![Tadpole](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0440419794.jpg?itok=v5VPAHUi)
In 1950’s Appalachia, the Collins family leads a hard existence. The youngest sister, Carolina, is adrift, when her guitar-playing cousin, Tadpole, unexpectedly arrives. Tadpole’s beautiful singing and positive outlook inspire the family, but when they learn he’s on the run from an abusive uncle, they worry the uncle will come and take Tadpole away.
Tadpole
![Time Stops for No Mouse: A Hermux Tantamoq Adventure](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0698119916.jpg?itok=jqhteZNS)
Hermux Tantamoq is a simple watchmaker mouse. Linka Perflinger is a daring mouse aviatrix, with a watch that needs fixing. When Hermux agrees to do the repair, he falls for Linka and gets dragged into an adventure involving mad scientists and a garish cosmetics maven mouse.
Time Stops for No Mouse: A Hermux Tantamoq Adventure
![Stink the Incredible Shrinking Kid](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0763628913.jpg?itok=z1G1-e2j)
Stink’s real name is James, just like President James Madison. And like Madison, Stink is short — a notion constantly reinforced by his older sister Judy. Stink, however, learns how to cope with it while along the way learning about U.S. presidents.
Stink the Incredible Shrinking Kid
![Poems and Folktales](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0976193221.jpg?itok=PX4tg4iY)
Have you ever wondered why there is thunder and lightning? Hear this Nigerian folktale and other tales (as well as original poems) retold and shared by a master storyteller, artist, and writer. Ashley Bryan’s distinctive style and resonant voice echo the techniques of traditional griots.
Poems and Folktales
![Ivy and Bean](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0811849090.jpg?itok=q-gZvSoU)
Two girls, Bean and Ivy, learn that in spite of their very different personalities, they have lots in common. And their funny, sometimes outrageous, highly credible, everyday adventures begin one summer.
Ivy and Bean
![Arthur: Anniversary Collection](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0807261998.jpg?itok=L9N2phbw)
Arthur’s everyday world, both real and daydreamed, is presented through a lively narration of four books: Arthur’s Mystery Envelope, Arthur Makes the Team, Arthur Accused!, and Arthur and the Lost Diary. Children and adults alike will recognize the concerns and the humor in these gentle sagas.
Arthur: Anniversary Collection
![The Willoughbys](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0618979743.jpg?itok=6ZoBxIma)
Sophisticated readers (and fans of Lemony Snicket) will appreciate the sly humor and word play in this outrageously funny take-off on novels of yesteryear. Here, the Willoughby children must overcome their self-centered parents who ultimately meet their rightful — and very satisfying — end.
The Willoughbys
![Keeker and the Not-So-Sleepy Hollow](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0811860744.jpg?itok=tFnb0D1i)
Ten-year-old Catherine Corey Keegan Dana, better known as Keeker, goes on a family road trip — along with Keeker’s horse named Plum and Plum’s goat friend — to vacation in New York. There they visit relatives and solve a not-too-scary mystery in the Sleepy Hollow made famous by tales of a headless horseman.
Keeker and the Not-So-Sleepy Hollow
![Max's Dragon](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0374399212.jpg?itok=1v4ad64y)
Max and his brothers play outdoors on a summer day, but Max is the first to see his dragon. When chased by a dark cloud that looks surprising like a fierce dinosaur, only a rhyme — and the breeze from the dragon’s sneeze defeats it. Textured, rounded figures and playful language combine to present this imaginative summer adventure.
Max’s Dragon
![Grandma Calls Me Beautiful](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0811858154.jpg?itok=eDUYB7gO)
Grandparents and grandchildren share something special everywhere. Here the universal story of a grandmother and her granddaughter is made unique as it reflects their Hawaiian life and style.
Grandma Calls Me Beautiful
![The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/044022800X.jpg?itok=9ycT9War)
Fourth-grader Kenny goes with his older brother Byron and his parents on a road trip from Flint, Michigan to the South, where Byron will be spending the summer with his grandparents, away from the temptations of city life. Curtis mixes humor with the volatility of the South in the summer of 1963.
The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963
![The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0440420474_0.jpg?itok=SI0v-iOy)
Four young sisters spend their summer in the Berkshires in this humorous tale. Each of the sisters is well drawn and unique, as are the supporting characters. If you enjoy the first, the “autumn” sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is also available.
