Kane/Miller Book Publishers is committed to introducing children to the world through imaginative books at home. Their goal is to educate children about the similarities and differences between cultures worldwide. They offer many foreign children’s book that perfectly illustrates the commonalities shared by children everywhere. Chih-Yuan Chen’s “Guji Guji” first appeared in Taiwan, but will be available to American readers September 1, 2004. Guji Guji feels like the ugly duckling when others point out how different he was from his family. He learns that family is not about sameness, but about the sense of belonging. The story teaches self-esteem and the importance of family, values shared cross-cultures. It has full color illustrations with a hardcover dust jacket. For ages 5-9. $15.95.

It’s a book about dinosaurs … with a hole in it that kids or adults can fit their face in. The pages depict dinosaurs who (in one easy to read—except the names—line) tell what they like to eat. From the fern-loving Diplodocus to the dino-loving T-Rex, each page gives the name and eating habits of another animal. The hole? That’s right where the dinosaur’s face is, so readers look pretty silly and have a lot of fun.

Harvey’s team always loses. Professor Gertie, Harvey’s neighbor, can’t really understand it, but her game–winning inventions for The Team just haven’t helped. (Her Bouncy Boots were too bouncy and her Smoke Machine was too smoky.) Now she thinks she has the perfect solution: Mark 1, the Soccer Machine. He has a metal body covered with Squidgy Skin, a top speed of 45 miles per hour — and he’s programmed to win! But will this latest invention really work? Can The Team actually win? This 84-page book, from Australia, was written by David Bedford and illustrated by Keith Brumpton.

Where does honey come from and how is it made? Kids can follow along with this young Japanese girl as she spends the day with her beekeeping father in the mountains where he keeps his hives. Learn how the bees collect nectar, how it is turned into honey, and how the honey is collected to end up on the table. This 28-page book was written by Yumiko Fujiwara and illustrated by Hideko Ise.

Sometimes you can say a lot without saying anything at all. In this utterly charming wordless picture book, a little girl and her dog find a bird that has fallen out of its nest and cannot fly. They take the bird home and a wonderful friendship blossoms. Then one day, the little bird discovers its wings and flies out the window. The girl and her dog run back to the forest only to find that the little bird has joined a colorful flock of parrots. They return home, happy in the knowledge that their friend has made it home, as well. This 32-page hardcover book was illustrated by Tina Burke.

What does a Duck know about baseball? Kids can join the adventures of Duck as he proves to his friends he can play baseball. Quite a lot, as it happens: Duck and friends go out one day with a bat, a ball, and a glove to play. Duck hits the ball — but where does it fall? On a branch in the tree, now they can’t play at all. Frog has an idea, Duck lends a hand, but nothing turns out quite as planned. PLAY BALL!

Well, could he? What about an Iguanodon? Could he ice skate? Could a Wannanosaurus lift weights? In this 32-page full-color illustrated softcover book, kids’ll find all sorts of dinosaurs — from nearly the biggest to just about the smallest, all drawn to scale in relation to the things around them, whether it’s a golf club, a table tennis table, or a basketball court. There’s also some extra information — what period the dinosaur lived in, where its fossils were found, how big it was, and what it ate. Written and illustrated by Andrew Plant.

There is a rug in his father’s shop that Mustafa loves. (It has a hole in it, so you can put it over your head and still see out.) No one else wants the rug, though lots of tourists visit the shop. His father always welcomes them — "Bienvenue" — and offers them tea — "O cha wa ikaga desu ka?" Mustafa’s father would like him to know some words in other languages too, and he tells Mustafa that he may have the rug if he agrees to learn. But after the first lesson, Mustafa is so bored he runs out of the shop (with the carpet on his head). Ending up at the market, he finds a very different way of learning foreign languages...and of getting tourists to visit his father’s shop. Written and illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa, this 32-page hardcover book is fully illustrated in color.

Penguins can’t fly. Of course they can’t. Can they? A wayward penguin is found by the side of the road and convinces his rescuer he crashed while flying. The unusual pair tries all sorts of methods to return the penguin to the sky (all remarkably unsuccessful) until the day when the penguin finally rediscovers the secret of flight — within himself. This understated parable is ideal for children starting school, graduates, job-seekers, newlyweds, and anyone else who’s learning to fly in unfamiliar skies. The 56-page hardcover book is written and illustrated in pencil by Sebastian Meschenmoser.

Sing, Nightingale, Sing! lets readers learn about plumage, biology, behavior and more. It’s the perfect way to explore the birds of the world and discover their unique voices, because after reading about any of the 60 different birds in the book, kids can then listen to its song on the enclosed CD. So the next time someone asks, "What was that?" they'll be able to answer, "That was a Black-Billed Magpie. Obviously ..." Written by Françoise de Guibert and illustrated by Chiaki Miyamoto, this 48-page full-color hardcover book includes a CD of bird songs.

