Places to Be

From the award-winning, bestselling Mac Barnett and Renata Liwska comes a classic and luminous book perfect for fans of The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood and Waiting by Kevin Henkes.

With an elegant simplicity, this picture book celebrates all our wide-ranging emotions—and the adventures that await us each day.

We have so many places to be!

Places to be loud

and lovely

and scared

and jubilant.

We have so many places to be! Places to be loud and lovely and scared and jubilant.

With an elegant simplicity reminiscent of the classics, this picture book celebrates all our wide-ranging emotions.

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Understated illustrations and prose seamlessly construct an enchanting and mysterious tale.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Klassen’s deadpan, stylized illustrations impeccably complement Barnett’s quirky droll writing.” - School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Klassen’s pacing, especially the mostly wordless sequence when the box floats back to Annabelle on a triangle of an iceberg, is impeccable. The final spread, all light and yarn-covered tree limbs, brings Barnett’s clever, quiet yarn full circle, to a little girl and a town, now colorful and happy.” - Horn Book (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Reading like a droll fairy tale, this Barnett-Klassen collaboration is both seamless and magical. The spare, elegant text and art are also infused with plenty of deadpan humor. Quirky and wonderful, this story quietly celebrates a child’s ingenuity and her ability to change the world around her.” - Booklist (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “There’s nothing to say but perfect.” - Lane Smith, New York Times bestselling author of IT'S A BOOK

“A sweet and gentle contrast to Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” - Booklist

Praise for THE SKUNK: “Gives off a deliciously Hitchockian air of high style and deep-seated dread. . . a story that speaks to the urbane existentialist/absurdist lurking in the heart of every reader.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for THE SKUNK: “Clever visual motifs, sly storytelling, and tight pacing make this a picture book that will be enjoyed by both children and their grown-ups.” - School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for THE SKUNK: “McDonnell’s graceful and simple cartoonlike illustrations mitigate the notes of paranoia and obsession in Barnett’s deadpan text.” - Horn Book (starred review)

Praise for THE SKUNK: “A daffy yet stylish readaloud with surprising performance possibilities.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“Funny and gentle” - Kirkus Reviews

“This winning read-aloud can be used to encourage friendship in young children.” - School Library Journal

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “When Sam and Dave dig a hole, readers get “something spectacular.” The boys, on the other hand, do not. Their quest to find the spectacular brings them painfully and humorously close to buried jewels as they spade their way into the ground, accompanied by an intrepid canine companion. ... Poor Sam and Dave. Lucky readers.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “Barnett’s comic voice is at its driest as he recounts that quintessential American childhood activity—the digging of the giant hole.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “A tender, touching story of friendship and the power of imagination.” - Booklist (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “A warm and wise story about acceptance trumping difference.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “A whimsical tale from Barnett aptly accompanied by enthralling artwork by Robinson.” - School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for LEO: A GHOST STORY: “Dazzling.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “In this absolutely charming fable, one girl’s generosity, with the help of a never ending supply of yarn, change a drab little town into a place with color and cheer. Even when threatened by a dreadful archduke, all turns out for the best. Jon Klassen’s illustrations are the perfect complement to a wonderful story. I love this book!” - Amie Mechler-Hickson, Boswell Book Company

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Extra Yarn is one of the rare picture books that makes you just feel better about the world. Our world, like Annabelle’s storybook land, may sometimes seem rather bleak and colorless. But with a spark of creativity, some sharing, and some work, both her environment (and ours) can be seen as beautiful, and interconnected. Mac Barnett’s text manages to feel both classic and contemporary, and I can’t think of an illustrator I’d rather see clothe the world in sweaters than Jon Klassen-just the rabbit on the cover is worth the price of admission. I love this simple yet powerful fable.” - Robert McDonald, Book Stall (Chicago, IL)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “In Annabelle’s chilly village, it’s a spare and gray season. The little girl finds a box of yarn, and knits herself a soft, warm, and colorful sweater-and then, it turns out, there is still plenty of yarn in the box. No matter how many sweaters Annabelle knits and gives away, her box is still full. Mac Barnett and John Klassen beautifully present this simple, profound fable about the inexhaustible resources of the heart.” - Susan Kundhardt, Book Passage (San Francisco, CA)

Praise for EXTRA YARN: “Whenever I look at Extra Yarn I feel warm and content. There’s nothing out of place - I wouldn’t change a word or an illustration - and it makes me feel cozy and hopeful. Who knows? Maybe our dreary surroundings can be improved, one small, colorful stitch at a time.” - Patty Norman, Copperfield's Books (California)

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “A clever second collaboration between Barnett and Klassen...The prose is deadpan; the joke’s all in Klassen’s winsomely smudgy illustrations.” - New York Times Book Review

Praise for SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE: “”Mind-blowing in the best possible way.” - Horn Book (starred review)