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy
![Miss Nelson is Missing](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0395401461.jpg?itok=XQdMlK9r)
Kind and attractive Miss Nelson goes missing, replaced by a substitute teacher named Viola Swamp. The children come to appreciate — really appreciate — Miss Nelson’s softer ways as they are whipped into shape by mean, strict, and not very pretty Ms. Swamp. Be sure to look for Miss Nelson Is Back (Houghton, 1986) and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (Houghton, 1988) for more of Miss Nelson’s classroom adventures!
Miss Nelson is Missing
![Teacher's Pets](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0763622524.jpg?itok=SZSMRsQJ)
Miss Fry welcomes the variety of pets that come to visit for the school year as warmly as she does each child in her increasingly noisy classroom. But each evening she returns to her calm little home in this quietly humorous and gentle story.
Teacher’s Pets
![Clementine's Letter](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0786838841.jpg?itok=S1LbTGpp)
Impetuous Clementine is concerned that she’ll lose her much loved 3rd grade teacher, Mr. D’Matz, when he’s recommended to study in Egypt for a year. Clementine cooks up a letter to assure that Mr. D’Matz doesn’t get the fellowship. Humor abounds in this third book about spontaneous, likeable, and ultimately honorable Clementine.
Clementine’s Letter
![Ramona the Pest](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0380709546.jpg?itok=0jhBqA8Z)
Ramona loves kindergarten and her wonderful teacher, Miss Binney. But even the best teacher and the most enthusiastic kindergartner can have a rough day or so. This leads to laughs for readers as they empathize with Ramona, who can be rather a pest and perhaps the first-ever kindergarten dropout.
Ramona the Pest
![Eleven](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0385730691.jpg?itok=7PKi-iLk)
Sam is almost 11 when he discovers a locked box in the attic above his grandfather Mack’s room, and a piece of paper that says he was kidnapped. There are lots of other words, but Sam has always had trouble reading. He’s desperate to find out who he is, and if his beloved Mack is really his grandfather. At night he’s haunted by dreams of a big castle and a terrifying escape on a boat. Who can he trust to help him read the documents that could unravel the mystery? Then he and the new girl, Caroline, are paired up to work on a school project, building a castle in Mack’s woodworking shop. Caroline loves to read, and she can help. But she’s moving soon, and the two must hurry to discover the truth about Sam.
Eleven
![Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0061235881.jpg?itok=yL15L1od)
Fans of the young girl who likes fancy everything — from words to clothing — will appreciate her angst when she must miss her friend Bree’s butterfly-themed birthday party. Instead, Nancy must attend her grandparents’ special anniversary celebration. Detailed line and wash illustrations and fancy (but clear) language create a memorable tale.
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly
![Facing the Lion: Growing up Maasai on the African Savanna](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0792251253.jpg?itok=QNcB8Pk2)
For many years, Lekuton taught school in the DC area, but before that he grew up in the Kenyan desert. Now, he’s back in Kenya, serving in parliament. This is an autobiography of his Kenyan childhood.
Facing the Lion: Growing up Maasai on the African Savanna
![Gossamer](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0385734166.jpg?itok=2Admmgpy)
When a boy from an abusive home is placed in foster care with an old woman, he brings with him his troubles — an invitation to the Sinisteeds, nighttime visitors to humans who gather memories good or not so good. Tough, timely topics are handled in a straightforward telling in this compelling and credible fantasy.
Gossamer
![Little Blue Truck](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0152056610.jpg?itok=jTt9gubP)
Unlike the arrogant, large dump truck, Little Blue Truck always has time to greet the animals in and around the farm. So when both get stuck in the mud, the animals respond to Little Blue Truck’s plea for help. Cooperation abounds in this rhyming story — ideal for reading aloud.
Little Blue Truck
![Feathers](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0399239898.jpg?itok=ly7tuHTi)
Narrator Frannie keenly observes the changing dynamics in her classroom when a new white student arrives. Frannie also frets about her family — her deaf brother isolated from the hearing world and her pregnant mother prone to miscarriages.
Feathers
![Wringer](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0060249137.jpg?itok=ZkCoav_r)
Most boys look forward to birthdays, but not Palmer. Once he turns 10-years old, he’s expected to assume the role of “wringer” in the town’s annual pigeon shoot. He doesn’t want to strangle wounded birds any more than he wants to be bullied. His dilemma is compounded by the secret he keeps in his room.
Wringer
![Maniac Magee](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0316809063.jpg?itok=1Z0CXXzq)
Larger than life Maniac Magee is a modern folk hero, particularly in the small town of Two Mills, Pennsylvania where he brings together people from opposite sides of the track. Unforgettable characters deal poignantly, often humorously, with race, poverty, and more in this contemporary tall tale.