The Scraps Book


Lois Ehlert - 2014
    A behind-the-scenes tour of Ehlert's books and book-making process - encouraging readers to explore their own creativity.

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything


Annette Bay Pimentel - 2020
    She never thought her wheelchair could slow her down, but the way the world around her was built made it hard to do even simple things. Like going to school, or eating lunch in the cafeteria.Jennifer knew that everyone deserves a voice! Then the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law that would make public spaces much more accessible to people with disabilities, was proposed to Congress. And to make sure it passed, Jennifer went to the steps of the Capitol building in Washington DC to convince them.And, without her wheelchair, she climbed.ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP!

Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends


Carol Buckley - 2009
    When other elephants moved in and developed close friendships, only Tarra remained independent? until the day she met a stray mixed-breed dog named Bella.It was love at first sight as this unlikely duo became inseparable. They ate together, slept together, and even understood each other's language. And when Bella suffered a severe spinal injury, Tarra stayed by her side and was there for her until Bella regained her health.Brilliant color photographs of Tarra and Bella at home in the Elephant Sanctuary deftly illustrate this inspiring story of companionship, and an informative note about the Sanctuary provides a great resource for parents and teachers.

The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring: The Accidental Invention of the Toy That Swept the Nation


Gilbert Ford - 2016
    Its coils took a walk…and so did Richard’s imagination. He knew right away that he had stumbled onto something marvelous. With the help of his wife, Betty, Richard took this ordinary spring and turned it into a plaything. But it wasn’t just any old trinket—it was a Slinky, and it would become one of the most popular toys in American history.

School Days Around the World


Margriet Ruurs - 2015
    From Marta in Azezo, Ethiopia, and Luciano in M?rida, Venezuela, to Alina in Taraz, Kazakhstan, and Lu in Shanghai, China, the children who are profiled live in places that truly span the globe. However, while there are huge differences in their environments, all the children share similar desires to learn, read and play with others. Alice Feagan's charming cut-paper collage artwork further enhances the idea of a global community by featuring smiling, enthusiastic children's faces, which are equally joyous and filled with life in every situation. As with all the titles in the popular Around the World series, using a familiar concept such as going to school is a perfect way to introduce children to other cultures and places in social studies classes. The author has provided several resources at the end of the book, including discussion topics and a list of organizations that help children access education. A world map at the beginning of the book shows the location of each of the countries, and a glossary contains definitions of the foreign words. These, along with a table of contents, make useful tools for familiarizing young readers with book navigation.

The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars: A Story About Edwin Hubble


Isabelle Marinov - 2021
    Using the insights of great mathematicians and endlessly observing the sky, he succeeded in confirming two things that altered human life forever: that there are more galaxies than our own, and that the universe is always expanding. Hubble’s message to us is to find peace in the vastness of the mystery surrounding us, and to be curious. “We do now know why we are born into the world,” he said, “but we can try to find out what sort of world it is.”

A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E. B. White


Barbara Herkert - 2017
    B. White, beloved author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, written by Barbara Herkert and illustrated by Caldecott honoree Lauren Castillo.When young Elwyn White lay in bed as a sickly child, a bold house mouse befriended him. When the time came for kindergarten, an anxious Elwyn longed for the farm, where animal friends awaited him at the end of each day. Propelled by his fascination with the outside world, he began to jot down his reflections in a journal. Writing filled him with joy, and words became his world.Today, Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web are beloved classics of children’s literature, and E. B. White is recognized as one of the finest American writers of all time.A Christy Ottaviano Book

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore


Vaunda Micheaux Nelson - 2015
    How to scratch it? He started the National Memorial African Bookstore. It became a center of black culture and a home to activists like Malcolm X.

