Mary Ann Fraser

Well before Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, Aleck (as his family called him) was a curious boy, interested in how and why he was able to hear the world all around him. His father was a speech therapist who invented the Visible Alphabet and his mother was hearing impaired, which only made Aleck even more fascinated by sound vibration and modes of communication. Naturally inquisitive and inclined to test his knowledge, young Aleck was...

A child learns about the life cycle of a giant pumpkin and the rewards of letting it grow. Includes "Pumpkin Fun Facts" and information on growing and racing giant pumpkins.

Milton the pessimist and Odie the optimist are two otters living on opposite sides of a frozen lake, and neither one is having much luck at ice fishing--until they meet up and join forces.

Shelly has always wanted a sister, so when she meets Coral, a mermaid, and brings her home, it seems like her wish has been granted.

After going to the library with Mrs. Furber's class every day of Library Week, I.Q., the class pet, hopes to take out a funny book with his own library card.

Though her classmates call her Morticia and Ghoul Girl, Lily actually likes her work the dead are good listeners, and they don't judge. Lily learns their stories, shares her worries with them as she makes up their faces, and embroiders pillows for their final rest. 'The way I figure it,' says Lily, 'a person's arrival into this world is about as unglamorous as it gets. The least I can do is dignify their departure.' Then, after a mysterious explosion...

I.Q., a pet mouse, learns to tell time along with the rest of Mrs. Furber's class and worries about whether he will have his special project ready in time for Parents' Night.

When the pet store closes for the night, a hamster's activities keep the other animals awake as they try to think of some way to put him to sleep.

No one is coming into the pet shop, so the animals, from the smallest hamster to the biggest dog, put on a show to attract customers.

Describes the final stages of the conquest of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norkey.