Pooh got out of bed and opened his front door.
"Hallo!" said Pooh, in case there was anything outside.
"Hallo!" said Whatever-it-was.
"Oh!" said Pooh. "Hallo!"
"Hallo!"
"Oh, there you are!" said Pooh. "Hallo!"
"Hallo!" said the Strange Animal, wondering how long this was going on. Pooh was just going to say "Hallo!" for the fourth time when he thought that he wouldn't so he said: "Who is it?" instead.
"Me," said a voice.
"Oh!" said Pooh. "Well, come here."

--A. A. Milne, from The House at Pooh Corner

KIDS' Q&A: JANET LEE CAREY
Janet Lee Carey's Beast of Noor was one of our favorite books of last year, and now her newest, Dragon's Keep, is one of our favorites of 2007. It is a familiar tale in many ways: a strong princess, brave knights, a faraway love, a ferocious foe. But this isn't your typical fantasy fare. Good and evil do not exist in Carey's books. Instead there are characters caught in between the complicated uncertainties of life. Alluringly beautiful writing, compelling characters, and an amazingly satisfying ending make this a tale you'll be recommending to everyone you know. Read more about Janet Lee Carey in our exclusive Q&A, and get your copy of Dragon's Keep at 30% off.

On this day in 1929: The first talking cartoon of Mickey Mouse, "The Karnival Kid," was released.

KIDS' Q&A: MATT AND JENNIFER HOLM
Brother and sister team Jennifer and Matt Holm have brightened the graphic novel landscape for the younger set with their tales of Babymouse, a sassy mouse with the imagination and attitude to conquer all. The sixth in this very entertaining series is out just in time for summer: in Camp Babymouse, our heroine must survive the rough-and-tumble woods without receiving too many demerit badges or getting irretrievably lost. Read the pithy Q&A with Jennifer and Matt Holm and save 30% on Camp Babymouse.

On this day in 1805: Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself King of Italy, with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in the Cathedral of Milan.

KIDS' Q&A: MICHAEL SCOTT
The first hair-raising scene of Michael Scott's The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel takes place in a used book store, where the Newman siblings find themselves in the center of a showdown between two powerful sorcerers. From those first thrilling pages on, Scott weaves history and fantasy, adventure and love, and everything in between into a tale that will have you reading late into the night. Read our Q&A with Michael Scott and pick up a copy of The Alchemyst at 30% off for your stack of summer reading.

PREORDER HARRY POTTER
Does the name Nicholas Flamel bring to mind your favorite wizard? Well, considering Flamel was a prominent feature in the first of our beloved Harry series, it should, you champion of all things Potteresque! Now get busy and preorder Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the amazingly low price of $24.49, and save $10 and change on the retail price. Seriously. You can buy lots of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans with ten bucks.

On this day in 1788: South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

BEES, FLOWERS, AND FRUIT
The plight of the honeybees (learn about it here) is near and tragic for anyone who loves honey (us), loves to garden (us), or loves small winged creatures with pollen sacks on their legs that look like gun holsters and who dance to tell their bee friends where the pollen is (also us). So we want to celebrate their beauty, their complexity, their crucial role in pollination (so that we can enjoy flowers and fruit), and their all-around awesomeness. The pictures and descriptions in these books will make you a bee lover if you're not already!

On this day in 1898: Scott O'Dell, author of Island of the Blue Dolphins, was born.

FATHER'S DAY
Parenting: it's not just for mothers anymore... at least that's what publishers have finally begun acknowledging in the last few years with a bevy of interesting new papa-centric parenting advice books, as well as dad memoirs. So put on that Bob the Builder DVD to keep the kids busy, settle down in that lawn chair (you deserve a break, dads!), and pick a book from our stacks.

On this day in 1933: Bonnie and Clyde, the infamous bank robbing duo, were gunned down in Louisiana by law enforcement officers.

STAFF PICKS
What do Johnny Cash, Sigmund Freud, and cats with Asperger's Syndrome have in common? They all make appearances in the new round of Kids' Team staff picks! Our staff picks have never been more eclectic, with titles from education, child care, cooking, picture books, biographies, history, and more! Great gift ideas and summer reading!

NEW ARRIVALS
Have you been missing the morose, drab, and ghastly Lemony Snicket? Fret no more, for Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid is a new assemblage of Snicket's discouraging, acrimonious wit and wisdom, and it is sure to torture you through the long nights. Is all this sunshine getting you down? Try Demonkeeper by Royce Buckingham, which Bruce Coville (the master of scary books) calls "one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time." And if you liked The Book Thief, you'll probably like Tamar by Mal Peet. Oh wait, you're wanting more of a light, fun summer read? Well, then, try Stray by Stacey Goldblatt, or Summer Intern by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman.

On this day in 1969: Rock band The Who released Tommy, the first rock opera.

KAREN ON NONFICTION FOR KIDS
Some of the most popular books in the world of adult nonfiction have recently been issued in kid-friendly formats. We think this cross-over will result in families having more to talk about at the dinner table than ever, not to mention the great opportunities for parent-child book groups! How about starting with a general overview? What they told you about Thanksgiving in elementary school is mostly not true, and you can find out the real story sooner than ever, now that Howard Zinn's enduringly popular history book has come to the children's shelves in two volumes: A Young People's History of the United States, Vol. 1: Columbus to the Spanish-American War and Vol. 2: Class Struggle to the War on Terror. And since the children will inherit the earth, they might as well know what they're getting into with Al Gore's book on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming. Once you know the state of your planet, educate yourself on how you are being exploited by corporations in Eric Schlosser's Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know about Fast Food. Had enough of social issues and politics? Decompress with the amusing and touching tale of Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan (be sure to have a hanky handy for the ending). Kids too young for this middle-reader? Try the picture book version: Bad Dog, Marley!

KIDS' BESTSELLERS

1. By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman (Middle Readers) 2. The Van Gogh Café by Cynthia Rylant (Middle Readers) 3. Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers (Newbery Winners) 4. The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich (Middle Readers) 5. The Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary by Sue Young (Reference) 6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Literature) 7. The American Heritage Essential Student Thesaurus by Houghton Mifflin Company (Reference) 8. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater (Newbery Winners) 9. Scholastic Pocket Thesaurus by Scholastic (Reference) 10. The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker by Cynthia DeFelice (Middle Readers)