Materials from the Americas
In 1755, young Timothy is sent from Boston to live with his mother’s relatives in Acadia. As the story unfolds, Timothy grows to love the beauty of the Acadian landscape and the close-knit, hardworking Acadian community. One June night, American soldiers — who had come under the guise of a fishing party — ransack the Acadians’ houses for arms while their hosts lie sleeping. This treacherous event portends the disaster that follows later that summer: the Acadian deportation.
A cat and a young girl slowly become friends when someone they love moves away.
A quirky safety guide combines practical tips with step-by-step instructions featuring an anxious Scaredy Squirrel, who prepares himself for the worst during the spookiest night of the year.
Saying goodbye to Mom at the kindergarten door can be tough. Samuel hates it and wishes he could have a tiny, pocket-sized mommy to carry around with him all day. His mom slips a pretend mommy into his pocket, and when she comes to life, Samuel is delighted . . . at first. But he soon discovers that having a mom along in kindergarten isn’t as much fun as he thought it would be. Sure, she helps him remember the words to songs and keeps him company. But she also rearranges the bookshelf, corrects his artwork, and tries to clean out the guinea pig cage–all with disastrous (and comic) results. An energetic romp with a sweet core, The Pocket Mommy follows one little boy as he navigates the age-old conflict between the comfort of the familiar and the joy of letting go.
When Mr. Zinger’s hat flies in and interrupts Leo’s playing, the two of them construct a story as to how exactly the hat took off.
After using materials from the hill where he and his forest friends live to turn his house into a castle, Mr. King realizes that he has lost his beautiful view and has destroyed his friends’ living spaces.
Loula has had ENOUGH of her TERRIBLE triplet brothers. She’s leaving home and going to Africa! Though her quirky parents are too distracted to pay much attention to her plans, Loula has a good friend in the family chauffeur, Gilbert, who gently inquires, “Mademoiselle, may I ask, why Africa?” “Because!” Loula explains. “Africa is far away, very far away, the farthest away I can get from my MEAN, HORRIBLE, STINKY brothers. Plus they are scared of snakes. And if they come, piranhas will eat them.” “Well then,” says Gilbert, “I think Africa is the best destination.” So together, with the help of their imaginations, Loula and Gilbert travel over the sand, through the air and across the water to reach their own special island of Africa. Which, Loula happily discovers at the end of the day, is not so far away from home.
Hocus Pocus, a rabbit who lives inside a magician’s hat, is about to board a train when he’s surprised to spy another rabbit nearby. Though he’s disappointed when he realizes it’s actually only a stuffed rabbit (which clever young readers will know all along!), Hocus Pocus soon comes to understand it’s a treasured toy that has been accidentally left behind by a small child, and he quickly jumps into action to try and reunite the two.
9-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She’s the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call “the Gabe,” and she shares a lucky number with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser: number 22. But when her coach hands out the team jerseys, Gabe is stuck with number 9. Crushed, Gabe wants to give up hockey altogether. How can she play without her lucky number? Gabe’s grandmother soon sets her straight, though–from her own connection to the number 9 in her hockey-playing days to all the greats she cheered for who wore it, she soon convinces Gabe that this new number might not be so bad after all.
Francis the fox enjoys everything about his Saturdays at Mr. Li’s Laundromat, except for Mr. Li’s granddaughter, Lily. When Lily plays a dirty trick on Francis, it’s up to the little fox to clean up and save the day.