![Animal Ark: Celebrating our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1426327676.jpg?itok=2TL9nO4E)
A howling wolf, a stalking tiger, a playful panda, a dancing bird – pairing the beautiful photography of National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore with the delicate poetry of Newbery award-winning author Kwame Alexander, this lush picture book celebrates the beauty, diversity, and fragility of the animal world. Featuring more than 40 unique animal portraits, the pages invite kids to explore each creature’s markings, textures, and attributes in amazing detail.
Animal Ark: Celebrating our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures
![Major Taylor, Champion Cyclist](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0689831595.jpg?itok=UvRmFi18)
Marshall Taylor’s bike stunts get him a job at the famous Indiana bike shop Hay and Willits. But he’s meant for even bigger things — namely the 1899 World Cycling championship — where his skin color attracts as much attention as his domination on the racetrack.
Major Taylor, Champion Cyclist
![Plant the Tiny Seed](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0062393391.jpg?itok=8JMGfbps)
Readers are encouraged to participate in planting a tiny seed, wait, care for it, wait, then watch it grow into a beautiful zinnia. The rhyming text is illustrated as though from ground level with straightforward depictions of an emerging garden. Directions on planting the zinnia seeds (which may be found in the book) briefly expands information on gardening.
Plant the Tiny Seed
![My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0823436713.jpg?itok=Wd7Jo-O0)
The narrator was born on May 17th, a “sunny spring day!” On May 19th, she ate lots of aphids but on June 2nd ate one of two brothers. The life of the praying mantis begins in spring, ends in October, with its own description of life in between. Inviting illustrations illuminate the understated text. Endpages fill in information about a praying mantis’ life cycle.
My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis
![Hello, Spring!](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0823437523.jpg?itok=e_0RXmkU)
Stunning, full color photographs combine with rhythmic, lyrical language to celebrate the signs of the new season. Celebrate with children depicted basking in spring’s new growth, holding baby animals, watching and listening to “Spiders spin/Butterlies flit./Bees buzz.” — and preparing gardens for planting. A glossary of terms concludes this handsome book.
Hello, Spring!
![Fantastic Flowers](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1561459526.jpg?itok=wbeFgDI5)
Flowers appear like other things like “Heralding trumpets,/a Mexican hat./Skittering spiders,/a fluttering bat.” But each flower illustrated is real, part of a plant. To make sure readers know this, a photograph accompanied by the common and scientific names as well as where the flower is found and how it is pollinated concludes this intriguing book.
Fantastic Flowers
![Cricket in the Thicket: Poems about Bugs](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0805098186.jpg?itok=UhhVqWnd)
Short poems present a range of familiar insects from crickets to Monarch butterflies. Each is accompanied by brief information about the critter (with additional information at the end), and illustrated with playful, animated, colorful art in Melissa Sweet’s charming signature style.
Cricket in the Thicket: Poems about Bugs
![Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1524715263.jpg?itok=20jkjA0i)
A bee flies through fields of flowers, over woodland streams and more until it winds up in its hive with others. Colorful illustrations fill each double-page spread, each with a die-cut to glimpse what appears on the next page. The rhyming text moves the bee’s saga satisfyingly along.
Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book
![Think of an Eel](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0763615226.jpg?itok=yKQraLdx)
An eel from the Sargasso Sea is a fascinating subject as presented in this brief look at an eel’s lifecycle. Further information is included on the CD.
Think of an Eel
![Smile](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0545132061.jpg?itok=7dpFimGK)
Sixth-grader Raina falls and severely damages her two front teeth. Through middle school and into high school, she struggles with peer relationships, discovering her own strengths while enduring painful orthodontia. The concluding pages reveal a self-assured high school student who can indeed smile. Full-color comic panels perfectly capture young adolescence.
Smile
![Trudy's Big Swim: How Gertrude Ederle Swam the English Channel and Took the World by Storm](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0823436659.jpg?itok=76_UelUS)
It was August 6, 1926; Gertrude Ederle was about to become the first woman to swim the English Channel. Not only did she swim the channel, she did so faster than the fastest time of any man. Dramatic illustrations and complete endnotes conclude Trudy’s riveting story.
Trudy’s Big Swim: How Gertrude Ederle Swam the English Channel and Took the World by Storm
![Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1580897851.jpg?itok=YW3lcvjF)
Malala’s story is one of the resilience that comes from strong conviction. It is told through a present tense narrative and dramatic, vivid, stylized illustrations. The early life of the girl and her supportive family, her struggle against the Taliban and her ultimate recovery from a murder attempt is further enhanced by extensive back matter which includes photographs and additional information and resources.
Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education
![Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1524715476.jpg?itok=lx_qw9Zi)
The true story of a mother, her four daughters, one son, and a handsome white cat named Kunkush is a journey out of war-torn Iraq to resettle in Norway. It is also the tale of valiant volunteers who reunite Kunkush with his brave family after being separated during the grueling jouney. Richly hued, realistic illustrations accompany the straightforward text. Photos of the family, Kunkush, and the volunteers conclude the book.
Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey
![Fanny in France: Travel Adventures of a Chef's Daughter, with Recipes](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0670016667.jpg?itok=H8kKUPhA)
Fanny is a girl who knows a lot about food and cooking since she’s grown up in and around the famous restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. Join Fanny as she helps cook a huge bouillabaisse in Provence; learns how to make fresh cheese from a shepherd high up in the Pyrenees mountains; hunts for wild oysters off the coast of Bordeaux, and discovers how one chicken can feed nine people, if served a certain way.
Fanny in France: Travel Adventures of a Chef’s Daughter, with Recipes
![Curious Jane: Science + Design + Engineering for Inquisitive Girls](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1454922354.jpg?itok=yBG0eaEG)
“Curious Jane” activities started as a summer project to keep the author’s girls engaged. It has since grown, encouraging young readers to make, experiment, and explore crafts as well as ideas for budding designers and inventors. All activities are clearly presented, easy to follow, use readily accessible materials, and let kids know when an adult should be called in. Sure to inspire young scientists and makers!
Curious Jane: Science + Design + Engineering for Inquisitive Girls
![Caroline’s Comets: A True Story](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0823436640.jpg?itok=jyd_x_cR)
Caroline Herchel, born in 1750, enjoyed looking at the night sky with her father. She would become the first woman to receive the Gold Medal of England’s Royal Astronomical Society. Caroline’s own words punctuate the lucid narrative. Expressive watercolor and line illustrations effectively evoke the time and place. A timeline and glossary conclude the book.
Caroline’s Comets: A True Story
![Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0803737580.jpg?itok=lfZ8r1SS)
Long ago, a bespectacled boy dreamed of color in his drab industrial French town. Henri’s world exploded with color when, as an adult, he was given a box of paints. The contrast in Henri’s life is brought to life through straightforward text and black and white illustrations juxtaposed with those brilliantly hued to evoke the artist’s recognizable style.
Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse
![She Stood for Freedom: The Untold Story of a Civil Rights Hero, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1629721778.jpg?itok=okot9yGL)
Early experiences brought the inequality of America into focus for young Joan, a white southerner. So she became an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Joan was a Freedom Rider, joined the sit-ins, attended the March on Washington in 1963, and even met Martin Luther King, Jr. Her story is part of a much broader story, presented in dramatic images, photographs, and actual documents from Joan’s memorabilia (e.g., an arrest record and a letter from a Mississippi jail to Joan’s mother).
She Stood for Freedom: The Untold Story of a Civil Rights Hero, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
![Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0316213888.jpg?itok=nBddGqCv)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, an American artist born of a Haitian father and a Brooklyn born mother of Puerto Rican decent, became known as an artist whose work effectively made social commentary. The original illustrations call to mind Basquiat’s visual style while presenting his life and unique work, which broke old tenets of art to became popular in the 1980s.
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
![Martin's Dream Day](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1481467662.jpg?itok=UBSNKniO)
Photographs — many taken during the event and on site — document the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his now-famous “I Have a Dream” speech. A lucid text provides information about the Civil Rights Movement, general information about the period, and its impact. The images, however, have their own power even without the worthy narration.
Martin’s Dream Day
![March: Book One](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1603093001.jpg?itok=Msub0mW5)
John Lewis, son of a sharecropper, grew up to become an activist and later, a U.S. Congressman. His life and crucial role in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement is dramatically presented in word and image in graphic format in three volumes (March: Book Two (opens in a new window) and March: Book Three (opens in a new window)). The story of the young John Lewis can be shared with children as young as four years in the picture book biography, Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis written by Jabari Asim, illustrated by E.B. Lewis.
March: Book One
![Loving vs. Virginia](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1452125902.jpg?itok=xq8hwvjd)
The saga of Mildred, a young African American, and Richard, a white teen, who met and fell in love in their Virginia town, is poetically told in an open, strikingly handsome format. Mildred and Richard’s courage to stand up for their right to marry and live where they wanted took them all the way to the US Supreme Court. Their struggle will be best appreciated by sophisticated readers. The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage (opens in a new window) by Selina Alko and Sean Qualls presents the family’s story for younger children, a picture book for children from 6-8 years old.
Loving vs. Virginia
![Freedom in Congo Square](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/1499801033.jpg?itok=1PqHBPkc)
Join the rhythmic countdown to Sunday afternoon, the one time when enslaved Africans in 19th century Louisiana could relax in what became known as New Orleans’ Congo Square. Vibrant paintings, reminiscent of Jacob Lawrence, further enliven the portrait of people as they toiled daily, culminating on Sunday. An introduction provides historical insight and perspective of this little known part of American history.
Freedom in Congo Square
![Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/0763669547.jpg?itok=5wikPYW6)
In 1958, photographer Art Kane gathered up a who’s who of jazz musicians on a New York City street for what is now an iconic image of African American artists. Original poems accompanied by vivid paintings depict the period, the people, and more. Not only is the original photo included, so are short biographies of each of the musicians as well as additional resources sure to inspire further exploration.