Leaf Litter Critters
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Robert Meganck

Have fun on this poetic tour through the leaf litter layer and dig into the fascinating facts about the tiny critters who live there.

Bring the classroom home with this teacher’s guide, and go digging in whatever leaf litter layer is near you!

Save the Crash-test Dummies
Written by Jennifer Swanson
Illustrated by TeMika Grooms

Filled with fun four‐wheeled nuggets of history and explanations of how cars actually work, this nonfiction book from former science educator and award-winning author Jennifer Swanson will appeal to lovers of all things that go and readers who are interested in  seeing how things work.

Take a peek under the hood with this teacher’s guide, or have some hands-on time with that car you haven’t driven in a while.

Countdown
2979 Days to the Moon
Written by Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

Have any space geeks in the house? Award-winning author and former mechanical engineer Suzanne Slade joins up with New York Times best-selling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez to tell the powerful story of the successes, failures, triumphs, tragedies, and lessons learned from Apollos 1 through 10 that led to the first Moon landing.

Explore this inspiring story further with our teacher’s guide and discussion questions, or just do some stargazing from wherever you are!

Fault Lines in the Constitution
The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today
Written by Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson

It’s hard to think about or focus on the fact that this is an election year, but here’s an opportunity to bring November to the forefront. Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the U.S. Constitution, and authors Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson explore the Constitution’s creation and how current realities link directly back to this historical document.

Keep the conversation going with this teacher’s guide and discussion guide, and explore the authors’ blog where they discuss what’s happening in the news and answer questions and comments on all topics.

Hat Tricks
Written and illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura

From renowned author and illustrator Satoshi Kitamura, this humorous story is a delightful choice for read alouds with plenty of opportunity for participation from your young audience.

Recreate some of Hattie’s magic at home with these activities!

One Fox
A Counting Book Thriller
Written and illustrated by Kate Read

This surprisingly simple counting book with a gripping tale has a hugely satisfying ending that’s sure to delight. Another great choice for early education and read-alouds while you’re at home.

Check out these fun, fox-filled storytime activities!

Spring Babies
Written by Kathryn O. Galbraith
Illustrated by Adela Pons

Featuring diverse characters and highlighting concepts like shapes and repetition, books in the Babies in the Park series will encourage an appreciation of nature and outdoor imaginative play for young readers stuck at home.

Engage your senses and celebrate the seasons with these toddler-size activities!

Stanley’s Toolbox
Written and illustrated by William Bee

An early introduction to the practical function of tools commonly found at home, this board book will appeal to the very youngest tool-loving fans. If Stanley is a hit, don’t miss the rest of the Stanley series (there are board books and picture books!).

Check out this activity sheet, and help Stanley and Little Woo put their tree house together!

Am I Yours?
Written and illustrated by Alex Latimer

This fun and unique tale will keep dinosaur lovers and fans of Are You My Mother? enthusiastically following along and guessing who is inside the shell.

Keep the dinosaur fun going with this fun activity sheet!

Jewish: Lemuel the Fool
Cuban: Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
Japanese: I Am Tama, Lucky Cat: A Japanese Legend
Danish: The Yellow Star 

Look for these titles and more at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble!

Looking for more multicultural-related books? Check out our bilingual and Spanish titles here.

From the author-illustrator of Rapunzel and New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Little Red comes another fractured fairy tale! This time, Bethan Woollvin’s clever twist redefines the meaning of a villain.

Willow is a good witch who lives deep in the forest, practicing good magic and minding her own business. That is, until she meets Hansel and Gretel. Willow never used to worry about messy breadcrumb trails or parts of her carefully constructed gingerbread house being eaten.  No one has ever bothered with her spell books or been rowdy in her quiet little yard. But that’s exactly what Hansel and Gretel do, and who knows how long Willow’s patience will hold.

This subversive retelling of the classic “Hansel & Gretel” tale features Bethan Woollvin’s signature, striking three-tone illustrations and sassy sense of humor. Readers will gasp with glee at the turn of each fun and boldly printed page. Woollvin is sure to have readers thinking about what it means to be a heroine or a villain, considering their sense of good and evil…and possibly rethinking that next bite of gingerbread.

