Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Eye


Book Description

Detective Fox uncovers the thief who stole Fat Cat's glass eye.







Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Nosy Otter


Book Description

Mrs. Chatterbox Otter asks Flatfoot Fox to find her missing son.




Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library


Book Description

Two girls spend an adventurous night trapped inside the public library during a terrible blizzard.




Children's Books and Their Creators


Book Description

Unique in its coverage of contemporary American children's literature, this timely, single-volume reference covers the books our children are--or should be--reading now, from board books to young adult novels. Enriched with dozens of color illustrations and the voices of authors and illustrators themselves, it is a cornucopia of delight. 23 color, 153 b&w illustrations.




Mysteries in the Classroom


Book Description

Celebrated author Nancy Polette offers a complete mystery literature guide for primary, intermediate, and middle school mysteries. Librarians and teachers alike will find this engaging title from popular author Nancy Polette a joy to use, and the information it offers is a sure way to engage students in literature. Mysteries in the Classroom introduces 23 reading strategies tied to the National Standards in Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies that can be used with any mystery. Booktalks and activities are presented for 17 favorite mystery series and 6 favorite authors. The book includes hands-on activities to introduce each series and author, booktalks for the Edgar Allan Poe Juvenile Mystery Award winners from 1979 to 2008, and step-by-step directions for turning booktalks into readers theatre presentations. An especially exciting feature is a section contributed by Newberry-award winning author Richard Peck in which he guides budding young writers in coauthoring a mystery with him. Grades 1-6




Find Someone Who


Book Description

Another winner from prolific author, Nancy Polette, this title focuses on setting the stage for 200 popular picture book read-alouds. Similar to her LU book for the intermediate-grade audience, 300 Junior Novel Anticipation Guides, this book introduces picture books to preschool and primary grade students by encouraging them to think about how they or someone in their group can relate to what is happening in the story. Each of the 200 titles is described on a reproducible page that features a short introductory book talk and 10 questions to give to students. Another winner from prolific author, Nancy Polette, this title focuses on setting the stage for 200 popular picture book read-alouds. Similar to her book for the intermediate grade audience, 300 Junior Novel Anticipation Guides, this book introduces picture books to preschool and primary grade students by encouraging them to think about how they or someone in their group can relate to what is happening in the story. Each of the 200 titles is described on a reproducible page that features a short introductory book talk and 10 questions to give to students. Students are encouraged to use the page to find someone in the group who has climbed a tree (The Alphabet Tree), has broken a dish (And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon), has been bothered by a bully (Wemberly Worried) or has been teased by someone else(Chrysanthemum). The lessons can be adapted for nonreaders by using the pages as group read aloud activities. Librarians will also find this a great tool for icebreaker activities in staff development settings. Titles covered range from award winners, to fairy tales, to classics.




That Time of Year


Book Description

With the warmth and humor we've come to know, the creator and host of A Prairie Home Companion shares his own remarkable story. In That Time of Year, Garrison Keillor looks back on his life and recounts how a Brethren boy with writerly ambitions grew up in a small town on the Mississippi in the 1950s and, seeing three good friends die young, turned to comedy and radio. Through a series of unreasonable lucky breaks, he founded A Prairie Home Companion and put himself in line for a good life, including mistakes, regrets, and a few medical adventures. PHC lasted forty-two years, 1,557 shows, and enjoyed the freedom to do as it pleased for three or four million listeners every Saturday at 5 p.m. Central. He got to sing with Emmylou Harris and Renée Fleming and once sang two songs to the U.S. Supreme Court. He played a private eye and a cowboy, gave the news from his hometown, Lake Wobegon, and met Somali cabdrivers who’d learned English from listening to the show. He wrote bestselling novels, won a Grammy and a National Humanities Medal, and made a movie with Robert Altman with an alarming amount of improvisation. He says, “I was unemployable and managed to invent work for myself that I loved all my life, and on top of that I married well. That’s the secret, work and love. And I chose the right ancestors, impoverished Scots and Yorkshire farmers, good workers. I’m heading for eighty, and I still get up to write before dawn every day.”







For Younger Readers


Book Description