When a family spends a day at the beach, the children investigate various footprints to see what type of creatures live along the shoreline. Rhyming text turns a sandy beach into an outdoor classroom. The tracks and habits of local wildlife, including hopping sandpipers, scuttling crabs, and burrowing turtles, are identified and explained for young ecology detectives. Even Daddy's feet make an appearance! And at day's end, it's time for tired feet to make their way home. STEM-based back matter includes information on how clues like footprints can identify the type of wildlife inhabiting any given habitat.
Even the library has to sleep! This calming bedtime story says good night to the library and all the fun it holds--from books and story time to computers and comics. A charming ode to everyone's favorite community space and a perfect good night for budding book lovers.
When Ollie the ogre sees a flyer for the local talent show, he feels the bright lights of the stage call to him. He just knows he'll win first place! Only, he's not too sure what exactly his talent is. With some help from his friends, Ollie learns to work with his strengths (which happen to be his strength!) rather than against them and finds that the best way to shine is to be yourself.
Riley has a dump truck, a flatbed truck, a concrete mixer, and a little pickup truck at his lumberyard. When he tells them that they will help him build a children's park, everyone is excited. There's a lot of hard work to do, from hauling trash to pouring concrete. But once the work gets started, everyone but Little Yellow Truck is busy. Is there nothing he can do to help? As it turns out, Riley has just the right task for Little Yellow Truck. This picture-book offering from author Eve Bunting reinforces the message that even the smallest helper can make a big impact.
B is an awfully boastful bloke and when he and the rest of the alphabet get together, he can't help but tease the vowels about their small numbers. So the vowels begin to take off, one by one. The consonants--and the rest of the farm--see just how important vowels really are. With disaster looming and B seeing the error of his ways, can U save the day and set the alphabet right again?
Adam and his family spend an exciting day at the colorful and bustling Eastern Market. But when Adam gets briefly separated from Mom and Dad, he mistakes a friendly, diverse cast of characters for his parents in their traditional Muslim clothing--and shows that we all have more in common than you might think. This nearly-wordless picture book celebrates diversity and community in vibrant, dynamic art.
Lulu and her cousin Rocky are visiting the city of Detroit, the Motor City! There are so many fun things to see and do, like visiting Campus Martius to make sand castles, eating cherries at the Eastern Market, riding the carousel at the Riverfront, and seeing the works of Diego Rivera at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Written by Barbara Joosse and illustrated by Renée Graef, this second book in the Our City Adventures series explores the city of Detroit, visiting well-known sites like Comerica Park, Fox Theatre, and "Hitsville, U.S.A," where the Motown sound came alive, as well as unexpected gems.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water, Gettysburg, Ben Franklin's inventions, the Liberty Bell -- there is so much to learn about Pennsylvania's history and geography. K is for Keystone is a wonderful introduction to many of Pennsylvania's unique features for readers young and old."E is for Easton A town where you can see, The birthplace of crayons and markers, In the Crayola FACTORY." "The word Crayola comes from the French word craie (chalk) and the first part of the word oleaginous (an oily paraffin wax). In 1903 cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith created an overnight success with their Crayola crayons made for school use. Seventy-five years later Crayola markers were produced. The Crayola FACTORY in Easton, Pennsylvania, includes a hands-on discovery center and offers demonstrations that show how crayons and markers are made."
Napoleon, the spiffiest chameleon in the jungle, is a pretty happy guy. And why shouldn't he be? After all, he loves living on his spiffy limb, and blending in with its colorful foliage. And after a few missteps, he now has friends. Mike the monkey and Polly the parrot often come to play. The spiffy limb shakes with fun and it seems like the laughter will never stop. Except it does when Mike meets Mooka and Polly meets her Pedro. His friends have found their perfect mates and Napoleon is now back to being on his own. What will it take for the loneliest chameleon in the jungle to find his own true love?
It's 1969 and Marty's family lives on the U.S. island of Guam, where his father manages the NASA tracking station. It's important work and never more so than during the Apollo 11 space mission, where the tracking station relays signals back and forth between the astronauts and Mission Control in Houston, Texas. Along with the rest of the world, Marty listens to every mission update, including the historic landing on the moon and astronaut Neil Armstrong's first steps. But during Apollo 11's return to Earth, something goes wrong. There is a problem with the tracking station's antenna during the final hours of the mission. The problem must be resolved--the antenna is the only way Mission Control can communicate with the astronauts before Apollo 11 splashes down. Marty finds himself playing a key role in helping bring the craft safely back to Earth. Based on actual events, young readers get a front-row seat to this historic event in this new entry in the Tales of Young Americans series.
When country toads, Hank and Buckeroo, hear some folks talking about going "fly-fishing," they know they have to tag along. What could be better than fishing for flies?! So they stow away in a picnic basket and prepare for the feast of their lives. But what will happen when they realize fly-fishing isn't exactly what they expected?
From Abraham to Zaydee, and from ancient times to modern day, A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet encompasses the history of Jewish traditions and customs and how they are practiced today. Following the alphabet, a poem identifies the letter topic while sidebar text provides background information. C could be the challah that my bubbe used to braid, or C could be the chicken soup, when I was sick she made, or chocolate coins on Chanukah we added to our coffers. But I say C should be for Chai "To Life" and all it offers. This joyful celebration of family and heritage includes the meaning behind celebrations such as the Festival of Lights, Passover, and Sukkot; important names and stories from the Old Testament; and how modern-day families continue to celebrate their heritage.
