The full-color, illustrated book teaches kids the letters of the alphabet in a creative way. Kids learn the letter “M,” for example, by reading about “meticulous mice monitoring mysterious mathematical messages.” Launch date: September 1987.

The interactive journal is based on Greg Heffley’s own “diary,” and encourages children to express themselves in a new way. The book comes complete with a full-color comics section featuring the collected cartoons of Greg Heffley and his best friend, Rowley. Launch date: October 2008.

The book, replete with haunting and bewitching illustrations, tells the story of a witch who longs for a child. The witch creates a child from straw, but repeatedly fails to bring it to life. One day, a little girl wanders into the witch’s house. Her love for the straw child brings it to life, and earns its protection when the frightening witch returns home. Launch date: October 2007.

This manga-style adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic is designed for a new generation of readers. Shakespeare’s original words are preserved, with significant changes made only to the length of the piece. Launch date: April 2007.

In this follow up to the #1 New York Times Bestseller “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” Greg enters a new year in his middle school. He is eager to put his embarrassing summer behind him, but his brother Rodrick is ready to tell all, should Greg step out of line. Launch date: February 2008.

This book tells a story from the perspective of a kid traveling to the Gold Rush. Full of Wild West adventure, this boook is part of the Golden Hour series, which has been praised especially for featuring African American children as its main characters. Launch date: October 2007.

With each illustration accompanied by simple instructions such as coloring, drawing, designing and tracing, this book makes learning fun. These open-ended instructions enable kids to complete each picture in any way they like. These activities are designed not only to develop a child’s imagination and creativity, but also to improve hand-eye coordination and motor skills. “[This] fun and engaging book…promote[s] childhood development,” Valerie Ralph, publicity and marketing assistant at Abrams Books, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2007.

A companion to The Aspiring Writer’s Journal, this book offers budding young artists tips to help them grow every day of the year. Each page of the book offers ideas, space for sketching and words of encouragement. “A daily journal for young artists, [this book is] packed with creative ideas and inspiration,” Valerie Ralph, publicity and marketing assistant at Abrams Books, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2007.

This book chronicles and describes the world’s greatest sights. Arranged by country, each of the beautifully photographed images of nature, architecture, cityscapes and more is accompanied by a story. The wonders of the world will inspire readers and encourage them to explore the world around them, without ever leaving their living room. Wonders of the World is “a comprehensive survey of the world’s greatest marvels — from Niagara Falls to the Eiffel Tower,” Valerie Ralph, publicity and marketing assistant at Abrams Books, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2007.

On Christmas Eve, Coyote wants to find some people to trick out of a hot meal, and he knows there’s one character people can’t refuse on Christmas Eve: Santa Claus. Using straw for a jolly belly and wool for his beard, the Trickster fools a family into welcoming him to their Christmas meal. But just when he thinks he’s gotten away with his ruse, he’s foiled by a strange occurrence. Could it be a Christmas miracle? This book is written and illustrated by S.D. Nelson. “This folktale offers an important message of comeuppance just in time for the holiday season,” Valerie Ralph of Abrams Books told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2007.

When Daddy Rabbit suggests skating on the frozen lake, Bella’s big brother and sister are excited. But little Bella is nervous. What if she falls over and everyone laughs? Gently encouraged by the others, Bella gains confidence and steps out onto the ice — and discovers that she loves skating. This book is written by Ian Whybrow and illustrated by Rosie Reeve. It’s “the perfect book to share with any child who has ever lacked confidence in his or her ability to do something,” Valerie Ralph of Abrams Books told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2007.

With this set, little explorers can join Hello Kitty as she discovers the excitement of nature in her own backyard. The kit includes binoculars, a compass, a magnifying glass, a butterfly net, a notebook and a pen, as well as an accompanying storybook. “The Hello Kitty kits are very popular with children: the Explorer Kit appeals to outdoorsy types and comes with all the gadgets necessary to discover and catalog the backyard, the forest, the lake, wherever!” Valerie Ralph of Abrams Books told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2007.

Iggy Peck is creative, independent, and not afraid to express himself. He also has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re sometimes surprised by his materials — a tower of dirty diapers? When his second-grade teacher declares her dislike of architecture, Iggy faces a challenge. He loves building too much to give it up. This title features Andrea Beaty’s rhyming text and David Roberts’s illustrations. It’s “a funny, rhyming, uniquely illustrated picture book that will appeal to creative kids,” Valerie Ralph of Abrams Books told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2007.

Library Mouse shows every child how to become a writer. Daniel Kirk brings to children the story of Sam, a library mouse who loves to read. Sam loves reading so much that one day he decides to start writing his own stories. He leaves these anonymous stories on a bookshelf each night and becomes an instant success. But when people want to meet this talented author, the shy little mouse doesn’t know what to do. The joy of reading, writing and sharing is brought to life in this warmhearted and inspirational tale for children. Launch date: September 2007.

