When the tsunami destroyed Makio's village, Makio lost his father . . . and his voice. The entire village is silenced by grief, and the young child's anger at the ocean grows. Then one day his neighbor, Mr. Hirota, begins a mysterious project—building a phone booth in his garden. At first Makio is puzzled; the phone isn't connected to anything. It just sits there, unable to ring. But as more and more villagers are drawn to the phone booth, its purpose becomes clear to Makio: the disconnected phone is connecting people to their lost loved ones. Makio calls to the sea to return what it has taken from him and ultimately finds his voice and solace in a phone that carries words on the wind. The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden is inspired by the true story of the wind phone in Otsuchi, Japan, which was created by artist Itaru Sasaki. He built the phone booth so he could speak to his cousin who had passed, saying, "My thoughts couldn't be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind." The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the town of Otsuchi, claiming 10 percent of the population. Residents of Otsuchi and pilgrims from other affected communities have been traveling to the wind phone since the tsunami.
When Polly's father goes overseas to fight in World War I, her whole world changes. Though the war is in Europe, its effects are felt on American soil. There are food, fuel, and other supply shortages everywhere. Even something as simple and enjoyable as a family Sunday car ride isn't possible anymore. Everyone must do their part to help the war effort. Victory gardens are planted and scrap metal is collected. "It's the biggest event in our history. And it involves every single adult, every single boy, and every single girl," says Polly's teacher. As Polly struggles to make sense of the war, she wonders how she can contribute. When the government puts out a notice requesting peach pits to be used in gas mask filters, Polly knows how she can help.
Aiden helps his dad paint a chair. This B-level story uses decodable text to raise confidence in early readers. The book features long "a" sounds and uses a combination of sight words and long-vowel words in repetition to build recognition. Original illustrations help guide readers through the text. Includes author biography, phonetics, and teaching guides.
A young boy packs the most important items for a sleepover at Grandpa's house.
Readers will relate to this story of a boy who wants to be just like his parent.
A boy wants to do everything Mom does on their camping trip.
Alex wants to buy his mother a birthday present, but all he has is a frying pan! He bangs on it with a street orchestra to earn money, but the musicians chase him away. When Alex fills his frying pan with soapy water to earn money washing cars, that doesn't work either. Finally, with great ingenuity Alex brings his mother a charming and original gift!
Tristan makes a special gift for his mom. This B-level story uses decodable text to raise confidence in early readers. The book uses a combination of sight words and short-vowel words in repetition to build recognition. Original illustrations help guide readers through the text.
Tristan helps his mom make lunch. This B-level story uses decodable text to raise confidence in early readers. The book uses a combination of sight words and short-vowel words in repetition to build recognition. Original illustrations help guide readers through the text.
In Eve Eats Everything, beginning readers learn about the many sounds and functions of the vowel E. Watch as Eve and her stepdad, Ed, grocery shop and imagine eating many delicious foods. Vibrant illustrations and carefully leveled text will engage young readers in a supportive educational fiction reading experience. Supplementary back matter helps readers review the story, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Eve Eats Everything also features reading tips for teachers and parents and a table of contents.
Otis P. Oliver is taking a stand. He is NOT taking another bath--ever. But when your opinions matter to the rest of the family about as much as the opinions of the family dog (who, it's worth mentioning, only has to bathe once a month), you have to get serious. So Otis borrows a spiffy suit from his dad and rouses a rabble of neighbor kids to stand up for what the know is right: a bathtub ban. This hilarious story about standing up for what you believe in, compromise, and family will have readers of all ages ready to hit the pavement for their cause--whatever it may be.
¿Cuál es tu día favorito de la semana? En ¡Viva! ¡Es sábado!/Hooray! It’s Saturday!, algo importante pasa cada día. ¡Pero el sábado, esta familia se divierte!
¡Es la hora de comer, y Abuela está cocinando! En A mi abuela le gusta cocinar, aprenderá a decor los nombres de diferentes clases de comida y bebidas en español y en ingles.
A visit to Grandma’s house for dinner is a fun-filled, tasty event. And of course, dinner is not complete without dessert. What will Grandma make for dinner? Through simple text and beautifully-illustrated art, young readers learn the names of various foods as well as good table manners. Learn simple Spanish words and phrases with the corresponding version A mi Abuela, le gusta cocinar.
Snuggle close and enjoy this rhyming story about mommy animals gently tucking their babies into bed.Mama Cat, Raccoon, Cow, Mouse, Horse, and Bird, each say “good night” to their babies in a different, caring way. Young readers will be captivated by the comforting story and reassuring illustrations. This book is the perfect way to end a busy day.
A simple story about a brother and a sister. This story helps readers learn the words brother, and, and sister. Bright pictures provide visual cues to help the reader. Additional features include a word list, an introduction to the author, and a letter to caregivers and educators.
It's Danny's birthday, and Dad goes to the neighborhood toy store to find the perfect gift. Dad wants to get Danny something special.
Baby Elephant wanders off while chasing a butterfly. How will Mother Elephant find him?
Mother Elephant teaches Baby Elephant how to find his own lunch.
Danny can't sleep. So, Dad tells him a bedtime story about when Danny was very little.
Danny and Dad go on a picnic, but Dad's lunch mysteriously disappears. What happened to Dad's lunch?
Danny is feeling artistic and gathers his paint supplies in order to paint a picture. Danny paints a funny portrait of Dad.
It’s the Fourth of July! That means fun, flags, and fireworks for the Garcia family. Unfortunately, those fireworks are a problem for Mamá and Carlos. Neither of them likes the loud booms and cracks that come with the sparkles. Readers will laugh when they see how the twins figure out a way for everyone to enjoy the sparkly night. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards.
Carlos and Carmen want their cat, Spooky, to be in the pet show. They try to teach Spooky tricks, but she’s not interested. They try to make her the most beautiful cat around, but Spooky has other plans. Just when the twins are about to give up, they come up with the perfect solution to the pet show problem. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards.
Readers learn the days of the week and basic food vocabulary as they find out what's for dinner.
