Cynthia Fitterer Klingel

Middle readers (tweens and teens) will be moved by the sad but inspirational life story of Chief Joseph, a Nez Perce leader who chose to fight gross injustice with words, not weapons. When the U.S. government illegally seized his people's land and tried to force hundreds of Nez Perce onto a tiny reservation, a handful of warriors rebelled, killing settlers and triggering the War of 1877. Instead of waging that war against a far superior force, Joseph and the other Nez Perce leaders chose to retreat—a 1,500 mile journey of misery, cold, and death, all the while pursued by five U.S. armies.

The extraordinary life of Jackie Robinson is illuminated as never before in this full-scale biography by Arnold Rampersad, who was chosen by Jack's widow, Rachel, to tell her husband's story, and was given unprecedented access to his private papers. We are brought closer than we have ever been to the great ballplayer, a man of courage and quality who became a pivotal figure in the areas of race and civil rights. We follow Robinson through World War II, when, in the first wave of racial integration in the armed forces, he was commissioned as an officer, then court-martialed after refusing to move to the back of a bus. After he plays in the Negro National League, we watch the opening of an all-American drama as, late in 1945, Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers recognized Jack as the right player to break baseball's color barrier - and the game was forever changed. Jack's never-before-published letters open up his relationship with his family, especially his wife, Rachel, whom he married just as his perilous venture of integrating baseball began. Her memories are a major resource of the narrative as we learn about the severe harassment Robinson endured from teammates and opponents alike; about death threats and exclusion; about joy and remarkable success. We follow his blazing career: 1947, Rookie of the Year; 1949, Most Valuable Player; six pennants in ten seasons, and in 1962, induction into the Hall of Fame. But sports were merely one aspect of his life. We see his business ventures, his leading role in the community, his early support of Martin Luther King Jr., his commitment to the civil rights movement at a crucial stage in its evolution; his controversial associations with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Humphrey, Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, and Malcolm X.

Introduces the value of generosity and giving of oneself, presenting hypothetical situations intended to make young readers see the benefit of being generous.

24 p. : 24 cm

In graphic novel format, tells the story of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.

A simple story about a girl named Leila and what she learns at the library introduce the letter "l".

A simple story about a boy named Bernard and his younger brother introduces the letter "b".

A simple story about a boy named Tony and his visit to a toy store introduce the letter "t".

A simple story about the questions on Quentin's quiz introduce the letter "q".

A simple story about all the things that Natasha needs to do at night introduces the letter "n".