In this book about friendship, a little boy and his big dragon have tons of fun playing together at home, outdoors, in the pool and at the beach, making music and reading, and caring for the baby brother.

If you build a perfect sandcastle, a dragon will move in. And that's exactly what happens to one very lucky boy at the beach. Dad is busy sunbathing, and Mom is busy with her book, so the boy and dragon roam the beach together, flying a kite, braving the waves, and roasting marshmallows. But no one believes him when he shares the news of his magnificent dragon: Mom only hears the roar of the ocean, Dad thinks the dragon feather is a seagull feather, and know-it-all sis claims there's no such thing as a dragon.

True leaders inspire us with their confidence, dedication, and track record of achievement—but does their success arise from innate gifts, or qualities that we all can develop? “Each of us, no matter what our title or job, can become an effective leader by cultivating the same essential...

If you build a perfect castle, a dragon will move in - and that's exactly what happens to one very lucky boy when his family gears up for some changes. The boy and his dragon bounce in their castle, duel with delight, and have an amazing time together...until they find out that their castle is a crib for a new baby. Huh? As soon as they get used to the news, the boy and dragon are back in roaring form, entertaining the infant with marching music, aerial acrobatics, and baby-bottle bowling. But merriment turns to mischief and mischief leads to consequences.

One night, when Ethan reaches under his bed for a toy truck, he finds this note instead: “Monsters! Meet here for final test.” Ethan is sure his parents are trying to trick him into staying in bed...until he sees five colorful sets of eyes blinking at him from under the bed. Soon, a colorful parade of quirky, squeaky little monsters emerge from beneath the bed and compete to become Ethan's monster. But only the little green monster, Gabe, has the perfect blend of stomach-rumbling and snorting needed to get Ethan into bed and keep him there.

When Ethan checks under the bed for his monster, he finds this note instead: “So long, kid. Gotta go. Someone needs me more than you do. - Gabe” Ethan knows that the "someone" must be his little sister, Emma, who keeps climbing out of bed to play. She obviously needs a monster to help her get to sleep, but not his monster! Will Ethan lose Gabe forever?

Early in August 1937, a news flash came: A sea monster had been spotted lurking off the shore of Nantucket Island. Historically, the Massachusetts island had served as port for whaling ships. Eyewitnesses swore this wasn’t a whale, but some new, fearsome creature. As eyewitness account piled up, newspaper stories of the sea monster spread quickly. Across the nation, people shivered in fear.

Solid wax is somehow changed into light and heat. But how? Travel back in time to December 28, 1848 in London, England to one of the most famous juvenile science Christmas lectures at the Royal Institution. British scientist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) encouraged kids to carefully observe a candle and to try to figure out how it burned. Known as one of the best science experimenters ever, Faraday’s passion was always to answer the basic questions of science: “What is the cause? Why does it occur?”

Ben is short. Zip is shorter. One day while they are walking on the boardwalk, a sudden storm blows in. Frightened by the thunder, Zip disappears into the crowd. Pint-sized Ben tries to search for Zip, but all he sees are knees! Right knees, left knees, knees with sandy patches. Fat knees, bony knees, knees with bumps and scratches. Ben finds a higher spot. Now all he sees are bellies! He climbs the highest lookout on the beach—the lifeguard stand—and sees that the rain has chased everyone from the beach! Now how will Ben find Zip?

What was Captain doing in Dragon's sandbox? He was moping. Because he'd lost his ship. “Oh, no! I'll help you find it! Come on!” Dragon said. “Where are we going?” Captain asked. “To my cave! I know I have a map there somewhere.” Armed with a (toy watch) compass, a (paper towel tube) telescope, and a (handdrawn) map, Dragon and Captain set off on a great adventure.

The epic conclusion of the great war of the gods. With two gods and thirteen champions already dead, the War of the Seven nears its end. Queen Elena continues her advance toward Hearthstone, intent on destroying the Lady and avenging her lover's death. Emperor Lucius and Queen Frida travel...

Kathy Broderick is the author of A Loveliness of Ladybugs , Yakety Yak , A Wisdom of Wombats , and Wild Goose Chase . She believes that books and words empower children, and she advocates for libraries and literacy programs in public schools. Gabriele Tafuni is a children's book illustrator with a degree in illustration from the European Institute of Design. He currently lives in Turin, Italy.