Amy Hest

"On the morning of the dedication of the new children's library in Belle Beach, Long Island, eleven-year-old Julie Sweet and her six-year-old sister, Martha, find a baby in a basket on the library steps. At the same time, twelve-year-old Bruno Ben-Eli is on his way to the train station to catch the 9:15 train into New York City. He is on an important errand for his brother, who is a soldier overseas in World War II. But when Bruno spies Julie, the...

When Mrs. Bear and little Sam deliver the cakes they have made for their friends in the neighborhood, Sam carries the cakes all by himself, through the snow and up to the front doors.

When Sam has a cough, Mrs. Bear tends to him all through the cold night.

Although her parents love walking in the rain, Baby Duck does not--until Grandpa shares a secret with her.

The hard-working daughter of two bakers and a perfectly nice stray dog live lonely lives in the same town, until they meet one very stormy day.

Bunny and Dog live on opposite sides of the fence. No one says hello. Or hi. But on the night of the shooting star, two doors open...

When her parents make such a fuss over their new baby, Baby Duck feels neglected, until Grandpa helps her to realize that she is still important.

On the first night of winter, Little Miss Bear will not go to sleep. She simply refuses. "Winter is for sleeping," Mother Bear tells her. "But why, Mother?" Little Miss asks. "Because that's what bears do. All bears sleep, all winter long." All winter long is much too long for Little Miss Bear. She is going to miss her stars and her moon, and she is going to miss rolling on hills. Most of all, she is going to miss Mother Bear. But Mother finds a special...

When Baby Duck is not sure she is ready to get into the pool with the swim team, her grandfather encourages her.

When a little bear becomes separated from its mother in New York, a sympathetic child explains the proper steps that must be taken to reunite them.