Going Down Home with Daddy
by Kelly Starling Lyons
illustrated by Daniel Minter

★ “A warm, loving, necessary reminder of the power in families coming together.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will gather with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to their family history. All the kids have to decide what they’ll share, but what will Lil Alan do?

Kelly Starling Lyons’ eloquent text explores the power of history and family traditions, and stunning illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor- and Caldecott Honor-winner Daniel Minter reveal the motion and connections in a large, multi-generational family.

Buy Going Down Home with Daddy today through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or IndieBound!

The Story Blanket
by Ferida Wolff & Harriet May Savitz
illustrated by Elena Odriozola

 “A sweet tale of a close-knit community.” —School Library Journal

Babba Zarrah lives in a tiny village in the snow-covered mountains. The children love to visit her. They settle down on her big, old story blanket and listen to her imaginative tales. One day Babba Zarrah notices that Nikolai needs new socks, but she has no yarn. After the children leave, she unravels part of her story blanket and knits him some nice warm socks. As villagers start receiving mysterious gifts to keep them warm, the story blanket gets smaller and smaller until the children have nothing to sit on at story time. When the villagers finally discover Babba Zarrah’s secret, they decide to give her a surprise of their own. This touching story of generosity makes for a wonderful read aloud experience.

Buy The Story Blanket today through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or IndieBound!

William Still and His Freedom Stories
The Father of the Underground Railroad
by Don Tate

★ “Brings deserved attention to the life of a man who dedicated himself to recording the lives of others.” ―Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

William Still’s parents escaped slavery but had to leave two of their children behind, a tragedy that haunted the family. Motivated by his own family’s experience, William began collecting the stories of thousands of other freedom seekers. As a result, he was able to reunite other families and build a remarkable source of information, including encounters with Harriet Tubman, Henry “Box” Brown, and William and Ellen Craft.

Award-winning author-illustrator Don Tate brings to life the incredible true story of William Still, a man who dedicated his life to recording the stories of enslaved people fleeing to freedom, in this first-ever picture book biography of the Father of the Underground Railroad.

Buy William Still and His Freedom Stories today through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or IndieBound!

Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog
by Lisa Papp

★ “This intergenerational story of love and acceptance is an important addition to library collections for young elementary-aged readers.” ―School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

Madeline Finn and Star are off to Walker Oaks, a retirement community where Star will take his tests to become a Therapy dog. They make their way through a variety of challenges and meet several new friends, but Madeline Finn can’t stop thinking about an elderly man in a wheelchair who never smiles. Is there something she and Star can do to help?

Author-illustrator Lisa Papp’s heartwarming, empathetic story explores the therapy dog training process and provides a realistic and appealing example of a young person making a difference in her community.

Buy Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog today through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or IndieBound!

Hear from six kid lit authors whose books about animal habitats, human environments, and ecological changes are just one part of their expertise and one piece of their contributions to protect the earth’s environment. Each author shares their top tip on what individuals can do to combat the negative effects of climate change.

Mary Batten, author of Life in a Frozen World:

“Plastic is one of the worst environmental pollutants of both land and sea. Plastic debris has even reached Antarctica. The problem with plastic is that it is not biodegradable. Some plastic trash may last for a hundred years in the environment. Plastic that ends up in the ocean is broken down into tiny particles by sunlight and wave action. These microparticles are eaten by fish, seabirds and other marine animals and passed along in the food chain. One of the most important things you can do is to help your family reduce the amount of plastic that they use. Plastic water bottles make up a huge amount of plastic waste. Use sport water bottles instead of plastic water bottles. Take cloth bags to the grocery store. Use glass containers to store leftover food. Cover food with foil or wax paper instead of plastic wrap. Recycle plastic containers and bottles. Look for containers and food coverings made of recyclable materials.”

Melissa Stewart, author of the A Place for… series:

“A wildlife garden can provide birds, butterflies, and other small creatures in your community with everything they need to survive. The workers at a local garden center can help you choose native plants that provide cover and produce food, such as nectar, berries, and seeds, from spring to early autumn. Your garden will also need a water supply, such as a bird bath. As the garden grows, keep track of the creatures who visit it. Are there ways you can improve it to attract even more animals?”

Sandra Markle, author of Toad Weather:

“I value frogs and toads for all they do for us:

Eating lots of insects like mosquitoes and flies that would otherwise become pests.

Being food for lots of animals, such as birds, snakes, foxes, and some fish like pike and bass.

Plus they are just plain cool. Like the fact that they have a sticky tongue attached to the inside front of their mouth and it rolls out in less than a second to snag a bug. Or that to swallow their eyes sink to push food down their throat.

So how can YOU help frogs and toads? It’s easy! Join me in taking care of the Earth. Do all you can to Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse. Frogs need places to live and they need both clean land areas and clean water. So, helping to reduce the amount of land spoiled by becoming a landfill and reducing how many waste items and polluting liquids run into ponds, lakes, and streams is KEY. You can do it! YOU can make a difference. Now, HOP TO IT!”

