In the tradition of Hamilton's The People Could Fly and In the Beginning, a dramatic new collection of 25 compelling tales from the female African American storytelling tradition. Each story focuses on the role of women--both real and fantastic--and their particular strengths, joys and sorrows. Full-color illustrations.

Pioneer rancher W. H. Hamilton met the challenges of wolves, mosquitoes, and sticky, sometimes impassable soil, called "gumbo" in Harding and Butte counties in the 1880s and 1890s. A trailblazer in the transition from the open range to the small ranch, he loved the cowboy life and the wild country between his Belle Fourche River homestead and his Cave Hills ranch. In a new introduction, historian Thomas D. Isern familiarizes modern readers with the range-cattle industry and northwestern South Dakota landscape.

In this powerful novel researched in NYC schools, Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton documents the struggle young people face as they simultaneously assert their independence and yearn for guidance.
Friendship isn't always easy. Natalie is different from the other girls in Dreenie's fifth-grade class. She comes to school in a wheelchair, always wearing a knitted hat. The kids call her "Bluish" because her skin is tinted blue from chemotherapy. Dreenie is fascinated by Bluish -- and a little scared of her, too. She watches Bluish and writes her observations in her journal. Slowly, the two girls become good friends. But Dreenie still struggles with with Bluish's illness. Bluish is weak and frail, but she also wants to be independent and respected. How do you act around a girl like that?

Why had he come to her, with his dark secrets from a long-ago past? What was the purpose of their strange, haunting journeys back into her own childhood? Was it to help Dab, her retarded older brother, wracked with mysterious pain who sometimes took more care and love than Tree had to give? Was it for her mother, Vy, who loved them the best she knew how, but wasn't home enough to ease the terrible longing?

Whatever secrets his whispered message held, Tree knew she must follow. She must follow Brother Rush through the magic mirror, and find out the truth. About all of them.

The origin of the universe, and all that is in it, has always been cause for wonder. For thousands of years, people have made up stories in an attempt to explain the beginning of humankind, the earth, and the cosmos.

Beautifully told by Virginia Hamilton and splendidly illustrated by Barry Moser, "In The Beginning" is a collection of twenty-five creation myth stories that will engage and fascinate readers while introducing them to cultures around the world. Researched extensively by both author and illustrator, each story includes one or more illustrations - all stunning complements to the text. And each story is followed by author comments that tell about its origin.

The stories in this book reflect the wonderful range of the human imagination. In an Eskimo myth, for example, the first man pushes his way out of a pea pod. In a story from the Kono people of Guinea, death starts the world. A dramatic myth from China tells that the universe was originally in the shape of a hen's egg - and from this burst the first being.

To read the diverse beliefs of people around the world, both ancient and contemporary, broadens our understanding of others and strengthens our own spirituality. Intriguing, often humorous, and always fascinating, "In The Begining" is a memorable book for readers of all ages.