“Striking… Children will enjoy comparing the traditional story to this delightfully twisted version.” —Booklist Online

“Marked by sly humor and an impish sense of mischief…entertaining text… Wicked fun.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“A bold, graphic style… Delicious.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers get a humorous and unique version of an oft-told tale.” —School Library Journal

Follow along with the story by creating your own Hansel and Gretel! Check out the activity sheets here!

Also, we are so excited to announce that Bethan will be going on tour with us this month in New York, DC, Athens, GA., and Atlanta! Come to one of these events in your area to meet Bethan Woollvin and get a signed copy of Hansel & Gretel!

New York City: BookFest @ Bankstreet – Saturday, October 20

Washington, DC: Politics and Prose – Monday, October 22 @ 10:30am

Athens, GA: Avid Bookshop – Tuesday, October 23 @ 6:00pm

Atlanta, GA: Little Shop of Stories – Wednesday, October 24 @ 5:00pm

Get your own copy of Hansel & Gretel  on Amazon or at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble!

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.

“We’re huge animal lovers at Peachtree, so—of course—we fell in love with Madeline Finn and Bonnie when we signed the first book in 2015,” said Vice President and Associate Publisher Kathy Landwehr. “And when we saw the tremendous outpouring of affection from readers, reviewers, booksellers, teachers, and librarians, we were thrilled when Lisa said she wanted to write another Madeline Finn book … this time focused on shelter animals. We’ve been chomping at the bit ever since.”

Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog centers on budding independent reader Madeline Finn, her newly adopted puppy Star (one of Bonnie’s puppies!), and their unique quest to help animals at their local shelter. This sequel was a natural leap for Lisa Papp. After spending time with so many library dogs writing the first Madeline Finn book, she became aware that many of them are former shelter dogs. Papp is a passionate animal lover and pleased these special pups are at the heart of this installment.

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would try to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. During the two thousand, nine hundred and seventy-nine days that followed his speech, eight rockets soared into space, and four hundred thousand people—engineers, technicians, scientists, mathematicians, and machinists—joined Project Apollo in hopes of making the dream a reality.

Woollvin’s feisty heroines have refreshed readers, as her traditional characters always insist on saving themselves. Woollvin said in a guest post on fairy tales and gender stereotypes, “I simply wanted to create stories and characters that I would have enjoyed to read about when I was a child, instead of the damsels in distress we so often read about in classic tales.”

Still including the unique twist that Woollvin’s fairy tale retellings provide, this Hansel &Gretel flips the classic story completely on its head: “While Little Red and Rapunzel are certainly rebellious, Bethan’s take on ‘Hansel & Gretel’ is—shall we say—biting. You’ll never forget these siblings…or this witch,” says Vice President and Associate Publisher Kathy Landwehr.

Taking the subversive nature of Little Red and Rapunzel to the next level, Hansel & Gretel stars a witch named Willow, a good witch who only uses good magic. That is, until she meets Hansel and Gretel, two very naughty and rude children who try Willow’s patience. A clever twist redefines the meaning of a villain.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more news about Hansel & Gretel!

Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the US Constitution, and when you connect a long-established, little-changed document like the Constitution to the repercussions it’s caused, the document can remain static while the repercussions continue to reverberate. Enter: Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today.

While most books for young readers about the Constitution focus on our rights as citizens and praise the Framers for creating our form of government, Fault Lines in the Constitution looks at the document with a critical eye, focusing on the structure of our government and how the Constitution does not always work. Even with a diminishing presence of civic literacy and government history in education, Cynthia and Sanford Levinson encourage exploration and discussion from young and old readers alike by making a 230-year-old document relevant to today’s society.

Join co-authors Cynthia and Sanford Levinson in a conversation surrounding the continual and consistent repercussions we are experiencing from the Constitution today at faultlinesintheconstitution.com!

“Insightful… Much food for thought on the application and relevance of many of the Constitution’s stipulations. Essential for class discussions, debate teams, and reports.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“A fascinating, thoughtful, and provocative look at what in the Constitution keeps the United States from being ‘a more perfect union.’” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“Lately there’s been dismay that civics, government, and history have taken a backseat in classrooms. This smartly conceived book goes a long way toward reintroducing students to those subjects….the Levinsons link both history and current events as they offer an illustrative group of examples that show where the Constitution got it right—and wrong…. Although the font, charts, and well-written text make this appealing, it’s not always an easy read. It is, however, an important one.”—Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

You can find Fault Lines in the Constitution at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes& Noble this September.