Cathryn Sill, author of the About Habitats series: 

“Many children are familiar with the 3 Rs of protecting the environment: reduce, reuse and recycle. Another thing kids can do is reduce waste by precycling. This is a way of protecting the environment by stopping waste before it happens. Some simple examples of precycling include bringing your own bags when shopping, having a reusable water bottle, using fewer disposable items, and buying items that use the least amount of packaging.”

Bill Harley, author of Night of the Spadefoot Toads:

“Young people are in the forefront of fighting to protect the environment and turn the tide, and my advice is to find some people locally active in groups like the Sunrise Movement (https://www.sunrisemovement.org/) But just as important is to get outside – find people in your community who know nature and hang out with them – teachers, Audubon Society, nature centers, etc. For me, one of the overwhelming, mysterious truths is that, despite our carelessness the planet cares for us and we become aware of that if we pay attention. Knowing the birds and trees and rivers and land around us makes us care more for the Earth. Becoming familiar with the natural world right outside your door is as important as watching a documentary. We have to feel this caring in our bodies, not just our heads. And if you’re thinking about books, get some pocket field guides of birds, trees, insects and animals you can carry with you when you step outside your door.”

Sneed Collard, author of Flash Point:

“There are so many things we can each do to help protect the planet, but one that is too often ignored is to keep all cats indoors. As adorable as they are, cats are killers. It’s not their faults. That’s just how they evolved. Bells, special collars, and other things do not work to keep them from killing birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Scientists estimate outside cats and feral cats kill between one and two billion birds each year. That is a tremendous toll—and one cat owners can easily do something about, so if you have a cat, talk to your parents about the problem, and help protect our planet’s wonderful wildlife.”

Throughout the pre-publication phase of this book, we’ve discovered the awe-inspiring world of therapy dogs. It’s been a humbling and heart-warming experience. There’s so much we didn’t know! Today, we’re excited to share some of the stories we’ve heard from people working hand-in-paw with Therapy dogs, and from those who have received their care. You might want to grab a tissue.

Did You Know that Therapy Dogs Teach Kids and Adults to Get Comfortable with Dogs?

This is Pearl, a licensed therapy dog who visited our library for several years. She was a wonderful friend to children who loved to read with her, lie on her, and cuddle her. However, she provided much more than just a listening ear. She and her handler (or “mom”) Frosti gently taught children how to safely approach dogs, they soothed the fears of children and adults who were afraid of dogs, and were beloved by members of several group homes. They were thrilled anew every time they met Pearl. The child who got to hold Pearl’s leash on the walk out always knew it was a special treat!

After Pearl retired, we partnered with the local animal shelter, Lakeland Animal Shelter, to allow children to meet animals in a safe and controlled environment, as well as to provide socialization for the animals themselves. I learned a great deal from Pearl and Frosti, including just how important the human part of the equation is, and we were lucky enough to have great volunteers who could help nervous children and animals come together.

We love the Madeline Finn books at our library, not just because they remind us of our dear friend Pearl, but also because they offer such a great example of interactions between humans and animals and how they can work together to bring happiness to so many.

Jennifer Wharton
Youth Services Librarian
Matheson Memorial Library
Elhorn, Wisconsin
 

Did You Know that Therapy Dogs Help Timid and Reluctant Readers Gain Confidence?

By partnering with Midnight Sun Service Dogs, Anchorage Public Library invites children who are struggling and striving readers to read to service and therapy dogs. We like to think that the dogs get as much out of it as the kids!

Children choose from a selection of easy-to-read books (many times about dogs and cats), go into a quiet room, and sit next to a patient, listening dog. Two of our favorite therapy dogs are Pagan and Swivel Shot. These beautiful dogs sit or lie serenely next to their handlers, and children often even lie on top of the dogs as they read with growing confidence. We love our dog partners at the library!

We’ve seen so many children benefit from these dogs who don’t judge or correct the readers. They are friendly ears and comfortable friends. Many children are quite shy at first, not sure if they can trust our dogs. But time and again, the dog eventually wins the child over.

One second-grader affected by a brain injury was very timid at first. She was afraid to sit next to Pagan, so her handler had to sit between them. She read hesitantly and quietly, and Pagan’s handler had to lean in to hear her reading. Month by month, this young girl slowly began to not only gain confidence in her reading, but also was able to sit next to Pagan and actually snuggle up next to her.

Service and therapy dogs are brilliant at being patient and gentle, with the added bonus of being especially good at listening. Children are often inspired to go home and read to their own pets or stuffed animals. What a wonderful way to foster a love of reading!

Linda Klein
Youth Services Librarian
Anchorage Public Library
Anchorage, Alaska

Did You Know that Therapy Dogs Train Hard and Are as Diverse as Those They Help?

Border Collies are herding dogs that love to work, directing sheep or other groups of animals with a human handler. But Marlee was born deaf, so she couldn’t hear the calls and whistles of the handler. When she was twelve weeks old she was given to a young boy who liked to hunt, but Marlee couldn’t hear to come when she was called and could easily get lost in the woods. So she came to live with me.

