Books for Readers 8-12

On the first warm and sunny day of the year, Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School principal Sharon Riggs needs one more substitute teacher. Victor Kennedy, the father of the school�s secretary, agrees to teach the seventh-grade American-history class for the day and tells the students about the Tuskegee Airmen. During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen were the first black men allowed into combat, flying over 1,500 missions over the course of the war and winning a significant battle against segregation at home. Young readers will experiencefor themselves the triumphant pride of these men in serving their country.

A history of how seven Lakota Sioux aided the United States’s fight against Japan and bring and end to the Second World War.

In World War II, code-making and code-breaking reached a feverish peak. The fabled Enigma Cipher had been broken, and all sides were looking for a secure, reliable means of communication. Many have heard of the role of the Navajo Code Talkers, but less well-known are the Sioux Code Talkers using the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota dialects.

Told by the great-niece of John Bear King, who served in the First Cavalry in the Pacific Theatre as a Sioux Code Talker, this comprehensively informative title explores not only the importance of the indigenous peoples to the war, but also their culture and values. The Sioux Code Talkers of World War II follows seven Sioux who put aside a long history of prejudice against their people and joined the fight against Japan. With a personal touch and a deft eye for engaging detail, author Andrea M. Page brings the Lakota story to life.

Embark on a magical journey through Florida’s diverse landscapes.

Join our young protagonist aboard the Panhandle Pullman for an unforgettable adventure filled with breathtaking sights and exciting discoveries. From the emerald waters of St. George Island to the historic streets of St. Augustine, each stop offers new wonders to explore. Taste the Tupelo honey, and marvel at the wildlife of the Florida Keys. Encounter manatees and sea turtles, alligators, crocodiles. Blast off at a NASA rocket launch! All Aboard, Florida! celebrates the beauty, history, and wonders of Florida in a captivating tale for children of all ages. Climb aboard and get ready for a journey of a lifetime.

Santy's arrival by johnboat is announced by a ruckus between his pet raccoon and Paw's coonhound. After a feast of ham biscuits, Maw and Paw open their musical gifts, and Santy joins in on the frollicatin'.

A Rocky Mountain Twist on the classic Christmas poem!

The Rocky Mountains come alive on a cold Christmas Eve as a cowboy makes his way home. Upon arrival, he spies a big, fat red feller on the rooftop of his cabin and lassoes the suspected cattle rustler. Ordinarily, fate would have dictated dire consequences, but childhood memories reveal the stranger as Santa Claus and the two reunite.

The pair bask in the warmth of the cabin as the cowboy tells of his Rocky Mountain days. He lives a hard life on the Western frontier but would never consider anything else. When Santa takes flight to continue his journey, he leaves behind a package to ease his new friend’s troubles along with a wish: May your trail be easy and your burden be light!

Originally published in 1913, this is a lovely reproduction of the first American Girl Scout Handbook.

Author W.J. Hoxie—a naturalist—included tips and tricks for provisioning a camp, tying knots, tending the injured, and telling time by the stars. In 1916, How Girls Can Help Their Country was adapted by Juliette Low into a newer version of the Girl Scout Handbook.  The ranks of the American Girl Scouts have grown from the original eighteen members to the millions of members still active today. Through the decades, each Girl Scout has used some edition of the handbook to learn about everything from camping and first-aid, to housewifery and patriotism. Although the roles of women have changed over the years, the importance of the handbook has not.   Complete with photographs and diagrams, this centennial edition serves as a reference for life in the times of the great-, great-great-, or even great-great-great-grandmothers of today's Scouts.

Originally published in 1910, The Story of the American Flag tells the thrilling history of the Stars and Stripes in picture, prose, poetry, and song. This essential handbook of the flag was written in cooperation with “The Youth’s Companion,” a Boston publication that supported the presence of the American flag in our nation’s schools.

