Mary Lyn Ray's Books

As winter melts into spring, the frozen earth turns into magnificent mud.

Wilma decides to plant Christmas trees with the help of her young neighbor, Parker.

Hop in the car, turn the key, and vrooom away in this bright, bold book for young car enthusiasts! Vrooom vrooom! Honk honk! Green means go as readers set off on an exuberant celebration of automobiles. Colorful, graphic illustrations explore the winding roads, tollbooth, fix-it garage, and bridges with vehicles zipping across. It’s the perfect read-aloud for little ones who love all things that go.

While a boy in North America urges his father not to cut down the trees where the wood thrush lives, a boy in South America awaits the return of the bird that he calls "la flauta" for its flute-like song.

A girl who is in a woodland clearing to practice dancing spies a deer and observes how it leaps and turns.

A star is how you know it s almost night. As soon as you see one, there s another, and another. And the dark that comes doesn t feel so dark. What if you could have a star?

Somewhere a rock is waiting for you. One just the right size for playing with, or the right color for your windowsill, or just the right shape for holding in your palm. Maybe it is a rock from the heart of a mountain, that will remind you of how big YOU are inside, too. Maybe it is a rock washed by the sea, that knows all about the backs and forths and ups and downs of things. Maybe it is a small rock, just the right size to close your hand around, and know that the rock is with you, and it is just right. Poet Mary Lyn Ray and artist Felicita Sala offer an marvelous exploration of the special relationship children find with the natural world, and the fascination and friendship they find in special rocks. KIDS LOVE ROCKS: Whether it’s a special pebble for a pocket, or a colorful collection in a box, rocks offer a special kind of companionship, and a portable and lasting connection with the natural world. MINDFULNESS FOR KIDS: Our connections with nature reduce stress and increase happiness and resilience. This book is an ode to the present-ness that we find in the natural world. NATURE FOR ALL: A love of the natural world is so easy to instill in kids, and it’s so rewarding--both intellectually and emotionally. Here is a wonderful reminder that when we see ourselves in nature, we end up in touch with our own depth, and texture, and lastingness. Perfect for: - Parents, grandparents, and caregivers of children who love the natural world - Teachers and librarians looking for a poetic picture book on rocks and nature - Anyone who has found the secret joy of a special rock

Mr. Barnes goes on a train trip and enjoys all the sights and sounds of the ride.

Illustrations and easy-to-read text provide a primer on friendship, including the many ways friendships are formed.

“A delightful little book” for kids about feeling gratitude for gifts big and small (Kirkus Reviews). Thank you isn’t just for learning manners. It’s also for when something wakes a little hum—a little happy hum—inside you and you want to answer back. The Thank You Book explores the many ways we can be thankful for the pleasures great and small that await us every day. Tender and poetic, it reflects on the role gratitude can play in our lives and celebrates the powerful impact it can have. “An appealing picture book with a theme that’s timely at Thanksgiving but always relevant.” —Booklist

A picture book biography of the four Moody sisters who designed and built fairy tale-like cottages in Santa Barbara in the 1930s and 1940s"--

“A satisfying picture book that’s just right for bedtime reading” from the New York Times–bestselling author of Stars (Booklist). It’s time to say goodnight. But what if a dog isn’t sleepy? Intimate and accessible, this young dog story captures how a reluctant pup warms to bedtime in a way that children will recognize immediately—and find as reassuring as their own beds. “This effective bedtime story reminds kids that fun will be had again when they wake—but first comes sleep.” —Horn Book “Sure to be shelved next to Goodnight, Moon. It deserves that rarefied spot.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Wilma decides to plant Christmas trees with the help of her young neighbor, Parker.

Explores the wonder of stars, whether they are in the night sky, on a plant as a promise of fruit to come, or in one's pocket for those days when one does not feel shiny.

As a child, Elva asks for a violin so that she can make beautiful music but many years pass before her dream can come true.

The farm's creatures prepare for night and rest"--

A luminous picture-book tribute to house and home gently evokes the passage of time, the solace of memory, and the joys of preservation and renewal. Every house has a story. This house—an old one hunkered in the deep grass below a wide country sky—is a waiting house. Once it was full of laughter and song. The sounds of life rang within its walls. Now it stands quiet and still. The house has sheltered many families over the years and remembers them fondly, especially the children. New families arrive to look, but none stay. Perhaps the house, too, now belongs to the Long Ago and Used to Be? Or will the “right” family move in to honor its past and build new memories? Wistful and nostalgic, Mary Lyn Ray’s poetic text, combined with glowing, pastoral illustrations by E. B. Goodale that capture the lonely house’s unique character, create a quietly affecting hymn to hope and surprise that will enchant readers of all ages.

A child describes all the things there are to do on a rainy day.

In this mesmerizing picture book from the author of the New York Times bestselling Stars, a young ballerina finds dancing inspiration in the natural world. There’s a place I go that’s green and grass, a place I thought that no one knew— until the deer came. This gorgeous picture book from celebrated author Mary Lyn Ray features luminous and evocative art from Lauren Stringer and will capture the hearts of young dancers everywhere.

Perfect for fans of Margaret Wise Brown and Pat Zietlow Miller's Be Kind, The Thank You Book explores the many ways of being thankful that can fill a child's day. Timely, wise, and accessible, the poetic text and tender illustrations celebrate the powerful impact gratitude can have on our lives. Thank you isn't just for learning manners. It's also for when something wakes a little hum--a little happy hum--inside you and you want to answer back. The Thank You Book explores the many ways we can be thankful for the pleasures great and small that await us every day. Tender and poetic, it reflects on the role gratitude can play in our lives and celebrates the powerful impact it can have on us.

A child describes all the things there are to do on a rainy day.

En este libro bilingüe español-inglés, dale las buenas noches a un perrito bueno. Un perrito inquieto que no quiere irse a dormir. ¡Tiene mucho que hacer, mucho que ver y mucho para jugar! Say goodnight to a good dog, in this Spanish-English bilingual book. This one restless pup does not want to go to sleep – there's too much to do, see, and play with!

A man harvests and sells a bountiful crop of pumpkins so that he will be able to preserve a field from developers.

For every aspiring young author out there, this story of a lucky author (and, of course, her dog!) offers both answers and inspiration! Ever wonder what it's like to be an author?Does she write in a quiet corner somewhere? Or someplace loud and busy? Does she have ideas forty times a day? Or does she sometimes get stuck? And how does her dog make her lucky?New York Times bestselling author Mary Lyn Ray, together with illustrations from Steven Henry (Ella the Elegant Elephant) that are chock full of hidden jokes, answers these questions and more in a story of one writer, her furry friend, and a school visit that brings authors young and old (and dogs!) together.

This picture book celebrates, through words and images, the best birthday gift of all--a whole day that is yours to unwrap"--

In a Time to Read, Mary Ruth K. Wilkinson and her daughter, Heidi Wilkinson Teel, have compiled a helpful guide to children's books. More than bibliography A TIME TO READ also includes essays on the nature of children, families, literature and story--and how these hold together in a Christian life, reflecting Mary Ruth's 30 years' experience teaching a literary and Christian approach to children's books.

The Thank You Book's poetic text and tender illustrations celebrate the powerful impact gratitude can have on our lives, now in a padded board book edition.

The farm's creatures prepare for night and rest"--

A picture book biography of the four Moody sisters who designed and built fairy tale-like cottages in Santa Barbara in the 1930s and 1940s"--

Book's by Mary Lyn Ray

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