Acclaimed author Kathryn Lasky explores the nature of friendship in three delightful stories for beginning readers. Creative, impulsive Poodle and loyal, dependable Hound are an unexpected pair. Together they star gaze, plant a garden and prove that two very different individuals can not only be compatible, they can complement and help one another. This book is good for your brain because: Friendship, Helpfulness, Language Arts
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.
Priscilla is only four years old when her mother is sold to another master. All Priscilla has to remember her mother by are the hollyhocks she planted by the cow pond. At age ten, Priscilla is sold to a Cherokee famiily and continues her life as a slave. She keeps hope for a better life alive by planting hollyhocks wherever she goes. At last, her forced march along the Trail of Tears brings a chance encounter that leads to her freedom. Includes an author's note with more details about this fascinating true story as well as instructions for making hollyhock dolls.
Thump, creaak, clink-clunk . . . MOOOOO! Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman don't know what to do. They've left city life behind and moved to the country with hopes of being farmers. But their dreams turn grim when nightly visits from Boo Cow scare the Noodlemans' hens so much, they won't lay any eggs! These first-time farmers are at a loss. Why is Boo Cow haunting them, and how can they banish this ghostly bovine visitor? Baehr's fun and accessible text make this book a great read-aloud. With unexpected twists and turns, Boo Cow keeps readers guessing as they attempt to solve the mystery on the Noodlemans' farm. This book is good for your brain because: Great read-aloud, encourages audience participation, promotes the importance of learning about others before we judge them
Get ready for an alphabet revolution! X is exasperated. Every other letter in the alphabet has so much to do and plays such important roles in making words. X expects more. He calls for a vote on a new alphabet (gasp!). According to the Alphabet Constitution, X has every right to question the status quo. But the night before the vote, X is plagued by dreams of what could happen if he were to take on another letter's job. S has to run around a lot making singular words plural, except sometimes he isn't needed at all, and sometimes he needs to bring along another letter... it was all very confusing. Then X thought he'd like to be E. E was very important and very useful. E agreed. But E was exhausted. He was in thousands of words and constantly busy. X didn't think E's job was a good idea after all. Jef Czekaj explores the order of the alphabet and the rules of spelling and grammar with hilarious consequences. His graphic-novel-style illustrations make these concepts and the story of X exciting, exhilarating, and extraordinary.
After a long night of foraging, a tired raccoons returns home to sleep in Old Tree's branches. Oblivious to the rain and wind of a raging storm, the raccoon is protected and sheltered by the tree.
Did you know pumpkins have been around for 11,000 years? Or that the biggest pumpkin on record weighed over 1,300 pounds? Learn all about pumpkins - where they come from, how to grow them, and more - in this informative book that's guaranteed to squash the competition. Recipes, fun facts, and resources round out the text.
Spend a day in school! Rufus and his friends spend a day in school reading, writing, counting, singing--and making mischief in the library. Best-selling author/illustrator Iza Trapani extends fourteen nursery rhymes, including, "The Ants Go Marching," "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe," and "A Diller, a Dollar," in this celebration of school. This book is good for your brain because: Starting School, Poetry, Emergent Reader, Picture Text Connection
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.
Books make everything better. Being a bookstore tiger is hard work. There's much patrolling, and a lot of sitting in laps at story hour, and then there's sleeping in the window display. But Raj is up to the task. He is fierce and proud, until Snowball comes along. The new cat in the bookstore informs Raj that he's just a marmalade kitty-cat. Times get tough then for the bookstore tiger. But bookstore and Raj owner Felicity, with the help of poet William Blake, knows how to fix things. In turn, with a very special book, Raj is able to fix things with Snowball. Paige Keiser's quirky, intimate illustrations invite readers to curl up and share a story, with their own tigers or a friend.
Bear dreams of becoming a comedian. His jokes are unbearably funny, and he wants nothing more than to make his friends laugh. But Bear has a problem. He has stage fright. When Emmy, the comic hummingbird, discovers Bear's jokes, Bear learns that there's more than one way to achieve your dream. Told in seven short chapters.
A trip to the vet requires bravery. They met and became best friends in Aggie and Ben. They learned to behave in Good Dog, Aggie. Now Aggie and Ben must conquer their fears in their third book for beginning readers. Aggie has to go to the vet, but it's Ben who needs to be brave as he deals with a night without his best friend. When Aggie returns home, she is unable to play. Ben must do his best to take care of her and make her feel better. Frank W. Dormer's expressive illustrations tell the story of the special bond between a boy and his loyal dog. Young readers will love the continuing adventures of Aggie and Ben.
Daddy takes Ben on a surprise trip to the pet store. Ben doesn't want a mouse, a snake, or even a cat. But when a certain puppy makes Ben laugh, a lasting friendship is formed. Three short chapters trace a day in the life of Ben and his new puppy, Aggie.
Aggie and Ben are back with another adventure in three short chapters just right for beginning readers. Ben and Aggie are playing fetch in the park. When Ben throws too far, Aggie doesn't come back! Ben looks and looks, but he cannot find her. It is the worst day ever. Ben's sadness turns into determination as he retraces his steps, makes posters, and enlists other people to help turn Aggie from a lost pup a found one.