Author Wayne Whipple highlights the honor and glory of the American standard by recounting the struggle and strife during which the flag’s design evolved. Whipple emphasizes the role of the flag as a icon of peace, beauty, and patriotism. Perfect for any American or flag lover, this classic overview of Old Glory is a tribute to the majesty of America’s celebrated banner.

Hemingway's Iconic Guide to Camping

In this piece from 1920—originally published as a newspaper article in the Toronto Daily Star—a young Ernest Hemingway provides solid advice to the novice camper. In his typically succinct style, Hemingway gives tips on bug avoidance, bed preparation, and offers expert outdoor cooking instructions. Any city man enjoying an open-air vacation who follows Hemingway’s advice “ought to be able to sleep comfortably every night, to eat well every day and to return to the city rested and in good condition.” This short work is part of Applewood’s “American Roots,” series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America’s most famous writers.

Discover the Unique Backgrounds of America’s Founding Fathers 

This small, elegant hardcover features short biographies and artful line portraits of each of the signers of the United States Constitution. An ideal companion to Applewood Books’s bestselling edition of the Constitution of the United States of America, this gift sized title includes a gold die stamped cover and a traditional design in line with other titles in our Books of American Wisdom series.

Discover one of the most influential textbooks of all time, considered the third-best selling book of all time in America and the most cherished guide to spelling in American history.

With its distinctive blue cover, it earned the nickname the blue-backed speller and was used over the span of nearly a century. This lovingly reproduced hardback is an exact reproduction of Noah Webster's 1824 edition of the American Spelling Book. An essential gift for any history or language lover, this guide remains an inspiration for new generations of spellers today.

Vintage Images from America's Grateful Past

From the earliest Thanksgivings over four centuries ago, to the iconic traditions of food and family established today, the most American of celebrations on the nation’s holiday calendar remains Thanksgiving Day. Featuring images drawn from a diverse array of historical sources, including prints, paintings, illustrations, photographs, and more, this curated collection tells the visual history of Thanksgiving in America. Discover vivid early depictions of the First Thanksgiving, Turkey obsessed historic postcards, national proclamations, and more in this fun collection charting America’s love of family and country.

Historic Herbal Medicine

Nicholas Culpeper was a seventeenth-century English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer. Published over 350 years ago as a practical health guide, The Complete Herbal (1653) is still a definitive herbal guide for today. It contains a rich store of pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge, including herbs and where to find them, herb presentation, plasters and more. 

After reaching Philadelphia, Tubman began thinking of her family. "I was a stranger in a strange land," she said later. "My father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were in Maryland. But I was free, and they should be free."

Harriet Tubman was a fugitive slave whose work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad made her a legend. Born in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849 and supported herself by working in Philadelphia hotels before relocating to Canada and, later, New York. Tubman first returned to Maryland in 1850, when she helped a niece escape from Baltimore, and over the next ten years, she frequently risked her life to liberate family members and other slaves in the area. During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse and a spy for the Union army in South Carolina, where she was known as General Tubman. After the war, Tubman returned to Auburn, New York, where she spoke at women's suffrage meetings with other prominent figures such as Susan B. Anthony. This book is a testament of Harriet Tubman’s bravery and triumph in the face of overwhelming danger!

In 1939 Robert L. May, a copywriter working at Chicago's Montgomery Ward & Co., wrote a holiday story at the request of his employer. Almost two and a half million copies of the little tale about a reindeer with a shiny red nose were given away to all the children who visited Montgomery Ward stores that year. The rest is history. Seventy-five years later, the beloved classic is once again available in a hardcover faithful facsimile of the 1939 Rudolph, with original text and original Denver Gillen illustrations.

A May/June 2000 BookSense ’76 Selection

Accelerated Reader Program Selection

In China, a beautiful ceramic tile lies shattered on the ground, and the artist who dropped it is sentenced to the land’s worst punishment. The fierce warlord will execute the artist unless some wise person can put the seven pieces back together. That person will then be invited to live in the castle. Both locals and strangers from far away wait their turns for a chance to solve the warlord’s puzzle.

