South

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.

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.

Join Sarah, the tiniest star, on a heartwarming journey of self-belief and courage.

Sarah is the tiniest star in the sky, wishing every night that someone will make a wish upon her so she can earn her light. But wishers always choose the big stars, leaving Sarah to wonder if she’ll ever have her chance. Then, one night, a little boy with a special wish finds Sarah. When he believes in her, she finally finds the courage to believe in herself—and grant his wish. Join Sarah on a heartwarming journey to discover that even the smallest stars can shine the brightest.

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!

Celebrate your differences and be the best “you” possible!

Charlie is a maintenance streetcar. He is small and clunky and definitely not as shiny as the other cars. He spends his days laying sand on the rail lines or repairing the more popular streetcars. He doesn’t feel valued or liked by the other streetcars, and his hard work is often overlooked. It takes a series of emergencies for the other cars to learn that sometimes the person you never notice is exactly the person you need! Author and illustrator Vernon Smith takes his love of iconic New Orleans streetcars to another level in this picture book for everyone who has ever felt left out or ignored. Charlie might be different from the other streetcars, but being different is what makes him special.

Vernon Smith has been creating art since he was able to hold a pencil. He provides graphics for a wide variety of businesses through his studio, MacFearsome Comic Squares. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Smith earned a BFA from the University of New Orleans. He has worked on several comic-book series, including his own The Adventures of Dexter Breakfast and the successfully crowd-funded Hide. When not creating, Smith focuses on his most important role—being a father.

Sometimes the coolest places are right outside your front door.

Learning about Louisville's interesting and unique culture has never been so super fun!

Join the Coastal Cannonball in this exciting new All Aboard adventure. 

From the recording legacy of Muscle Shoals to suiting up for your own space mission, All Aboard, Alabama! showcases the rich history and diverse experiences young travelers can enjoy in Alabama. Try on an Egyptian mask, taste your first Moon Pie, and follow in the footsteps of heroes. Climb aboard and take a lap around the track!

The sky is dark and grey, but Florida youngsters can while away a rainy day with this colorful board book touring sodden beaches, happy plants, and key lime pie!

In 1984, Vanessa Williams broke the race barrier to become Miss America, but she was not the first Black woman to wear a pageant crown.

Black beauty pageants created a distinctive and celebrated cultural tradition during some of the most dismal times in the country's racial history. With the rise of the civil rights and Black Pride movements, pageantry also represented a component of social activism. Professor Kimberly Pellum explores this glamourous and profound history with contributions by dozens of former contestants who share their personal experiences.

The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) began its life as the Arkansas State Normal School in 1907.

Originally intended to bolster Arkansas’s teaching pool by training professional educators, the school hosted 9 academic departments, 1 building, 107 students, and 7 faculty members.The school renamed itself the Arkansas State Teachers College in 1925 and became the University of Central Arkansas in 1975. UCA now has around 12,000 students, 400 full-time faculty, 150 total degrees and certificates, and more than 120 buildings on over 350 acres.UCA was one of the first schools in the nation to create an honors program, the Norbert O.Schedler Honors College, which still thrives today. The University of Central Arkansas has positioned itself as a beacon of academic progress in Arkansas and continues to grow with Conway’s booming population sector.

Vaughn Scribner and Marcus Witcher are faculty members in the history department at the University of Central Arkansas. They organized a group of six student members of Phi Alpha Theta—the undergraduate history honors society—to write this volume, which covers UCA’s history through five main themes: campus construction, student life, sports, Greek life, and outreach. Dr. Houston Davis has been UCA’s president since 2017.

Sometimes the coolest places are right outside your front door. Learning about Atlanta’s interesting and unique culture has never been so super fun!

Did you know that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta? Or that Inman Park, dating back to 1890, is Atlanta’s oldest neighborhood? Did you know that Stone Mountain is actually a monadnock? From the Olympic games to the World of Coca-Cola, Super Cities!: Atlanta covers it all and is sure to engage any reader with fun facts about the history, culture, and people who make this city great. Explore Little Five Points, and join in the fun at Centennial Olympic Park, all right here. Take a peek inside to learn more about the impressive, unusual, super history of Atlanta!

Unearth the Hidden History of Nashville Sports

Long before the Titans arrived, Nashville’s sports story was already rich with unforgettable moments—many lost to time, now revived through deep research and rare interviews. Bill Traughber brings to light the city’s forgotten athletic past. From Tennessee’s first pro football team in 1938 to how events like Pearl Harbor and President Kennedy’s assassination shaped the local sports landscape, this book is a must-read for sports history lovers and Nashville natives alike. Read about Chuck Connors, star of The Rifleman, hitting a home run at Sulphur Dell Ballpark, and enjoy personal stories from entertainer Pat Boone and U.S. Senators Fred Thompson and Lamar Alexander. Packed with little-known facts, historic photos, and vivid storytelling, this book is perfect for readers who crave the golden era of American sports and its impact on Nashville’s cultural history. A treasure trove of memories, moments, and milestones—rediscovered and retold.

Established in 1900, the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin or UTM) is a public university in Martin, Tennessee.

Nestled in the small town of Martin, Tennessee, the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) serves as a vital cultural, academic, and economic force for the development of rural West Tennessee. UTM’s history traces back to the Hall-Moody Institute, a private Baptist institution established in 1900, which later evolved into a teacher training normal school. As the Baptist organization decided to close its doors, the University of Tennessee recognized the importance of establishing a presence in the western part of the state and brought the institution under its system. Today, UTM enrolls over 7,500 students and boasts more than 50,000 alumni. The university features a Division I athletics program and offers academic resources that play a crucial role in driving economic growth throughout the region. In 2025, UTM celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Jacksonville has always been a beer city, with its numerous saloons, bars, and taverns from the 1800s into the present-day era where breweries have now become the dominant feature of the local brewing industry. The brewing industry in Jacksonville began to take shape in the early 1900s with the Jax Brewing Company, which was founded in 1913 and brewed the Jax Beer brand. The New Orleans–based Jackson Brewing Company, which also had a Jax Beer brand, acquired the full rights to sell Jax Beer in the southeastern United States, leading to the Jax Brewing Company closing by 1960. Then the establishment of an Anheuser-Busch plant in Jacksonville in the 1960s drove the local brewing industry out of business due to the increase of more popular brands like Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch continued to fill the void that local breweries left until the advent of the microbrewery industry, which began to take shape in the 1990s with River City Brewing Company. In the 2010s, the brewing industry grew substantially in Jacksonville. By 2024, there were more than 20 breweries and still growing. Brewing in Jacksonville chronicles the history of the local brewing industry from its early days to how breweries gradually gave the Bold City its reputation as a top beer city.

Andrew R. Nicholas is a historian and native of North Florida. He graduated from University of North Florida, majoring in history, and is a member of the Jacksonville Historical Society. The photographs used for Brewing in Jacksonville come from the State Archives of Florida, Jacksonville Historical Society, Beaches Museum, and local residents of Jacksonville.

Nannie Berger Hairston was a crusader for justice in twentieth-century Virginia.

Nannie Berger Hairston was born in West Virginia in 1921, half a century after the end of the Civil War. She attended segregated schools, graduated, married and started a family. When Nannie’s husband, John, lost his job in the coal mine, the Hairstons moved to Southwest Virginia. It was the height of Jim Crow, and yet, against great odds, she and John became leaders in the community, advocating for civil rights and social justice. Nannie Hairston’s advice was sought by the powerless as well as the powerful. At the time of her death in 2017, she had taken her place as an icon for truth, justice and love.

Local author Sheree Scarborough uses Nannie Hairston’s own words to tell her story.