Discovering Pig Magic


Book Description

Finding a book of spells that will grant them their wishes, three thirteen-year-old friends work together to implement the rituals required, but as the magic starts to take effect and unintended things begin to happen, the girls must find a way to break the spell before something really bad takes place that they will not be able to control. Simultaneous.




Perfect the Pig


Book Description

The adventures of Perfect the pig begin when his wish for a pair of wings is granted. "Jeschke's pencil drawings are rough-hewn and pithy, their homely figures at once distinctive and endearing." --Booklist




Pigology


Book Description

Welcome to the wonderful world of pigs! Pigology is filled with incredible pig facts told in a playful tone by Daisy Bird, with irresistibly charming illustrations by rising star Camilla Pintonato. Pigs are full of unexpected surprises. Did you know that when a pig is happy, it will uncoil its curly tail and wag it just like a dog? Or that feral hogs can detect odors from seven miles away? Pigology/i> delves into the history of pigs, pig breeds around the world, famous pigs, pigs in culture, and so much more, with engaging scenes from illustrator Camilla Pintonato. This lively visual encyclopedia, a follow-up to Chickenology, offers something to discover for everyone young and old: nature- and animal-loving young readers, pig enthusiasts, pig farmers, and pet pig owners alike!




Exploring Student Response to Contemporary Picturebooks


Book Description

Despite being a source of continuing interest to educational scholars, research into the literary understanding of elementary school students has emphasized written materials over multimodal mediums such as picturebooks. Focusing on students in Grades one and five, this book describes children's interpretations of and responses to a variety of contemporary picturebooks, specifically those books that employ Radical Change characteristics and metafictive devices. In dealing with picturebooks, Sylvia Pantaleo seeks to show the ways in which literature teaches artistic codes and conventions, critical thinking skills, visual literacy skills, and interpretative strategies. Aside from investigating specific picturebooks, Pantaleo discusses the broader implications of reading, viewing, and creating print and digital texts in schools. These exercises, she argues, reflect the changing nature of communication and representation in the world of elementary school students. Incorporating postmodernism, social constructivism, and other theoretical frameworks, Pantaleo contextualizes her research and examines ways in which literature highlights broader social and cultural characteristics. An extensively researched look at the pedagogical value of literature in the classroom, this book introduces new dimensions to discussions of contemporary picturebooks in elementary education and the social nature of intertextuality.




The Crepe Makers' Bond


Book Description

An aspiring young chef and her two friends struggle to maintain their friendship and survive eighth grade in this charming sequel to Discovering Pig Magic. Fourteen-year-old Ariel is the head chef in her family’s kitchen. Cucumber salads, fettucine carbonara, fish tacos, and peanut butter pie are just a few of the dishes she crafts when she’s feeling frustrated by the world, and it’s turning into a frustrating year. Ariel, Nicki, and M have been inseparable friends since they were kids, but now M’s mom has decided to move away. It’s the girls’ last year in middle school, and they can’t fathom being separated. The friends concoct a plan that will keep M in the Bay Area—she’ll move in with Ariel and her family. But before you can say “bff,” the party is over. Everything M does gets on Ariel’s nerves, and it’s not long before the girls are avoiding each other. This was supposed to be their best year ever, but some painful lessons are threatening to tear their friendship apart. Can the girls scramble to make things right before the bond crumbles? Praise for The Crepe Makers’ Bond “Highly entertaining and multi-layered. . . . Creative and refreshing like a good soufflé, this perceptive, heartfelt narrative . . . has real meat on its bones.” —Kirkus Reviews “Julie Crabtree blends themes of friendship and authentic emotions with the addition of some real recipes in The Crepe Makers’ Bond. This insightful and humorous depiction of the evolving friendship of three middle-school girls is a great match for ten- to thirteen-year-old readers.” —Foreword Reviews




The Hole in the Wall


Book Description

WINNER OF THE MILKWEED PRIZE FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE Eleven-year-old Sebby has found the perfect escape from his crummy house and bickering family—a secret cave he calls “The Hole in the Wall.” It’s all the more beautiful for being in the midst of a devastated mining area behind his home. But soon after Sebby finds the hideaway, his world starts falling apart: his family’s chickens disappear, he falls ill with the mother of all stomachaches, and he finds a special pair of eyeglasses that show him a world where colors come alive and fly through the air. When Sebby sets out to solve these mysteries, he and his twin sister, Barbie, get caught in a wild chase through the tunnels around The Hole in the Wall—all leading them to the mining activities of astrophysicist Stanley Odum, who has been buying up all the land behind Sebby’s home. Exactly what is Mr. Odum mining in his secret facility, and does it have anything to do with these mysterious developments? The answers to these questions take the twins to places they never could have imagined.




Pig Tale


Book Description

Near the village of Little Wicken, a baby girl is found abandoned in a field. Unwanted and unloved, the foundling grows up, existing on the grudging charity of the villagers. It is only when they notice her way with animals that the girl is given a permanent place—as a pig herder—and a name: Mokie, meaning “Little Pig Girl.” After a brutal attack by the village boys, fifteen-year-old Mokie flees with her beloved pig, Apple, into the heart of the mysterious Wickenwood. It is there that Mokie meets a trio of Gypsies, who take her under their wing. But she soon discovers that her new friends are more than they appear to be. Could they hold the key to her past. . .and her future? In her debut novel, Verlyn Flieger weaves elements from Celtic mythology into an unforgettable tale that explores universal truths about the human condition—society’s need for scapegoats, the yearning to belong, and love’s transcendent power to make the world anew. Thought-provoking, unflinching, and original, Pig Tale will break your heart, and utterly astonish you.




Calli


Book Description

In Calli, prize-winning author Jessica Lee Anderson explores the perils of adolescence with the humor and compassion of a writer who knows growing up doesn’t always come with easy answers. Calli has almost everything she could want in life—two loving moms, a good-looking boyfriend, and a best friend who has always been there for her. As an only child, Calli is excited when her parents announce that they want to foster a girl her own age, but Cherish, her foster sister, is not at all what she expected. Cherish lies, steals, kisses Calli’s boyfriend, and seems to get away with just about everything. Determined to get even, Calli takes matters into her own hands, but her plan for revenge goes horribly awry. Isolated from her friends and family, she looks for ways to undo the damage she’s caused. Funny, moving, and emotionally rich, Calli is a portrait of an endearing young woman caught between adolescence and adulthood, striving to do the right thing even when all of her options seem wrong.




Angel Pig and the Hidden Christmas


Book Description

The pig family is distraught Christmas is coming, and they have no money to buy gifts Whatever shall they do? Luckily for them, Angel Pig pays them a visit, and shows them the true meaning of Christmas. The pigs set about making gifts, baking food, and embracing the holiday spirit. Jan Waldron is also the author of John Pig's Halloween and two books for adults. She says she was inspired by a drawing on a Christmas card of David McPhail's and by fond memories of "holidays my mother gave us. Our kitchen turned into a vivid explosion of colors, smells, and tastes - a tradition I hope I have passed to my children." David McPhail is an author-illustrator beloved for his many books about wonderful characters, some of whom have been pigs. He says that for a Christmas card one year he drew "a little pig with wings and and oversize gown. Someone told me to write about her. I tried but I couldn't. I lamented that fact to Jan. A few days later she said, 'How's this sound?' And that was the beginning of Angel Pig and the Hidden Christmas. In my pictures for this book, I've worked very hard to give Angel Pig the life she deserves."




Learning to Discover


Book Description