I had worked at a school for children who are deaf and thought it would be wonderful if Marlee could one day be a therapy dog for deaf children who spoke the same language she did. We started training, but Marlee found it very hard to stay when I walked away. We found new trainers, Karen and Niki, who worked hard to help us learn and understand commands through hand signals and leash training. We now work together at Parnassus Books where Marlee is a favorite participant at story time and as a reading buddy. She also loves to jump through hoops.

A relationship that really stands out to me during Marlee’s time as a reading buddy is her friendship with Harper. Very early on in Marlee’s training, Harper offered to sit with her during story time. They have developed a wonderful relationship! Harper is great about telling the other kids that Marlee can’t hear and helping them get to know her. Marlee sits with Harper—usually with her head in Harper’s lap!

I loved the story of Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog.  It represents so well the teamwork that goes into training, and I loved that Madeline was able to be so involved in the training and handling alongside her mom. I hope more kids have the opportunity to be involved in all phases of dog training and handling – and benefit from reading to therapy dogs too!

Heather Patchett
Special Sales and Office Manager
Parnassus Books
Nashville, TN

Did You Know that Therapy Dogs Help with Rehabilitation and Elder Care?

When my dad turned 90, my sister arranged for a therapy dog to visit him. Handlers and therapy dogs don’t make a habit of going to people’s houses, but in this case the man who read the email made an exception. He showed up in the midst of a pretty intense period of depression for Dad, and I hadn’t seen him smile like that for quite a while.

Dave, the handler, stayed in touch with us, and when Dad fell and went to a rehab center, Dave added it to his stops. To do that, he had to apply to this particular rehab center, show paperwork that he gets when his dog is qualified for Therapy, and then fit it into his schedule. While he was there, he made others stops to see anyone else who wanted a visit. To this day, Dave shows up at the rehab center every week.

Dad eventually returned home, and I stayed in touch with Dave. And when dad went to live in a memory care facility, I reached out to Dave to let him know. He immediately went through the paperwork to get qualified to visit there. And he did, weekly, visiting anyone who wanted to see a dog. When Dad died, I reached out to Dave. He showed up at the funeral with his therapy dog for all of us to hug. That day, he told me that meeting my dad was meant to be. He came into Dad’s life on Dad’s birthday, and my dad left his life on Dave’s birthday. Dave still visits both the rehab center and the memory care place.

Lynn Hildebrandt
Sales Manager
Peachtree Publishing Company

Don’t miss Madeline Finn and the Library Dog and Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog!

In this gently rhyming board book, a young boy creates a garden one small action at a time. First, he digs in the dirt and plants seeds, then he adds soil, water, and some patience. With time, the seeds grow and the boy excitedly discovers what he has helped to make. This book provides a perfect sit-in-your-lap reading experience for toddlers.

Fantastic Flowers

by Susan Stockdale

With engaging rhymes and bright, bold images, award-winning author and illustrator Susan Stockdale introduces young readers to 17 different flowers from around the world—a dazzling display of beautiful blooms with colors and shapes that resemble actual things, from ballerinas to kissing lips to wild baboons, and more! Back matter tells a little bit more about each flower (including color photographs) and describes the pollination process.

Amara’s Farm
by JaNay Brown-Wood
illustrated by Samara Hardy

Amara is hosting a potluck for friends on her farm, and her snacks won’t be complete without pumpkins. She’s searched and searched, but she’s grown so many plants that she needs help finding them. What do we know about pumpkins? They’re large, round, and orange—and, wait a minute, is that a pumpkin? No, that’s an apple. Where, oh, where could those pumpkins be? Simple, playful text guides young readers through Amara’s farm, exploring the unique characteristics of the apples, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, persimmons, and more that grow there.

The King of Bees

by Lester Laminack

illustrated by Jim LaMarche

As he observes his Aunt Lilla work with the beehives on their Lowcountry farm, Henry can’t wait until he can have a bee-suit of his own so he can help with the sister bees. This stunning picture book introduces readers to the world of bees, beekeeping, and bee habitats through a gentle fiction story of a boy whose curiosity will be mirrored by every young reader. This gentle story will be a new favorite for both long-time and new fans of Lester Laminack.

A Tree for Emmy

by Mary Ann Rodman

illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

Emmy loves trees. She loves oak trees with acorns. She loves pine trees with cones, and willow trees with swishy branches. But best of all, Emmy loves the mimosa tree that grows in her grandmother’s pasture. So when Emmy decides she wants a mimosa tree of her own for her birthday, she is dismayed to find that many garden stores don’t sell them. Emmy is crushed—until she discovers that the answer to her problem is growing right before her eyes! Mary Ann Rodman’s joyful story will help readers appreciate the natural world around them.

Planting the Wild Garden

by Kathryn O. Galbraith

illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin

Eloquent and lyrical prose combined with stunning illustrations explore the many ways seeds are distributed and show how elements work together to create and sustain a wild meadow. In the wild garden, many seeds are planted, but not by farmers’ hands. Different kinds of animals transport seeds, often without knowing it. Sometimes rain washes seeds away to a new location. And sometimes something extraordinary occurs, like when the pods of Scotch broom burst open explosively in the summer heat, scattering seeds everywhere like popcorn.

