The rainy season has come to the Mekong Delta, and An, a young Vietnamese boy, sets out alone in a wooden boat wearing a little backpack and armed only with a single oar. On the way, he is confronted by giant crested waves, heavy rainfall and eerie forests where fear takes hold of him. Although daunted by the dark unknown, An realizes that he is not alone and continues to paddle. He knows it will all be worth it when he reaches his destination--one familiar to children all over the world.

    And every time Maya asks if she can play with Chloe and the other girls, the answer is always no. So Maya ends up playing alone. And then one day she's gone.When Chloe's teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the opportunity that's been lost. How much better could it have been if she'd just shown Maya a little kindness and opened her heart to friendship?Newbery Honor-winning author Jacqueline Woodson and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator E. B. Lewis have created a beautiful, poignant picture book with a powerful message that will stay with readers long after they've put it down.

    Here, where everything - walls, floor, courtyard - is mud, a boy's heart can still long for freedom, independence, and safety. And here, where life is terribly fragile, the strength to endure grows out of need. But the strength to dreams comes from within.

    At least he hopes he can. But how? What does this forgetful elephant need? Arthur doesn’t know, but he’s determined to find out as he and the elephant share a playful and colorful day.Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant explores memory loss from the perspective of both those who forget and those around them. With spare writing and poignant art, this story reminds us that compassion and togetherness can make even elephant-sized problems seem a little smaller.

    Molly Lou Melon is different, but this doesn't slow her down.

    Every night, Tiger and Monster play games until it’s time for lights out. Of course, Monster would never try to scare Tiger—that’s not what best friends do.But Monster needs to scare someone…it’s a monster, after all. So while Tiger sleeps, Monster scares all of her nightmares away. Thanks to her friend, Tiger has nothing but good dreams. But waiting in the darkness is a nightmare so big and mean that Monster can’t fight it alone. Only teamwork and a lot of bravery can chase this nightmare away.In this charming graphic novel for young readers, cartoonist Emily Tetri proves that unlikely best friends can be an unbeatable team, even agianst the scariest monsters.

    But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

    . . Niño!Fwap! Slish! Bloop! Krunch! He takes down his competition in a single move!No opponent is too big a challenge for the cunning skills of Niño—popsicle eater, toy lover, somersault expert, and world champion lucha libre competitor!A Neal Porter Book

    This sweet, authentic story from a Maliseet mother and her Passamaquoddy husband includes backmatter about traditional basket making and a Wabanaki glossary.

    Hungry, miserable, and mean animals seek only their own interests. Baboon watches as, one by one, Rhinoceros destroys Termite’s castle in his race to find food, Hare chooses not to share food with her family, and Lion steals food from his pride. But after Baboon sees Rhinoceros give Hare his snack-on-a-stick, everything changes! Baboon realizes that a transformative power exists between the animals and the star-dust that surrounds them once they share smiles and truly believe in themselves and each other. When Baboon tries out this secret by helping Lion, they share a smile, and CATCH-M, The Magical, Mystical, Miraculous Star-dust that surrounds them, whooshes into their lives to wham! ignite the courage in their chests too. Read on to see if Baboon can save the savanna with this new secret and a very stinky, unlikely hero . . . ​Love Big takes place generations after the magic in Kat Kronenberg’s best-selling book, Dream Big. This new book's beautiful message makes it a wonderful gift for those who want to build a loving WE community—from home to school, neighborhoods, church, or travel. If people can begin to encourage one another to pursue their passions—with kindness, sharing, listening, and care—we can overcome anything and achieve extraordinary dreams together.

    No matter how hard her mother tried to convince her that she wouldn’t fall, the young witch refused. This was until one day the fairy queen visited her in a dream. Realizing that the young witch had never faced the reasons for her fear, the fairy queen asked her one simple question; one simple question that changed the young witch’s destiny, forever. A wonderfully-illustrated story in rhyme, for children aged 3 to 7 years old, about coming to terms with fear and realizing that often our fears are only thoughts. Most of the time one simple question can motivate us so much that we find the courage inside ourselves to do the things that we were, at first, afraid of.

    Every time she dives into the pool, she makes a big splash, and all the girls in her class shout: “Abigail’s a whale!” Abigail can see that she is larger than the other girls. She feels huge, heavy, and out of place.Abigail’s swimming teacher takes her aside and points out: we can change how we see ourselves. He offers a creative visualization technique she can use to feel bolder, more confident, and more accepting of herself. Abigail tries it out in challenging situations that week—walking home in the dark, eating her vegetables, trying to fall asleep. Illustrations in the book show her perspective morphing powerfully to match her new thought patterns.Next time she’s in swimming class, instead of feeling heavy, Abigail thinks sardine, eel, barracuda, shark! She starts to figure out how to draw on mindfulness, creative thinking, resilience, and positive self-esteem to embrace exactly who she is. This picture book supports social/emotional learning and serves as a perfect jumping-off point for topics like bullying, empathy, confidence, and creative problem solving.LEVELINGGrade Range: K–4Fountas & Pinnell: KReading Recovery: 18Lexile: AD 430LCOMMON CORERF.2.3,3c,3d,3e,4,4a,4cW.2.1,3,5,6,7,8L.2.3,4,4a,4d,5,5a,5b,6SL.2.1,1a,1b,1c,2,3,4,6RL.2.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10

    Meet ant, spider, and fox in a beautiful woodland landscape, the ancestral home of author and illustrator Julie Flett. This book is written in both English and Cree, in particular the n-dialect, also known as Swampy Cree from the Cumberland House area. Wild Berries is also available in the n-dialect Cree, from the Cross Lake, Norway House area, published by Simply Read Books.

    Many people die, but the Yamaki family and Miyajima survive. One day, a truck comes to take Miyajima away. The little tree is on its way to the National Arboretum in Washington as a gift of friendship from Japan to America. Miyajima is very proud, but also sad to leave the Yamaki family. At the end of the book, Masaru, the elderly grandfather of the family, and his ten-year-old grandson Akira, make a surprise visit to Washington to visit their much missed and beloved family member.

    It's what makes life a gift!We are all one of a kind. Just show the world who you are—let your you-ness shine!There is beauty and power in what makes each of us unique, and Sandra Magsamen reminds us that it is our differences that allow us to be our one-and-only selves. With a warm, inspiring message, this book will give children courage to embrace their individuality and to accept others for who they are.