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The motto of South Orange River (S.O.R.) Middle School’s sports program is “everybody plays, everybody wins.” But all that changes when a group of 11 unenthusiastic seventh graders are forced to form a soccer team. Learn the secret of the S.O.R. Losers’ success in this original sports story.

It’s summer vacation for Grace and her neighborhood friends, just the time for the fun to begin! Grace remains the imaginative, energetic girl first introduced in Amazing Grace (1991) as she involves all the kids in dramatic play. From helping an isolated older woman to creating a circus, Grace and her chums spend a delightful summer vacation close to home.

What Susan does everyday is revealed in a simple, rhyming text and light-lined, colored pencil illustrations. What Susan does and how she behaves is what all children do but she does it using a wheelchair, revealed — without sentimentality — in the final spread.

Learning how to read isn’t easy for Trisha. But with the help and support of a wise new teacher, she begins to blossom. Told with warmth and sensitivity, and illustrated in Polacco’s signature style, the story of a girl overcoming dyslexia is based on the author’s own experience.

A brief history of classical ballet opens this handsome, richly told collection of seven stories from ballets. Each story is introduced with information on the production and time period in which the ballet was first performed.

Harold the family dog narrates three stories of life with supernatural suspicions which begins with Bunnicula, the bunny with fangs. In the Howliday Inn while boarding at the Chateau Bow-Wow, Harold and Chester (the Monroe cat) encounter a werewolf, perhaps. Chester and Harold must stop zombie vegetables when the Celery Stalks at Midnight. Over-the-top humor is very appealing to a broad range of listeners (including adults!).

Avon the snail’s voracious reading convinces him that having an adventure is the key to a happy life. So, he sets out on a journey with his new friend, Edward the ant. In a series of very short chapters, the two travel – at a snail’s pace – the length of a branch, meeting assorted characters along the way.

Otto, a gentle giant, is understandably upset when a fellow named Jack steals his pet hen. When Otto descends the beanstalk to retrieve it, he encounters several boys named Jack (who readers may recognize from other tales!) – until he finds the right Jack and makes an equitable deal. Humor abounds in the text and illustration of this fractured fairytale.

The Gift of the Crocodile, a tale from the Spice Islands in Indonesia, offers a colorful and dramatic twist on the universally adored Cinderella story.

Like most young girls, Aree likes fine clothing and jewelry. But she is just a wee bit spoiled and has more dresses and accessories than she needs. So when word comes of a dance, Aree can’t make up her mind.: “Now I can show off my fine clothes! But which color shall I wear?” She decides to wear them all, until she learns that excess can be a burden, and that impressing her friends is not the same as keeping them.

McKinley is a dog who takes his responsibilities seriously. Not only does the malamute take special care of his human pup, Jack, he also helps save a greyhound from an abusive master in this action-packed novel for younger readers.

Though Wanda says she has a hundred dresses at home, her classmates tease her because she wears the same worn dress everyday. Only one girl feels badly when Wanda no longer attends school, and she tries to make amends. This girl learns what Wanda already knows — that words really hurt.

While sitting on the log in the meadow, Mr. Franklin asks young Bet to read aloud. Little does she realize that she’ll soon befriend a small mole. This rollicking story includes a bit of magic, a hint of history, and an atmospheric setting that together reveal the essence of friendship.

This book of mysterious and haunting pictures are paired with equally mysterious captions. They are supposedly from the collection of one Harris Burdick. What could they mean? Ordinary scenes become startling and astounding in these black and white illustrations.

Sadie is devastated when her family’s beloved quilt is blown away in a storm. As she and Grandma recall the names and stories of those represented in the patches, they realize that they can ultimately begin a new quilt – one with Sadie’s name stitched in the center.

To escape the horrors of slavery, some people who remembered the old magic flew away from their enslavement. This is a richly illustrated homage to the reteller of the folktale (that first appeared in a 1985 collection) and to the dignity and history of African Americans.

Inseparable from her blanket, little Julia carries it with her everywhere until both her blanket and her need for it gradually disappear. Readers will appreciate the gentle humor in this recognizable story.

A large, slightly frumpy family travels to visit their equally large and frumpy relatives to share food, conversation, and a good time, proving that there’s always room for one more! The relatives’ visit is humorously chronicled in the lively illustrations and understated text of this Caldecott Honor book.

A family trip begins with everyone piling into the car. They then travel through the city with its traffic, over a bridge, through a tunnel, and more, stopping only when the family reaches the sparkling sea. Torn paper collage illustrations and simple text chronicle the gratifying outing.

Dorothy may have thought there’s no place like home when she clicked her ruby slippers, but the wanderlust of her native state is what starts all the trouble here. Kansas is bored and gets best friend Nebraska to help stir things up. Soon they’re throwing a potluck party for all the states and everyone delights in the idea of seeing another part of the country. Readers will unwittingly learn more than they would ever have thought while poring over the witty remarks exchanged over state lines.

More than anything, 14-year-old Ida Bidson wants to become a teacher. But her dream falters when the one-room school in her remote Colorado town shuts down. Her only hope is to keep the school open without anyone finding out. Yet even a secret school needs a teacher. Is Ida ready to take charge?

What does the Stupid family do when the kids come home with poor grades on their report cards? Why they celebrate with a costume party and invite their relatives, of course! Anyone who has ever had a bad day will appreciate the silly humor and dumb jokes in this comic picture book.

Friends and amateur detectives Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose set out to help their friend whose money for a new dinosaur museum has been stolen. Who could have gotten into the life-sized Tyrone the Tyrannosaurus and why?

Once upon a time three pigs built three houses, out of straw, sticks, and bricks. Along came a wolf, who huffed and puffed… So, you think you know the rest? Think again. With David Wiesner at the helm, it’s never safe to assume too much. When the wolf approaches the first house, for example, and blows it in, he somehow manages to blow the pig right out of the story frame, and the perplexed expression on the wolf’s face as he looks in vain for his ham dinner is priceless. One by one, the pigs exit the fairy tale’s border and set off on an adventure of their own. (2002 Caldecott Medal Winner)