Nikko loves bedtime. That's because his bed turns into a magical wrestling ring for the masked luchadores that he loves. They bounce up and down like crazy. His mom, of course, doesn't believe Nikko. She accuses him of jumping on his bed. But that's just not true at all. She just can't see what Nikko sees. And to prove his point—zoosh! Here comes luchador numero UNO with a golden mask and a silver cape. Oh, wow. Number TWO wears an orange mask with yellow flames. Another looks like a jaguar and he growls! A rooster! A bull with horns! And a dragon that breathes fire! And so it goes until TEN luchadores are jumping on Nikko's bed. That's when the Great and Mighty Nikko puts on his mask, taking on all ten wrestlers at once and defeating them soundly. Ahh, a fresh victory under his belt, now it's time for Mighty Nikko to catch some zzzzzs!Artist and storyteller Xavier Garza is celebrated for his lucha libre picture books and chapter books. Maxmillian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel was a Pura Belpre Honor Book, 2012, and a ALA Notable Book, 2012. Xavier, who is a much requested storyteller for schools, has been a featured speaker at the American Library Association (REFORMA), the Tucson Book Festival, and the Texas Library Association.
"I remember I believed all my problems would be solved, if only I were beautiful. Then I was beautiful."—Jonathan Mack, from his story «The Right Way to be Crippled and Naked.»Welcome to the worlds of the disabled. The physically disabled. The mentally disabled. The emotionally disabled. What does that word «disabled» mean anyway? Is there a right way to be crippled? Editors Sheila Black and Michael Northen (co-editors of the highly praised anthology [i]Beauty is a Verb: The New Poetry of Disability) join newcomer Annabelle Hayse to present short stories by Dagoberto Gilb, Anne Finger, Stephen Kuusisto, Thom Jones, Lisa Gill, Floyd Skloot, and others. These authors—all who experience the «disability» they write about—crack open the cage of our culture's stereotypes. We look inside, and, through these people we thought broken, we uncover new ways of seeing and knowing.
"Chukfi is a trickster worthy of the name, and this fresh, funny tale makes an excellent addition to the genre." (starred reivew, Kirkus Reviews) Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2014 Silly kids, tricks are for rabbits! Chukfi Rabbit, that is. The laziest—and hungriest—trickster rabbit there is! Deep in Choctaw Country, Chukfi Rabbit is always figuring out some way to avoid work at all costs. When Bear, Turtle, Fox, and Beaver agree on an everybody-work-together day to build Ms. Possum a new house, Chukfi Rabbit says he's too busy to help. Until he hears there will be a feast to eat after the work is done: cornbread biscuits, grape dumplings, tanchi labona (a delicious Choctaw corn stew), and best of all, fresh, homemade butter! So while everyone else helps build the house, Chukfi helps himself to all that yummy butter! The furry fiend! But this greedy trickster will soon learn that being this lazy is hard work! A classic trickster tale in the Choctaw tradition. Greg Rodgers is a storyteller and writer. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and tells stories in schools, libraries, festivals, and tribal events throughout the country. He is currently completing a PhD at the University of Illinois, Urbana. Leslie Stall Widener lives in north Texas in a one-hundred-year old farmhouse with her husband, also an illustrator. When she was a child, she explored every inch of her grandparents' Oklahoma farm, an allotment her grandmother received for her Choctaw ancestry. Leslie's latest book, a collaboration with her sister, is an illustrated history of fashion.
What's it like to grow up during war? To be a victim of violence or exiled from your homeland, culture, family, and even your own memories? When America's talking heads talk about war, children and teenagers are often the forgotten part of the story. Yet who can forget images of the Vietnam «baby lift,» when Amer-Asian children were flown out of Vietnam to be adopted by Americans? Who can forget the horror of learning that Iranian children were sent on suicide missions to clear landmines? Who wasn't captivated by stories of the «lost boys» of Sudan, traveling thousands of miles alone through the desert, seeking shelter and safety? From the cartel-terrorized streets of Juárez to the bombed-out cities of Bosnia to Afghanistan under the Taliban, from Nazi-occupied Holland to the middle-class American home of a Vietnam vet, this collection of personal and narrative essays explores both the universal and particular experiences of children and teenagers who came of age during a time of war. J.L. Powers is the editor of Labor Pains and Birth Stories and the author of two young adult novels, most recently This Thing Called the Future, an alternative fantasy set in post-apartheid South Africa. She began collecting essays on children and war while pregnant with her first child and says, «The experience was both painful and uplifting, not unlike giving birth. The most memorable aspect of these essays is their stark portrayal of both survival and hope in the midst of incredible suffering.»
