Orphan Urchin never intended to be a swashbuckling squirrel. Abandoned at birth on a Mistmantle beach, this mild-mannered acorn hunter was raised by the island’s squirrels, otters, and moles. He gains entrance into the royal court, thanks to the support of his hero, the dashing Captain Crispin. But something is wrong in the peaceful kingdom of Mismantle. Under the influence of the squirrel captain Husk, the King is enforcing severe measures against his people. Crispin himself is falsely accused of a horrific murder and banished. Can little Urchin, a mere …

Vendela is fascinated by Venice, a “fairy tale city” where streets are canals, and cars are boats. On her trip there with her father, she wants to see everything, especially the gilded horses at St. Mark’s Church. Readers will learn about the arts, crafts, food, history, and culture of this fascinating city. Illustrated with paintings and photographs, Vendela in Venice is a young girl’s story, a history book, and a travel guide!

Through intimate photographs, poetry, and interviews, children of migrant farmworkers tell their stories. A nine-year-old boy talks about the long hours in the fields. A ten-year-old describes living in crowded migrant housing. Nine different voices tell about gangs, discrimination, language barriers, and strong family ties.

The Wilopents hide deep within the magical Toad King’s forest. Timid and peaceful, they live in constant fear of one thing: rain! For when a Wilopent gets wet, it grows from a wobbly little being into a large, lumpy, and very wild creature. One particular Wilopent, however, dreams of becoming more. Little Wanda yearns to be a beautiful fairy, flying among the flowers and sprinkling fairy dust. One night, she ventures deep into the heart of the forest in search of the Toad King, hoping he will grant her wish. …

In the tradition of his best-selling alphabet book, Animalia, author and illustrator GraemeBase takes young readers on an exhilarating journey of discovery with an ingenious fusion of counting book, puzzle book, storybook, and art book. From the plains of Africa and the jungles of the Amazon to the woodlands of North America and the deserts of outback Australia, the animals come together to drink from the water hole. But their water supply is diminishing. What’s going on? Each sumptuous landscape illustration conceals hidden animal pictures for readers to find as …

The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more …

Wesley, who has no friends or interest in sports, plants a special seed in his backyard to create a unique summer project–his own civilization. He uses the plants that grow to make new foods and clothes, and, before long, he’s even making insect repellent and musical instruments. Wesley also devises his own number system and language, and his once scornful schoolmates now clamor to join him in Weslandia.

Meet What-the-Dickens, a rogue tooth fairy and one of Gregory Maguire’s most captivating characters ever! When ten-year-old Dinah and her two siblings are trapped by a terrible storm, cousin Gage keeps their spirits up with an unlikely story — that skibbereen, aka tooth fairies, live in warring colonies right in your neighborhood. Dinah is skeptical at first, but when the real world seems unbearable, stories told by candlelight have a way of becoming real. Dinah starts to — and wants to — believe. Don’t we all?

Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever. By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

Come in . . . for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein’s world begins. You’ll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist. Shel Silverstein’s masterful collection of poems and drawings is at …