Feast of Peas

by Kashmira Sheth

illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

Every morning, Jiva works in his garden until the sun turns as red as a bride’s sari. He plants peas and beans, potatoes and tomatoes, eggplants and okra in his vegetable patch. When his friend Ruvji admires his plants Jiva sings,

Plump peas, sweet peas,
Lined-up-in-the-shell peas.
Peas to munch, peas to crunch,
I want a feast of peas for lunch.

But each time Jiva is ready to pick the peas for his feast, they’re already gone. What has happened? This original story from the award-winning author and illustrator team behind Tiger in My Soup features a deliciously amusing mystery about gardening, anticipation, hard work, and generosity.

Seed Magic

by Jane Buchanan

illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb

One day, Birdman, who sits in his wheelchair all day feeding seeds to the pigeons, fills Rose’s hands with slick, black seeds. He tells her they are magic—if she plants them outside her window they will grow a garden. Her brothers don’t believe, but Rose sets the seeds out and waits. Soon, like Birdman promised, a garden appears before her eyes—a musical flurry of red and yellow and blue, drawn to Rose’s window by seed magic even in the midst of the barren, gray city.

A Place for Butterflies

by Melissa Stewart

illustrated by Higgins Bond

In this informative nonfiction picture book, author Melissa Stewart shares the basic facts about butterflies and introduces young readers to some of the ways human action or inaction can affect butterfly populations. The book also provides pointers on how youngsters can help butterflies thrive in their own neighborhood and will open readers’ minds to a wide range of environmental issues.

Nina Soni, Master of the Garden
by Kashmira Sheth
illustrated by Jenn Kocsmiersky

It’s Take Your Child to Work Day, and Nina, Kavita, and Jay are all going to work with Mom, a landscape architect, to learn how to start a garden. Naturally that’s not enough for Nina, who quickly develops big plans for a business selling the vegetables she plans to grow. But her plans don’t include managing the problems that inevitably arise, including rabbits, slugs, mosquitos, and more! A great read for STEAM enthusiasts.

Grow: A Novel in Verse

by Juanita Havill

illustrated by Stanislawa Kodman

Award-winning author Juanita Havill brings to life the story of a community garden in an urban neighborhood and the mismatched people who carefully tend it. Told through the eyes of an impressionable girl, the series of richly detailed prose poems delivers a powerful story of the extraordinary magic that occurs every day when ordinary people work together. The result is an affecting, lasting portrait of community life and the power of shared commitment and hope.

Find these books and more at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble!

I read the strange and affecting story about the gift from a Maasai village in 2002. It was a sweltering April morning in Georgia. I live in the South, where summer arrives early and stays late, like an ill-bred guest. Coffee brewing, I opened my front door, leaned down, and plucked the New York Times from the porch steps. The paper always arrived one day late—an acceptable inconvenience. The literary style of the Times made the dullest news worth reading—and, not infrequently, worth rereading.

But that day, on the front page, there was an article unlike any other I had read in that storied publication.

The headline stated in simple, if cryptic, language: “Where 9/11 News Is Late, but Aid is Swift.” According to reporter Marc Lacey, a Maasai village in Kenya had presented a gift of fourteen cows to the United States in a ceremony on Maasai land. The story was accompanied by a gripping photograph of Maasai women holding signs; one particularly poignant message read, “We send these cows to help you, September 11 tragedy.” I allowed my body to sink onto the stoop of my front porch, newspaper trembling just enough to blur the words. Still, I read it, and wept. And reread it and wept some more.

It has been nearly twenty years since 9/11, and it’s inevitable that young adults today (children at that time of the attacks) would have few emotional memories associated with that day. It may help to give my reaction some context.

Seven months had passed since 9/11. Americans were still raw, wounded, isolated, and confused. The sight or sound of an airplane overhead still triggered anxiety in many of us. Although much of the world seemed to share in our horror and disbelief, a Maasai tribe of some five hundred women and men were willing to reach out to us in such a personal and generous way. And how did they do this? With a gift that was almost as dear to them as a child or a plot of land—fourteen sacred cows from their herd.

They offered the cows in a ceremony attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya. I would later learn that his visit included a little-known incident. According to their tradition, the women of the tribe always made a beaded belt for every woman who lost a child; the gift symbolized both protection and reassurance that other children would follow. During the ceremony, such a belt was placed around the womb of our Ambassador’s wife.

The day I found the article, I only scribbled a few notes on a legal pad and tucked everything away in a filing cabinet, where it all was to remain for several years.And then one summer, thanks to a Carson McCullers Fellowship, I was granted some time to write. I had intended to work on a different project. The Maasai story was nothing more than a newspaper article and a handful of notes: a zygote of a tale. But I took it along to Columbus, anyway. I kept turning to it from my intended manuscript, drawn by the fascinating elements of the story: the unlikely presence of a young Maasai warrior in New York City on 9/11, his return to Kenya to tell the tale to the elders of his tribe, the decision to send for the American Ambassador in Nairobi, the strange and splendid moment when our Ambassador accepts an unsought, unexpected gift to a mighty, crippled nation from a fierce and generous people.