After learning why these people are waiting to enter the castle, a peasant boy convinces his poor but wise father to join the line. This little boy starts them off on the first step to solving the puzzle—entering the contest.

Accelerated Reader Program Selection

’Round Christmastime, things are a little different on the Emerald Isle. Instead of logs thrown onto the fire, we find turf blazing bright. Instead of cold eggnog spiced just right, the mother and father are enjoying their stout. You’ll find no Donner or Cupid or Blitzen, but Ould Neddy the donkey and his small cart. Father Christmas with his Irish eyes twinkling ushers in his seven elves, to enjoy the poteen and plum pudding and unpack his large sack. And thus begins the wondrous Irish Night Before Christmas.

This humorous tale in the same vein as the famous Cajun Night Before Christmas® is the Irish version of Father Christmas’s yearly visit. Told in delightful brogue, it will have everyone wishing “Nollaig sona agut!” (Merry Christmas to you!).

Father Christmas, with his Irish eyes twinkling, ushers in his seven elves and thus begins this Irish tale.

Jenny Giraffe is all set for the big Christmas parade, the caroling, and especially, the arrival of Papa Noel. But Jenny has never experienced the holiday season and hasn’t any idea what Christmas is all about or even who Papa Noel is! Luckily, her friends T-Boy, Lita, Claude, and Angelle are going to teach her all about the joyous season through the special Christmastime celebrations in Louisiana.

Jenny Giraffe Discovers Papa Noel brings the holiday spirit to homes everywhere through the fun-loving adventures of everyone’s favorite four-legged artist. From the celebrated Christmas parade to the tradition of the Christmas tree to the story of Baby Jesus’ birth, Jenny learns to appreciate the excitement and love of the season. She even gets to participate in some truly unique Louisiana festivities like the lighting of the bonfires along the river to guide Papa Noel on his route to deliver his gifts. But Jenny is still puzzled about who this jolly man is and why it is that some people call him Santa Claus. Perhaps only on Christmas Eve will everything become much clearer.

Author and stand-up comedian Michael Strecker tells jokes about po’ boys and ferries, and crawfish and oil—everything under the New Orleans sun! Paired with the comically animated illustrations of Vernon Smith, fans of the Crescent City will be belly-laughing about the unique yet familiar places, people, and things. Included are silly takes on local favs such as this gem: “Why did the Chihuahua need to go to the optometrist? It had Popeyes!”

Featuring a “What Dat?” glossary of local terms and their pronunciations, this collection of hilarious and guaranteed age appropriate jokes will have readers laughing ‘til the remoulade comes out of their nose!

Set in a Louisiana bayou and told in Cajun dialect-de chirren been nezzle/Good snug on de flo'--the poem has lively illustrations that perfectly suit the unique text.
-Horn Book

Rice is especially good with facial expressions, whether they are on a Texas jack rabbit, a longhorn steer, a dusty cowboy, or the green and long-nosed alligator named Gaston.
-Library Journal

It's the night before Christmas in a tiny shack on the Louisiana bayou, and Santa Claus, with his eight friendly alligators and toy-laden skiff, is on his way. Written in lively Cajun accents, the best-selling Cajun Night Before Christmas� is a beloved holiday classic. Now, with this innovative coloring book, children of all ages can put their own colorful spin on the story. These brilliant illustrations are sure to inspire some wide Cajun smiles.

Author Kathleen Welch, a member of the Core Committee for developing the Louisiana Alzheimer’s State Plan, and her husband, illustrator Alan McGillivray, provide a child’s perspective in their tale for little ones experiencing Alzheimer’s and dementia in their family. As the elder elephant and her young grandson spend the day together, she forgets her hat, loses her brush, gets lost, confuses her grandson’s name, and tells stories of things that happened long ago as if they just occurred. When danger threatens, her love for her family shines through the clouds of her memory and she remembers things she learned as a child. The author provides a guide to further discussion with young children and a resource list for families facing this devastating disease.

