Clara and Davie

Clara and Davie
Author: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2017-02-28
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0545692970

From the bestselling author, the true story of young Clara Barton and the big brother who supported and encouraged her in the face of adversity. Animals and flowers were Clara’s best friends. She had a special way with critters and found joy in the beauty that sprang from the soil. But whenever Clara talked, her words didn’t come out right. As hard as she tried, she could not get over her lisp. Clara’s older brother Davie understood that his sister was gifted. When folks made fun of Clara’s stilted words, Davie was always at her side reminding her that she had a talent for healing creatures. Davie told his sister, “Some day you are going to be a very great lady.” And that’s exactly what happened. Clara Barton became one of the most famous medical practitioners of all time and founded the American Red Cross. Praise for Clara and Davie “Drawing once again on her family history, Polacco shares the story of a distant relative . . . Polacco's characteristic mixed-media illustrations are lively and evocative, and the winter scenes are especially appealing. This heartwarming story of sibling devotion and overcoming obstacles will whet readers' interest and lead them to further study.” —School Library Journal

Show Way

Show Way
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 49
Release: 2005-09-08
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0399237496

Winner of a Newbery Honor! Soonie's great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, and with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She pieced together bright patches with names like North Star and Crossroads, patches with secret meanings made into quilts called Show Ways -- maps for slaves to follow to freedom. When she grew up and had a little girl, she passed on this knowledge. And generations later, Soonie -- who was born free -- taught her own daughter how to sew beautiful quilts to be sold at market and how to read. From slavery to freedom, through segregation, freedom marches and the fight for literacy, the tradition they called Show Way has been passed down by the women in Jacqueline Woodson's family as a way to remember the past and celebrate the possibilities of the future. Beautifully rendered in Hudson Talbott's luminous art, this moving, lyrical account pays tribute to women whose strength and knowledge illuminate their daughters' lives.

What Miss Mitchell Saw

What Miss Mitchell Saw
Author: Hayley Barrett
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2019-09-03
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1481487604

Discover the amazing true story of Maria Mitchell, America’s first professional female astronomer. Every evening, from the time she was a child, Maria Mitchell stood on her rooftop with her telescope and swept the sky. And then one night she saw something unusual—a comet no one had ever seen before! Miss Mitchell’s extraordinary discovery made her famous the world over and paved the way for her to become America’s first professional female astronomer. Gorgeously illustrated by Diana Sudyka, this moving picture book about a girl from humble beginnings who became a star in the field of astronomy is sure to inspire budding scientists everywhere.

Brave Girl

Brave Girl
Author: Michelle Markel
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013-01-22
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780061804427

The true story of the young immigrant who led the largest strike of women workers in U.S. history. This picture book biography about Ukrainian immigrant Clara Lemlich tackles topics like activism and the U.S. garment industry. The art, by Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet, beautifully incorporates stitching and fabric. A bibliography and an author's note on the garment industry are included. When Clara arrived in America, she couldn't speak English. She didn't know that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor, that she was expected to grow up fast. But that didn't stop Clara. She went to night school, spent hours studying English, and helped support her family by sewing in a shirtwaist factory. Clara never quit, and she never accepted that girls should be treated poorly and paid little. Fed up with the mistreatment of her fellow laborers, Clara led the largest walkout of women workers the country had seen. From her short time in America, Clara learned that everyone deserved a fair chance. That you had to stand together and fight for what you wanted. And, most importantly, that you could do anything you put your mind to. This picture book biography about the plight of immigrants in America in the early 1900s and the timeless fight for equality and justice should not be missed.

Pink and Say

Pink and Say
Author: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 50
Release: 1994-09-15
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0399226710

When Sheldon Russell Curtis told this story to his daughter, Rosa, she kept every word in her heart and was to retell it many times. I will tell it in Sheldon's own words as nearly as I can. He was wounded in a fierce battle and left for dead in a pasture somewhere in Georgia when Pinkus found him. Pinkus' skin was the color of polished mahogany, and he was flying Union colors like the wounded boy, and he picked him up out of the field and brought him to where the black soldier's mother, Moe Moe Bay, lived. She had soft, gentle hands and cared for him and her Pink. But the two boys were putting her in danger, two Union soldiers in Confederate territory! They had to get back to their outfits. Scared and uncertain, the boys were faced with a hard decision, and then marauding Confederate troops rode in. In this Civil War story passed from great-grandfather to grandmother, to son, and finally to the author-artist herself, Patricia Polacco once again celebrates the shared humanity of the peoples of this world.