As I wrote the story, I often thought of Aesop’s fable, “The Lion and the Mouse,” in which a mouse becomes the unlikely savior of the mighty King of Beasts. I think we all want to believe that in our most wretched hour there will be someone—known or unknown to us, friend or erstwhile foe—who will come to our aid.

I have often hoped the story of the Maasai would provide a gentle introduction to the events of 9/11. As the tale of their gift to a nation in mourning traveled around the world that April in 2002, it reminded humanity that goodness has never been eradicated from our species, despite wars and despots and genocide. Goodness has always emerged, battered, yet whole, from the rubble of this world’s darkest moments. The Maasai, in their now decades-old moment of light, are proof of that.

Carmen Agra Deedy, author of 14 Cows for America

Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as we continue to celebrate the 10th anniversary of 14 Cows of America.

To celebrate the closing of Charlie Bumpers’s 4th grade year that comes with the release of the final book in the series, Charlie Bumpers vs. the End of the Year, we’re giving everyone a peek inside Charlie Bumpers’ “yearbook.” Hear from some of Charlie’s biggest fans and greatest friends through the years!

Sue Poduska, Grade Reading

Charlie,

It’s been a great year with you, Tommy, and Hector. You never take the easy way out, even though you think you’re doing the right thing. Seems there’s a right way to do things, a wrong way, and a Charlie way. Sorry the adults in your world tend to go into emergency mode. But at least your big brother watches out for you. Just learn to ignore your little sister. Have a wonderful summer and a great fifth grade.

Your friend,
Sue

Laura Palermo, Education and Library Sales at Peachtree

You’re a good friend (and a really nice gnome!), Charlie Bumpers! I’ll never forget you.

Karen Yingling, Ms. Yingling Reads

Dear Charlie,

Fourth grade has been a challenging year for you, but you have made it through with good humor, and I am glad that you shared your exploits with me. After the shoe throwing incidents at the beginning of the year, it was great to see you do such an impressive job with your role as a gnome in the school play. It was also good to see that your soccer team had a successful season– I think I still have a candy bar in my freezer from your fundraising efforts. I hope that things are looking up for your family with your father’s new job, and that your cousin Chip has not thrown up any more Swedish fish at your house!

Fifth grade will be another adventure for you, even though I know you will miss Hector very much. I will look forward to having your sister Squid in a few years, and I hope that you take sure you take Ginger for some nice, long walks this summer.

Best Wishes,

Ms. Yingling

Kate Unger, Mom’s Radius

My son and I love this series. I love how funny the Charlie books are. And I enjoy how they address real-life problems that kids face. It gave us great things to discuss while we were reading the books.

Vicky Holifield, Charlie Bumpers Editor at Peachtree

Dear Charlie,

Holy moly! What fun it was to relive the fourth grade with you! Thanks for all the stupific memories from the year: your incredible rabid bat Halloween costume, your brother Matt’s terrifying stories of the Long-Fingered Man, all those wacky adventures with your best friends Tommy and Hector, the narrow escape from the Jerzollies of Darkness, Mrs. Burke’s POWerful finger-snaps, and even the Squid’s annoying first-grade songs!

And will I ever forget your kindness toward others (especially Hector), your admirable (though sometimes a bit misguided) attempts to make the best of a disastrophe, your enthusiastic spirit, and your honest wish to do the right thing? To quote your favorite superhero Buck Meson: I DON’T THINK SO!!

Your biggest fan,

Vicky

Leave your yearbook note to Charlie (or author Bill Harley) in the comments below, and we’ll share them as we reminisce and celebrate Charlie all week!

Madeline Finn does NOT like to read. But she DOES want a gold star from her teacher. But, stars are for good readers, for understanding words, and for saying them out loud. Fortunately, Madeline Finn meets Bonnie, a library dog. Reading out loud to Bonnie isn’t so bad; when Madeline Finn gets stuck, Bonnie doesn’t mind. As it turns out, it’s fun to read when you’re not afraid of making mistakes. Bonnie teaches Madeline Finn that it’s okay to go slow. And to keep trying. Check out the Activity Kit for fun games and a dog treat recipe! And don’t forget to download your own Madeline Finn poster! Can’t get enough of Madeline Finn? Read more about the upcoming sequel: Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog.

The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians

by Carla Morris

illustrated by Brad Sneed

Every day after school Melvin goes to the library. His favorite people—Marge, Betty, and Leola—are always there behind the reference desk. When something interests Melvin, his librarian friends help him find lots and lots of books on the subject. As the years pass, Melvin can always find the answers to his questions—and a lot of fun—in the library. Then one day he goes off to college to learn new things and read new books. Will he leave the library and his friends behind forever?

