Lyrical, inspiring, and affecting text paired with bright, appealing illustrations make Ready to Fly perfect for aspiring ballerinas everywhere who are ready to leap and to spread their wings! Ready to Fly is the true story of Sylvia Townsend, an African American girl who falls in love with ballet after seeing Swan Lake on TV. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share at home or in the classroom. Although there aren't many ballet schools that will accept a girl like Sylvia in the 1950s, her local bookmobile provides another possibility. A librarian helps Sylvia find a book about ballet and the determined seven-year-old, with the help of her new books, starts teaching herself the basics of classical ballet. Soon Sylvia learns how to fly-how to dance-and how to dare to dream. Includes a foreword from Sylvia Townsend, a brief history of the bookmobile, an author's note, and a further reading list.

Moishe was thirteen when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 and he was sent to Auschwitz. His home was ravaged, his family torn apart by illness and abduction. Years of brutality drew on as Moishe moved from one labour camp to the next. Finally, towards the end of the war and at the peak of Moishe's deepest despair, a simple act of kindness by a group of courageous Czech women redeemed his faith that goodness could survive the trials of war: That was the day it rained warm bread. Deftly articulated and beautifully illustrated, this is a strong addition to the ever-important genre of Holocaust testimonies.

The girl in this story sees it happening, but she would never do these mean things herself. Then one day something happens that shows her that being a silent bystander isn't enough. Will she take some steps on her own to help another kid? Could it be as simple as sitting on the bus with the girl no one has befriended (and discovering that she has a great sense of humor)? Resources at the end of the book will help parents and children talk about teasing and bullying and find ways to stop it at school.One child at a time can help change a school. Since its release in May 2004, this book has sparked Say Something weeks in schools from Maine to Shanghai. It has been turned into plays, distributed to hundreds of kids at conferences, read by principals on large screens, and rewritten by students in several schools (Do Something! is a favorite title). Most importantly, Say Something has helped start countless conversations among kids and adults about teasing. We're celebrating with this new edition, updated with a new cover and an author's note. Fountas & Pinnell Level O

Set in the San Francisco Bay area months before the passage of Proposition 8 banned gay marriage in California, this heartwarming picture book tells the humorous story of two stubborn kids who take matters into their own hands. When Alex loses her best friend in an argument over her family not being "traditional," she and her younger brother set out to convince their two mothers to have a real wedding. Though their parents are content with the commitment ceremony they had years earlier, their children's determination prevails and couple is able to become legally married before the proposition takes effect. Their love for each other proves contagious as their neighbors begin to see past their prejudice and accept them for who they have always been: a normal, affectionate family. Based on a true story, this is a touching tale about those who face real challenges in their struggle for equality.