Bones in the White House: Thomas Jefferson's Mammoth


Candice Ransom - 2020
    Author of the Declaration of Independence. Obsessive prehistoric mammal hunter It's true! In this little-known slice of American history, see Thomas Jefferson as never before!In the late 1700's, America was a new nation, with a vast west that held age-old secrets: Bones! Massive tusks and enormous animal skeletons were being discovered and Thomas Jefferson - politician AND scientist - was captivated. What were these giant beasts? Did they still roam on American soil? Jefferson needed to find out. Funding explorers, including the famed Lewis and Clark, Jefferson sought to find a complete prehistoric mastodon skeleton - one which would advance the young science of paleontology, but would also put this upstart young country on the world stage. Follow along on the incredible journey - full of triumphs and disappointments, discoveries and shipwrecks, ridicule and victory.Author Candice Ransom researched this amazing story for years before telling this tale, closely collaborating with Jefferson scholars and natural history experts. Jamey Christoph's moody, luminous illustrations paint the scene: A young country, a president with a thirst for knowledge, and an obsessive, years-long quest to find the prehistoric bones that would prove the importance of a growing nation.

Coyote Moon


Maria Gianferrari - 2016
     A watchful eye in the darkness. A flutter of movement among the trees. Coyotes.In the dark of the night, a mother coyote stalks prey to feed her hungry pups. Her hunt takes her through a suburban town, where she encounters a mouse, a rabbit, a flock of angry geese, and finally an unsuspecting turkey on the library lawn.POUNCE!Perhaps Coyote's family won't go hungry today.This title has Common Core connections.

Saving Fiona: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Baby Hippo


Thane Maynard - 2018
    On a cold January day in 2017, nearly two months before her due date, Nile hippopotamus Bibi gave her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden a big (little) surprise - a tiny newborn hippo, no bigger than a football.  The first premature hippo born and raised in captivity, baby Fiona was an underdog from the start:  she couldn't nurse, she couldn't stay hydrated, and she wasn't thriving. But the staff at the zoo knew they could save her.  It would take creative thinking and teamwork. They would have to study the makeup of hippo milk for the first time ever and reach out to medical colleagues, including a team at the local Children's Hospital with superior vein-finding skills,  to ensure that Fiona would begin to gain weight and become healthy. When Fiona began to thrive, her star began to rise, and soon she became an internet sensation, her picture and videos garnering thousands and thousands of likes and fans on Instagram and Facebook.  Now a Fiona appearance at the Zoo mimics a Beatles concert.  What made this little, now big, hippo such a big hit with people all over the world?  And what's in store for her and her family in the future?

Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos


Stephanie Roth Sisson - 2014
    From that day on he never stopped marveling at the universe and seeking to understand it better. Star Stuff follows Carl from his days star gazing from the bedroom window of his Brooklyn apartment, through his love of speculative science fiction novels, to his work as an internationally renowned scientist who worked on the Voyager missions exploring the farthest reaches of space. This book introduces the beloved man who brought the mystery of the cosmos into homes across America to a new generation of dreamers and star gazers.

Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird: A True Story


Stephanie Spinner - 2010
    Because she was going to study him, she decided to call him Alex--short for Avian Learning EXperiment. At that time, most scientists thought that the bigger the brain, the smarter the creature; they studied great apes and dolphins. African greys, with their walnut-sized "birdbrains," were pretty much ignored--until Alex. His intelligence surprised everyone, including Irene. He learned to count, add, and subtract; to recognize shapes, sizes, and colors; and to speak, and understand, hundreds of words. These were things no other animal could do. Alex wasn't supposed to have the brainpower to do them, either. But he did them anyway.Accompanied by Meilo So's stunning illustrations, Alex and Irene's story is one of groundbreaking discoveries about animal intelligence, hard work, and the loving bonds of a unique friendship.

Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere


Barb Rosenstock - 2018
    A tiny leak could shoot pressurized water straight through the men like bullets! A single spark could cause their oxygen tanks to explode! No one had ever dived lower than a few hundred feet...and come back. But Otis and Will were determined to become the first people to see what the deep ocean looks like.This suspenseful story from acclaimed author Barb Rosenstock with mesmerizing watercolors by award-winning artist Katherine Roy will put you right in the middle of the spine-tingling, record-setting journey down, down into the deep.

How Much Is a Million?


David M. Schwartz - 1985
    It's a math class you'll never forget.This classic picture book is an ALA Notable Book, a Reading Rainbow Feature Selection, and a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book for Illustration.The repackage of this fun look at math concepts includes a letter from the author that features several ways for children to find a million everyday things.