But her indomitable will and the help of a devoted teacher empower Helen to triumph over incredible adversity. This amazing true story is finally brought to the beginner reader level.

    After they feed him rice pudding and bathe him, they realize that they cannot bear to return him to the pound. Newly adopted, McDuff-named that night for their favorite shortbread biscuit-is last seen happily asleep on his back on a pillow next to Fred and Lucy's bed.Jeffers's illustrations brilliantly capture a bygone art deco America in Lucy and Fred's cozy home, a virtual-reality nostalgia unfaded. Dog lovers everywhere will recognize the very specific details that bring McDuff to life, from the familiar lift of a paw in the rain to the frightened eyes peeking out over the car dashboard.

    But when Charlotte May Pierstorff wanted to cross seventy-five miles of Idaho mountains to see her grandma in 1914, it was a very big deal indeed. There was no highway except the railroad, and a train ticket would have cost her parents a full day's pay.Here is the true story of how May got to visit her grandma, thanks to her own spunk, her father's ingenuity, and the U.S. mail. "A heartwarming period piece based on a true incident, lovingly told, beautifully illustrated," raved The New York Times Book Review of Michael O. Tunnell's Mailing May, illustrated by Ted Rand, which was also honored as a 1998 ALA Notable Book.

    Now retold in this gorgeous volume and its accompanying audio CD, they are more vibrant than ever. Chief Lelooska was a celebrated painter and carver and a storyteller without peer. This glorious book, completed before his recent death, is his final tribute to the art and lore of the tribe. Full color.

    When her grandfather registers to vote while living in segregated Mississippi, an Afro-American girl begins to understand why he insists that she attend school.

    Brian Wildsmith's vivid retelling of this powerful Bible story engages children with its timeless messages and helps them see the many ways God provides for his people. Full color.

    The Medieval Messenger depicts in lurid detail the terrors and triumphs of the Middle Ages. '

    But with the coolness of nightfall, kangaroo rats, kit foxes, owls, and long-nose bats emerge, helping to pollinate the noble plant and to feast on its rich fruit.

    Beautifully illustrated with the exceptional artwork of five Native American illustrators, this book will help young readers appreciate the power of myth and legend in the lives of all people.

    Whose hands were so big he held the basketball like a grapefruit? Which center singlehandedly changed the way defense was played? From Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, young hoops fans can read about eleven legendary players in this exciting look at basketball's greatest slam-dunking, hoop-hanging superstars.

    Includes photo diagram and general facts about dogs.

    Compares the speed of various animals, from humans to cheetahs to peregrine falcons, with even faster things like rockets, meteroids, and light.

    The environments--a tropical coral reef, an African savannah, a meadow in North America, and the South American rain forest--will delight children as they point out what has changed from scene to scene in the before and after pictures. Age 4 and up.

    This tabloid-style work contains illustrations and photographs, which help present a wealth of accurate historical material in an irresistible fashion.

    But thanks to the kindness of others, everyone is safe and sound. Color illustrations.

    He can tell by the clean, snappy-fresh apron Ma Dear is wearing, a different color for every day. Monday means washing, with Ma Dear scrubbing at her tub in a blue apron. Tuesday is ironing, in a sunshine yellow apron that brightens Ma’s spirits. And so it goes until Sunday, when Ma Dear doesn’t have to wear an apron and they can set aside some special no-work time, just for themselves.

    They will capture and hold children's interest while developing their reading skills and deepening their appreciation of the world's great stories.Black Beauty (Level 4) Travel with Black Beauty as he overcomes the harsh life of a carriage horse to rejoin his beloved owners in this retelling of the Anna Sewell classic.

    But then his two older brothers went off seeking adventure and never returned. Now his parents fear for Marten's safety. But Marten must find his own way in the world, and so he sets off, meeting a mysterious eagle who promises to return his brothers if he will agree to an unusual request. And as Marten's spectacular journey begins, the eagle is transformed before his eyes into a man who will teach him how to bring joy to people through song, dance, storytelling and community in this magical retelling of a traditional Alaskan story that captures the spirit and strength of the Innuit culture.

    The Usborne Book of Secret Codes features al l kinds of codes and secret writing to learn, gadgets that y oung readers can make for coding and decoding messages and h ints on how to pass top secret information without it being intercepted '

    Mrs Higgins puts him in the sidecar of her motorcycle and is driving him into town, when McDuff recognises the smells, the sounds and sight of home.

    For children who are ready to read on their own.

    Each book guides readers through the facts that nurture their need to know.

    Calamari and her several feline companions engage in a variety of humorous antics trying to convince their cat-hating landlord, Mr. Gangplank, that the cats are really statues or visiting relatives.

    The Rugrats (and a sympathetic grandfather) are coerced into having a yard sale to clear out the junk that threatens to take over the house in Junk, Sweet Junk. Full color.

    Cheryl Harness gives readers a moving account of Lincoln’s rise and the tensions that dragged the nation into conflict; brilliantly detailed maps and battle scenes deepen our understanding of the Civil War; and the book’s richly imagined illustrations recreate the life of the man who will always be regarded as one of our greatest presidents.National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

    Educational! Love the laughter!

    Learn which animals come and go and how they survive in this frozen desert. As spring approaches, the temperatures are still freezing. Thousands of caribou begin to travel north along the same paths that caribou have traveled for centuries to graze on tundra grasses. It is not until the fall "freeze-up" that the caribou begin their migration south once again. Then polar bears descend along the icy coastline, and snowy owls prey the darkened skies. A thermometer and calendar on each spread help the reader see the temperature and hours of daylight change throughout an arctic year.

    This colorful, fact-filled book discusses the location and climates of the coldest regions on Earth--the Arctic and Antarctic--as well as the humans, plants, and animals that survive in these Lands of the Midnight Sun.