We Believe in Christmas


Karen Kingsbury - 2008
    On Christmas we give and get presents, we sing songs, and we decorate our homes. But what is Christmas really about? Is our happy holiday a Holy Day? Find out why we place the star on the Christmas tree. Imagine Christmas guests as travelers of long ago. And let the beautiful song Silent Night fill your mind with pictures of the night Jesus was born. Because Christmas is God s gift to us and if we look around and remember, we ll learn to see the real Christmas. This endearing story by bestselling novelist Karen Kingsbury will capture the hearts of children and parents and grandparents will appreciate the applications they can share."

Secret of the Andes


Ann Nolan Clark - 1952
    An Indian boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his Inca ancestors.

Winnie-the-Pooh


A.A. Milne - 1926
    The adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends in which Pooh Bear uses a balloon to get honey, Piglet meets a Heffalump, and Eeyore has a birthday.

How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids


Tom Rath - 2009
    Each of us has an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful. Yet most children (and many adults) don’t realize the importance of having a full bucket throughout the day. In How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids, Felix begins to see how every interaction in a day either fills or empties his bucket. Felix then realizes that everything he says or does to other people fills or empties their buckets as well. Follow along with Felix as he learns how easy it can be to fill the buckets of his classmates, teachers and family members. Before the day is over, you’ll see how Felix learns to be a great bucket filler, and in the process, discovers that filling someone else’s bucket also fills his own.

The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War (Step Into Reading)


Emily Little - 1988
    in full color. "An ancient history lesson emerges from this account of the way the Greeks tricked the Trojans and rescued Helen of Troy. The book is well tailored to younger readers with careful explanations and short sentences; a pronunciation guide is appended. Drawings portray the story's main events. A nice supplement to units on ancient Greece or mythology."--Booklist.

The Book of Virtues


William J. Bennett - 1993
    Bennett's bestselling The Book of Virtues is an inspiring anthology that helps children understand and develop moral character—and helps parents teach it to them.Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Faith. Everyone recognizes these traits as essentials of good character. In order for our children to develop such traits, we have to offer them examples of good and bad, right and wrong. And the best places to find them are in great works of literature and exemplary stories from history. William J. Bennett has collected hundreds of stories in The Book of Virtues. From the Bible to American history, from Greek mythology to English poetry, from fairy tales to modern fiction, these stories are a rich mine of moral literacy, a reliable moral reference point that will help anchor our children and ourselves in our culture, our history, and our traditions—the sources of the ideals by which we wish to live our lives. Complete with instructive introductions and notes, The Book of Virtues is a book the whole family can read and enjoy—and learn from—together.

Funny Business


Jon ScieszkaJack Gantos - 2010
    Jon Scieszka’s Guys Read initiative was founded on a simple premise: that young guys enjoy reading most when they have reading they can enjoy. And out of this comes a series that aims to give them just that. Ten books, arranged by theme, featuring the best of the best where writing for kids is concerned. Each book is a collection of original short stories, but these aren’t your typical anthologies: each book is edgy, inventive, visual, and one-of-a-kind, featuring a different theme for guys to get excited about. Funny Business is based around the theme of—what else?—humor, and if you’re familiar with Jon and Guys Read, you already know what you’re in store for: ten hilarious stories from some of the funniest writers around. Before you’re through, you’ll meet a teenage mummy; a kid desperate to take a dip in the world’s largest pool of chocolate milk; a homicidal turkey; parents who hand over their son’s room to a biker; the only kid in his middle school who hasn’t turned into a vampire, wizard, or superhero; and more. And the contributor list includes bestselling authors, award winners, and fresh new talent alike: Mac Barnett, Eoin Colfer, Christopher Paul Curtis, Kate DiCamillo (writing with Jon Scieszka), Paul Feig, Jack Gantos, Jeff Kinney, David Lubar, Adam Rex, and David Yoo. Guys Read is all about turning young readers into lifelong ones—and with this book, and each subsequent installment in the series, we aim to leave no guy unturned.

Lola The Mermaid and The Splish Splash Olympics


Lily Lexington - 2012
    

One Wintry Night


Ruth Bell Graham - 1994
    While he waits out the storm, the woman who lives there tells him the Christmas story. Starting with the very creation of the world and ending with the resurrection, the boy discovers the big picture of God's plan for his people and situates the nativity within the scope of history. Breathtakingly illustrated by renowned artist and author Richard Jesse Watson, One Wintry Night is the perfect gift for the young and the young-at-heart.

Miss Nelson Is Missing!


Harry Allard - 1977
    Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. The students don’t proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways. James Marshall’s scritchy, cartoonish full-color ink and wash illustrations are hilarious. A back-to-school perennial!

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom


Louis Sachar - 1987
    He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him—except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren't afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world...

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective


Donald J. Sobol - 1963
    Try to crack the cases along with him--the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back!

The Stranger


Chris Van Allsburg - 1986
    Could he be Jack Frost?

Skippack School


Marguerite de Angeli - 1939
    From Philadelphia, oxen pull their wagon into Penn's Woods, where they make their new home in the Skippack area. Eli loves outdoor work and play, but Mom says he must go to school. Though Eli expects the teacher to be cross, Master Christopher Dock is kind, firm, and patient.

The Wise Woman and Other Stories


George MacDonald - 1875
    Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.