The Sound of All Things

by Myron Uhlberg

illustrated by Ted Papoulas

A hearing boy and his deaf parents take an outing to Coney Island, where they enjoy the rides, the food, and the sights. The father longs to know how everything sounds. Though his son does his best to interpret their noisy surroundings through sign language, he struggles to convey the subtle differences between the “loud” of the ocean and the “loud” of a roller coaster. When the family drops in at the library after dinner, the boy makes a discovery with the help of a thoughtful librarian who introduces him to poetry. Perhaps the words he needs are within reach, after all. In the author’s note, Myron Uhlberg explains the significance of his discovery of the library and how that influenced his own love of words.

The Library Dragon

by Carmen Agra Deedy

illustrated by Michael P. White

When Sunrise Elementary School advertised for a thick-skinned librarian with a burning love of books, Miss Lotta Scales knew she was perfect for the job. Who could guard books better than a REAL dragon? But when she won’t let any of the children take a book from the shelves, the teachers form a delegation. Not even sweet Miss Lemon can convince Miss Lotta Scales that “the library belongs to the children.” Can an open book temper the flames of the school’s hotheaded librarian? Check out the Teacher’s Guide for fun classroom activity ideas!

The Return of the Library Dragon

by Carmen Agra Deedy

illustrated by Michael P. White

After 557 years of faithful service, Miss Lotty is retiring from guarding books. But before she can check out of Sunrise Elementary for good, disaster strikes. Someone has ordered to have all the books removed from the library and replaced with machines! It’s enough to make Lotty feel a little…dragon-like. When she bursts into a fiery rage, only one thing can make her shed her scales: assurance that someone will fight to keep her precious books in the hands of Sunrise’s children.

Ebenezer Has a Word for Everything
by Chelsea H. Rowe
illustrated by Frank Dormer

Ebenezer collects words. But it’s hard to find someone who shares his passion, especially when no one seems to understand his word collections. But one day when Ebenezer is at his favorite place—the library—he finds his efforts finally appreciated when he meets Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald doesn’t have a word collection―but he does have lots of ideas. Together, they can make stories. Use these fun activity sheets to practice your word-smithing and storytelling skills!

The Amazing Mr. Franklin:
 or The Boy Who Read Everything
by Ruth Ashby

Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin was an important statesman, inventor, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. But did you know he started the first public library in America? Franklin was always a “bookish” boy. Ben wanted to read, but books were expensive. He wanted to go to school and learn, but his family needed him to work. Despite this, Ben Franklin had lots of ideas about how to turn his love of reading and learning into something more. First he worked as a printer’s apprentice, then he set up his own printing business. Later, he became the first bookseller in Philadelphia, started a newspaper, published Poor Richard’s Almanac, and in 1731, with the help of his friends, organized the first subscription lending library, the Library Company.

It might seem that the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who have taken the lead in organizing nationwide school walkouts in support of gun control, have materialized from nowhere. How could teens galvanize at least three nationwide movements, including the upcoming March for Our Lives on March 24? After all, this was the generation that was said to be coddled by over-protective parents. Children who would fear independence and risk-taking. Students who would grow into apathetic citizens because they were ignorant of American history and civics. In fact, however, their fervor and activism, goaded by the brutal murders of seventeen of their classmates, teachers, and staff, are part of a long tradition of school-aged youths taking charge to change the world.

Some journalists have recognized the link between the students in Florida and those who protested segregation and racial violence across the South fifty-five years ago. Several have cited my book We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March (Peachtree Publishers). One, in Esquire, referred to Audrey Faye Hendricks, a nine-year-old dissident whom I wrote about in the book: “But, before she could be free, there was something important she had to do. ‘I want to go to jail,’ Audrey had told her mother.” Audrey was the littlest marcher in Birmingham—and was the focus of another book I wrote called The Youngest Marcher (Simon & Schuster). But she was not the first child to volunteer to enforce integration peacefully.

Beginning in the 1950s, the civil rights movement inspired youngsters to put their bodies on the line. And they, in turn, inspired others to follow their lead.

In 1954, after the Supreme Court handed down Brown v. Board of Education, the first in a series of cases that outlawed school segregation, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, an activist black minister in Birmingham, drove his children to the local public school expecting that they would be admitted. A mob made sure they didn’t even get out of the car without injury, let alone into the building. Then in 1956, knowing their father’s commitment to integration, the children refused to move to the back of an interstate bus when the driver ordered them to do so. They were kicked off and left by the highway in the dark.

That same year, twelve black students became the first to desegregate a state-supported school in the South by entering the formerly all-white Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee. To protect themselves from attacks by white people who were bent on keeping the school segregated, the teens met up every morning and walked together.

Brave and brazen as these children were, their actions remained largely isolated. In 1960, however, youths dramatically propelled the civil rights movement forward. On February 1, four black students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College sat down at a segregated lunch counter at a Woolworth’s in Greensboro and ordered coffee and doughnuts. Though ignored at first and then doused with coffee and ketchup, they refused to leave. Within days, hundreds of their fellow students joined their efforts at other sites around the South. By the end of March, sit-ins had spread to fifty-five cities in thirteen states.

