A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of  Another Brooklyn, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.  Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights Movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson's eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. A Newbery Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Award Winner Praise for Jacqueline Woodson: "Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery."- The New York Times Book Review

How should we handle our money? Brody doesn't have enough money for a cool rock at the gift shop. He borrows some money from a friend, but he can't pay it back. Oops! Now Brody's dad has to help out. Sometimes Brody's dad borrows money too. He teaches Brody about when it's OK to borrow money and when it's not. These simple, engaging stories present basic financial literacy concepts, such as saving, spending, borrowing, and comparison shopping to build a foundation for a lifetime of money smarts. Free downloadable series teaching guide available.

Did you know that cars can run on french-fry grease or that human poop can be used to provide power to classrooms? Kids in Mexico help light up their houses by playing soccer, and in the Philippines, pop-bottle skylights are improving the quality of life for thousands of families. Brilliant! is about what happens when you harness the power of imagination and innovation: the world changes for the better! Full of examples of unusual (and often peculiar) power sources, Brilliant! encourages kids to look around for new and sustainable ways to light up the world.

Describes slavery in the U.S., the harsh conditions under which slaves lived, the resistance with which they fought for their rights, the revolts, and the involvement of slaves in the Civil War.

What do King Tut, Galileo, Crazy Horse, Bruce Lee, Chico Mendes, Elvis Presley, Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, and the Dalai Lama all have in common? They each left their mark on the world in a big way-and all were boys or young men when they did! Did you know that King Tut was one of the youngest pharaohs ever to rule Ancient Egypt? If that sounds like a huge responsibility in itself, imagine that he was able to restore order, peace, and prosperity to the people after years of chaos! Have you ever heard about Chico Mendes? In 1959 Brazil, 15-year-old Chico protested against the rubber barons who were destroying the Amazonian rain forest. Winning many important victories using non-violent methods, Chico became an inspiration to people around the world!

What have I to fear? My master broke every promise to me. I lost my beloved wife and our dear children. All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine. The breath of life is all I have to lose. And bondage is suffocating me. Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box; he "entered the world a slave";. He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next - as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope - and help - came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape! In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom.

The inspiring biography of Ghanaian artist El Anatsui whose handmade sculptures, created from discarded bottle tops, have received international acclaim and been showcased around the world. "If you touch something, you leave a charge on it and anybody else touching it connects with you, in a way." — El Anatsui El Anatsui has always written his own story. As an art student at the University of Ghana, El noticed that the artists and styles he was studying were grounded in European traditions. Curious about his own culture's art history, El observed his people and found stories in the fabrics they wore and the way they used recycled goods. He decided to tell these stories through his artwork. El experimented with different mediums—firing broken clay into new pots and cutting wood into sculptures using a chainsaw. Each time El tried something new, he brought with him the experience of all the experiments he did before. After coming across a discarded bag of shimmering bottle tops, El wondered What was their story? He experimented with the new material—disassembling, flattening, and reshaping—then stitched the tops together with wire. The result were large, flowing tapestries that tell stories about history, culture, and link people together. Today, El's bottle top sculptures are showcased all over the world inspiring audiences everywhere. Here is the captivating story of a Ghanaian sculptor whose passion, creativity, and awe-inspiring artwork reminds us that creating powerful art is about being true to yourself.

Sportswriters and broadcasters in this country agree that Bobbie Rosenfeld may be Canada's greatest female athlete of the twentieth century. A Sports Hall of Famer, Bobbie was born in 1904 in a small Russian town and came to Canada with her immigrant parents when she was less than a month old. Her love for all sports showed itself early. As a young girl she excelled in track and field, ice hockey, tennis, basketball and softball. At the 1928 Summer Olympics, held in Amsterdam, she won both gold and silver medals. But Bobbie Rosenfeld's popularity was due to more than her athletic brilliance, or later, her skills as a sportswriter with the Globe & Mail; she was admired for her strength of character - her decency, honesty and sense of fair play. This is a great story for anyone, of any age. For young girls in need of role models, it is simply a must-read.

At the scene of a crime, an evidence marker sits next to a pool of blood while an investigator's camera catalogs the scene. Explore how blood evidence is collected, how it's tested at the lab, and how scientists match the blood to a suspect in this engaging high/low book.