The Dragon Who Couldn't Breathe Fire


Yonit Werber - 2013
    But, like butterflies must first be caterpillars, becoming a big boy or girl doesn’t happen overnight.In this funny rhyming story for children aged 3 to 7 years old, children will laugh at the illustrations and the extremes that our little dragon friend goes to, as he tries to breathe fire for the first time. After trying so hard with no luck at all, he meets a wise owl who tells him that his Mom has all the answers. This humorous story was created with the intention of helping young children to understand that life is magic. But, just like real magic, you never really know when it will happen!

Scary Stories Treasury


Alvin Schwartz - 1981
     Reviews "A wonderful collection of tales that range from creepy to silly to haunting. ...Gammell's drawings add just the right touch..." -- John Scieszka, Entertinment Weekly"Guaranteed to make your teeth chatter and your spine tingle." -- School Library Journal"Read these if you dare." -- The New York Times

Next Top Villain


Suzanne Selfors - 2014
    While their personalities are very different, they bond over not quite fitting in with the other Royals. Lizzie, however, has one thing that Duchess doesn't: a happily-ever-after at the end of her story. While Lizzie and the other princesses train for the day when they will rule their kingdoms, Duchess is torn between her role as the perfect, dutiful princess and her rebellious ambition to be a queen. When both girls are selected to attend General Villainy class, Duchess sees an opportunity to be a rebel while following the rules. But can she play a prank on her roomie to ace the class? Find out if Duchess' desire to change her destiny will make her Ever After High's Next Top Villain!

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts About Peace


Anna Grossnickle Hines - 2011
    In this evocative collection of poems illustrated by beautiful handmade quilts, Anna Grossnickle Hines explores peace in all its various and sometimes surprising forms: from peace at home to peace on a worldwide scale to peace within oneself.  Pondering the meaning of peace and its fleeting nature, this book compels each of us to discover and act upon peace ourselves.

I Can Only Draw Worms


Will Mabbitt - 2017
    I can only draw worms.You might think worms are boring - but you'd be wrong. These worms have INCREDIBLE adventures!I can't draw those bits, though, so you'll have to imagine them.

Coding Games in Scratch


Jon Woodcock - 2015
    Essential coding concepts are explained using eight build-along game projects that guide young coders step-by-step, using visual samples, easy-to-follow instructions, and fun pixel art.Written for children ages 8-12 with little to no coding experience, Coding Games in Scratch teaches important strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas, all while creating games to play with their friends.Supporting STEM education initiatives, computer coding teaches kids how to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically, and is quickly becoming a necessary and sought-after skill. DK's computer coding books are full of fun exercises with step-by-step guidance, making them the perfect introductory tools for building vital skills in computer programming.Author Bio:Dr. Jon Woodcock has a degree in Physics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Computational Astrophysics from the University of London. He started coding at the age of eight and has programmed all kinds of computers from single-chip microcontrollers to world-class supercomputers. His many projects include giant space simulations, research in high-tech companies, and intelligent robots made from junk. Jon has a passion for science and technology education, giving talks on space and running computer programming clubs in schools. He has worked on numerous science and technology books as a contributor and consultant, including DK's How Cool Stuff Works and Help Your Kids with Computer Coding.Reviews:"An absolutely wonderful introduction to programming games." - Kirkus Reviews"...clear instructions and plenty of images that make coding just about foolproof." - Booklist

Splat the Cat: Funny Valentine


Rob Scotton - 2012
    Wimpydimple something special. Lift the flaps to find out what—and reveal hidden holiday surprises!

The Art Lesson


Tomie dePaola - 1989
    He can't wait to get to school and have real art lessons. When Tommy gets to school and finds out that the art lessons are full of "rules", he is surprised and dismayed. How the wise art teacher finds a way to give Tommy the freedom to create and stay within the "rules" makes a wonderfully perceptive picture book about growing up and keeping one's individuality.Tomie dePaola is the author and illustrator of many beloved books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Strega Nona. Fans of all ages will be pleased to hear that The Art Lesson is, in fact, based on the artist's own experiences growing up, and offers a welcome glimpse into his past. This bright picture book is as covered with drawings as the walls of Tommy's parents' and grandparents' houses, and sends an inspirational message to budding artists and individualists. Break out the crayons!

