When William Everett Crocodile is chosen to be a suitcase, his talking toothbrush becomes his salvation.

When a killing drought threatens the existence of the tribe, a courageous little Comanche girl sacrifices her most beloved possession--and the Great Spirit's answer results not only in much needed rain but a very special gift in return. "An ideal complement to Native American and Texas studies..."Booklist

Tony dreams that one day he'll become the most famous baker in northern Italy. His poor daughter Serafina wants to be allowed to marry. Each of their dreams seems far away until Angelo, a rich young nobleman from Milan, appears and devises a way to make everyone's dreams come true.

When his grandfather suffers a stroke, Bobby teaches him to walk, just as his grandfather had once taught him.

Presenting a delightful collection of children's favorite Mother Goose rhymes, illustrated with full-color paintings by Tomie dePaola. Young readers and their parents will enjoy meeting up with familiar friends, including Old King Cole, Little Bo-Peep, Jack and Jill, and many more in a book that is sure to be a story-hour favorite.

Lately Strega Nona has been distracted-she even gave Signore Mayor the wrong remedy for his headache. One night Nona has a dream about her Grandma Concetta, who has been in heaven for many years, and her little house at the seashore. Nona decides that she will take a vacation there. While Strega Nona is away, Bambolona will do the daily remedies and Big Anthony will do the chores. With these two left in charge, what could possibly go wrong?

“A fabulous read, filled with heroism, history, and hi-jinks, as author William F. Sine recounts his life as an Air Force Pararescue Jumper” (Readers’ Favorite). US Air Force Pararescue is the most skillful and capable rescue force in the world, taking on some of the most dangerous rescue missions imaginable. PJs (short for para-jumpers), are members of an elite unit whose commando skills are so wide-reaching they often seem like something out of science fiction. They routinely tackle perilous operations that are beyond the capabilities of other rescue organizations, and sometimes dare the seemingly impossible. Since their inception in 1947, PJs have saved more than thirty thousand lives. They can pluck near-frozen climbers off jagged mountaintops and recover shot-down jet pilots stranded deep in hostile territory. In the dead of night, the PJs parachute into ominous, black, twenty-foot-tall waves to save distressed seamen, and they brave the cruelest and most desolate deserts to recover victims. US Air Force pararescuemen have played a prominent role in every armed conflict since the Korean War, rescuing thousands of soldiers from behind enemy lines. Guardian Angel provides a rare glimpse at a PJ’s mind-blowing adventures. You follow Sgt. Sine’s trek across exotic lands and share his encounters with mysterious cultures. Learn what it takes to lower from a helicopter onto the slippery decks of storm-tossed ships to rescue dying sailors. Feel what it’s like to be caught in the middle of a bomb blast so powerful that it tears high-rise buildings in half, and flattens armored vehicles hundreds of yards away. Soar high above towering jungle trees and experience the danger of swinging on a slim cable below a helicopter, while performing a mid-air rescue of a pilot, dangling from his chute a hundred feet above a mountain slope. Go to war in Afghanistan and parachute onto a nocturnal battlefield, surrounded by land mines, to help a mortally wounded soldier. This is a deadly serious business: When things go wrong, they can go terribly wrong. Aircraft crash into mountainsides, killing all onboard, while some PJs live through horrendous helicopter crashes only to struggle with freezing temperatures, snapped limbs and torn flesh in a desperate fight for survival. This book presents true stories of uncommon courage told from the perspective of the actual men in the arena. PJs belong to an exclusive brotherhood and forge unbreakable bonds of loyalty, commitment, and sacrifice. They do these things for their country, to protect their brothers in arms, and to honor their motto: “That Others May Live.”

Tommy's so excited that his mom is having a baby, and he asks her for a baby sister with a red ribbon in her hair. But he didn't ask for stern Nana Fall-River to come while his mom is in the hospital. Tommy and Nana don't get along very well, but when little Maureen is born, all the trouble is forgotten.

On January 12, 2010, the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck the nation least prepared to handle it. Jonathan M. Katz, the only full-time American news correspondent in Haiti, was inside his house when it buckled along with hundreds of thousands of others. In this visceral, authoritative first-hand account, Katz chronicles the terror of that day, the devastation visited on ordinary Haitians, and how the world reacted to a nation in need. More than half of American adults gave money for Haiti, part of a monumental response totaling $16.3 billion in pledges. But three years later the relief effort has foundered. It's most basic promises—to build safer housing for the homeless, alleviate severe poverty, and strengthen Haiti to face future disasters—remain unfulfilled. The Big Truck That Went By presents a sharp critique of international aid that defies today's conventional wisdom; that the way wealthy countries give aid makes poor countries seem irredeemably hopeless, while trapping millions in cycles of privation and catastrophe. Katz follows the money to uncover startling truths about how good intentions go wrong, and what can be done to make aid "smarter." With coverage of Bill Clinton, who came to help lead the reconstruction; movie-star aid worker Sean Penn; Wyclef Jean; Haiti's leaders and people alike, Katz weaves a complex, darkly funny, and unexpected portrait of one of the world's most fascinating countries. The Big Truck That Went By is not only a definitive account of Haiti's earthquake, but of the world we live in today.

For a country that prides itself on technology and cutting edge advancements in the medical field, it is somewhat surprising that the thing that most catches our attention is not innovation, rather it is the sacrifices of the few for the betterment of the many. These Modern Day Heroes are so much more than dates and events, they are men and women with lifelong stories. A hero is not defined by one single action; rather a hero is forged by his character that triumphs at a definitive moment in time. Heroes that have given their lives in service to this country have given us more than we can ever repay. These heroes are men and women with fathers and mothers, husbands and wives; they have families that they loved and families that loved them. They are more than a heroic instance, they are the culmination of lives lived with purpose. These are the stories of the medic and the lieutenant, the police officer and the fighter pilot; these are the stories of fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters; indeed these are the stories of dedicated, hard-working Americans. The stories of these Modern Day Heroes are the stories of American sacrifice, often paid in blood, that have been made directly and indirectly on our behalf. When the story of a hero is told, people often pause at the dynamism of the story or the virtues made manifest by the hero. The reasons for this pause are as myriad as the individuals who listen to the stories. However, on the most basic level all of us pause out of the simple feeling of pride we get from hearing of great deeds done by our fellow countrymen. These Modern Day Heroes give us confidence that with all of the uncertainty in the world, American will continue to stand strong. God bless our nation's heroes, and God bless the U.S.A!