You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!


Jonah Winter - 2009
    We learn that the beginning of his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers was rocky, that he was shy with his teammates, and experienced discrimination as one of the only Jews in the game. We hear that he actually quit, only to return the next season—different—firing one rocket after another over the plate. We watch him refuse to play in the 1965 World Series because it is a Jewish high holy day. And we see him in pain because of an overused left arm, eventually retiring at the peak of his career. Finally, we are told that people are still “scratchin’ their heads over Sandy,” who remains a modest hero and a mystery to this day. Accompanied by sidebars filled with statistics, this Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year and Booklist Top of the List is sure to delight budding baseball fans.

Paiute Princess: The Story of Sarah Winnemucca


Deborah Kogan Ray - 2012
    Sarah was smart and good at languages, so she was able to link the worlds. As she became older, this made her a great leader. Sarah used condemning letters, fiery speeches, and her autobiography, Life Among the Piutes, to provide detailed accounts of her people’s turmoil through years of starvation, unjust relocations, and violent attacks. With sweeping illustrations and extensive backmatter, including hand-drawn maps, a chronology, archival photographs, an author's notes, and additional resource information, Deborah Kogan Ray offers a remarkable look at an underrepresented historical figure.

Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey


Maira Kalman - 2002
    Harvey fireboat was the largest, fastest, shiniest fireboatof its time, but by 1995, the city didn't need old fireboats anymore. So the Harvey retired, until a group of friends decided to save it from the scrap heap. Then, one sunny September day in 2001, something so horrible happened that the whole world shook. And a call came from the fire department, asking if the Harvey could battle the roaring flames. In this inspiring true story, Maira Kalman brings a New York City icon to life and proves that old heroes never die.

The Life and Death of Crazy Horse


Russell Freedman - 1996
    A biography of the Oglala leader who relentlessly resisted the white man's attempt to take over Indian lands.

Naming Liberty


Jane Yolen - 2008
    It is an arduous journey for Gitl as she and her family travel across land and sea to arrive on this shore, but when she sees the magnificent Statue of Liberty standing in New York Harbor, she knows her name in this great new country must be ?Liberty.?Just in time for Independence Day, Jim Burke?s magnificent paintings capture Yolen?s inspired tale of a girl and an artist and their passionate belief in freedom.

Thus Spoke Chanakya


Radhakrishnan Pillai - 2018
    On your path to success, both the biggest hurdle and the biggest support is your own mind – depending on how you have trained it.”– CHANAKYANo school or university teaches us how to make friends, have a successful career, maintain a healthy married life, run a family or live life in general. How many times have we wished for a roadmap to navigate the confusing landscape of daily-life, to have a guidebook to show us the way? In his much-awaited book Thus Spoke Chanakya, bestselling author Radhakrishnan Pillai decodes ancient texts from the illustrious Kautilya’s Arthashastra within the context of modern times and doles them out in short, crisp passages for everyday practice and use. A perfect read for those who yearn to master the teachings of Chanakya for overall success. Radhakrishnan Pillai is the bestselling author of Corporate Chanakya, Chanakya’s 7 Secrets of Leadership, Chanakya in You and Katha Chanakya. He has a PhD in Kautilya’s Athashastra and a Master’s degree in Sanskrit. A renowned management consultant and speaker, he heads the Leadership Center at the University of Mumbai.

Jean Laffite: The Pirate Who Saved America


Susan Goldman Rubin - 2012
    Since he was a young boy, Jean longed to be a pirate, and with the help of his brothers and uncle, he became one when he was just a teenager. Soon the only life he knew was on the high seas—a life full of glory, riches, disaster, and revenge. When he finally settled down in New Orleans, he managed to become a successful businessman and respected citizen, while still pirating. He even helped the United States win the War of 1812 when he alerted the U.S. government to a British plot to invade via New Orleans. With the help of Laffite and his pirates, General Andrew Jackson was able to beat back the British. Praise for Jean Laffite: "Move over, Jack Sparrow, and make way for Jean Laffite. This well-informed narrative gives readers a sense of what was happening in the world at the time as well as what it was like to be a real pirate."--School Library Journal"Cinematic illustrations by Jeff Himmelman add to the excitement. Filled with fascinating facts and dynamic pictures, Jean Laffite: The Pirate Who Saved America is sure to captivate both pirate-loving children and their parents, as well."--Jewish Book Council

Bright Star, Night Star: An Astronomy Story


Karl Beckstrand - 2014
    A picture book introduction to the night sky—Bright Star, Night Star accompanies an American Indian child in finding constellations, stars, moons, and other heavenly bodies (kids ages 4 – 9, preschool to 4th grade). STEM book activities include identifying constellations and distinguishing between planets and stars. Expose your child to the starry skies, Monument Valley, and a little space science; comes with an online astronomy GLOSSARY, characters of color, and rich illustrations to aid vocabulary comprehension by Spanish illustrator Luis F. Sanz (Why Juan Can’t Sleep: A Mystery?). About 400 words by award-winning children’s author Karl Beckstrand (The Bridge of the Golden Wood), 30 pages, 8.5"x 8.5" hard cover, soft cover, or ebook; science book/astronomy book for kids, Premio Publishing & Gozo Books (Mini-mysteries for Minors [multicultural/bilingual series], worldwide rights © 2014) Premiobooks.com, Baker & Taylor/Follett, Brodart, Ingram, Amazon/Kindle, Sun, Barnes & Noble/Nook, EBSCO, Flipkart, Gardners, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Library Direct, Mackin, Native, OverDrive, Quality, SCRIBD, txtr, and select retailers. LCCN: 2013913403, JNF051040, JUV011040, JUV036000, JUV010000, JUV020000, JUV054000, ISBN Hard: 978-0985398880, ISBN Soft: 978-0615856155 (ebook ISBN: 978-1310128097)

