Here’s a picture book version of Aesop’s fables that should be in every classroom. Pinkney’s watercolor creatures illustrate more than 60 tales that end with one of Aesop’s moral lessons. Try it as a crowd-pleasing read-aloud for younger grades and as a wonderful resource for older children.

Sailing toward dawn, and I was perched atop the crow’s nest, being the ship’s eyes. We were two nights out of Sydney, and there’d been no weather to speak of so far. I was keeping watch on a dark stack of nimbus clouds off to the northwest, but we were leaving it far behind, and it looked to be smooth going all the way back to Lionsgate City. Like riding a cloud. . . .

Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds …

Airman is set in the 1890′s on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. It is the story of Conor Broekhart, a young Saltee Islander whose father, Declan, is the King’s bodyguard. When Conor discovers that the power hungry Marshall Hugo Bonvilain is organizing a military coup, the king is murdered and Conor is blamed for the crime and thrown into prison. In prison, Conor passes the solitary months by scratching designs for flying machines into the walls. This has always been his dream, to win the race for …

The first three thrilling Alex Rider adventures, packaged together in a deluxe box set! Anthony Horowitz’s New York Times bestselling series is the gold standard for modern action-adventure novels, and these first three edge-of-your-seat novels- Stormbreaker, Point Blank, and Skeleton Key-are must-haves for every Alex Rider fan!

Although Alexander and his money are quickly parted, he comes to realize all the things that can be done with a dollar.

“Alison acquired an Amaryllis for Beryl. Beryl bought a Begonia for Crystal. Crystal cut a Chrysanthemum for Dawn.” See a pattern? And so goes this alphabetical flower alliteration book. The full-page floral paintings and the clever girl-verb-flower text link one page to the next and keep interest blooming. This book is a vocabulary stretcher, guessing game, and flower primer all in one!

There is lots of confusion in the English language. Some words sound alike but are not spelled alike. Some letters have no sound at all. This vocabulary builder reminds us that humor can be found even in an English lesson!

Amber and Essie are sisters. Amber was brave. She wasn’t afraid of climbing up into high places. Essie was smart. She could read very hard library books. Together they make a good team. Their father is in prison, their mother works long hours, and there is little money to pay the bills. Through a series of interconnected poems, Williams presents Amber and Essie’s sad, funny, and moving tale. Full-color portraits of the girls precede the story, and an album of dramatic moments closes the book. Black-and-white pencil drawings are interspersed …

Imagine Amelia Earhart flying Eleanor Roosevelt over Washington D.C. in an airplane! This fictional account of their historic “night flight” shows two maverick women defying the conventions of their day, and taking off! Their exciting journey — from the White House to the starry skies above the Capitol — is illustrated with stunning black-and-white drawings.

Celebrate the Fourth of July in a vibrant seek-and-find adventure. This fun-filled ode to America brims with patriotic spirit and more than 200 hidden objects to find. Tommy awakes on July Fourth to find a note from his eccentric Aunt Jeanne, promising a spectacular surprise if he unravels clues she has hidden for him. Tommy’s clues lead him on a magical cross-country trip through America’s great places and iconic traditions. From Times Square to Mount Rushmore, from a Mississippi riverboat to the Golden Gate Bridge.