A simple description of the childhood and youth of the Chilean author Isabel Allende.

From her Caribbean island birthplace, a young girl carries a dream and journeys to a new land that is at once puzzling, frightening, and inspiring. In twenty-three compelling poems, Jamaican-born poet Monica Gunning tells her immigrant's story with gentle humor, grace, and a child's sense of wonder. She describes a place where skyscrapers, rather than the moon, light the night; where people dress in woolens, ready for snow; where no one knows your name. Yet this same place offers exciting treasures: dizzying amusement park rides, stirring symphony concerts, flashy circus performers, towering cathedrals, and captivating art museums that speak to those who linger. Above all, this new land is place where "hope glows, a beacon / guiding ocean-deep dreamers / from storm surfs to shore."

In Reading Globally, K-8, the authors make the case for why it is necessary to be globally literate and multiculturally aware in today's shrinking world, and they provide the tools teachers need to incorporate appropriate reading selections into primary and secondary school classrooms. By using books from or about other countries, teachers empower students to view the world in a more positive manner, enriching and broadening their students' lives, and ultimately preparing them for life in a global economy and culture. This reader-friendly resource guides teachers and reading programme coordinators in selecting quality books for their classrooms, incorporating global literature into different content areas, and facilitating the discussions that follow. Practical guidance is provided on how to: - Integrate the reading of global texts across the curriculum, with specific application to language arts, social studies, science, maths, and the arts - Locate and evaluate the authenticity and literary merit of potential books, avoiding those that depict stereotypes - Get started!-with an annotated list of children's books, samples of student work, and classroom vignettes from teachers.

Learn how to write the perfect thank-you note.

A celebration of August Wilson’s journey from a child in Pittsburgh to one of America’s greatest playwrights August Wilson (1945–2005) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who had a particular talent for capturing the authentic, everyday voice of black Americans. As a child, he read off soup cans and cereal boxes, and when his mother brought him to the library, his whole world opened up. After facing intense prejudice at school from both students and some teachers, August dropped out. However, he continued reading and educating himself independently. He felt that if he could read about it, then he could teach himself anything and accomplish anything. Like many of his plays, Feed Your Mind is told in two acts, revealing how Wilson grew up to be one of the most influential American playwrights. The book includes an author’s note, a timeline of August Wilson’s life, a list of Wilson’s plays, and a bibliography.

Tribute: Frank Baum tells the story of one of the greatest childrens authors of the 20th Century. Read about Baum's upbringing in a small town in New York State, his work in the theatre and his move to HollyWood to work in film. Witness the creation of one of the most beloved children's novels of all time The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The quirky sleuth Sherlock Holmes has been a popular character on the page and stage, as well as on television and in movies. Made famous by Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes became a model for many future detectives. Readers will learn whether this character came from the brilliant mind of his writer or if Sherlock's sometimes outrageous means of solving cases were actually those of a real-life detective. Fast facts add entertaining and informative clues to help readers solve this mystery for themselves.

Juan Garcia Esquivel was born in Mexico and grew up to the sounds of mariachi bands. He loved music and became a musical explorer. Defying convention, he created music that made people laugh and planted images in their minds. Juan's space-age lounge music popular in the fifties and sixties has found a new generation of listeners.

Profiles ten explorers and their adventures.

Learn how to write a well-structured, informative essay.