After two years in a loving home, TJ's mother got him back. She was clean. No pot. No meth. His chest felt like it was burning. His heart was racing. Trapped. He felt trapped. He didn't have a say. Everything he had come to care about would be gone: Miss Dixie, hot meals, friends, Mae's little hand, and Annabelle. And the brutal life he'd escaped quickly reclaimed him. Kaden Cruz didn't run after him. Instead his voice boomed, "You owe us." TJ didn't look back. But he knew this wasn't the end of Kaden Cruz. He could still hear his father's voice. "It's not free. You'll have to pay them back one day."
Kioko had been watching the matatus come and go for as long as he could remember. But today, for his fifth birthday, he climbs aboard one with his grandfather. As the matatu pulls away from the market, the village dogs chase after them. When Kioko asks his grandfather why the dogs always bark and chase after matatus, his grandfather tells him an entertaining tale about a dog, a goat and a sheep. Set in East Africa, The Matatu is a colorful story filled with many unexpected turns and twists along the way.
Tova lives with her family on a small farm in the famous town of Chelm, a mythical village populated, according to Jewish folklore, by fools. Tova's farm has hens and even a rooster, but no cow. Her mother, Rivka, wishes they could afford to buy a cow, so they could have fresh milk and butter every day. One night Tova's father has a dream about how to get milk without actually owning a cow. He asks Tova to help him find a way to get milk from their hens, and the results are hilarious. Finally, to the family's joy and the hens' relief, the problem is solved by none other than the wise Rabbi of Chelm himself, and a little extra help from Tova.
Everyone loves babies, and John Denver's love song For Baby (For Bobbie), interpreted as a children's picture book by award-winning illustrator Janeen Mason, reminds us that these feelings are universal. Captivating images lead us around the globe, from Sri Lanka to the Arctic, and deepen the experience of John Denver's enduring song, a legacy of love.
Learning responsibility at home and in school are addressed in this book. How it makes you feel better about yourself if you are responsible and do the right thing and how other people notice too.
Packing up and moving from a small house to a big city filled with tall buildings and bustling sounds is exciting.
When Charlie's grandfather gives him a harmonica as a present he can't stop playing it. His mom and dad are constantly telling him to put it away, but his efforts pay off when there is a talent show at school and all his classmates encourage him and his harmonica to enter.
When Dan and Dad go out for pizza they learn that just because it smells so good doesn't mean you should eat too much. It's much better if you share.
Wendy was always being forgetful. She never turns off lights or the TV, and always leaves the fridge open when searching for a snack. When her mom tells here that is like throwing money down the drain Wendy finally thinks she understands. She starts to empty the money from her piggy bank down the drain until her mom explains that was just a figure of speech.
Immigrants sailed from faraway lands to come to America for opportunity. This book includes their experiences at Ellis Island, the struggles of finding employment, and learning a new language in a strange new world.
Here is a gentle way to share a birth with a child. John Denver's hauntingly beautiful song "Ancient Rhymes" is about the birth of a baby dolphin, and Christopher Canyon's luminous illustrations - including a baby dolphin curled up with an umbilical cord and also a live birth - convey a sense of mystery, awe, and anticipation of things to come. The baby soon tastes the air and learns of dolphin ways, much the same way as a human baby does. There's something magical and indescribable about it - a timeless and endearing lullaby.
This brilliant picture book adaptation of the first hit song of John Denver is all about roots, family, and country. Set in Appalachia, a humorously diverse bunch of relatives and their in-laws go up, down and around the hills of West Virginia to converge by car, pickup, and motorcycle to a family reunion at Grandma and Grandpa's country home. True to Appalachian style, Canyon portrays it all as if on a quilt, complete with little stitches between the fabric.
A simple, small act of kindness may go much farther than you think. Brian wasn't looking for anything in return when he gave his mother a great big hug. Brian's hug set in motion a series of unselfish acts that reached more people (and even animals) than he could ever know. This is a story that happens every day, with infinite variation, among good-hearted people everywhere. After all, kindness IS contagious.
The narrator of this story idolizes his older brother. But when big brother leaves for the army, the narrator tries his best to fill big brother's shoes for his younger brother.
The Socksnatcher family is secretly living in the Perkins family's cellar. They rely upon the Perkin's smelly socks to add flavor to their soup. But the cat has discovered their secret hiding place!
At least one sibling in each family shown in this book has a disability. And like all siblings they play, squablle, and work together to solve their differences.
Often mistaken for a rat . . . or, worse yet, a meal, Valentino is a guinea pig trying to find a home where he can live happily ever after. He runs away from his native home in Bolivia as a stowaway and he has many adventures until good fortune lands him in a pet shop. Soon after, he finally meets Maddie--a little girl with a lot of love to share who is hoping for the perfect pet. Who says dreams never do come true or there's no such thing as a happy ending? Just ask Valentino and Maddie!
Little ones will soon settle down for bedtime just like Little Sea Otter as she snuggles with Mama in a cozy bed of sea kelp and calls good night to all her ocean friends.
Anna is never on any team at school. But she is determined to be part of the annual wreath-laying team at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. Not until the end of the story do readers discover that Anna is blind.
Amiqqaq is excited when his family catches a bowhead whale. As his family prepares to celebrate the traditional Iñupiaq whaling feast, Amiqqaq learns about the spirit-of-the-whale.
Will she be an artist? A cook? A writer? Sara Mee is turning one, and her family and friends gather for her tol, or first-birthday celebration. Food and presents abound, but most exciting of all is the traditional Korean prophecy game, called the toljabee, which predicts what Sara Mee will be when she grows up. A book for all cultures, What Will You Be, Sara Mee? celebrates siblings, community, and the blending of traditions. This book is good for your brain because: Multicultural, World History, Korean Traditions & Customs
Take a trip to the Arctic with Baby Beluga. Pre-readers and beginning readers meet the adorable and playful baby beluga whale. The questions that kids will have for the baby beluga are answered simply and clearly by the baby whale himself. Young learners discover that baby belugas stay close to their mothers and live in large pods, they eat shrimp and fish and other sea creatures, and they can make many sounds like chirps, moos, whistles, and more. Hello, Baby Beluga is perfect for reading aloud at story hour and bed time. Patricia Wynne illustrates baby beluga's icy blue north Atlantic home and lets children get up close to these fascinating and friendly creatures.
5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia during a terrible drought, Jomar and Zefa's father must send his children away to the city of Ur because he can no longer feed them. At fourteen, Jomar is old enough to apprentice with Sidah, a master goldsmith for the temple of the moongod, but there is no place for Zefa in Sidah's household. Zefa, a talented but untrained musician, is forced to play her music and sing for alms on the streets of Ur.
Rules, rules, rules! Sometimes rules just seem silly! But when things in the castle get topsy turvy, will Princess Tilly learn why castle rules are cool? This award-winning book teaches young readers that there's usually a very good reason why there are rules to obey. AWARD WINNER: Mom's Choice Award for Best in Children's Books for the Family.
When Bobby goes off on his own, his sister decides to teach him a lesson. Safety: Buddy Systems.