Nana loves to make Kole magical green dinosaur pancakes for breakfast. In Green Dinosaur Pancakes Kole discovered Nana’s pancakes come to life and the strongest survive their morning spats! In this sequel, the green T-Rex just won’t leave Kole alone. When Kole encounters a school bully, the prehistoric pancake helps him out of a sticky situation. In this anti-bullying tale, Kole and the green reptile stand up to the bully and learn that a little kindness can go a long way and that friends can come from the most unexpected places. Author Kat Pigott offers a timely lesson and talented teenage artist Mason Sibley provides appealing characters in this entertaining story.

Learn colors and numbers with a Lone Star twist!

From one black horse to ten purple pinwheels, this lively board book takes children on a colorful journey through Texas! Everything from four espátulas (“spoonbills”) to five botas (“boots”) to six garza (“egrets”) come to life in vivid photographs of Lone Star backyards and open fields. This bilingual picture book will spark the imagination and creativity in every child—Texan or not! Children will enjoy the educational nature of this book, counting from place to place and picking up a few Spanish words along the way! An enjoyable and relatable counting adventure, the beautiful photographs make learning colors and numbers in two languages as easy as uno, dos, très!

“In Lindsley’s vigorously brushed rural scenes, the comically gesticulating red rooster often occupies the foreground as, behind, a multiracial procession of revelers in colorful festival costume goes from farm to farm begging for a handout.”
—Kirkus

With her trademark lyricism, Louisiana musician and author Johnette Downing draws readers through an Acadian landscape. This brand-new tale introduces a cagey rooster who vows not to be in the communal gumbo pot this Courir de Mardi Gras. Downing provides a glossary of traditional French-Cajun words used in the story and a delicious recipe for gumbo z’herbes .

Award-winning musician and author Johnette Downing has performed on five continents. Her book Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh represented the State of Louisiana in the Pavilion of States at the 2016 National Book Festival.

A relative of Dennis (Denus) McGee, the Cajun musician whose grave is a traditional stop on the Courir de Mardi Gras, Jennifer Lindsley works with all ages, introducing them to the pleasures of creativity.

Creole cooking with Grandma!

Bell peppers, shrimp, oysters, onions, and okra—Grandma stirs up these and other traditional fresh ingredients to create this special Southern dish. Add generous portions of rice and hot sauce with a handful of filé seasoning, and you’ve got a classic Creole gumbo! Now available as a board book, this delightful rhyming story features colorful collage-style illustrations surrounded by the charming and infectious poetic rhythm. Early readers and pre-readers alike will be enchanted as Grandma adds more and more items to her big black pot. Every ingredient plays an important part in the formation of this delicious dish, making it the tastiest treat in Louisiana. Bon appétit!

This baby mosquito is in for the meal of his life!

Swept away by a hurricane shortly after his birth, Boudreaux the mosquito has one biting question that needs to be answered: what are mosquitos supposed to eat?  Across the swamps of Louisiana he goes, determined to find a breakfast fit for a pest. Unfortunately for Boudreaux, not a single animal is able to help: The alligator tells him to ask the wolf, who tells him to ask the bear, who tells him to ask the wild hog. Before he knows it, Boudreaux has exhausted his wings buzzing from one ear to the next, and he’s still no closer to finding his first meal! He finally receives a very intriguing answer . . . but what will become of Boudreaux when he tests this theory?

More Southern Christmas spirit than you can handle!

Cyndi Lou finds herself in a quite a fix when her beau, Billy Ray, tries to secure her affection with an assortment of Christmas gifts. This sounds like a pretty good deal for Cyndi Lou and her Memaw, but when the gifts go on for twelve days straight and include such Christmas “treasures” as razorback hogs, live catfish, and a dozen possums, it’s hard for Cyndi Lou to really get into the Christmas spirit. What with all of the armadillos and those Nascar racers taking up residence in the double-wide, is it any wonder the sheriff has to put Memaw in the sanitarium? This enchantingly fractured version of the well-known rhyme for adults will truly “bless your heart!”

