Winner of the 1999 Scott O'Dell Award

A Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies

Maybe nobody gave freedom, and nobody could take it away like they could take away a family farm. Maybe freedom was something you claimed for yourself.

Like other ex-slaves, Pascal and his older brother Gideon have been promised forty acres and maybe a mule. With the family of friends they have built along the way, they claim a place of their own. Green Gloryland is the most wonderful place on earth, their own family farm with a healthy cotton crop and plenty to eat. But the notorious night riders have plans to take it away, threatening to tear the beautiful freedom that the two boys are enjoying for the first time in their young lives. Coming alive in plain, vibrant language is this story of the Reconstruction, after the Civil War.

From Children's Literature Legacy Award winner Nikki Grimes and highly-acclaimed illustrator Wendell Minor comes a stunning picture book about the beauty of the natural world and finding a new place to call home. The beauty of the natural world is just waiting to be discovered . . . When Jayden touches down in New Mexico, he's uncertain how this place could ever be home. But if he takes a walk outside, he just might find something glorious. Flowers in bright shades . . . Birds and lizards and turtles, all with a story to tell . . . Red rock pillars towering in the distance . . . Turquoise sky as far as the eye can see . . . Perhaps this place could be home after all. Gorgeously poetic and visually stunning, this story from acclaimed creators Nikki Grimes and Wendell Minor celebrates the beauty of the Southwest as a young boy sees it for the very first time. Acclaim for One Last Word A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Winner A New York Times Editor's Choice

With simple, rhyming text and adorable illustrations, this a perfect read-aloud for teachers and parents to share with young children as they imagine what life as a penguin is like-now available as a board book! The short text by Florence Minor pairs perfectly with the gorgeous, detailed illustrations by acclaimed illustrator Wendell Minor. Fun facts about penguins are featured at the back of the book. As Booklist said, "Whether it's the comical waddle, the formal appearance of their plumage, or their well-documented devotion to their young, penguins hold an unending appeal for young children." Their review called If You Were a Penguin "dazzling," "vibrant," and "breathtaking"!

History comes alive in this gripping account of a young boy caught up in the start of the Revolutionary War. Based on an episode in National Book Award-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick's New York Times bestseller Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution, this engrossing story allows readers to experience history from a child's perspective, and Wendell Minor's stunning paintings will transport readers back to the early days of the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Russell is in school on the morning of April 19th, 1775, when his teacher announces, "The war's begun, and you may run!" Ben knew this day was coming; after all, tensions had been mounting between the colonists and the British troops ever since the Boston Tea Party. And now they have finally reached the breaking point. Ben and his friends excitedly rush out of their classroom to bear witness, and follow the throngs of redcoats marching out of Boston toward Concord. Much to Ben's surprise, Boston is sealed off later that day-leaving the boys stuck outside the city, in the middle of a war, with no way to reach their families. But Ben isn't worried-he's eager to help the Patriots! He soon becomes a clerk to the jovial Israel Putnam, a general in the provincial army. For months he watches the militia grow into an organized army, and when the Battle of Bunker Hill erupts, Ben is awed by the bravery of the Patriots, although saddened by the toll war takes. He later goes on to become an apprentice at a Revolutionary newspaper, and it's a happy day when they get to report on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Praise for Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution "Philbrick guides us beautifully through Revolutionary Boston, with the Battle of Bunker Hill as his story's grand climax."-The New York Times Book Review "Masterly narrative . . . Philbrick tells the complex story superbly . . . gripping book."-The Wall Street Journal "A masterpiece of narrative and perspective. . . . This is not only . . . the greatest American story. It is also the American story."-The Boston Globe "You will delight in the story and the multitude of details Philbrick offers up."-USA Today

Buzz Aldrin takes readers on a journey through the history of space exploration.
As one of a handful of astronauts to have walked on the moon, Buzz Aldrin has a unique perspective of space. And he serves as an amazing guide as he introduces us to the pioneers of space. From Copernicus to the Wright brothers, from the Apollo program to dreams of future travel, he reminds us that mankind has always looked to the stars.
Buzz's informative, kid-friendly text is paired with beautifully detailed illustrations by renowned illustrator Wendell Minor, and offers the perfect introduction to everything space related, including the development of the first rockets, America's space race with Russia, details of all the Apollo missions, and the space station.
Aldrin and Minor collaborated on the bestselling "Reaching for the Moon" and now they reach beyond that book to give young readers a concise look at the whole history of space exploration. Each spread provides a wonderful jumping-off point for young readers, and will no doubt inspire them to look to the stars themselves.

This book is a playful tribute to all the playfulness and activity that comes with being a penguin. Bright, bold illustrations are paired with rhyming verse for a first introduction to penguins for the preschool set.

"I had lain in my bed thinking of our visitor out in the bunk in the barn. It scarce seemed possible that he was the same man I had first seen, stern and chilling in his dark solitude, riding up our road. Something in father, something not of words or of actions but of the essential substance of the human spirit, had reached out and spoken to him and he had replied to it and had unlocked a part of himself to us. He was far off and unapproachable at times even when he was right there with you." The Starrett family's life forever changes when a man named Shane rides out of the great glowing West and up to their farm in 1889. Young Bob Starrett is entranced by this stoic stranger who brings a new energy to his family. Shane stays on as a farmhand, but his past remains a mystery. Many folks in their small Wyoming valley are suspicious of Shane, and make it known that he is not welcome. But dangerous as Shane may seem, he is a staunch friend to the Starretts--and when a powerful neighboring rancher tries to drive them out of their homestead, Shane becomes entangled in the deadly feud. This classic Western, originally published in 1949, is a profoundly moving story of the influence of a singular character on one boy's life.

A read-aloud picture book for young children that celebrates the heartland of our great country. Every country has a heart and America’s is in those places where golden wheat waves in the breeze, where great rivers flow, and cornfields stretch across the plains in glorious patchwork quilts of greens and yellows and browns. In this heartland, cattle graze in lush green pastures, horses and sheep fill the barns, and a newborn calf stands damp and warm in the sun. This picture book reflects all the great qualities of rural life.

A lively, rhythmic Halloween read aloud that follows a group of zombie pumpkins as they celebrate the season. It's Halloween and the Zombie Pumpkin Parade is drawing near. Join Zipper-Toothed Zlumpkin, Drizzle-Mouthed Dumpkin, and the rest of their ghostly crew as the spooky-silly zombie pumpkins dance through the darkness, in celebration of the most bewitching night of the year! With jaunty, rhyming verse and atmospheric watercolor paintings, this seasonal offering is just spooky enough to delight young children as well as just funny enough to send them into giggles.

Young readers learn how they can create a greener, healthier world in this powerful nonfiction picture book from authors Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander, with art by award-winning illustrator Wendell Minor.This Is the Earth explores hundreds of years of changing landscapes and the positive and negative impacts humans have had on the environment. Even the smallest actions can help save the world, and this lyrical, rhyming read-aloud text shows how smart and simple everyday habits can protect the planet.

Here's a perfect introduction to our farm friends. Is there anything cuter than a little lamb or playful piglet? Farm animals are fascinating, and they are full of surprises, too. Naturally, cows make milk--but did you know they need to drink a bathtub-full of water every day? And of course the turkeys gobble--but sometimes they purr like cats. Wendell Minor's bright, bold artwork and jaunty verse celebrate the wonders of our farm friends.