A perfect gift for teachers and for reading students of any age.Patricia Polacco is now one of America's most loved children's book creators, but once upon a time, she was a little girl named Trisha starting school. Trisha could paint and draw beautifully, but when she looked at words on a page, all she could see was jumble. It took a very special teacher to recognize little Trisha's dyslexia: Mr. Falker, who encouraged her to overcome her reading disability. Patricia Polacco will never forget him, and neither will we.This inspiring story is available in a deluxe slipcased edition, complete with a personal letter to readers from Patricia Polacco herself. Thank You, Mr. Falker will make a beautiful gift for the special child who needs encouragement or any special teacher who has made a difference in the child's life.

    Every morning, I play a game with my father.He goes knock knock on my door and I pretend to be asleep till he gets right next to the bed.And my papa, he tells me, "I love you."But what happens when, one day, that "knock knock" doesn't come? This powerful and inspiring book shows the love that an absent parent can leave behind, and the strength that children find in themselves as they grow up and follow their dreams.

    One small snowflake fluttering down--That's all you need for a snowman.     Or is it? In these pages, an exuberant crew is summoned to create a snowman of heroic proportions.

    If you think you're not I would just say that perhaps you forgot . . . a piece of the world that is precious and dear would surely be missing if you weren't here.Every person matters. Here, national-bestselling and beloved author Nancy Tillman shows readers how each of us fits into life's big picture, and how the world would be incomplete without you in it.

    She says she would like one more than anything you could think of. "More than a squirrel or an actual fox," she says. Sometimes she pretends to be a dog. And sometimes she pretends that her brother, Charlie, is a dog. The two of them love to talk about what sort of dog they would choose if Mom and Dad didn't always say, "ABSOLUTELY NO DOGS!" Dad says he'll take Lola to the pet store to choose a rabbit, but Lola insists that she only wants a dog, an extremely furry dog with a wiggly nose, a puffy tail, and nice ears. . . . Fans old and new will cotton to this humorous Charlie and Lola adventure sure to please any child who ever longed for the ideal pet.

    A young boy and his yak bravely overcome all odds to get to Lhasa, giving a wise and simple message that will inspire children of any age to dream and reach for a shining goal that may seem "very far."

    "Come with me," he says. Hand-in-hand, they walk to the subway, tipping their hats to those they meet. The next day, the girl asks her mama what she can do--her mama says, "Come with me," and together they set out for the grocery, because one person doesn't represent an entire race or the people of a land. After dinner that night, the little girl asks if she can do something of her own--walk the dog . . . and her parents let her go. "Come with me," the girl tells the boy across the hall. Walking together, one step at a time, the girl and the boy begin to see that as small and insignificant as their part may seem, it matters to the world.

    Living in homes built out of tumbleweeds and saguaro ribs (from the fallen giant cacti), the first two javelinas are soon running from the hungry coyote, who had hoped to eat them with red chile sauce. And where do they go for shelter? Why, to their wise sister's house, made strong with adobe bricks. This clever and humorous tale is sure to delight children of all ages, especially those familiar with the Southwest. Dressed in cowboy duds and prepared for life in the rugged desert, these characters are more than any coyote bargained for.

    Though he didn't make it into the zoo that day, he did receive some unexpected guests.Philip C. Stead's gently humorous tale of friendship and dedication is illustrated by his wife Erin E. Stead's elegant drawings, embellished with subtle hints of color.

    Worse, she is afraid of the dark — and her fear has been even worse since her father died. Now it feels as if the darkness will never go away.Maya’s mother distracts her with a legend about the banyan tree, which saved the world from the first monsoon by drinking up the floodwaters, and growing tall and strong. Later that night, unsettled by the noises around her, Maya revisits the story in her imagination. She ventures deep into the banyan tree, where she discovers not darkness but life: snakes slither, monkeys laugh, and elephants dance. Maya pushes her imagination even further to call up memories of her father, helping to soothe her fear and grief.Elly MacKay mixes miniature-paper-theater art with spellbinding shadow puppetry to play with darkness and light, giving Maya’s real, fantasy, and story-within-a-story worlds unique treatment—and making Maya’s world come alive on the page.

    Learn what it takes to train for space flight, see the tasks he completed in space, and join him on his spacewalk 220 miles above the earth (book jacket).

    Grandma brings special things to eat, Grandpa lights the candles, and everyone in the family celebrates their heritage.

    Jacob and his little brother make a snowman out of the dingy snow on their street, and wrap their creation in a scrap of cloth they find. But the cloth is really a kente, an African storytelling shawl that has special, magical qualities. Soon, Jacob's snowman has come to life-and is about to teach him an unforgettable lesson about history, hope, heritage...and faith.

    Sister's hands snap. Granny sings scat. Uncle soft-shoes--and Baby keeps the groove. Things start to wind down when Mama and Daddy sing blues so sweet. Now a perfectly drowsy baby sleeps deep, deep, deep. Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie pair up for a celebration of music, imagination, and big families--but they know that even a jazz baby needs to snooze. Oh yeah.

    While the two explore the natural wonders of the seashore, woods, and fields, their parents plant trees as an offering of thanks for all they have received. In Jewish tradition, this is called tikkun olam, or repairing the world. As the children settle down to sleep, they are lulled by the soothing sounds around them that become the refrain: "good night, laila tov"—the same comforting words in English and Hebrew that their parents recite to them every night at bedtime.Laurel Snyder's lilting poem is both a song of praise to the beauty of nature and a gentle lullaby. Jui Ishida's rich, jewel-tone illustrations illuminate the text and incorporate details that readers will love to discover.Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 3/27/2012 Pages: 32 Reading Level: Age 3 and Up