I Am Darn Tough

I Am Darn Tough
Author: Licia Morelli
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers and Cadent Publishing
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2020-09-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0884487822

Girls (and boys!) can become stronger and more resilient simply by realizing how strong and resilient they already are, and running provides a pathway to that realization. Programs like Girls on the Run (which serves more than 200,000 girls each year, through 200 councils, across all 50 states) help kids discover their inner reservoirs of fortitude. Such programs address the whole child when she most needs a counterbalance to harmful stereotypes of who she should be and how she should act. In the words of participants, “Girls on the Run made me realize that I am the boss of my brain.” “At Girls on the Run I learned how to be comfortable in my own skin!” Refusing to quit, overcoming weariness, skinned knees, and self-doubt to finish a cross-country run, the resolute narrator of I Am Darn Tough realizes that she is stronger than she thought, inside and out. I Am Darn Tough shapes the Girls on the Run philosophy into a beautifully illustrated narrative to inspire any child, anytime, who wants to run toward greater confidence in themselves.

Haunted Memphis

Haunted Memphis
Author: Laura Cunningham
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2009-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1625842686

“Spine-tingling ghost stories . . . Thrilling tales of the Bluff City’s past” (Memphis Reads). Much like its muddy riverbanks, the mid-South is flooded with tales of shadowy spirits lurking among us. Beyond the rhythm of the blues and tapping of blue suede shoes is a history steeped in horror. From the restless souls of Elmwood Cemetery to the voodoo vices of Beale Street, phantom hymns of the Orpheum Theatre and Civil War soldiers still looking for a fight, peer beyond the shadows of the city’s most historic sites. Author and lifelong resident Laura Cunningham expertly blends fright with history and presents the ghostly legends from Beale to Bartlett, Germantown to Collierville, in this one-of-a-kind volume no resident or visitor should be without. Includes photos! “There are plenty of places in Memphis to go where the spirits aren’t in costume or getting paid to make you scream. Laura Cunningham reveals all the terrifying details in [ Haunted Memphis].” —WREG.com

Paint the Wind (Scholastic Gold)

Paint the Wind (Scholastic Gold)
Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2012-11-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0545281407

A sheltered girl. A wild horse. An unforgettable journey. This riveting story from Newbery honoree and New York Times bestseller Pam Munoz Ryan is perfect for fans of Marguerite Henry, Sara Pennypacker, and Rosanne Parry. Maya lives like a captive. At Grandmother's house in California, everything is forbidden: friends, fun, even memories. And her life is built on lies-lies Grandmother tells about her dead mother, and lies Maya tells to impress or manipulate. But then she moves to the vast Wyoming wilderness where her mother's family awaits -- kind, rugged people who have no tolerance for lies. They challenge Maya to confront the truth about who she is. And a mysterious mustang called Artemisia waits, too. She holds the key to Maya's freedom. But to find it, Maya will have to risk everything. . . including her life.

Carla's Sandwich

Carla's Sandwich
Author: Debbie Herman
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2015-06-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1936261812

This charming story presents a new way for young children to understand how to creatively embrace who they are, no matter what others think. Carla's lunch box is filled with odd delights like the Olive, Pickle and Green Bean Sandwich, the Banana-Cottage-Cheese Delight, and the unforgettable Chopped Liver, Potato Chips, and Cucumber Combo. To Carla, they are delicious and creative lunches, but her teasing classmates are unconvinced and abandon her at the lunch table to eat her bizarre sandwiches alone. One day, however, tables turn when Buster—the worst tease of all—forgets his lunch on the day of the picnic and Carla thoughtfully offers him her extra sandwich. Her own spirited nature helps Carla teach her classmates that "unusual" can actually be good. Lively illustrations help showcase the book's messages of acceptance, tolerance, individuality, and creativity, and the funny plot and authentic dialogue are sure to make this tale a favorite among elementary school children. Carla's creative sandwich solutions provide young chefs-to-be with the inspiration to create sandwich masterpieces of their own.