Top Grade Fall 2013 Selections (K-8)

Once Upon a Northern Night has received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.

In this exquisite lullaby, the beauty and wonder of a northern winter night unfold, with images of a soft snowfall, the wild animals that appear in the garden, the twinkling stars, the gentle rhythm of the northern lights and the etchings of frost on the window pane.

As the young child sleeps, wrapped in a downy blanket, a snowflake falls, and then another and another. The poem descr …

When Jake finally gets a puppy to call his own, all he can think about is the fast, strong sled dog that his puppy will become. But Kamik is far from an obedient sled dog. He won't listen, he tracks mud all over the house, and he's a lot more work than Jake ever thought a puppy could be! But after a visit with his grandfather, who raised many puppies of his own while living out on the land, Jake learns that Inuit have been raising puppies just like Kamik to be obedient, resourceful, helpful sle …

It's the start of winter, and Patrick is beginning to feel crowded out of his own family. His father's friend, Linda, and her seven-year-old daughter, Claire, are coming for dinner again. By the time spring arrives, not only is Patrick's father planning to marry Linda, but she and Claire will be coming to live with them at the summer's end. That just won't do. So Patrick comes up with a big idea. He'll build a tree house where he can stretch out his arms and breathe. But wait. Will his father a …

A poetic homage to basketball!

The footsteps pound.
The high-tops squeak.
The crowd is loud.
The floorboards creak.
But through it all,
we catch the sound,
the one that’s high above the ground,
that most important noise of all:
the swishing of the basketball.
Doesn’t even touch the rim
just whooooosh—
y’hear it?
YES, it’s in!

This new collection of more than 30 poems by Loris Lesynski captures the joys, thrills, and challenges of one of the most popular sports in the schoolya …

Whether kids want to write or draw a comic that's funny or scary, long or short, made-up or true-to-life, cartoonist and author Brian McLachlan maintains there are just ten crucial things they need to know to get started.
Using colloquial text, images, and examples, each chapter hones in on a different secret to creating great comics. Budding comic artists will learn how to make text and illustrations work together, how to give characters personality, how to choose the right tool for each proj …

From Buddha and Muhammad to King and Mandela, from the discovery of fire to the invention of the World Wide Web, and from Romeo and Juliet to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, this is a thorough and thoroughly entertaining compendium of important people and events.

This collection of biographies profiles ten creative business leaders who have proven that entrepreneurial women can not only succeed in business, they can also bring about positive change. Against all odds, African-American Madam C.J. Walker, born in 1867, became a self-made millionaire who promoted civil rights and opposed racism. Designer Dorothy Shaver, The Body Shop founder, Dame Anita Roddick, and high-finance expert Naina Lal Kidwai built businesses based on integrity, responsibility and …