The Proto Project: A Sci-Fi Adventure of the Mind for Kids Ages 8-12


Bryan R. Johnson - 2019
    JohnsonWhen Jason meets his mom’s billion-dollar invention, an artificial intelligence device named Proto, he accidentally gets caught up in a mysterious adventure. Proto goes missing, and then people go missing. Now Jason and his coolest-neighbor-ever Maya must risk their lives to prevent global mayhem. But who is behind this devious plot? Is it another AI? The FBI? Or any other abbreviation with an I? What exactly is there to learn about artificial and human intelligence while fighting for your life against a legion of furry puppies or a battalion of drones? A lot— if you live to tell about it. The Proto Project Designed to be read independently by young readers, boys and girls, ages 8-12 (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grade) Best for kids who have outgrown chapter books / leveled readers and are ready for middle-grade books A wonderful gift for anyone looking for fun and funny reading with content that is age-appropriate for kids at home and in school Best for kids who ... Adore contemporary realistic fiction combined with fantasy and science fiction, told with humor and tall-tale flair Love fast-paced novels filled with humor, mystery, suspense, and adventure Ideal for readers who enjoy popular series books like I Survived, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Encyclopedia Brown, Hardy Boys, Babysitters Club, Mysterious Benedict Society, National Geographic Kids and love books by top authors like James Patterson, Kate Dicamillo, and Dav Pilkey. Great for gift-givers, parents, and educators looking for ... An entertaining and educational novel for upper-elementary and middle school tweens Upholds strong values, encourages intellectual curiosity with a growth mindset, and inspires social and global responsibility Encourages interest in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and math) Incorporates potential real-world applications of modern developments in Artificial Intelligence in concert with Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Emphasizes collaboration and teamwork to benefit the greater good Available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle. "Johnson (Code 7, 2017) offers a well-calculated balance of suspense and humor for middle school readers .... Action sequences are exciting and dramatic. The novel also provides food for thought in considering how AI could help or hurt humanity. Although the villains are over the top, they do give voice to some of the forces that might want to use AI for selfish, grandiose reasons. A well-written, fast-paced and thoughtful adventure.

Big Box of Boynton Set 1!: Barnyard Dance! Pajama Time! Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!


Sandra Boynton - 2005
    A box of pure read-aloud pleasure. Just the right gift. Perfect for baby showers. Irresistible for a newborn, or for a one-, two-, even a three-year-old’s birthday.

How the Onion Got Its Layers


Sudha Murty - 2020
    Dotted with charming illustrations, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Sudha Murty.

The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes


Kenneth Libbrecht - 2010
    This is the beautiful, full-color story of that journey, step by step, from a single snowflake’s creation in the clouds, through its fall to earth, to its brief and sparkling appearance on a child’s mitten. Told by a scientist who knows snowflakes better than almost anyone, the story features his brilliant photographs of real snowflakes, snowflakes forming (in the author’s lab), water evaporating, clouds developing, ice crystals, rain, dew, and frost--all the elements of the world and weather that add up, flake by flake, to the white landscape of winter. Aimed at readers from 6 to 12, The Secret Life of a Snowflake gets to the heart of one of nature’s most magical phenomena while making the wonder of the snowflake all the more real.

Under the Lilacs


Louisa May Alcott - 1878
    Theatricals and imaginative pageantry are all part of the fun.

Journey Under the Sea (Choose Your Own Adventure, #2)


R.A. Montgomery - 1979
    But you search for the lost continent of Atlantis is the trip of a lifetime. It will be the most challenging and dangerous mission of your career. Many unknowns will test your courage, abilities, strengths, and judgment. And you will be using newly designed equipment that's never been tested. The cable attaching the Seeker to the ship Maray is extended to its limit. You have come to rest on a ledge near the canyon in the ocean floor that ancient myth says leads to the lost city of Atlantis. You have an experimental diving suit designed to protect you from the intense pressure of the deep. You can also cut the Seeker loose and travel further. As agreed, you signal the Maray: All systems go; it's awesome down here. If you decide to explore the ledge where the Seeker has come to rest, turn to page 6. YOU choose what happens next!

Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of The Birds of America


William Souder - 2004
    . . Excellent work."--Tim Flannery, The New York Review of BooksIn the century and a half since Audubon's death, his name has become synonymous with wildlife conservation and natural history. But few people know what a complicated figure he was--or the dramatic story behind The Birds of America.Before Audubon, ornithological illustrations depicted scaled-down birds perched in static poses. Wheeling beneath storm-racked skies or ripping flesh from freshly killed prey, Audubon's life-size birds looked as if they might fly screeching off the page. The wildness in the images matched the untamed spirit in Audubon-a self-taught painter and self-anointed aristocrat who, with his buckskins and long hair, wanted to be seen as both a hardened frontiersman and a cultured man of science. In truth, neither his friends nor his detractors ever knew exactly who Audubon was or where he came from. Tormented by a fog of ambiguities surrounding his birth, he reinvented himself ceaselessly, creating a life as dramatic as his fictionalizations of it. But when he came east at thirty-eight-broke and desperate to find a publisher for his Birds-he ran squarely into a scientific establishment still wedded to convention and suspicious of the brash newcomer and his grandiose claims. It took Audubon fifteen years to prevail in both his project and his vision. How he triumphed and what drove him is the subject of this gripping narrative.