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues explores the topic of food across multiple disciplines within the social sciences and related areas including business, consumerism, marketing, and environmentalism. In contrast to the existing reference works on the topic of food that tend to fall into the categories of cultural perspectives, this carefully balanced academic encyclopedia focuses on social and policy aspects of food production, safety, regulation, labeling, marketing, distribution, and consumption. A sampling of general topic areas covered includes Agriculture, Labor, Food Processing, Marketing and Advertising, Trade and Distribution, Retail and Shopping, Consumption, Food Ideologies, Food in Popular Media, Food Safety, Environment, Health, Government Policy, and Hunger and Poverty. This encyclopedia introduces students to the fascinating, and at times contentious, and ever-so-vital field involving food issues. Key Features: Contains approximately 500 signed entries concluding with cross-references and suggestions for further readings Organized A-to-Z with a thematic “Reader’s Guide” in the front matter grouping related entries by general topic area Provides a Resource Guide and a detailed and comprehensive Index along with robust search-and-browse functionality in the electronic edition This three-volume reference work will serve as a general, non-technical resource for students and researchers who seek to better understand the topic of food and the issues surrounding it.
This wonderful volume, assembled from National Geographic magazines dating 1915–24, spotlights some of the finest botanical imagery of its kind, including artwork by Mary E. Eaton, staff illustrator of the New York Botanical Garden. More than 120 color plates.
The kitchen really is the heart of the home. It's the first place family and friends gather, not only to prepare and eat food, but to chat, sip tea, snack on home-baked cookies, unwind after a tough day, and reconnect with loved ones.The latest in the Simple Pleasures series of books, Simple Pleasures of the Kitchen captures the essence of the kitchen. It offers a cornucopia of recipes, food-based crafts, and family activities, as well as stories from kitchens around the world. Simple Pleasures of the Kitchen is a book – and a gift – sure to warm anyone's heart, no matter what the weather.Organized by season, the book offers:Spring Flings The Savor of SummerAutumn's AbundanceCozying Up in WinterSusannah Seton's Simple Pleasures books continually delight readers with their down-home, heart-warming recipes, crafts, and activities that bring the whole family together.
Every tragedy has its heroes, and there were many in the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. Jackie Waldman has collected the stories of some of the firefighters, rescue workers, police, medics, relatives of missing loved ones, and strangers who, in the face of horror, sprung into action to save lives and help their communities.
The world is changing at lightening speed, and meaningful connections are increasingly elusive. The Community of Kindness encourages us to create new ways of building community through the practice of kindness, we become most fully connected, alive, and integrated.
A Course in Compassion From the creators of the Random Acts of Kindness series comes this practical guide to kindness. Full of inspiring meditations, affirmations, and true stories, this book acts as a guide to creating real change in our world through acts of kindness. Join the kindness revolution. All over the nation and beyond, people are realizing the power of kindness. With one act, you can change someone’s day—and make the world a better place. It doesn’t take much to offer kind words or deeds to someone, but it can change the whole course of their day. When we participate in random acts of kindness, we join the movement of building a better future. This book by the editors of the Random Acts of Kindness series, with a foreword by Rabbi Harold Kushner, presents readers with a motivational guide to living out kindness each day of our lives. Inspirational stories and simple suggestions. From the wake of Hurricane Katrina to the tragedy of the tsunami to troops in Iraq performing acts of daily compassion, this book highlights the ways in which people are working towards creating a more benevolent world. It demonstrates the weight that a single act of compassion can have and how powerful our actions can be when we all join together. In addition to inspiring true stories, this “course in compassion” includes meditations, affirmations, and suggestions for how you can go out and make a difference. Filled with practical wisdom and motivational quotes, this book is your go-to guide for turning the kindness spark into a flame. Learn more about: How to practice random acts of kindnessThe impact that compassion has on our worldStories of kindness changing people’s lives If you’ve read books like Chicken Soup for the Soul , The Power of Kindness , Go Be Kind , How Can I Help? , or A Year of Positive Thinking , you’ll love Practice Random Acts of Kindness .