On May 6, 1937, the giant German airship the Hindenburg was destroyed by fire as it attempted to land at Lakehurst Naval Base in New Jersey. Of the 93 people on board, a remarkable 62 survived, including Werner Franz, the ship's 14-year-old cabin boy. In Surviving the Hindenburg, writer Larry Verstraete recounts young Werner's story of the airship's final voyage. Through Werner's memories young readers will explore the inner workings of the giant airship, marvel at the breathtaking vistas from its observation windows, and hold their breath during Werner's terrifying escape from the fiery devastation. "My mind didn't start working again until I was on the ground," Werner said later. "Then I started running."
Lulu and her cousin Rocky are visiting the city of Milwaukee. There are so many fun things to see and do, like canoeing, visiting a lighthouse, riding surrey-bikes, going to a fish fry, and even gearing up and burning rubber at the Harley-Davidson Museum!
The art and writing of Gwen Frostic are well known in her home state of Michigan and around the world, but this picture book biography tells the story behind Gwen's famous work. After a debilitating illness as a child, Gwen sought solace in art and nature. She learned to be persistent and independent--never taking no for an answer or letting her disabilities define her. After creating artwork for famous Detroiters and for display at the World's Fair and helping to build WWII bombers, Gwen moved her printmaking business to northern Michigan. She dedicated her work and her life to reminding people of the wonder and beauty in nature.
As you travel through the Okefenokee Swamp, keep an eye out for Tiger Swallowtails and Brown Thrashers, and be sure to pick some Yellow Confederate Daisies before taking a nap under a Live Oak Tree. This is the Georgia that becomes a wondrous reality within the beautiful rhyming verses of Carol Crane and the colorful images of Mark Braught. At the same time the rhymes entertain and inform younger readers, Crane's in-depth expository text will appeal to older ones, creating a two-tiered teaching tool for educators in the Peach State and across the country.
From the same team that brought you My Momma Likes to Say comes this delightful interpretation of maxims, idioms, proverbs, and clichs many students remember hearing on a regular basis in the classroom. From "Do you have ants in your pants?" to "Stick together!" and "Great minds think alike," readers will be intrigued by the history of these adages, told in poetry form as well as expository text, and amused by the witty illustrations, depicting these sayings as a child might imagine them.
Explorer Basil Bernard Barnswhitten (B.B.B.) has a list of creatures he needs to verify for an important report so he visits the Finchhaven Museum of Extraordinary Curiosities, Oddities & Improbabilities. But he finds that one of the glass exhibit cases is damaged - something appears to be missing. Or did it escape? To complete his report, B.B.B. travels around the world to track down each creature on his list, all the while asking the same three questions: Is it alive? Is it extinct? Did it ever exist? By deciphering the clues in his journal, young explorers can accompany B.B.B. as he tries to locate each mysterious creature. Finding them won't be easy; lushly detailed scenes serve not only as camouflage but also as habitats to other strange and mysterious marvels
From acclaimed U.S. Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis comes a delightful exploration of the wildlife easily found in our backyards and along the seashore. Simple rhymes and riddles are used to help the youngest of readers identify our wildlife neighbors, including birds, small mammals, and insects.
"The sky in Montana somehow seems bigger, bluer, and more spectacular than in any other state." Author Sneed B. Collard, III writes, "It's simply because our sky stretches over such an abundance of beauty." In B is for Big Sky Country readers will find out where the Going-to-the-Sun Road really takes you and what city the copper capitol dome calls home.
Even the forest has to sleep! This sweet walk through the forest says good night to flora and fauna alike, from the quiet bunny to the howling coyote. With silly, colorful illustrations and soft rhyme that is sure to lull littles ones off to sleep, this will be a favorite bedtime pick.
Experts know that sometimes the best way to teach a child what something is is to teach him what it isn't. Running through the alphabet, beginning readers are given a letter and then told what the letter topic isn't. A isn't for box; it isn't for fox. A is for ants that crawl over your socks.
In The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas preparations for a doomed stage production of the classic ballet goes from terribly bad to ridiculously worse. Sick stagehands, renegade cats, and crashing Christmas trees have everyone sure that the show won't go on. But it's Christmas Eve and help is on the way! Told in verse with wonderful whimsical illustrations, this story hits all the right notes for holiday reading.
In this clever twist on the Night Before Christmas story, a gingerbread boy cookie is carefully crafted and placed on a plate. He was made special to serve as Santa's nighttime snack, a homemade thank-you for all the presents he will deliver. The cookie wonders if he is brave enough to face up to his holiday duty. But instead of spending the evening contemplating his fate, the gingerbread boy finds himself facing two rambunctious puppies experiencing their very first Christmas. Their mischief includes a tug-of-war with presents, leaving a big mess. And it's up to the gingerbread boy to save the day and Christmas!
From earliest times, the concept of "play" has been part of the human experience. And while some pastimes have gone in and out of favor over the years, some never change or lack for enthusiasts. Using poetry and prose, Judy Young relives many of the familiar games of childhood and invites young readers to join along as she plays Kick the Can, Monkey in the Middle, and Double Dutch jump rope. "The rope starts to turn and I jump with my feet As I sing out a song with the same rhythmic beat, Turn around, touch the ground, first jump slowly, then fast; How many more jumps do you think I will last?" Colorful artwork reinforces the underlying message of the importance of physical play in today's techno-driven world. In Lazy Days of Summer even "older" children will recall the welcome tang of lemonade after a rugged game of tag.
