The Aztecs

The Aztecs built an advanced and dazzling empire that stretched across a large part of Mesoamerica.  The Chuampa “floating gardens” system of farming is perhaps their most remarkable accomplishment.  Other discoveries and inventions related to transportation, agriculture, architecture, science, and technology, enriched their culture and provide a way for us to experience parallels between ancient times and the world we know today.

Roses For Isabella

Roses for Isabella invites us to experience life in Ecuador through the eyes of a young girl who keeps a journal and loves to write.  We learn about Isabella’s parents who work on one of the hundreds of farms growing beautiful roses that are sold all over the world.  But not all of these farms are fair to worker and kind to the earth.  Through Isabella, we learn how her family’s life changes for the better when her parents find work at a Fair Trade farm.

Crouching Tiger

A Chinese-American boy gains a new understanding of his Chinese grandfather in this celebratory story of family, martial arts, and the Chinese New Year. Vinson is very excited when his grandfather comes from China for a visit. When Grandpa practices tai chi in the garden, Vinson asks to learn, hoping it will be like kung fu, full of kicks and punches. But tai chi’s meditative postures are slow and still, and Vinson quickly gets bored. He can’t understand why Grandpa insists on calling him by his Chinese name, Ming Da, or why he has to wear a traditional Chinese jacket to the Chinese New Year parade. As the parade assembles, however, he notices the great respect given to his grandfather and the lion dancers under his training. And when Vinson is offered a role in the parade, he realizes that being part Chinese can be pretty cool—and is ready to start learning from his grandpa’s martial-arts mastery in earnest.

The Chinese

This book focuses on the discoveries and inventions of the ancient Chinese civilization in the areas of transportation, agriculture, architecture, science, and technology.

Little Mist

Little Mist is a sweet-faced snow leopard cub who is wide-eyed with wonder at the world before him. Guided and protected by his mother, Little Mist discovers the glistening snow, the mountain streams, and the cloud forests. The world may look big to a little cub, but one day, his mother tells him, he will be the king of the mountains. Safely curled up in his mother’s paws, Little Mist can’t wait for his journey to begin. A heartwarming portrayal of the unique bond between parent and child, set against the breathtaking backdrop of snow-covered mountains. This is the perfect picture book to read curled up with your own little cub.

The Project

It begins with a book, the most boring book in the world, a book so boring no one could ever read it—the perfect place to hide a dangerous secret.

When best friends Luke and Tommy volunteer to help move books from their library’s basement to higher ground during a quick rising flood, they discover the only surviving copy of the most boring book in the world: Leonardo’s River, lost for over 100 years. The book is connected to Leonardo da Vinci and is worth millions, so they return that night to steal it. After they steal it from the library, dark forces are soon on their tail. Luke and Tommy must unlock the mystery first, but with their pursuers closing in, the clock is ticking down to the final hour.

Kung Fooey

Fourth-grader Cal learns a lot about teasing and standing up for others when a weird new student joins his class, while Stella, the tenth-grader who lives with Cal’s family to help his mother, practices for her driving test.