The text provides an entry point for teachers to introduce children to the habits of mind and action that support healthy brain growth. Your Fantastic Elastic Brain promotes several essential messages, namely: what children do on a daily basis affects the growth of their brains; brains require exercise and struggling to develop new skills contributes to brain growth; making mistakes is a positive experience that contributes to healthy brain growth.

This uplifting picture book tells the amazing true story of Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship triathlon. Minda Dentler made history when she became the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the world’s toughest triathlon, using only her arms to finish a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile marathon. But the journey there wasn’t easy. Minda was paralyzed as an infant in India after contracting polio, and was left in the care of an orphanage. After she was adopted by an American family and moved to Washington, she underwent surgeries to enable her to walk with leg braces and crutches. As she grew, she faced many challenges, but remained undeterred by her disability. Her decision to begin training and competing in triathlons was no different. Despite the obstacles and failures she experienced along the way, Minda’s persistence and determination in the face of setbacks helped her to make sports history and inspire people around the world to rethink what’s possible!

This uplifting picture book tells the amazing true story of Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship triathlon. Minda Dentler made history when she became the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the world’s toughest triathlon, using only her arms to finish a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile marathon. But the journey there wasn’t easy. Minda was paralyzed as an infant in India after contracting polio, and was left in the care of an orphanage. After she was adopted by an American family and moved to Washington, she underwent surgeries to enable her to walk with leg braces and crutches. As she grew, she faced many challenges, but remained undeterred by her disability. Her decision to begin training and competing in triathlons was no different. Despite the obstacles and failures she experienced along the way, Minda’s persistence and determination in the face of setbacks helped her to make sports history and inspire people around the world to rethink what’s possible!

Curiosity and coziness shine in this modern picture book about the pumpkin life cycle. A picture book full of heart and hominess, The Pumpkin Seed’s Secret reveals the life cycle of a pumpkin with clever and cozy rhyme. With each page turn, the pumpkin becomes something new – it’s a seed, a flower, a house, a face, and more! Extensive back matter on pumpkin life cycle stages, other fun pumpkin facts, and a recipe are included. A perfect book for home and school libraries! A pumpkin is a seed. A plain little seed with a secret inside, A pocket, a pip with a new life to hide. To hide and to hold As springtime unfolds, A pumpkin begins as a seed. A pumpkin is a sprout. A curious sprout with one leaf and then two, A budding, a nudging, a slow peekaboo. Happy for rain And sunshine again, A pumpkin pops out as a sprout.

Join the animals and follow the clues in this rollicking, rhyming, nature-inspired whodunit story full of fun collective nouns! A mischief of mice has gone missing on a blustery fall day. Now a scurry of squirrels is scared, while a band of coyotes howls nearby. Did an unkindness of ravens do something mean? Could a prickle of porcupines possibly help? Luckily, a sleuth of bears comes along to help solve the mystery.

**An inspiring new picture book from the authors of Black Boy, Black Boy centered around the importance of self-esteem for African American girls by drawing on the history of the role models that came before them ** Dear Girl, Black Girl, rise up, it’s time It’s a new day and a chance to shine. Shine like the moon, you’re one of a kind Radiant and fierce, a brilliant young mind A mind filled with wonder, creativity and dreams Shape your own history like these amazing queens From Kamala Harris to Wilma Rudolph and from Rosa Parks to Miriam Mekaba, this is an uplifting and beautiful introduction to the strong women who have touched our history.

An accessible and beautiful picture book about our universe’s most powerful and invisible forces—girls. This lyrical, STEM-focused girl-power picture book uses the author’s background as an engineer to describe the various forces at work in our world by personifying each one as a girl. Each stanza showcases a different girl and scientific force to create a diverse cast of individuals, simplifying complex forces into memorable characters. Back matter on forces rounds out this teaching tool. And each “I am” statement reinforces girls to see themselves in science!

An accessible and beautiful picture book about our universe’s most powerful and invisible forces—girls. This lyrical, STEM-focused girl-power picture book uses the author’s background as an engineer to describe the various forces at work in our world by personifying each one as a girl. Each stanza showcases a different girl and scientific force to create a diverse cast of individuals, simplifying complex forces into memorable characters. Back matter on forces rounds out this teaching tool. And each “I am” statement reinforces girls to see themselves in science!

The unbelievable true story about one garbage truck driver who saved tens of thousands of objects from the trash to fix up and display in his museum! Discover the life of Nelson Molina, an employee of the New York City sanitation department who found over 45,000 objects in the trash to save, fix, and then display in his museum for others to enjoy. With themes of anti-consumerism, upcycling, and love for your community, Gifts from the Garbage Truck will inspire young readers to think more creatively and curiously about what we do (and don’t) throw away.

