Borden Watson goes to the giant redwood forest for one reason: to shoot spotted owls. They are the reason his dad has lost his job as a logger, and Borden hates them. But when he comes across a baby owl who has fallen out of its nest, Borden can't resist the tiny elf-like creature. And luckily, this owlet doesn't have spots, so it must be a barred owl-not the enemy. Borden takes the little owl home and names it Bardy. Before long, Bardy wins over each member of Borden's owl-hating family. Even his father pitches in to take care of the hungry owlet. But what will happen when they find out that Bardy is really a spotted owl? Award-winning nature writer Jean Craighead George weaves valuable ecological information into this heartwarming story of a family's love affair with a very special little owl. Young listeners will be fascinated as they learn about owls and their endangered forest habitat.
Colt Vittorio wants nothing more than to be a normal kid, however, spina bifida confines him to a wheelchair. When he learns horseback riding through a handicapped outreach program, he begins to feel like any other kid. Colt feels tall, strong and powerful, even though any fall-even a hard gallop-may kill him. Through the pleasure of the speed, height and grace that only a horse can give, Colt begins to mature, pushing his body further than he ever thought it could go and becoming more to his new step-family and the world in general than a 'crippled kid.' Edgar Award-winning author Nancy Springer has created a moving story of a young boy's struggle to be an ordinary kid. Colt won the Joan Fassler Memorial Book Award from the Association for the Care of Children's Health.
Best-selling author Karma Wilson keeps things fun for young listeners with rhyming word play and healthy doses of gentle humor. Today is Grandma's birthday and Grandpa is going to make her a cake-a big one! But no stove is going to accommodate his grand vision. So using his pick-up truck and generous helpings of all the ingredients, he sets out to make a birthday cake like no one's ever seen before. Grandma didn't want him to make a fuss, but Grandpa just couldn't resist.
This is the critically acclaimed first book from author and illustrator David Ezra Stein, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker and the New York Times. Cowboy Ned's birthday is tomorrow, and he's sad because nobody is around to celebrate. To cheer him up, his good friend Andy the horse journeys into the desert to find some birthday cake. But when Andy finds a banjo-playing cowboy who is as old as the hills, he learns something very important about birthdays.
Young Slim has always dreamed of being a cowboy. That's why he quivers with excitement on his first day at the WJ Ranch. The sights, sounds, and smells of cowboy life thrill him so that he stays awake that night-writing beautiful poetry. When veteran cowhands find his pile of poems, they say he's not a real cowboy and make him ride behind the cows. And when he realizes how poor his riding, roping, and whipping skills are, Slim heads for home-thinking he's a failure.
But just then, a violent thunderstorm stampedes the herd toward Deadman's Canyon and prompts Slim to do something the other cowboys couldn't do. Popular author Julie Danneberg has written a variety of innovative works for children-including a delightful book on Colorado history and geography. Ed Sala's whimsical narration helps this book's colorful and evocative words blossom with meaning.
We all know about the famous generals and the major battles of the Civil War. But for the soldiers who actually fought, the war was all too real. It was especially traumatic for the thousands of soldiers who ranged in age from 10 to 15. Some young soldiers joined the fray to escape the boredom of farm work or to "set the South straight." Many of them kept diaries and wrote letters home. Through their eyes, we see what life was like on the edge of chaos. Some of their writing describes the gruesome details of forced marches and deaths on the battlefield. Balanced with anecdotes of practical jokes they played on one another and interesting people they met, their stories touch our minds and hearts. Ed Sala's interpretation of this well-documented history brings the Civil War to life in a way that few historians could. These everyday details of the war, told in the straightforward language of the young, provide a moving, unforgettable history lesson.
Newbery Medalist Nancy Willard is the author of many award-winning children's books. In this lyrical story, a man falls in love with a broom and they dance through the sky together-until one night the broom is stolen from its home. Someone else wants the powers of the broom for himself. Will the man be able to find his beloved broom and dance once again?
Grizz Brickbottom is one tough cowboy. But even the toughest cowboys, those who floss their teeth with barbed wire as Grizz does, can use some companionship. So Grizz adopts a dog that will help out with the cattle rustling and the mountain lion chasing. But somehow Grizz ends up with a pretty, pampered poodle, not a fierce, brave canine. John Frank delights in this tale filled with vivid imagery and loveable cowboy characters, who end up getting tamed by a little poodle named Foofy. Narrator Ed Sala perfectly captures this delightful story of how the West got a little less wild.
Young Abe Lincoln is all dressed up in his best suit and on his way to deliver an important speech. As he walks along, he finds a pig stuck in a mudhole. Abe hates to see any animal suffer. If he helps the pig, his clothes will get muddy. What would people think of a mud-covered speaker? Abe doesn't want to leave the pig stranded, but he has no other nice clothes to wear. So, he continues down the road toward town, feeling guilty. He knows a pig isn't a person, yet it still seems wrong not to help. Stephen Krensky, the popular author of the Lionel books, bases this story on an old folk tale about the former president. It provides a gentle lesson about making sacrifices to help others. Ed Sala's homespun narration carries listeners back to another time.
The Big Wander is a trip 14-year-old Clay Lancaster and his older brother Mike have planned for years. It's Clay's dream to find his ex-rodeo star uncle, who quit the tour and disappeared somewhere in the vast and colorful Monument Valley. But Mike-heartbroken and unfocused after losing his girlfriend-soon heads for home. Clay, however, will not give up. He finds a job in a remote trading post, and follows a lead on his uncle's whereabouts that takes him deep into Navajo country. There he learns the ways of the tribe, the dangers of the wilderness, and discovers, just in time, the secret of his long lost uncle's fate. Best-selling young adult author Will Hobbs won an ALA Best Book Award for The Big Wander. Hobb's prose paired with Sala's perfect pacing and authentic accents will make you feel you are in the American Southwest. His other award-winning books, Bearstone, Beardance, Kokopelli's Flute, Changes in Latitudes, and Downriver are also available from Recorded Books, Inc.
Three years after leaving her family behind on the idyllic lighthouse island where she grew up, 17-year-old Elizabeth "Squid" McCrae returns, full of anger and accusations and eager to confront her father about a family tragedy. But as a ghostly voice from the past sparks her memories, Squid soon realizes that nothing is exactly as she thought it was, and no one-not even herself-is completely free from blame. The award-winning author of The Wreckers presents a keen exploration of the way family works to make us who we are.
For the past four years, Rick Walker has been shuffled between foster care and group homes. At 14, he's a kid nobody wants or cares about. Now he's headed for Blue Canyon Detention Center. For Rick, life is a maze full of dead ends. But when he is threatened at Blue Canyon and runs away, Rick finds himself in a real maze-the enormous rocky expanse of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. There, Rick meets a biologist who has devoted his life to reintroducing the condor to its natural habitat.
As Rick joins him to protect the giant birds, the teenager will begin to see choices instead of dead ends. Will Hobbs has written many popular, award-winning books for young adults. Works such as Beardance, The Big Wander, and Downriver have won ALA Best Book Awards. The Maze is filled with riveting adventure in an unforgettable wilderness setting. Ed Sala's taut narration sets the perfect tone for Rick's journey toward confidence and trust.
