Seed School's cast of characters--seeds that will grow to be sunflowers, vegetables, and one odd-looking seed with a cap--learn all about what is required to grow.

ALA Best Book for Young Adults ∙ School Library Journal Best Book ∙ Publishers Weekly Best Book ∙ IRA/CBC Children's Choice ∙ NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts A Vietnamese girl plants six lima beans in a Cleveland vacant lot. Looking down on the immigrant-filled neighborhood, a Romanian woman watches suspiciously. A school janitor gets involved, then a Guatemalan family. Then muscle-bound Curtis, trying to win back Lateesha. Pregnant Maricela. Amir from India. A sense of community sprouts and spreads. Newbery-winning author Paul Fleischman uses thirteen speakers to bring to life a community garden's founding and first year. The book's short length, diverse cast, and suitability for adults as well as children have led it to be used in countless one-book reads in schools and in cities across the country. Seedfolks has been drawn upon to teach tolerance, read in ESL classes, promoted by urban gardeners, and performed in schools and on stages from South Africa to Broadway. The book's many tributaries—from the author's immigrant grandfather to his adoption of two brothers from Mexico—are detailed in his forthcoming memoir, No Map, Great Trip: A Young Writer's Road to Page One. "The size of this slim volume belies the profound message of hope it contains." —Christian Science Monitor And don’t miss Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, the Newbery Medal-winning poetry collection!

This well-researched and theoretically informed book examines the nature and function of the main female characters in the nine novels of Machado de Assis. Earl Fitz argues that Machado had a particular interest in female characterization and that his fictional women became increasingly sophisticated and complex as he matured and developed as a writer and social commentator. Machado developed, especially after 1880 (and what is usually considered the beginning of his "mature" period), a kind of anti-realistic, "new narrative," one that presents itself as self-referential fictional artifice but one that also cultivates a keen social consciousness. Fitz concludes that Machado increasingly uses his female characterizations to convey this social consciousness and to show that the new Brazil that is emerging both before and after the establishment of the Brazilian Republic (1889) requires not only the emancipation of black slaves but the emancipation of its women as well.

Washington, D.C., council member Chavous has long been an outspoken advocate for educational reform that serves the needs of all of the nation's children. Having been at the forefront of the charter school movement, Chavous now explores what his city has learned from the charter school experience and what it means to American public education as a whole.

"Mike Worth does a great job of explaining the concepts of nonprofit management and provides excellent case studies and exercises so students can see how these concepts work in the real-world." —Durand H. Crosby, J.D., Ph.D., Oklahoma University Michael J. Worth’s best-seller, Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practice, provides a comprehensive, insightful overview of key topics nonprofit leaders encounter daily. Worth covers both the governance and management of nonprofit organizations—the scope and structure of the nonprofit sector, leadership of nonprofits, management, fundraising, earned income strategies, financial management, lobbying and advocacy, managing international and global organizations, and social entrepreneurship—helping readers understand what they are and how they work. The text balances research, theory, and practitioner literature with current cases and the most recent data available, making it appropriate for undergraduates, graduate students, and nonprofit professionals. The Sixth Edition has been updated to include new material regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion; volunteer stewardship; nonprofit executive transitions; models for pursuing earned income; ethical dilemmas and controversial donors; generational differences in the workplace; and an exploration of the role of nonprofits in advancing social movements. Included with this title: The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. Learn more.

Community-based initiatives to preserve and protect our food supply Historically, seed companies were generally small, often family-run businesses. Because they were regionally based, they could focus on varieties well-suited to the local environment. A Pacific Northwest company, for example, would specialize in different cultivars than a company based in the Southeast. However the absorption of these small, independent seed businesses into large multinationals, combined with the advancement of biotechnology resulting in hybrids and GMO seeds, has led to a serious loss of genetic diversity. The public is now at the mercy of the corporations that control the seeds. In the past few years, gardeners have realized the inherent danger in this situation. A growing movement is striving to preserve and expand our stock of heritage and heirloom varieties through seed saving and sharing opportunities. Seed Libraries is a practical guide to saving seeds through community programs, including: Step-by-step instructions for setting up a seed library A wealth of ideas to help attract patrons and keep the momentum going Profiles of existing libraries and other types of seed saving partnerships Whoever controls the seeds controls the food supply. By empowering communities to preserve and protect the genetic diversity of their harvest, Seed Libraries is the first step towards reclaiming our self-reliance while enhancing food security and ensuring that the future of food is healthy, vibrant, tasty, and nutritious. Cindy Conner is a permaculture educator, founder of Homeplace Earth and producer of two popular instructional gardening DVDs. She is also the author of Grow a Sustainable Diet .

"By closely examining a variety of Protestant schools, education expert Steven Vryhof uncovers the complexities, subtleties, and nuances of faith-based education that often elude those concerned only with producing higher test scores, a "moral environment," or a competitive workforce. Through candid interviews with parents of children in faith-based schools, Vryhof also answers questions that other interested parents may have about the benefits of faith-based education for their own children."--Jacket.