In 1991, I wanted another baby," writes creator Lynn Johnston. "Since it wasn't possible to do in reality, I made one up! Baby April appeared April 1st of that year and has added a great deal of creative fun to the strip. . . ."

The Pattersons have never exactly been all "sweetness and light." As any For Better or For Worse fan can attest, this entertaining family endures just as many of life's downs as ups, but they always seem to keep moving forward. Now, however, parents Elly and John experience life in all directions as their youngest daughter, April, becomes a teenager!

In true For Better or For Worse style, the best-selling strip examines all the good and bad of "teenagedom," while keeping it in context of the rest of the family's other joys and challenges. Readers will smile knowingly as John and Elly try to decipher teen-speak, deal with their own protective parental tendencies, and struggle to give their maturing daughter the independence she wants and needs. Then just when the wide, wide world of 13-year-olds is at its most intense, everything from fired coworkers to another new grandbaby vie for everyone's attention.

This collection of daily and Sunday strips demonstrates once again that Johnston's ability to intertwine the lives of all her characters with the reader's own is remarkable. She's Turning into One of Them! will have them laughing, crying, and shaking their heads in the best For Better or For Worse fashion. Life? Bring it on!

FoxTrot is character driven, as opposed to silly situation or slapstick humor. It is one of the most entertaining comic strips in America.

Meet the Fox family:

*  Roger, the sports-enthusiast father stuck in the middle rung of the corporate ladder.

*Andy, mother and mediator of the family. Always wanted lots of kids. Now knows better. Her gourmet specialty?-tofu casserole.

* Peter has never known a food he couldn't eat, but otherwise is a typical high schooler. Inherited the sports nut gene from Roger.

* Paige. Egads, a freshman! Mall rat, Cosmo queen. Knows full well Mr. Right is right around the corner . . . or the next one . . . or the next.

* Jason is the youngest sibling. This warped little genius' favorite pastimes include tormenting his sister and get-rich-quick schemes.

* And finally, Quincy, Jason's iguana. Vomits on Paige's pillow when not sleeping or eating. What more could a 10 year old boy ask for?

FoxTrot is a hugely popular comic strip, with twenty-three successful collections and nine treasuries. Appearing in over 1000 newspapers, three million FoxTrot books are in circulation. Jam-Packed FoxTrot features strips from Orlando Bloom Has Ruined Everything, My Hot Dog Went Out, Can I Have Another?, and How Come I'm Always Luigi?

It's been said politics makes for strange bedfellows. In this case, those fellows just happen to be furry. In Dog vs. Cat: A Nation Divided, cartoonist Don Asmussen creates a fun and fluffy mix of politics and pets that's outside the box. The litter box, that is.

It has become ever apparent in recent years that divisiveness is poisoning our national debate. Discussion and compromise have been replaced by name-calling, bullying, and veiled hate speech. Never in our history has our country been so fractured between these two groups . . . dog lovers and cat lovers.

Using metaphors from the political scene of both yesterday and today, Dog vs. Cat humorously parodies government silliness and squabbles through the eyes of a cartoon canine and kitty. Humorist Don Asmussen takes us behind the scenes for an investigative look at the controversial Spot vs. Mittens election-one that nearly scratched and clawed our country apart. The media gets accused of cat bias in its coverage of Mittens's affair with JenniPURR Flowers. Meanwhile, Spot's dog license is called into question at the Cat National Convention.

Perfect for the pet owner who keeps an eye on the political arena, Dog vs. Cat scoops the stories-and then the yard-of all the funny, quirky things that cat lovers, dog lovers, and elected humans can do, all in the name of creating a pet-ter tomorrow.

Parenting is a competitive sport these days. With all the pressure on the modern parent, a little comic relief is not just welcome; it's a matter of survival. Because I'm the Child Here and I Said So offers a much-needed hilarious first-aid kit for parents of all types.

Between the fat stacks of parenting books designed to engender paranoia and hyper-competitiveness, and the culture that demands everyone must "have it all," today's parents don't stand a chance. Because I'm the Child Here and I Said So by cartoonist Pat Byrnes is a gleeful send-up of modern parenting: the obsession, the sport, the pseudo science, and all the maddening challenges parenting presents.

Each full-color cartoon features a smart punch line that will make you smile (or wince in recognition):

* "A birthday party? Didn't we already do that kind of crap with your older sister?"

* "I couldn't find a sitter, so I got a video."

* "Just remember, son, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose-unless you want Daddy's love."

