A Colorful and Fun Tour of St. Louis for the Littlest Explorers

When the need for telephone operators arose in the 1870s, the assumption was that they should all be male. Wages for adult men were too high, so boys were hired. They proved quick to argue with the subscribers, so females replaced them. Women were calmer, had reassuring voices and rarely talked back. Within a few years, telephone operators were all female and would remain so. The pay was low and working conditions harsh. The job often impaired their health, as they suffered abuse from subscribers in silence under pain of dismissal. Discipline was stern--dress codes were mandated, although they were never seen by the public. Most were young, domestic and anything but militant. Yet many joined unions and walked picket lines in response to the severely capitalistic, sexist system they worked under.

It's bedtime in St. Louis! Say goodnight to all your favorite locations, including: Saint Louis Zoo Gateway Arch Forest Park World's Fair Pavilion Happy Up, Inc. City Museum Busch Stadium Jewel Box Six Flags St. Louis St. Louis Science Center Lafayette Park

>At Huskerville High School, it's not a good idea to eat the cafeteria food, trust your government, or scoff at old Indian curses. Nothing less than the future of American public education is at stake as two teachers set out on a quest for the Holy Grail of education, the reason for declining test scores. Nothing you've ever read will quite prepare you for the roller coaster imagination of Larry Baldwin in his book, Corn-Fed. From treatises on the environment and the state of public education to the dirty business of political money-laundering and international finance, he tackles it all in a modern day Odyssey-like adventure stretching from France's Mississippi Valley Empire in 1700 to the gene-altering labs of the present. Buckle your safety belts!

Winning the title of "WrestleManiac" sounds pretty awesome, especially for a twelve-year-old die-hard WWE fan. The WrestleManiac gets the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to carry the defending champ's belt at WrestleMania, not to mention a trip to the event and the possibility of meeting the champ! Problem is, first you have to win a nationwide competition, and WWE fans can be kind of . . . competitive! Read along as one kid does whatever it takes to win the title of WrestleManiac, even if it means bodyslamming the competition!

On New Years Eve, two co-coaches in Scottie Rogers ' American Little Ladies Basketball League reflect on the events of the past year.

Hello There, Big Sister! is an exciting conversation of love and anticipation from new baby to Big Sister about the life they are about to start together. Detailing all the highs and lows of sibling-hood, this book tells the newly promoted Big Sister about all the activities new baby can’t wait to do together. With sweet rhyme and brilliantly colored illustrations, Hello There, Big Sister! helps lay the foundation of an excellent relationship from day one.

An entertaining record of a life and a time Ed Lowry joined the vaudeville circuit in 1910 at the age of fourteen. He never achieved stardom equal to the likes of Fred Allen, Jack Benny, George Burns, Buster Keaton, or Eddie Cantor, and he never considered himself an “artiste.” Instead, he saw himself as a hoofer and comic simply trying to make a living on the vaude scene. My Life in Vaudeville recounts Lowry’s long career in entertainment from the viewpoint of a foot soldier with a big dream. Lowry’s story begins in the heyday of vaudeville in the early twentieth century and follows its gradual decline. Unlike many of his associates, he recognized that movies and other forms of entertainment were the future, and thus branched out into other venues. He took gigs in radio in Philadelphia, Newark, New York, and Los Angeles; explored revues, cabarets, burlesque, and film; and organized USO road shows. With wit and perception, he reveals his stage roots as an entertainer playing to his audience, and editor Paul M. Levitt’s introduction beautifully sets the stage for Lowry’s gags-to-riches tale, providing much-needed historical perspective. My Life in Vaudeville is an unpretentious record of a time when thousands of young people went into show business to escape the boredom of daily life, and Lowry’s story is a view of vaudeville not often encountered. Lowry does much more than recall the daily life of a working actor, musician, and comedian. His story brings vaudeville to life and places it within the larger narratives of popular culture and popular entertainment of the twentieth century.