Bestseller Graeme Base offers a brand new version of the classic book of serpentology, featuring eye-witness accounts of the most fascinating of creatures.  This new edition includes dragons newly discovered in America.  A visual and comic masterpiece, these convoluted, “historical” accounts and graphic representations of dragons around the world will entertain children and adults alike.  Launch Date: September 2007.

Told entirely through pictures, this adventurous look-and-find book features new stories to follow and items to discover. It’s a puzzle, a maze, an activity and much more. In each browsing, a new storyline will race through children’s heads as they follow the different lead-ins the illustrations present. This stimulating book encourages creative thought and was named a Junior Library Guild Selection. It is “a picture book with endless possibilities — the reader can follow a different storyline (or invent their own!) every time they crack open the book,” Publicity Assistant Valerie Ralph of Abrams Books told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2007.

Angela, Zoe and Maddie are feeling invincible as they say “l8r” to high school in this sequel to the New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestsellers ttyl and ttfn. Through instant messages, these inseparable friends have shared the ups and downs of high school. Now Jana, the Queen Bee who made their sophomore year a nightmare, is on the warpath again. It’s up to Maddie and Angela to defend good girl Zoe. A series of pranks escalates, culminating in a senior prom that no one will forget.
— “This wildly popular series is written entirely in instant messages and deals with teen issues in the language they helped create,” Valerie Ralph of Abrams Books told TDmonthly about the book’s uniqueness. Launch date: March 2007.

Part of Abrams' best-selling Can You Find It? series, this book by William Lach, a senior editor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, introduces young readers to great music through great works of art. From "The Flight of the Bumblebee" to "An American in Paris," beloved music is illustrated by works of art, and the text and CD urge young readers to listen for certain instruments. Can you hear the bee flying, played by the flute? Can you hear the horses' hooves, played by the woodblock? Readers will stop, look, and listen as never before.
— Valerie Ralph of Abrams Books told TDmonthly this title stands out because it provides “an original approach to the appreciation of art through music.” Launch date: January 2007.

Published under the Amulet Books imprint, this “novel in cartoons” by Jeff Kinney chronicles the experiences of an unlikely hero, Greg Heffley, who finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner and already shaving. Greg tries to use his best friend’s popularity to his advantage, kicking off a chain of events that tests their friendship in hilarious fashion. The book features approximately 300 black-and-white illustrations.
— It is “a completely unique approach to middle-grade fiction — combining hilarious diary-style narrative with web comic art,” Valerie Ralph, in publicity for Abrams Books, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2007.
- “For the younger reader, the best seller is “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney,” Jessica Wood, buyer for Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt., told TDmonthly in November 2008.
— Barbara Fineblum, owner of Barstons Childs Play in Rockville, Md., told TDmonthly in a December 2014 interview that Diary of a Wimpy kid books are best-sellers at her store.

This sequel to the award-winning time-travel adventure, “The Golden Hour,” takes readers to Cleopatra's Egypt. Fourteen-year-old Xanthe leads the adventure as the four time-traveling kids seek to rescue part of the library in Alexandria from destruction by Caesar's troops. The Egyptian setting and action-packed plot make this a particularly exciting installment in the series, and the resourceful African-American heroine is a welcome addition to the ranks of fantasy protagonists. Launch date: April 2006.

This vivid adventure set in our prehistoric past is now available in paperback. It is written by award-winning author Peni R. Griffin. Launch date: April 2006.

Fifty percent of Americans consider themselves shy, but teens and preteens wrestling with the problem may believe they're "the only one." This upbeat and encouraging guide is filled with knowing insights and funny drawings to help teens know “how to fit in, make friends, and have fun — even if you weren’t born outgoing.” It also lets shy kids know how common their problem is, and gives them tips for overcoming it. Launch date: April 2005.

Written in simple rhyme by Jessica Schulte, a project editor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this book includes 13 full-color paintings depicting a variety of outdoor scenes. Whether it's a garden by Vincent van Gogh, a boat race by Thomas Eakins, or a peaceable kingdom by Edward Hicks, each shows a world of objects to be discovered and asks children to take a look at classic fine art. Launch date: October 2005.

This book shares one of the greatest stories ever told in a unique graphic picture-book format. Through art panels, speech balloons, and architectural-style drawings, author Albert Lorenz provides his answers to questions about the Trojan Horse. The chorus guides the action and the gods provide commentary in this book packed full of facts and historical details. Launch date: September 2006.

In this book by Maiya Williams, 13-year-old Rowan and his friends, twins Xanthe and Xavier, find a time portal in an abandoned resort hotel. They travel back to revolutionary France in search of Rowan's mysteriously missing sister, Nina. A desperate dash through Versailles and a daring escape from the guillotine are just two of the many adventures the children tackle as they race against time. If they don't make it home with Nina by the "golden hour," they won't come home at all. Launch date: April 2006.