Be advised, if you find yourself relating to any of the parents in this book, you need to chill out. Fortunately, Because I'm the Child Here and I Said So is the antidote to all your parenting woes. Whether you keep it for your own sanity or give it to a desperate parent, the cartoons of Pat Byrnes will delight and amuse.

Creator Pat Brady received the 2004 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society. He's previously been honored as a nominee for the award seven times, and Rose is Rose has been nominated five times for the Society's Best Newspaper Comic Strip Award.

Rose is Rose has long garnered attention from fans across the country and around the world. When the National Cartoonists Society named Rose creator Pat Brady Outstanding Cartoonist of 2004 it only confirmed what those readers already knew in their hearts: Brady rolls out one of the best strips in the business.

Red Carpet Rose is Brady's first book since he received the NCS honors. As the seven previous Rose is Rose books have done before, this one continues the tales of the hilarious Gumbo family: Rose, her husband, Jimbo, and their devilish, delightful, and demanding son, Pasquale. Brady deftly captures the innocent and ageless qualities of wonder and awe at the world's boundless experiences, as seen through the lives of his beloved characters.

Whether the Gumbos are sharing a simple family moment in the park, Pasquale is pushing his little-boy limits, or Rose is morphing into her Biker Chic alter ego, this Rose is Rose compilation of daily and Sunday strips delivers all the fun, laughter, and family-loving moments that mark Brady's work. This is cartooning at its best!

After ten book collections and a treasury, great white shark Sherman and the Lagoonies celebrate 15 years of life under the sea with this new collection of creator Jim Toomey's daily cartoons and full-color Sundays.

In an imaginary lagoon near the island of Kapupu in the South Pacific lives a group of nutty but sophisticated underwater creatures-complete with neuroses that rival those of humans (also known as "hairless beach apes"). Their wet world, oddly enough, is not so different from our own.

Sherman, a great white shark, is a typical guy, and Megan is his ruthless but nurturing wife. Rounding out the aquatic crew are Fillmore the turtle, geeky fish Ernest, and macho hermit crab Hawthorne. Salty old Captain Quigley, who lost his leg to Sherman years ago, is hell-bent on seeking revenge against the shark.

Sherman and friends effectively reflect human behavior and occasionally must confront humans' encroachment on their unspoiled habitat. Activist groups have applauded this comic strip with a social conscience for promoting marine conservation.

Sherman's Lagoon has been syndicated since 1991, currently by King Features, and has a circulation of more than 200 daily newspapers on five continents.

"Ziggy must be part of me, because he feels as if he's been with me all my life." --Tom Wilson

No matter where you are, no matter what's going on in your life, Ziggy has been there. For the past 35 years, readers around the world have picked up newspapers, opened greeting card envelopes, or caught sight of T-shirts and there's Ziggy, unfailingly showing how to appreciate life and find the silver lining in any cloud. 

Tom Wilson's character--an admirable mix of Ben Franklin, Dale Carnegie, and Forrest Gump all rolled into a little bald icon--strikes a chord in everyone. And that's why so many will cherish A Little Character Goes a Long Way, a celebration of Ziggy himself. After all, it's the character of this character that's earned Ziggy such a special place in our hearts.

This treasury includes many classic Ziggy frames and strips, each highlighting the traits that make Ziggy the upbeat, hopeful, and unflappable optimist that he is. There's Ziggy generally making molehills and wrinkles out of life's highest mountains and lowest valleys; Ziggy and his menagerie of pets; and Ziggy taking the time to appreciate nature's beauty at its best. This little Everyperson reminds us all of what's really important, and this treasury will undoubtedly do the same.

Some believe that the key to humor is timing. Others think it lies in a slightly distorted presentation of the familiar. E. B. White thought that humor ceased to exist upon close examination. But if anyone has humor figured out, it's Stephan Pastis. His philosophy is written in black felt pen on the bulletin board in his home office. It reads: 'When in doubt, kill cute things.'"

Lock up your valuables. Stockpile your ammunition. Sandbag your bunker. The familiar foursome of Rat, Pig, Goat, and Zebra-joined now by the fraternity of Zeeba Zeeba Eata crocodiles are here to storm the ramparts of humor in The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised.

In this fourth collection from the award-winning comic strip Pearls Before Swine, Stephan Pastis deploys all the weapons of his comic arsenal in an all-out attack on the animal (and human) imperfections he sees around him. The result is a collection jam-packed with the sharp-edged humor that has made Pearls Before Swine one of the most successful comic strips running in newspapers today.

Just remember: As The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised makes clear, Pearls Before Swine takes no prisoners.

