Melinda Beatty – författare

In this delightful, thoroughly entertaining picture book about the importance--and difficulty--of telling the truth, the queen's trusty servant, a pangolin, breaks the royal swing and doesn't know what to tell her!Pangolin is enjoying himself on the royal swing in the bright summer sunshine when suddenly, the ropes break and--OW!--he falls to the ground. What will I tell the queen?! Pangolin worries. He races to the stables to ask his friend Badger. "Tell her the musicians needed the swing's rope for their lutes!" the stablemaster advises. Fox, the castle guard, has a different idea: "Might you say that the King needed to repair his royal jump rope?" Pug, Cat, and Goose all have suggestions, too. But which story will Pangolin tell the queen?! Here is a charming picture book, full of delightful animal friends, about finding the courage to be honest with those around you--and with yourself.

Vampire Vlad is all tucked in, ready for bed. But his imagination runs wild when he hears all the daytime noises happening outside. A clickety-clack, a skreek and a clang? Who knows what that could be!With each new sound, Vlad races to his patient and reassuring, but tired mama’s room until he learns how to calm himself down and finally get a good day’s rest. Melinda Beatty’s clever text and award-winning illustrator Charlene Chua’s imaginative illustrations make the perfect bedtime read (during the day or night) for anyone a little nervous to go to bed.

When a young witch inherits a rather cantankerous family heirloom; she has to figure out how to outwit her cursed companion.The Table had been in the Witch's family for a very long time.No one remembered who had cursed it to stay with them forever, but none of them liked it much.The young witch initially tries to thwart the Table's shenanigans. But after some time living with the Table, she begins to notice how cold the kitchen floor is on a brisk winter's day, how many nicks and scratches the Table has endured, and how hard it is to stand on all four legs for so many hours, and she comes to realize compassion will get her further than cleverness. This charming and hilarious picture book is about empathy and trying to find common ground with the people--or furniture--around you.

A vibrant fantasy-adventure debut about a girl who can see lies.You''re a Fallow of the Orchard. You''re as tough as a green apple in summer . . . Only Fallow was just six harvests old when she realized that not everyone sees lies. For Only, seeing lies is as beautiful as looking through a kaleidoscope, but telling them is as painful as gnawing on cut glass. Only''s family warns her to keep her cunning hidden, but secrets are seldom content to stay secret. When word of Only''s ability makes its way to the King, she''s plucked from her home at the orchard and brought to the castle at Bellskeep. There she learns that the kingdom is plagued by traitors, and that her task is to help the King distinguish between friend and foe. But being able to see lies doesn''t necessarily mean that others aren''t able to disguise their dishonesty with cunnings of their own. In the duplicitous, power-hungry court, the truth is Only''s greatest weapon . . . and her greatest weakness.