At 4 years old, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews found the music of his New Orleans hometown irresistible. He joined crowds of musicians, mimicking them with homemade instruments, and eventually playing right along on a found, beat-up trombone. His insatiable appetite for playing music sends a powerfully important to readers; hard work doing something you love and are gifted to do is not only fulfil ...

A celebration of friendship, from its hesitant start to its bittersweet end.

Compelling, life-sized, carefully-detailed illustrations, punctuate the depth of Frederick Douglass's devotion to justice and liberty for all. The dark pain of loss at a young age translated into grim determination to learn words because "...Frederick sensed that words had power. ...he traded food for words." In a world of fast food and e-books, Rappaport reminds us to value the influence of speak ...

This tale stages a meetup between extraordinary and ordinary. The learning is messy and extraordinary turns out to be unconventional, but Bloom the magical fairy believes her new "ordinary" friend, Genevieve, can save the kingdom. Genevieve's confidence grows with each success under Bloom's gentle direction. Lively, airy illustrations capture the delight and strength of a heart and mind equipped t ...

Lighthearted humor defines the antics in this chicken caper. Tail the Squirrel, paralyzed with fear, can't clearly convey the sight he's seen, so the chickens, by fastidious notetaking and deductive reasoning (based on limited experience), try to discover the frightful source of Tail's worry. A hilarious kerfuffle results. A fun read with rich conversation, narration, and storytelling that illustr ...

While it borders on the silly, who can resist a tale with chicken detectives named Dirt, Sweetie, Poppy, and Sugar? Although humorous wrong assumptions complicate their investigative strategy, the Chicken Squad bumbles its way to finding the "weird blue chicken's" missing home, restoring peace and order in their community. Very entertaining — a good choice for reluctant readers.

“Unlike my parents, I had no concept of what war was actually like.” With these words, 10-year-old Leon Leyson foreshadows his shattered innocence. Deft writing presents horrific injustices of war, grievous loss, and unfathomable disdain for humanity with an authentic voice that acknowledges such evil but chooses to more significantly highlight every scrap of hope and celebrate every s ...

Little Red (a pencil) leaves her classroom tasked with finding a story worth writing. Almost at once, she becomes bogged down by descriptors, carried away by an endless string of words full-of-stick, and frightened by adverbs "suddenly, abruptly, and surprisingly" catching her off-guard. Play on words, parody, and humor cleverly entertain and show readers how parts of speech can enrich or misguide ...

A delightful story about how one odd bird—a book-lover—can save the day.

Although Ella and Maddy's playtime is threatened by Toby's wild antics, Marmalade (the girls') cat can't help falling under his wild, fun-loving charm. But when Toby's "help" accidentally douses Marmalade, she runs to a tree's precarious safety. Cooperation proves a powerful key to rescue both a cat and a friendship. Young readers will cheer this triumph of patience, self-control, and cooperation. ...

A unique coming of age story, Ruby Reinvented is an authentic read for girls. Highlighting the importance of family, friendships and choices, this sweet and honest story is both inspiring and cautionary. Traits of honesty, teamwork, and believing in yourself shine as readers join Ruby on her quest to come to terms with the uniqueness of who she is and how that fits into the world around her. Ruby ...

While Bella's story and its splashy, colorful illustrations evoke the 'crisp, crackly' feelings of fall, it also highlights the generosity of a skillful grandmother and the joy of a grateful grandchild. This one will be a frequent request by listeners as young as two years old, and an effective read to build vocabulary in readers up through Kindergarten.

This wordless story comes alive through the wonder and kindness of a little girl. As a bright light would shine in a dark room, the young heroine wears red, the only spot of color at the story's black and white outset. Trailing her distracted Dad along city sidewalks, she collects simple beauty -- weeds and wildflowers in crevices amidst a cement jungle -- and then gives it away little by little. ...

Warning: this heartwarming, poignant story is not without its sad moments. However, the beauty of budding friendship and trust make it a worthwhile and beautiful tale.

A satisfying allegory told with rich vocabulary and a satisfying conclusion.

Features many layers of information. The main text provides a general survey of the defining traits of mountain habitats. The illustrations and captions provide additional details, such as the names of different mountains and animal inhabitants. At the book's conclusion, each illustration is presented in a smaller format with a very detailed paragraph of explanation. As a result, the book provides ...

Features many layers of information. The main text provides a general survey of the defining traits of penguins. The illustrations and captions provide additional details, such as the names of different types of penguins and their habitats. At the book's conclusion, each illustration is presented in a smaller format with a very detailed paragraph of explanation. As a result, the book provides opti ...

Features many layers of information. The main text provides a general survey of the defining traits of mammals. The illustrations and captions provide additional details, such as the names of different types of mammals and their habitats. At the book's conclusion, each illustration is presented in a smaller format with a very detailed paragraph of explanation. As a result, the book provides option ...