From Edgar-nominated Taryn Souders comes a thrilling middle grade mystery: Grady’s hoping he’s inherited a treasure map that will lead him to a buried treasure. But what if it’s a dead end? When Grady and his dad learn that the town oddball, Eudora “Kooky” Klinch left something for them in her will, they can only imagine what it might be. When it turns out it’s an old scrap of 300-year-old tapestry, they are bitterly disappointed. But the cloth comes with a note saying, “This is no ordinary piece of needlework. It’s a treasure map. Riddles and Clues. To the victor go the riches.” Grady’s dad dismisses it, but Grady thinks this could be the chance of a lifetime. With the help of his friends Thad, Clemmie, and the town dog Ophelia, Grady is determined to crack the clues and find the treasure. But when someone tries to break into Grady’s house one night, and then the local antiques expert who examined the tapestry is found unconscious, Grady realizes that he’s not the only one who knows about the treasure map. There’s more at risk than he bargained for, and solving this mystery just got a lot more dangerous.

Prepare to be scared silly in this creepy middle-grade novel! Twins seek medical help in a remote village after their father is in a canoeing accident…only to discover the scarecrow that stands watch in town may have a stronger hold over the residents than expected. Perfect for fans of R.L. Stine, Dan Poblocki, and Mary Downing Hahn. Twins Oliver and Trisha love going on adventures with their dad. Canoeing and camping on the Champion River will be their best trip yet! But when they capsize in rapids, their father is knocked unconscious. Alone and without cell phone reception, their only choice is to continue down river for help. Hours of paddling brings them to an old dock, and a narrow path leads them to a small village. The townspeople are kind and helpful, but strangely focused on the giant scarecrow in the village square. “He watches over us,” the twins are told in whispers. “He keeps us safe.” An old woman warns the twins not to spend the night in the village. Not if they ever want to leave. But with the sun soon to set and their father not well enough to be moved, how can they escape? More importantly, can they survive?

From Edgar-nominated Taryn Souders comes a thrilling middle grade mystery: Grady’s hoping he’s inherited a treasure map that will lead him to a buried treasure. But what if it’s a dead end? When Grady and his dad learn that the town oddball, Eudora “Kooky” Klinch left something for them in her will, they can only imagine what it might be. When it turns out it’s an old scrap of 300-year-old tapestry, they are bitterly disappointed. But the cloth comes with a note saying, “This is no ordinary piece of needlework. It’s a treasure map. Riddles and Clues. To the victor go the riches.” Grady’s dad dismisses it, but Grady thinks this could be the chance of a lifetime. With the help of his friends Thad, Clemmie, and the town dog Ophelia, Grady is determined to crack the clues and find the treasure. But when someone tries to break into Grady’s house one night, and then the local antiques expert who examined the tapestry is found unconscious, Grady realizes that he’s not the only one who knows about the treasure map. There’s more at risk than he bargained for, and solving this mystery just got a lot more dangerous.

Learn about over 50 athletes who were the first to break barriers, rules, and records in bold and fearless ways! Fearless Firsts: Athletes Who Changed the Game celebrates over 50 athletes who broke barriers, rules, and records, transforming the world of sports. While these athletes came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in common: they would not take “You can’t” for an answer. With a don’t-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better sports world. In this book, kids will read about very famous athletes, like Jackie Robinson and Simone Biles. They’ll also discover the first female drag-racing champion and the first Latino American baseball superstar. They’ll meet the first Olympian with an amputated leg, the first blind Ironman racer, the first transgender college champion, and the first Asian American Olympic gold medalists. Beyond individual athletes, they’ll learn how Title IX impacted sports, why the Paralympics matters, and the history behind the Haudenosaunee lacrosse team. By the time they’re done reading, whether an athlete or not, kids will be inspired to stay optimistic, fight against injustice, and be fearless in anything they set your mind to!

**From the TikTok sensation author of the Magnolia Parks Universe comes a reimagining of Peter Pan brimming with whimsy, magic, and romance. Daphne, descendant of Wendy Darling, navigates Neverland and her complicated relationships with Peter Pan and the son of Captain Hook. Never…is an awfully long time.** Growing up, Daphne always knew Peter Pan would come for her. The way he’d come for her mother, and her grandmother Wendy before that. The Darling girls. Their stories are all the same: the forever-young boy at their window after their thirteenth birthday, and the shimmering, magical land behind a star. When Peter doesn’t show for Daphne until she’s seventeen, inexplicably full-grown and with no excuse for his tardiness, Daphne doesn’t know what to think. Still, she has always been told that Peter Pan is her destiny. It’s beyond choice to take his hand and leap into the stars, no matter what comes next. But in Neverland, Peter’s true colors begin to show. One moment, he’s making Daphne’s heart flutter, and the next, he’s forgotten her entirely. So when Daphne stumbles into the path of Jamison Hook, the pirate son of Peter’s nemesis, she lets herself get swept up in his vulgar charm, despite the warning signs. Both boys are trouble, and both have dangerous secrets about this strange fantasy land they call home—and if she loses her heart to either one, Daphne might just lose herself, too.

