Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe And The Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army

In the autumn of 1912, the football team from Carlisle Indian Industrial School took the field at the U.S. Military Academy, home to the bigger, stronger, and better-equipped West Points Cadets. Sportswriters billed the game as a sort of rematch, pitting against each other the descendants of U.S. soldiers and American Indians who fought on the battlefield only 20 years earlier. But for lightning-fast Jim Thorpe and the other Carlisle players, that day’s game was about skill, strategy, and determination. Known for unusual formations and innovative plays, the Carlisle squad was out to prove just one thing — that it was the best football team in all the land.

Delicious!: poems celebrating street food around the world

This poetry collection celebrates all the different kinds of street food from around the globe, introducing young readers to snacks they know and ones they’ve never heard of—showing that no matter where we live, we all appreciate a yummy treat!

Bloom

There was once a beautiful flower and a little girl who loved it. She talked to it every morning on her way to school. The owner of the flower shouted at her. The next day, the flower did not open. The angry man didn’t understand. He tried watering it. He tried giving it shade and he tried talking to it. He told it how wonderful he was, how important his job was and how lonely he felt. But it still refused to open. So, he asked the little girl. Why don’t you tell it how wonderful it is and how much you love it? she said. As he did so, his own heart filled with love. And the flower bloomed.

Coyote’s Soundbite: A poem for Our Planet

Excitement spreads like wildfire through the jungle. Earth-goddesses are planning a conference! From Australia to Antarctica, Amazon to Africa, goddesses will debate the burning environmental issues of our times . . . and bushy-tailed, smooth-talking Coyote wants in on the action. Can this infamous trickster come up with a plan to infiltrate the conference and leave a lasting legacy for our planet? A rip-roaring poem about protecting our environment.

Sakamoto’s Swin Club:How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Team to Victory

The inspirational and little-known story of a dedicated teacher who coached Hawaiian swimmers all the way to the Olympics, beautifully told in simple rhyme.When the children of workers on a 1930s Maui sugar plantation were chased away from playing in the nearby irrigation ditches, local science teacher Soichi Sakamoto had an idea. He offered to take responsibility for the children — and then he began training them how to swim. Using his science background, Sakamoto devised his own innovative coaching techniques: he developed a strict practice regime for the kids, building their strength and endurance by using the ditch water’s natural current. The children worked hard under the dedicated Sakamoto’s guidance, and their skills improved. They formed a swim club and began to dominate in swimming events around the world.

Napoleon Vs. The Bunnies

The renowned Napoleon Bonaparte faces an army of a different sort in this witty, unconventional telling of a true event in his life. Everyone knows the Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon Bonaparte’s most crushing defeat, right? Well, some beg to differ. It seems there was another less famous (though perhaps more humiliating) surrender in his past. Let’s call it Bunnyloo. In 1807, Napoleon had ordered his chief of staff to round up rabbits for a celebratory hunt, only, he collected domesticated rabbits, not wild ones. So, when the rabbits were released to begin the hunt, they didn’t run away. Instead, they ran straight at Napoleon and his hunting party. Now, some might think Napoleon — king overthrower, army commander, territory conqueror — would only laugh at an advancing battalion of cute, fluffy bunnies. Think again!

Anita And The Dragons

Anita watches the dragons high above her as she hops from one cement roof to another in her village in the Dominican Republic. But being the valiant princesa she is, she never lets them scare her. Will she be brave enough to enter the belly of the beast and take flight to new adventures?

Zonia’s Rain Forest

Zonia’s home is the Amazon rain forest, where it is always green and full of life. Every morning, the rain forest calls to Zonia, and every morning she answers. She visits the sloth family, greets the giant anteater, and runs with the speedy jaguar. But one morning, the rain forest calls to her in a troubled voice. How will Zonia answer? Acclaimed author-illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal explores the wonders of the rain forest with Zonia, an Ashaninka girl, in her joyful outdoor adventures. The engaging text emphasizes Zonia’s empowering bond with her home, while the illustrations-created on paper made from banana bark-burst with luxuriant greens and delicate details. Illuminating back matter includes a translation of the story in Ashaninka, information on the Ashaninka community, as well as resources on the Amazon rain forest and its wildlife.

I Dream Of Popo

When a young girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to America, she leaves behind her beloved popo, her grandmother. She misses her popo every day, but even if their visits are fleeting, their love is ever true and strong.

This book is a WOW Recommends book of the month for September 2021.

Out Of Nowhere

Beetle and Caterpillar are best friends. Every day, they sit together on a big rock, sharing a picnic and looking out over the forest. But one day, Caterpillar goes missing and Beetle cannot find her.
Beetle sets out on a long journey through the forest, but Caterpillar is nowhere to be seen. Beetle’s just about to give up when a friendly (and rather familiar) butterfly appears out of nowhere. Can it be Beetle’s friend? She may look different, but the love they feel for one another is the same as ever.