But college students are practically grown-ups, which is different from school kids, like those from Parkland. The Woolworth’s sit-ins might have sputtered and failed when the A&T students went back home for summer vacation, but at that point, local high schoolers stepped up and took their seats at the counter. They endured the same painful indignities as had their elders. Thanks to them, Woolworth’s finally opened the counter to both blacks and whites in July of that year.

Surely, among the most effective events of the era were the weeks-long series of sit-ins, pickets, and marches in Birmingham, Alabama. More than 3000 elementary and high school students sang and strutted their way to jail, fulfilling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s strategy to fill the cells so completely that no one else could be arrested for disobeying the unjust segregation laws. Nine-year-old Audrey was incarcerated for a week. Many youngsters were even washed down the street by powerful water hoses and attacked by German shepherds. One of them, Gwendolyn Sanders, said, “I didn’t know if I was going to survive it or not.”

As a result of their determination, not only did Birmingham rescind its ordinances two months later but also nearly fifteen thousand demonstrators, most of them teenagers, participated in more than 750 protests in 186 cities. Adults helped with logistics but children were at the front.

Though not leaders, young people also participated in marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, as described by Lynda Blackmon Lowery in her memoir, Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March (co-written by Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley, Dial Books) as well as in Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge (Penguin Random House). Though the particular protest is not named, little children are also seen marching in the book A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson (Simon & Schuster).

The Vietnam War, too, galvanized young people. In 1965, the four Tinker children, ages eight to fifteen, decided to wear black armbands to school to show their opposition. Ordered by their principals to remove them, the kids refused, and the older children were suspended. They carried their case to the Supreme Court, which ruled in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District in 1968 that this form of protest is symbolic speech allowed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

Over the next several years, young people in both high schools and colleges continued vociferously to oppose the war by marching, refusing to be drafted into the military, fleeing the country, and demanding that President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had escalated the fighting, leave the White House. He did so at the end of his elected term in office. Elizabeth Partridge has written about these events in Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam (Penguin Random House).

More recently, teens have organized and carried out a variety of strategies on multiple fronts.

• In 2012, undocumented people who came to America as children either illegally or with papers that later expired, held sit-ins in legislators’ offices to urge President Obama to stop deportation of these DREAMers. Doing so, they risked arrest and the very consequence that they feared—removal to a “home” country they barely knew. Their efforts helped pressure the administration to grant them a reprieve.
• Following the murder of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed, by a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, anguished students led protests that helped jump-start the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
• Two years later, several Lakota Sioux teens founded the One Mind Youth Movement to counter the Dakota XL Pipeline in Standing Rock, North Dakota.

This brief history of youth activism in America from the mid-twentieth to the early twenty-first centuries by no means diminishes the accomplishments of those who are confronting gun laws today. On March 14, they rallied thousands of their peers across the country to carry banners, walk out of elementary, middle, and high schools, and kneel and pray, and visit their legislators, even though many faced suspension and detention. Several activists started a movement called Parents Promise to Kids (#PPTK), in which grown-ups pledge to “vote for legislative leaders who support your
children’s safety over guns!” One student put the issue succinctly: “Your right to carry a gun is not greater than my right to live.” Worried parents and teachers debated the minimum age at which
children should get involved. Perhaps Audrey could show them that even third-graders can do their part.

The March for Our Lives on March 24 might spur even more to participate, as might the National School Walkout planned for April 20. Furthermore, it won’t be long before these teens are old enough to vote.

As in the past, their actions are peaceful yet confrontational. Many of us wish that people who are not yet old enough to vote didn’t have to devote themselves to changing society in these ways. But, when the grown-ups won’t do it, youths will. We applaud and support and are grateful to them. (If you have questions or concerns about school-aged children participating in upcoming demonstrations, information is available at Youth In Front.)

Cynthia Levinson holds degrees from Wellesley College and Harvard University and also attended the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. A former teacher and educational policy consultant and researcher, she is an award-winning and critically-acclaimed author. She has also published articles in Appleseeds, Calliope, Cobblestone, Dig, Faces, and Odyssey. Visit her website at cynthialevinson.com.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide

To: The Budding Activist

Books inspire so many different things in young readers: creativity, kindness, curiosity. Foster your child’s passion for community, the environment, and making a difference in the world! Give a special gift to the “budding activist” in your life and alleviate the shopping stress by checking off one of these titles on that holiday list! From offering kindness and lending a helping hand to protecting wildlife, these stories are sure to encourage the incredible power of activism in young readers.

Flowers for Sarajevo 

 

Drasko is happy to help his father with his flower stand in the Sarajevo marketplace. But war is encroaching, and Drasko must run the stand alone. One morning, a nearby bakery is bombed and twenty-two people are killed. The next day Drasko witnesses a cellist walk to the bombsite and play the most heartbreaking music anyone can imagine. The cellist returns for twenty-two days, one day for each victim of the bombing. Inspired by the cellist’s actions, Drasko also seeks a way to help restore beauty in his city in the face of violence.