From the team that created the bestselling, acclaimed graphic novel Illegal! Global tells the story of two young people, Sami & Yuki, living on different continents, whose lives are impacted by the effects of climate change. Twelve-year-old Sami lives with his grandfather in a village along the Bay of Benghal in the Indian Ocean. It’s a beautiful place, but life is challenging. The ocean is rising and each day they go fishing, but bring back fewer and fewer fish. Meanwhile, Yuki is fourteen and lives with her mother along Baffin Bay, 85 miles inside the Arctic Circle. As the ice is melting, the polar bears are finding less food to hunt and are wandering into town looking for food. Yuki knows she must do something to help the bears. The stories of these two children, separated by thousands of miles, mirror each other with beautiful unity across the planet, as they strive to protect their homes from the encroaching damage of climate change.

A sweet story about how to face our fears no matter how silly they may seem Have you ever been so scared that your tummy tumbled and your heart hiccupped and your fingers fiddled? You’re not alone! Elephant, Cheetah, and Gator feel the same way. Join these three friends as they find their brave self by first imagining themselves as brave and growing into being brave!

Join the class of reindeer as they try to divide into groups without leaving anyone out, a problem they must work together to solve! A class of a dozen reindeer is preparing for the big showcase night event when a new student arrives. This isn’t a big deal until it’s time to divide in groups, and there’s a leftover reindeer every single time. How will the class make sure everyone feels included? And what will they learn in the process? A perfect picture book for back-to-school or any time of year, The Reindeer Remainders shows how working together and including others are important parts of friendship. Back matter included.

In this fantasy of Jazz Age Harlem, where warring factions of oligarchs, gangsters, and vampires vie for power and control, a young vampire and the girl who once betrayed her are drawn to one another. It’s 1926 and reapers, the once-human vampires with a terrifying affliction, are on the rise in New York. But the Saint family’s thriving reaper-hunting enterprise holds reign over the city, more powerful than even the organized criminals who run the nightclubs. Eighteen year-old Elise Saint, home after five years in Paris, is the reluctant heir to the empire. Only one thing weighs heavier on Elise’s mind than her family obligations: the knowledge that the Harlem reapers want her dead. Layla Quinn is a young reaper haunted by her past. Though reapers have existed in America for three centuries, created by New World atrocities and cruel experiments, Layla became one just five years ago. The night she was turned, she lost her parents, the protection of the Saints, and her humanity, and she’ll never forget how Elise Saint betrayed her. But some reapers are inexplicably turning part human again, leaving a wake of mysterious and brutal killings. When Layla is framed for one of these attacks, the Saint patriarch offers her a deal she can’t refuse: to work with Elise to investigate how these murders might be linked to shocking rumors of a reaper cure. Once close friends, now bitter enemies, Elise and Layla explore the city’s underworld, confronting their intense feelings for one another, and uncovering the sinister truths about a growing threat to reapers and humans alike.

The newest addition in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch series—can YOU catch Santa Claus on the biggest night of the year? From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch series comes the Catch Club Kids’ biggest Christmas adventure yet! It’s Christmas Eve and jolly old St. Nicholas is getting ready to deliver presents to children around the world, but he’ll have to dodge traps to try to deliver presents on time, with the help of a couple of familiar faces! Poised to become a new holiday tradition, this festive tale blends STEAM concepts with hilarity and chaos to encourage reading, learning, and imagination. It’s Christmas Eve! I am almost there! I know you’ve hatched a plan. So when you hear my HO! HO! HO! Try to catch me, if YOU can!

The true story of José Andrés, an award-winning chef, food activist, and founder of World Central Kitchen, a disaster-relief organization that uses the power of food to nourish communities after catastrophe strikes. When a terrible earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, chef José Andrés knew he needed to help. Within a few hours of the disaster, he had gathered friends, they flew to the island, and they began cooking rice and beans for the hungry locals. This trip changed the life of the successful chef and led him to found World Central Kitchen, a disaster-relief organization that has fed more than 200 million people affected by natural disasters, the COVID pandemic, and war. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a passionate chef who uses the power of food to nurture people in need, one plate at a time.