Gold/Honors Award Winner
National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Children’s Products
The Big Read 2010
Recommended Reading List for the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools

Based on a popular song adapted by the multi-award-winning New Orleans singer-songwriter Johnette Downing, Today Is Monday in Louisiana rhythmically takes readers through a culinary calendar, describing a Louisiana meal a day. Now adapted to board book format for tiny hands, each page presents collaged images of yummy foods. On Monday there are red beans to eat and on Tuesday, po’ boys. On Wednesday gumbo is served, and on it goes, each day bringing another unique and tasty Louisiana dish to share.

Johnette Downing stays true to her Louisiana roots in her newest book, featuring a young pelican searching for his proper home. As Petit Pierre journeys across the wetlands, he asks each creature where he should live. He accumulates gifts from them until he realizes the wetlands are home to all his friends and, just maybe, to Pierre as well!

Within the luscious illustrations are facts about the denizens of the wetlands and how each reader can make a difference in preserving and protecting the wetlands for generations to come. Proceeds from this book, created in partnership with the Audubon Nature Institute and the New Orleans Pelicans, fund wetland education programs.

When is enough really enough?

Bon Dieu! In this Cajun take on a Brothers Grimm classic, can you ever have too much of a good thing? When fisherman Paul catches a talking fish, it promises to grant him a wish if he lets it go. As proof, the supernatural sac-à-lait piles crawfish into his boat. Paul returns home with his reward. It seems his wife is just not satisfied! She dreams up progressively outlandish demands each time he returns home. Eventually everyone learns that you must be careful what you wish for if you want to hang on to what’s really important. In this third collaboration between author Connie Collins Morgan and illustrator Herb Leonhard, the wonderfully woven tale is brought to life with moody and expressive images with a Louisiana flair. Readers of all ages will delight in this soon-to-be classic Cajun tale!

Throw me out there, mister!

When Carnival rolls around in New Orleans, everyone gets into the celebration—including the beads! On Fat Tuesday, a plain string of little purple beads hangs from a hook on a parade float. His fervent wish is to be caught by someone special. The bigger and fancier beads tell him that no one will ever catch him. But a little hope and determination may go a long way in the magical season of Mardi Gras! When the bead spots a little princess in the crowd, he knows she is the person for him! Will she try to catch him? The heartwarming tale offers opportunities for a discussion of bullying, self-worth, and inclusion with young readers. The delightful story and illustrations from this daughter/father team will charm the entire family and become a parade route favorite!

Raised in New Orleans, Julie P. Rowley holds a master’s of education in early childhood curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans. Her stories were inspired by her daughter’s imagination.

A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, John R. Paquette is a retired editor. He is also a professional vocalist and a talented portrait artist and illustrator. He enjoyed collaborating with his daughter.

This delightfully illustrated book for young readers tells of a child getting used to the idea of sharing with his little brother. He doesn't want to! But he soon finds out that if he shares with brother, brother shares with him.

Sophisticated city mouse Chicory never imagined she would venture beyond her elegant Creole home in New Orleans—until she falls asleep in a picnic basket and wakes up in the Cajun swamps! There she meets Roux, a simple country mouse, and together they experience the bucolic bayou life. Chicory persuades Roux to see what the city has to offer, and they journey to New Orleans for a taste of Creole culture. Idyllic picnics and lavish white-linen luncheons offer both delights and frights in this Southern retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. Whimsical illustrations and two original songs make this a story you won’t forget!

Todd-Michael St. Pierre is the author of several New Orleans cookbooks and children’s books. He was a judge for The Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest and is a dedicated gardener and cat lover.