Movies Based on True Stories: What Really Happened? Movies versus History


Alan Royle - 2015
    A look at over 400 of the best historical movies (and some of the worst) purporting to be ‘factual’ or ‘based on actual events’; and how Hollywood has distorted, altered, manipulated, exaggerated, even falsified history under the all-encompassing premise…based on a true story…

Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World


Ian Wright - 2019
    And don’t miss the next book in the series, North American Maps for Curious Minds! Publisher’s note: Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds was published in the UK under the title Brilliant Maps. Which countries don’t have rivers? Which ones have North Korean embassies? Who drives on the “wrong” side of the road? How many national economies are bigger than California’s? And where can you still find lions in the wild? You’ll learn answers to these questions and many more in Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds. This one-of-a-kind atlas is packed with eye-opening analysis (Which nations have had female leaders?), whimsical insight (Where can’t you find a McDonald’s?), and surprising connections that illuminate the contours of culture, history, and politics. Each of these 100 maps will change the way you see the world—and your place in it.

Writing A Novel with Ulysses III


David Hewson - 2014
    Best-selling novelist David Hewson, author of the ever-popular Writing A Novel with Scrivener, offers a professional insight into how to use this unique app for writing fiction. This ebook covers all the aspects of Ulysses a writer needs to master in order to produce a finished book, from initial planning through to completed ebook, Word file or PDFs for publication, reading and revision. You will learn how to use Ulysses to structure a book into parts and scenes, ways to manage research and ideas and how to develop a novel from a bare outline through to first draft and revisions. Hewson also describes how Ulysses stores work uniquely in its own library, enabling you to work on the same draft manuscript across different machines while on the move. For budding screenwriters there is a section on how to use Ulysses to produce scripts to professional formats that can be edited later in movie apps such as Final Draft. And this release will also include a free upgrade to an updated edition covering the next release of Ulysses and the forthcoming iPad app. David Hewson (www.davidhewson.com) is the author of more than 25 novels published around the world. He adapted the award-winning TV series The Killing into acclaimed novel and recently launched a new crime series set in Amsterdam with The House of Dolls which has been optioned for Dutch TV.

The Civil War: The War That Divided The United States


Lance T. Stewart - 2016
    Why did the southern states secede from the Union? What did the north hope to achieve by fighting against the south? Was Abraham Lincoln really an abolitionist? Why is Ulysses S. Grant the most famous Union general, when he didn’t take command of all the Union armies until near the very end of the war? How did Robert E. Lee end up having to deal with issues left unresolved by George Washington’s will, and was he a hero or a traitor?This book provides an exhaustive summary, not just of the major battles and major personalities of the Civil War, but of the political issues that brought the United States to the point of a terrible internal conflict. You’ll learn how the founding fathers predicted a great national conflict over slavery, and how Thomas Jefferson’s political philosophies influenced secessionist thinking in the south. From the history of the abolitionist movement to the election of 1860 and the creation of the Republican party, this book will give you all the facts you need to understand how the Civil War started, why Lincoln was so fed up with his generals, and how the war affects American society today.

Who Was Daniel Boone?


Sydelle Kramer - 2006
    A symbol of America's pioneering spirit Boone was a skilled outdoorsman and an avid reader although he never attended school. Sydelle Kramer skillfully recounts Boone's many adventures such as the day he rescued his own daughter from kidnappers.

Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker


Carolyn Meyer - 1992
    Twenty-four years later, she is the wife of a chief and the mother of a young warrior destined to become the great chief Quanah Parker. But in 1861, Parker and her infant daughter are recaptured and returned against their will to a white settlement. This moving story is a riveting examination of the conflicts between Native Americans and white settlers.

A Velocity of Being: Letters to A Young Reader


Maria Popova - 2018
    On the page facing each letter, an illustration by a celebrated illustrator or graphic artist presents that artist's visual response.Among the diverse contributions are letters from Jane Goodall, Neil Gaiman, Jerome Bruner, Shonda Rhimes, Ursula K. Le Guin, Yo-Yo Ma, Judy Blume, Lena Dunham, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Jacqueline Woodson, as well as a ninety-eight-year-old Holocaust survivor, a pioneering oceanographer, and Italy’s first woman in space. Some of the illustrators, cartoonists, and graphic designers involved are Marianne Dubuc, Sean Qualls, Oliver Jeffers, Maira Kalman, Mo Willems, Isabelle Arsenault, Chris Ware, Liniers, Shaun Tan, Tomi Ungerer, and Art Spiegelman.  This project is woven entirely of goodwill, generosity of spirit, and a shared love of books. Everyone involved has donated their time, and all profits will go to the New York Public Library systems.Preface by David Remnick, editor, The New Yorker; Edited and introduced by Maria Popova, who has been writing since 2006 about what she reads on Brain Pickings (brainpickings.org), which is now included in the Library of Congress archive of culturally valuable materials; Edited by Claudia Bedrick, publisher, editorial and art director of Enchanted Lion Books.