Emmy was not an ordinary girl. She could talk to rodents. She could shrink to the size of a rodent. And just a few weeks ago, she had even become a rodent to defeat her evil former nanny, Miss Barmy.Emmy's parents, unaware of their daughter's other life, ship her off to visit two elderly aunts in Schenectady. Emmy figures her life will be ordinary at last, if rather boring. But she didn't count on her friend Ratty, whose search for his long-lost Ratmom brings him m...

Emmy was a good girl. At least she tried very hard to be good. She did her homework without being told. She ate all her vegetables, even the slimy ones. And she never talked back to her nanny, Miss Barmy, although it was almost impossible to keep quiet, some days.She really was a little too good. Which is why she liked to sit by the Rat. The Rat was not good at all . . .Hilarious, inventive, and irresistably rodent-friendly, Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

A must-have for all homeschooling families, this charming and funny picture book explores the special rhythms and routines of home education, inspired by award-winning author-illustrator Jonathan Bean’s own childhood.For young Jonathan and his sisters, home and school are one of the same. Mom is their teacher, and Dad is the best substitute a kid could ask for. From math, science, and field trips, to recess, show-and-tell, and art, an average school day with this l...

An excited and frustrated boy watches hopefully as wintry weather develops slowly into a "big snow."While "helping" his mother with holiday housecleaning, a boy keeps a watchful eye on the progress of a winter storm. He's hoping for a big snow. A really big snow. Inside, he is underfoot, turning sheet-changing and tub-scrubbing into imaginary whiteouts. Outside, flakes are flying. But over the course of a long day (for Mom) the clouds seem slow on deliveri...

On some nights, a snug bedroom is a hard place to fall asleep. On some nights, it's better to get away from slumbering, snoring family members and curl up alone with one's thoughts in the cool night air, under wide-open skies. In this charming bedtime fantasy, a sleepless city girl does just that, finding her surprising way to a serene rooftop version of a backyard campout.With captivating ink-and-watercolor illustrations and a simple, lyrical text, newcomer Jonathan Bean has creat...

In this long-awaited updated edition of Race & Liberty in America: The Essential Reader, editor Jonathan Bean presents the timeless and urgent insights classical liberalism has to offer our troubled and polarized time.In 2009, when Race & Liberty in America: The Essential Reader was originally published, there was a spirit of optimism surrounding race relations. Fifteen years later, a far different spirit prevails: one fraught with tensions, many ...

One starry night, a cow watches over her calf, a nanny goat watches over her kid, and a pig watches over her piglet. For this one moment, every family in the animal kingdom is peaceful, just like Mary and Joseph watching over their own newborn nearby. This simple yet profound book perfectly captures the universal nighttime vigil of parents everywhere while gently alluding to the presence of a nurturing creator who watches over all of us.Lauren Thompson is at her lyrical best, while...

David Stockman, Ronald Reagan's budget director, proclaimed the Small Business Administration a "billion-dollar waste—a rathole," and set out to abolish the agency. His scathing critique was but the latest attack on an agency better known as the "Small Scandal Administration." Loans to criminals, government contracts for minority "fronts," the classification of American Motors as a small business, Whitewater, and other scandals—the Small Business Administration has lurched from one embarra...

“Bad truck, bad guy; bad wave, bad bye . . .” A boy and his family are packing up their old home, and the morning feels scary and sad. But when he arrives at his new home, an evening of good byes awaits: bye to new friends, bye to glowing fireflies, bye to climbing trees. The New York Times bestselling author Deborah Underwood's spare text and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner Jonathan Bean's lush, layered illustrations perfectly capture the complex emotions of moving day. T...

Historians working in the classical liberal tradition believe that individual decision-making and individual rights matter in the making of history. History written in the classical liberal tradition emerged largely in the nineteenth century, when the field of history was first professionalized in Europe and the Americas. Professional historical research was then imbued with liberal values, which included rigorous attention to the sources, historicist suspicion of an ultimate mover, an hon...

Perfect for the little builders in your life, this warm-hearted and unique picture book is all about “building a house and turning it into a home” (Publishers Weekly), inspired by award-winning author-illustrator Jonathan Bean’s own childhood.In this can’t-miss book for kids who love tools, trucks, and all things construction-related, readers join a girl and her family as they pack up their old house in town and set out to build a new one in the country. M...

From Mokie and Bik:Mokie and Bik lived on a boat called Bullfrog. They lived in it, on it, all around it—monkeying up ladders and down ropes, over the wheelhouse and across the cabin floor."Twins!" their mother shouted, because the lines of her Art jiggled and jarred when Mokie and Bik played bumpboats. "Get out from underfoot!"So Bik bumped Mokie out the door—splat!—into nanny Ruby's bucket as she was sploshing the deck."Twins!" shouted Ruby. "Get...