Based on true events of the Bosnian War, John McCutcheon delivers a powerful and uplifting tale of a young boy who acts to affect change. There is always a way to be a hero, no matter how big or small! In addition, enjoy the included CD in which cellist Vedran Smailovic accompanies McCutcheon and performs the song he played in 1992 to honor those who died in the Sarajevo mortar blast. This hopeful story will surely inspire the  social activist on your gift list this holiday season.

Read an excerpt here and listen to a sample clip of John McCutcheon’s original song “Streets of Sarajevo.”

Dangerous Jane

Jane’s heart always ached for those who are less fortunate and knew she wanted to help somehow. “So Jane promised herself—when she grew up, she would buy a big house to share with people in need.” And she did! In Chicago, Jane established the Hull House, where people could come and receive schooling, childcare, work, friendship, and hope. But with the threat of World War I in Europe looming, what could Jane do to stop a war?

Read all about Jane Addams’s inspiring actions in Suzanne Slade’s energetic and heartening picture book biography. While Jane’s world efforts for peace won her the title “Most Dangerous Woman in America” by the FBI, she eventually became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This read will truly change the way the young reader in your life thinks about the impact of generosity and kindness!

Read an excerpt here and download a free poster!

Night of the Spadefoot Toads

When his father takes a new job in Massachusetts, Ben must leave behind his best friend Tony, a western banded gecko named Lenny, and worst of all, the Arizona desert home he has loved and explored. Having trouble finding his place in a new school, Ben enters into an unlikely friendship with his eccentric fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Tibbets, who owns land that is home to the rare and elusive Eastern spadefoot toads. When Ben learns developers have bought the property, he realizes he must do something to save the toads. Even the smallest efforts can make a difference.

This environmentally minded middle grade novel, a recipient of the Green Earth Book Award, comes from renowned storyteller and two-time Grammy Award winner Bill Harley. Harley’s delightful story explores the powerful impact of our actions on the world around us. What a wonderful way to satisfy and motivate the aspiring environmentalist on your holiday list!

Read an excerpt here.

We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March

This thorough and thought-provoking book tells the little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary, middle, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail between May 2 and May 11, 1963 as part of the 1963 Birmingham Children’s March. These children had succeeded—where adults had failed—in desegregating one the most violent cities in America. Though it seemed all odds were against them, these children were able to cause major change!

Author Cynthia Levinson’s extensive research and in-depth one-on-one interviews come together to offer a personal perspective of the Birmingham Children’s March. Levinson skillfully recreates the inspirational tale of four young people by shedding light on an lesser-known view of one of the most powerful moments during the civil rights movement. This book is perfect for budding activists looking for inspiration from actions of real children who made a difference in history.

Read an excerpt here and download a free poster!

Find these titles and more at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble. Still looking for more great ideas? Our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide has even more gift recommendations for your little readers this holiday season!

At Little Shop of Stories, we like to say that children’s books will save the world. Not only do we see ourselves in the books we read but we are also able to see beyond our own experiences and to understand what it is like for someone else. Books are great and vitally important conversation starters about different lives, different problems, and different solutions.

Using these ideas, we have created new programming in 2017 to engage our community in conversations through children’s literature.

The Kindness Project came out of discussions we had here at the shop during and after the November election season. There was so much negativity, intolerance, and divisiveness during that time that we really were concerned about the impact of it all on the children we serve. We decided we wanted to encourage a discussion on kindness, compassion, and empathy within our community of readers as a way to help families consider ways to think and act differently despite this negativity. Each month we focus on a different topic and provide book lists, workshops, and other activities that will help parents and teachers navigate conversations around these topics with children and teens.

Some examples of Kindness Project activities have included:

• Our January story time about the Refugee Experience brought over 40 families to the shop. We worked with publishers to deliver hundreds of books to our very active refugee community.
• We conduct regular, robust story times highlighting picture books filled with diverse peoples and cultures.
• Our Gender Fluidity Workshop helped to create new support systems for parents and their children and teens.
• We held an April Poetry Workshop for kids to understand themselves and others through poetry.
• We’ve raised $130 in donations for shipping books to military families all over the US. That’s like 16 or 17 boxes of books!

This summer’s Camp Be The Change endeavored to take the Kindness Project one step further—to encourage children to move from idea to action and to celebrate the amazing ways that they too can make a difference in the world around them. Campers learned about influential figures in history who have fought to make the world a better place, from Susan B. Anthony to Representative John Lewis. They also learned about kids like them who have chosen to take a stand to change their communities. Topics ranged from random acts of kindness to civil liberties, and campers explored ways to improve and support their own communities.

We’re a bookstore, and we believe in the power of stories, and sharing those stories. We’re not looking to do what non-profits do, or what other, better equipped or already established forms of outreach are doing. Instead, we are looking to initiate thoughtful action in ourselves and others through sharing one another’s stories.

To learn more about Little Shop of Stories and their 2017 programming, visit their website.
Have a great example of how you make a difference in your community? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter to enter our #BeDangerous sweepstakes!