Written and illustrated by the design collective oneones, this 56-page book tells the story of 12 very special months in the life of a curious wire-hair fox terrier. Beautifully illustrated and presented in hardcover, it make a perfect gift for dog lovers of all ages. Launch date: September 2006. (Read Review)

Dogs love mud and biscuits, but when they happen both at once, Jack knows there's skulldoggery in the air. Who is mudding the show dogs of Doggeroo? Only Jack has the right nose to solve this crime. Paperback, 84 pages. Written by Darrel and Sally Odgers. Launch date: September 2006.

It starts with an old boot. But then precious objects such as blankets, squeaker bones and balls disappear! Now Jack must spring into action and find the thief of Doggeroo. Paperback, 84 pages. Written by Darrel and Sally Odgers. Launch date: September 2006.

Award-winning cartoonist Mark David turns his imagination to cars and comes up with contraptions that'll make kids smile. He invents cars that let you ride rollercoasters while stuck in traffic or go whitewater rafting without ever leaving the driveway. Paperback, 32 pages. Launch date: September 2006.

Written by Fumiko Takeshita and illustrated by Jun Takabatake, this 32 page softcover book explores the benefits of technology. Whimsical characters show kids how important it is to communicate over long distances and make friends from afar. Launch date: September 2006.

The Little Princess throws a tantrum. But to get what she wants, she has to learn to ask politely. And once the lesson's learned, she learns to tame a hungry beast by teaching him his manners, too. This first book of manners helps young ones learn how useful they can be. Paperback, 28 pages. Launch date September 2006.

A witch who used to be mean but is now merely grumpy is determined to make a bowl of miso soup with clams. But her clams sleep and snore so peacefully, she can't quite bring herself to dump them in the boiling water. Instead, she goes to the marketplace and tries to raise money to take them back to the beach, where they belong. Written and illustrated by Naomi Kojima, the Singing Shijimi Clams is a delicate tale of determination, ingenuity and kindness. Hardcover, 32 pages. Launch date: September 2006.

One day, an elephant wakes up to find that his entire back half is missing, so he sets off on his two front legs to find his two back legs and tail. While searching, he meets plenty of other creatures in the same predicament. He tries to team up with some of the other halves, but it's not a good match. Meanwhile, his back half's looking for another front half, with a similar lack of success. After all, how can a monkey's front end jump from tree to tree, when attached to an elephant's back end? Written and illustrated by Gusti, the 40-page book uses digital images of numerous discarded objects to "show children that art can be created from objects that usually end up in the garbage can," says the author. Hardcover, 40 pages. Launch date: September 2006.

In this 23-page hardcover book, Kali hates school even more when he announces that his father is a snake catcher and all of the other kids giggle. But when a rat snake gets loose in the classroom, suddenly Kali's inherited skills become much in demand! Written by Zai Whitaker and illustrated by Srividya Natarajan. Launch date: September 2006.

Written by David Bedford and illustarted by Keith Brumpton, this 84-page softcover book follows the Team as they go off to play in the soccer championships at camp Cup. But if anyone finds out that Mark 1 is a robot, they'll be disqualified. Things get complicated when a reporter from Soccer Stars starts nosing around. Launch date: September 2006.

Written by David Bedford and illustarted by Keith Brumpton, this 84-page softcover book begins with Harvey buying the best cleats made to ensure a winning season. But while testing her newest invention, Professor Gertie accidentally destroys the cleats! Meanwhile, rich kid Jackie Spoyle is out to form a new "super team" to beat the rest ... and she's dangling the lure of great, free equipment in front of the Team. While they given in and disband, or hold strong and prevail? Launch date: September 2006.

A case of the sniffles means that Benny can’t smell his bone! This heartwarming comedy from the Netherlands by Sieb Posthuma is available in Spanish. The English edition is also available in hardcover for $15.95. (Read Review)

Suerte (“Lucky” in English) is really lucky. He almost has everything a dog could need: a place to sleep, plenty to eat and a warm bed. The only thing he doesn’t have is an owner. This tale from England by Gus Clark is available in both English (“Lucky”) and Spanish (“Suerte”). It was an ASPCA Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award Finalist and won the NAHEE KIND Children’s Honor Book.

This story that teaches self-esteem and the importance of family and values shared across cultures is now available in a Spanish edition. Guji Guji feels like the ugly duckling because he’s different from his family; he learns, however, that family is not about sameness, but about a sense of belonging. This book by Chih-Yuan Chen first appeared in Taiwan. Launch date: March 2007.

“A New Year, a new day, a new morning. New clothes. We start the year with new things. New things, for the year-older me.” In this book from South Korea by Hyun-Joo Bae, children can follow a young Korean girl as she dresses and prepares for the Lunar New Year. Launch date: January 2007.