Bill Harley Books In Order

The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher

LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE for ten year old Darius Frobisher. His eccentric father Rudy sells insurance four days a week. The other three days he goes on exotic journeys. Then there is Darius’s scatterbrained, much loved babysitter Miss Hastings, who throws water balloons with him and makes delicious burned toast.

But when his father flies off in a hot air balloon and doesn’t come back, Darius’s happy, carefree life suddenly comes to an end. He is torn away from Miss Hastings and sent to live with his notoriously nasty Aunt Ida., where he has to sleep alone in a cold, damp baseme*nt. Most of his waking time is spent trying to dodge the teenage boy next door, who is home from military school and hungry to do horrible things to someone younger than himself.

Darius sees a ray of hope when he finds a rusty old bicycle in the baseme*nt and begins to repair it in secret. Could this be the first step toward a reunion with Miss Hasting? Then one day he is startled to see an old man with long flowing hair riding a bicycle across the sky! That gives Darius a strange and wonderful idea. Now he knows what he has to do to get away from his miserable life.

Bill Harley’s offbeat, broadly drawn story features a cast of curious and unconventional characters that will easily capture the attention and imagination of young readers.

Night of the Spadefoot Toads

When his father takes a new job in Massachusetts, Ben Moroney must leave behind his best friend Tony, a western banded gecko named Lenny, and worst of all, the desert home he has loved and explored. Ben’s adjustment to his new environment is not going well until he unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in his eccentric fifth grade science teacher, Mrs. Tibbets. Together they explore the varied habitats on her rural property, and she introduces him to the elusive and endangered Eastern spadefoot toads that make their home there. When Ben discovers that Mrs. Tibbets s relatives plan to sell the land to developers, he knows he must try to stop them. As Ben s obsession with saving the spadefoot toads habitat grows, his schoolwork suffers and his relationships with his family and new friends are strained. One foolish, impulsive act threatens to destroy his friendship with Mrs. Tibbets and maybe even her career. But just when it seems things can t get any worse, Ben finds a way to meet his responsibilities to the people around him and learns what it means to feel at home.

Nothing Happened

If Jack’s older brother Will is right, then there’s a secret party in the baseme*nt every night and Jack’s the only one who misses all the fun! When Jack decides to find out what goes on without him, he’s in for a surprising adventure he won’t soon forget. Along the way, he discovers a lot about his family, his house, and the specialness of nighttime. Full color.

Sitting Down to Eat

A young boy’s snacktime is interrupted by a visit from an elephant. As soon as he moves over to make room, they are joined by a tiger, and a hippo, and a big blue whale, and soon a full menagerie, each insisting there’s room for one more. With his trademark marriage of story and song, children’s entertainer Bill Harley tests the boundaries of his young hero’s patience and hospitality. Full color.

Sarah’s Story

Sarah can’t think of a story to tell her class…
until a talking ant leads her to its anthill and the ant queen sends her on a mission. Sarah soon discovers that some stories come from unexpected places.A rollicking tall tale about telling stories by master storyteller Bill Harley. Winner of the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval. Best Read Aloud from Storytelling World.’Aldridge’s watercolors intensify the magic and humor of the narrative…
. The pictures, combined with Harley’s storytelling, will make children’s imaginations soar.’ School Library Journal

Bear’s All-night Party

Bear plans a party for the night of the full moon, but the other animals say they will not come until they are drawn to the celebration by Bear’s contagious singing.

Dirty Joe, the Pirate

The dreaded Dirty Joe and his piratical crew sail in search of the smelliest treasure ever: dirty socks! The rogues cheerfully pillage their way across the seven seas, until the day they run across another band of pirates one led by the notorious Stinky Annie. Has Dirty Joe finally met his match? From Grammy Award ;winning storyteller Bill Harley and bestselling illustrator Jack E. Davis comes a zany, tongue twisting, side splitting tale certain to be prized by budding buccaneers!