Lee Brandt Randall has a degree in printmaking from Louisiana State University. She works in graphic design, film animation, and book illustration and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Told with a Texas twang, this tale features a dozen icons of the Lone Star state. Clever rhymes count down the days of Christmas, revealing such surprise gifts as silver spurs, oil wells, and armadillos. Festive illustrations fill the pages of this western romp.

Get ready to stomp and chomp to that mambo beat! When carnival time rolls into New Orleans, these hip dinosaurs want to boogie on down. Iguanodon wiggles to the music of a marching band, while Zigongosaurus dances zydeco and Pterodactyal swoops into the crowd. From singing tunes and tossing beads, these big beasts sure know how to party. Laissez les bon temps rugir!

Take a streetcar ride through the Crescent City!

Snowballs, second lines, balconies, and gardens—when you’re in New Orleans, you won’t want to miss any of the sights and sounds! In this colorful new picture book, hop on the streetcar at St. Charles Avenue and follow the rolling rhymes past Uptown mansions and Garden District greenery. Switch to the red line and glide by Mid-City homes and through the historic French Quarter. This book is your family’s ticket to the wildlife, buildings, and culture that make New Orleans a place unlike any other! Hold on tight to the handrail, because with Marion Rea Brian’s charming storytelling and Jennifer Lindsley’s light-hearted illustrations, you’re in for the ride of your life!

“Reading Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, wonderful memories came running through my mind like a river. Being born in New Orleans, the people selling fruits and vegetables were a big part of the community I lived in. This book also brings to life the beauty and history of the city.”

Arrr ye knotty or nice?

Cap’n McNasty and his crew of roguish rapscallions are back and badder than ever! When the Cap’n kidnapped a little elf from Santa, he didn’t count on the elf inciting a mutiny and high-seas hijinks by telling tales of the wonders of the North Pole. Cast adrift and faced with stormy seas, ravenous sharks, and a striking lass who just might capture his black heart, Cap’n McNasty faces the voyage of his life. His double-dealing crew has ideas of their own and sets their sights from swabbing decks to decking halls—and changing the North Pole forever. From bow to stern, this impishly illustrated yarn of Jolly Rogers and a jolly old elf will give yer funnybone no quarter!

May the best dinosaur win!

Where can you see T. rex weight lifting, pteranodon gymnastics, and stegosaur volleyball? At the Prehistoric Games, of course! Every thousand years, the fastest and strongest dinosaurs light the ceremonial torch and fight tooth and claw for the gold medal. Wings will flap, tails will swish, and crowds will cheer as these Cretaceous competitors battle for glory. Clever rhymes and vibrant illustrations make this a perfect book to read aloud with the entire family. A glossary and pronunciation guide ensure that each reading is as educational as it is exhilarating! No matter what era you’re from, this rawr-some book will satisfy your inner dino!

From his classroom at school to streets near and far,
Paul looks for a snoball by foot and streetcar.
Sip up and slurp up this sweet, sticky story
that's chock-full of snoballs in their sugary glory.
Bursting with colors like mango and grape
—and spearmint and cherry and rich wedding cake—
these bright pictures sparkle like fresh-shaven ice.
You will read it again—to start, at least twice.
This triple-fun story's a scrumptious delight.
Snoballs for all? That sounds just right!

Color your way through New Orleans cultural icons!

Not just for kids anymore, coloring books are the newest way for adults to de-stress and let their minds rest. What better way to do that then beside your youngster with this coloring book featuring 31 iconic images of New Orleans life? From the zoo, the City Park carousel, and the Superdome to king cakes, streetcars, and beignets, classic cultural images are waiting to be colored! Created by a graphic artist and mom to celebrate the culture and traditions of New Orleans, this coloring book allows everyone to share in the Crescent-City experience. Perfect for locals and tourists of all ages, these stylized outlines of childhood memories will be treasured for years to come.

Joey, left at home alone one night, sees and hears strange things, but he has the superior wit to convince any and all possible monsters that his brother, Dan, is the better choice for dinner.