Eleven-year-old Tilly saved lives in Thailand by warning people that a tsunami was coming. Fifteen-year-old Malika fought against segregation in her Alabama town. Ten-year-old Jean-Dominic won a battle against pesticides—and the cancer they caused in his body. Six-year-old Ryan raised $800,000 to drill water wells in Africa. And twelve-year-old Haruka invented a new environmentally friendly way to scoop dog poop. With the right role models, any child can be a hero. Thirty true stories profile kids who used their heads, their hearts, their courage, and sometimes their stubbornness to help others and do extraordinary things. As young readers meet these boys and girls from around the world, they may wonder, “What kind of hero lives inside of me?”

A follow-up to the popular Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change, this inspiring sequel spans the globe again with true accounts of ordinary kids showing extraordinary character. Thirty short inspirational stories are divided into six character traits (courage, creativity, kindness, persistence, resilience, and responsibility), and feature kids facing adversity from bullying in an American middle school to surviving persecution in the war-torn streets of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Readers will see how every choice they make is a chance to build character and show the world who they really are. Available online: Free Leader’s Guide at freespirit.com/leader

Inspiring true stories of kids from around the world of kids who have overcome obstacles to create success for themselves. The third installment in the Real Kids, Real Stories collection again travels the world with inspirational short stories of young people who overcame adversity and persevered in the face of extreme challenges. Soosan Firooz broke barriers to become Afghanistan’s first female rapper and speaks out about the oppression and hardships women in her country must overcome. David Omondi in Kenya built his own radio station despite a lack of resources. And Kevin Breel speaks out about his own depression to help save lives. The thirty short stories in Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Challenges will inspire readers to believe in themselves, strive for success, overcome obstacles, and create change in the world—even when faced with a challenge. Note: Several stories in this book address intense and serious situations, which some readers may find unsettling.

Celebrating the inventor of the Crayola crayon This gloriously illustrated picture book biography tells the inspiring story of Edwin Binney, the inventor of one of the world's most beloved toys. A perfect fit among favorites like The Day the Crayons Quit and Balloons Over Broadway. purple mountains' majesty, mauvelous, jungle green, razzmatazz... What child doesn't love to hold a crayon in their hands? But children didn't always have such magical boxes of crayons. Before Edwin Binney set out to change things, children couldn't really even draw in color. Here's the true story of an inventor who so loved nature's vibrant colors that he found a way to bring the outside world to children - in a bright green box for only a nickel With experimentation, and a special knack for listening, Edwin Binney and his dynamic team at Crayola created one of the world's most enduring, best-loved childhood toys - empowering children to dream in COLOR

A Hero Like You looks at everyday heroes and highlights qualities such as loyalty, compassion, resourcefulness, justice, and courage. The lyrical rhyme and relatable illustrations remind us that we all have the opportunity to be a hero by helping others, doing right and making the world a better place. "What the world needs is a hero like you!"

Includes a reading group guide with discussion questions.

National Book Award Longlist * Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book of the Year "Beautifully written and elegantly structured, this fantasy is as real as it gets."—Franny Billingsley, author of Chime The Real Boy, Anne Ursu's follow-up to her widely acclaimed and beloved middle grade fantasy Breadcrumbs, is a spellbinding tale of the power we all wield, great and small. On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy named Oscar. Oscar is a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the village, and spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master's shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it. But now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill, and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the forest will keep his island safe. Now even magic may not be enough to save it.

“Play nice!” “Be kind!” “Don’t do that!” Every day, it seems half our conversations with young people is made up of commands dealing with character and niceties--all issues that need to be addressed and not ignored. But how is it working? Do you find yourself back at square one the next day, with a child acting as though they had no idea they shouldn’t be lying? In Parenting with a Story, author Paul Smith, one of the world’s leading experts in organizational storytelling, shows that when stories are used to illustrate to children how choices and consequences play out in the real world, with real people, the impact will be far more profound than the relentless commands that are forgotten or ignored as soon as the parent turns away. This collection of 101 narratives from people around the world and from all walks of life includes lessons that illuminate the power of character, integrity, curiosity, creativity, grit, kindness, patience, gratitude, and other essential characteristics every parent should be trying to instill in their children. Sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes funny, always compelling, these stories impart wisdom and help steer choices about: • Resisting peer pressure• Remaining open-minded• Being humble• Making courageous decisions• Standing by their word• Bouncing back from failure• Showing compassion• Picking friends wisely• And moreThroughout all of history, stories have been used to help shape who we are and who we aspire to come. But effective storytelling doesn’t have to be reserved for teachers, writers, and preachers. As a parent, learn how to share stories, discuss them with your child, and watch your child grow into the adult every parent would be proud of.

This flexible resource combines character education with analogies to powerful stories from nature. The heart of each of the book’s twenty-five lessons is an engaging story, written to kids, describing a particular animal or plant and its distinctive qualities. Busy classroom teachers will like this book’s accessibility and flexibility. Kids can read a story individually or in groups, or follow along as the teacher reads it aloud. Accompanying each story, teachers will find several activities—most of them quick, easy, and requiring few supplies—that further investigate animals or plants and the connections between their qualities and human behaviors. Every lesson examines several main character traits, providing starting points and sample questions for discussing and exploring analogies between events in nature and human acts of character. Features include a chart cross-referencing lessons to specific character traits and a list of further resources. Digital content contains all of the book’s reproducible forms, including a color photo of each plant and animal, plus a complete bonus lesson.

From the esteemed New York Times bestselling and multi-award-winning author Mac Barnett comes a thrilling, hilarious fully-illustrated new spy adventure series! Before Mac Barnett was an author, he was a kid. And while he was a kid, he was a spy. Not just any spy. But a spy...for the Queen of England. James Bond meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid with this groundbreaking fully-illustrated chapter book series Mac B., Kid Spy. The precious Crown Jewels have been stolen, and there's only one person who can help the Queen of England: her newest secret agent, Mac B. Mac travels around the globe in search of the stolen treasure...but will he find it in time? From secret identities to Karate hijinks, this fast-paced, witty and historically inspired chapter book will keep readers guessing until the very last page. With full-color illustrations and fascinating historical facts masterfully sprinkled throughout, this series offers adventure, intrigue, absurdity, history and humor. Discover this totally smart and side-splittingly funny new series, and experience what it's really like to be a kid spy.