Lew Wallace gained world-wide fame as the author of the best-selling novel, Ben Hur. But did you know that as a boy, he played hooky from school? Governor, foreign minister, Civil War general, inventor, artist, and author, Lew Wallace spent his boyhood in the fields and rivers of his native Midwest.
"Halie" Jackson grew up in poverty on the levees of New Orleans. But every Sunday young Mahalia sang proudly in the church choir, the youngest member at age five! She left school after eighth grade and worked as a maid to help support her family. However, her passion for singing her special brand of music known as "gospel" never waned.
The life of Martin Luther is a stirring tale of God's grace. Few men have influenced the Christian church more than Luther. This readable biography by J.A. Morrison provides an honest account of the accomplishments of this remarkable man of God. J.A. Morrison dedicates this book to "Youth of the Land." It is the inspiring story of a man who was born to poverty in 1483, who was beaten in school on a regular basis, but who rose above circumstances to change the course of history.
These selections will inspire an enthusiastic love of country and will create a pronounced regard for the ideals so sacred to all Americans. They include: "The Man without a Country" by Edward Everett Hale, "Washington" by Nina Moore Tiffany, "David Crockett, Defender of the Alamo" by Charles Fletcher Allen, "Lincoln: The Man of Sorrows" by Major Stephen Brice, "What a Boy Saw of the Civil War with Glimpses of General Lee" by Leighton Parks, "A Message to Garcia" by Elbert Hubbard.
“I can’t speak for all dogs.
Not all dogs are alike.
And most certainly, not all dogs
have the same experiences. . . .”
Squirrel is not like most dogs. Born a stray, she must make her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal. Her life story, in her own words, is marked by loss, but also by an inspiring instinct to survive. And when it seems she will roam the woods and country roads alone forever, Squirrel makes two friends who, in very different ways, define her fate.
At once heartrending and hopeful, Ann Martin’s exquisite story of a dog’s life is told with her trademark grace and insight.
From the Compact Disc edition.
Best known for his best-selling novel, Babe, which was made into a major motion picture, Dick King-Smith draws on his over 14 years of experience on Woodlands Farm to create this thoughtful and humorous memoir. His time on the farm inspired countless stories as well as the numerous lovable characters found in them. In Chewing the Cud, he candidly talks about what moved him to become a children's author.
Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, The Voice That Challenged a Nation is an inspiring biography. In the 1930s, black singer Marian Anderson was not allowed to perform at Constitution Hall. But with help from Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson staged an amazing concert at the Lincoln Memorial and became an activist for civil rights.
The author of over 200 books, Caldecott Medal winner Jane Yolen is beloved for her delightful children's stories. This Junior Library Guild Selection chronicles the life of Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen. Growing up poor, Hans struggles to bring his artistic vision to the world. In time, he becomes world-renowned, most especially for the wondrous fairy tales he so vividly imagined.
'Adler, a prolific children's book author, has done a good job describing the trajectory of Douglass's life as he moved from being a slave himself to being a freer of slaves and a tireless civil rights activist. Narrator Charles Turner, who has a deep and resonant voice, uses just the right matter-of-fact yet serious tones that won't overwhelm young listeners but will make an impression on them.'-AudioFile
Esmé tells us about the night she and her mother became "egg vigilantes" against an illegally parked car; her freewheeling first school, where kids sat on sofas instead of at desks and could choose disco dancing instead of math; her dangerous neighborhood, which her father made seem friendly and wondrous; the Passover dinner when she stole a matzoh right out from under a rabbi; the awe-inspiring, life-threatening Chicago snowstorms; and lessons about love from tea-reading gypsies and Popeye cartoons.
In stories that perfectly evoke the perspective of her ten-year-old self, author Esmé Raji Codell demonstrates her gift for making the ordinary extraordinary, and the unusual familiar. SING A SONG OF TUNA FISH is a memoir of a Chicago childhood; a tribute to the art of attention; and most of all, a joyful listening experience for kids and families.
Shelia P. Moses is a National Book Award Finalist who has brought to life the story of Dred Scott, a man born into slavery in the 1700s. In 1846, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet, filed a lawsuit for their freedom. After 11 years of debate, the case was settled in the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a decision declaring that Scott and his wife remain slaves. The controversy surrounding this case contributed to the already high tensions in the country in the days before the Civil War.