We warned you.

Over the years, Garfield the cat has struck a chord with readers who can identify with his laidback, shall-we-say-lazy approach to life. The famous feline--whose passion for food and sleep is matched only by his aversion to diet and exercise (he prefers lie-downs to sit-ups)--has become the poster cat for all kinds of people, none of whom would ever describe themselves as "Type A's."

To celebrate being the world's favorite feline, Garfield introduces I'm in the Mood for Food: In the Kitchen with Garfield.

Chock-full of tasty recipes, the cookbook also features spot art and food-related Garfield comics in color. I'm in the Mood for Food includes chapters on Family Food, Party Food, Pasta, Outdoor Cooking, Kids' Recipes, Snacks, and Desserts. Consider some of these mouth-watering morsels: Lazy Cat's Lasagna, Color Me Hungry Red Pepper Potato Frittata, Royal Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken and I'd Rather Be Happy Than Thin Chocolate-Chunk Cookies. All in all, I'm in the Mood for Food will appeal to cooks everywhere, especially those who love Garfield and, like him, believe that the best things in life are edible.

This breathtaking volume boldly, cheerfully, and blankly stares back across the stunningly mellow life and times of Zonker Harris. From his Californian-American roots to his legendary status as surfer, nanny, and former sun god, his career trajectory has unfailingly carried him ever deeper into the homegrown heart of the American daydream. A puddle-plumbing denizen of Walden Commune, Harris spent his formative years as a bodaciously freaked-out college student. His innovative decoding of the rites and rituals of the burgeoning counterculture put him on the cover of Time. Forced by a strategic oversight to graduate from college, Harris blazed a path to glory on the pro tanning circuit. His triumph in the George Hamilton Cocoa-Butter Open set a high watermark for the sport.

Family values led Harris to devote considerable time to helping his stunned parents refill their empty nest. Extended-family values propelled him into a career as a professional nanny, in which capacity he has indeed taught the children well--especially Sam, who was surfing the long board while still in diapers. Later, leveraging his political cluelessness, Zonker served on the disastrous Duke2000 presidential campaign. A devoted foot soldier in the war against AIDS suffering, Zonk is held in high regard among SoCal's medical marijuana community for the efficacious potency of his magic brownies. Unfazed by worldly success, he remains a true and gentle freak. After all, he humbly notes, I am but one dude. 

"Ziggy must be a part of me, because he feels as if he's been with me all my life.

Whether it's snowmen, turkey legs, Christmas trees, or shopping, you can bet Ziggy will have something to say about it. You can also depend on this little bit of Everyperson to spin out a homespun philosophy that leaves you smiling, shaking your head just a bit, and saying, "You know, he's got something there." That's what makes Tom Wilson's Ziggy a hit with the 75 million readers who see the panel in more than 600 Sunday and daily newspapers around the world. And it's what promises to make Ziggy's Gift a memorable way to celebrate the holidays.

Honoring the re-release of the movie Ziggy's Gift on DVD, this holiday-themed cartoon collection is the answer for any shopper looking for just the right combination of humor, warmth, and thoughtfulness. Ziggy is so approachable and easy to read, recipients won't be able to stop once they begin paging through the book.

This holiday season, Ziggy is bringing with him a Christmas gift that will capture and warm the hearts of everyone. Ziggy's instantly recognizable persona fosters a built-in confidence among buyers who feel they know the character and feel comfortable giving this collection as a gift. Ziggy and the holidays are made for each other!

Animation Festival Selects Ziggy's Gift as Feature Film

"You must have a camera in my house! " That's the comment Jerry and Jim get most often from readers of their comic strip. And it's probably because Zits is the best depiction of life with a teenager since, well, ever! Pimp My Lunch: Zits Sketchbook No. 10 Zits chronicles the daily lives of a teen in a way that's not done in the popular media-with respect. "Having teenagers in the house is like having a front-row seat to one of life's great passages," says Jim Borgman. "Zits tries to respect that period by taking a sympathetic view of all the players involved-the parents, as well as the kids."

We like to think of Zits as the antidote to all of the bad stuff you read about teenagers today," adds Jerry Scott. "Many people believe that modern adolescence is all about gangs, guns, drugs" etc. Zits gives a different view of the teenage experience "where, for most kids, relationships, friendships, school, and sports are the stuff of daily life.

Zits levels the playing field and often causes (gasp! ) communication to occur between kids and their parents. Appearing in over 1,200 newspapers worldwide, this enormously popular comic strip has been a staple since it was first syndicated in 1997.