Books with author Bill Hart

A classroom favorite!An inspiring story of intergenerational friendship, activism, and how our actions can drastically impact our environment. “Harley’s appealing story shows readers that adults and children can connect in meaningful friendships, and reminds them that conservation can begin in their own backyards.” ―Kirkus ReviewsWhen his father takes a new job in Massachusetts, Ben Moroney must leave behind his best friend Tony, a western banded gecko named Lenny, and worst of all, the Arizona desert home he has loved and explored.Ben’s adjustment to his new environment is not going well until he unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in his eccentric fifth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Tibbets. She introduces him to the rare and elusive Eastern spadefoot toads that make their home on her rural property. When Ben discovers that Mrs. Tibbets’s land may be sold to developers, he knows he has to do something. As Ben’s obsession with saving the spadefoot toads’ habitat grows, his schoolwork and his relationships with his family and new friends suffer. But just when it seems things can’t get any worse, Ben finds a way to meet his responsibilities to the people around him and demonstrates the importance of even the smallest efforts to save the earth’s rapidly disappearing habitats.A beloved exploration of important environmental themes, this appealing middle grade novel comes from renowned storyteller and two-time Grammy Award winner Bill Harley.Green Earth Book Award (Children’s Fiction) – Newton Marasco FoundationTeacher’s Guide available!

A classroom favorite!An inspiring story of intergenerational friendship, activism, and how our actions can drastically impact our environment. “Harley’s appealing story shows readers that adults and children can connect in meaningful friendships, and reminds them that conservation can begin in their own backyards.” ―Kirkus ReviewsWhen his father takes a new job in Massachusetts, Ben Moroney must leave behind his best friend Tony, a western banded gecko named Lenny, and worst of all, the Arizona desert home he has loved and explored.Ben’s adjustment to his new environment is not going well until he unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in his eccentric fifth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Tibbets. She introduces him to the rare and elusive Eastern spadefoot toads that make their home on her rural property. When Ben discovers that Mrs. Tibbets’s land may be sold to developers, he knows he has to do something. As Ben’s obsession with saving the spadefoot toads’ habitat grows, his schoolwork and his relationships with his family and new friends suffer. But just when it seems things can’t get any worse, Ben finds a way to meet his responsibilities to the people around him and demonstrates the importance of even the smallest efforts to save the earth’s rapidly disappearing habitats.A beloved exploration of important environmental themes, this appealing middle grade novel comes from renowned storyteller and two-time Grammy Award winner Bill Harley.Green Earth Book Award (Children’s Fiction) – Newton Marasco FoundationTeacher’s Guide available!

Lacey Blue, the greyhound, is so small, Mama calls her Little One. What Lacey lacks in size, however, she more than makes up for with her intelligence and heart. After a short but successful racing career that ends dramatically, she begins a series of adventures with various owners that will push her to the very limits. Along the way, Lacey makes many friends and a few enemies. There are many greyhounds, dogs, several retired thoroughbreds, and a cat or two in this story.Both Lacey and her humans find love and danger in this heartwarming fantasy/adventure/romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you love animals, adventure, or romance, you'll love Lacey's story.From the fast paced action on the race track where triumph and tragedy are just hundredths of a second apart, to the couch where she spends her happy days snuggling with her owners, Lacey lives a full life. When you have to earn your supper by being fast and tough however, being the smallest dog at the track is no joke. Lacey must rely on her own wits and strength as well as the lessons she learned from Mama.When her racing career ends, she finds that life is no easier and a whole new set of challenges and obstacles must be met. No matter what life throws at her, Lacey remembers Mama's words, "Always do your best..."Set in the American Southwest, this story of love and adventure demonstrates why dogs are considered man's best friend. Some of Lacey's friends are her couch mates, Ranger and Smokey, two retired racers. Some of her human friends are Ryan, the young trainer, Dr. Maria, Lacey's vet, and Ali her sister. Ryan and Ali make a perfect couple, but fate seems to keep them apart, despite the best efforts of Dr. Maria, Ranger, and Smokey.While time is running out for Ryan and Ali, Lacey finds, whether she is on the track or off it, there is always a race to run as she tries to find her forever home.During her adventures, Lacey and her four-legged friends face the same dangers and experiences that dogs face in real life including, greyhound racing, dog fighting, and hunting. Through it all the intricate relationships between Lacey and her humans reveals how well dogs understand us and how little we really know about them.

Meg couldn't even die right. Oh, she died alright and met some animal spirits, but then she came back. Now, thanks to that "NDE" she can talk to animals like Lacey the greyhound and they can talk to her, but this is nothing like Doctor Doolittle. Being able to talk to animals may sound cool, but that's what got her into so much trouble.The second book in the "Lacey Blue Greyhound" series is set in the Great Desert of the American Southwest. "Lacey Blue and the Rejects" is a story about an unwanted child and her animal friends finding a forever home. Meg is a ward of the state and has never known her own mother or what it feels like to be loved. Because she keeps running away and is arrested for shoplifting, Meg is ordered to perform community service work at an animal shelter on a ranch. Being shuffled from foster home to foster home has left Meg with a heart as hard as flint, but when she starts to hear the animal's stories her hardened heart begins to soften. She soon forms a bond with Lacey Blue, a retired greyhound, and other animals she meets in her work.Then her world is turned upside down when she learns that animals are disappearing. When the evil men who are stealing the animals find out that she is on to them they chase her into the desert. But Meg isn't alone, she has Lacey, Dusty a retired race horse, Shiplap, a cat who thinks he's a pirate, and his long suffering sister, Nadine to help her.While they hide in the desert, trying to avoid the men who wish to silence her, the Rejects Club begins to make plans for a forever home. Unfortunately, they aren't exactly sure what a home is all about. Then the net tightens and once again, they are forced to flee with several close calls.Finally, Meg and Lacey must overcome their fear in order to rescue their friends. Meg must face the evil men and somehow figure out a way to stop them. This fast paced, supernatural, adventure will keep you turning pages until the exciting conclusion.

Lacey Blue, the greyhound, is so small, Mama calls her Little One. What Lacey lacks in size, however, she more than makes up for with her intelligence and heart. After a short but successful racing career that ends dramatically, she begins a series of adventures with various owners that will push her to the very limits. Along the way, Lacey makes many friends and a few enemies. There are many greyhounds, dogs, several retired thoroughbreds, and a cat or two in this story. Both Lacey and her humans find love and danger in this heartwarming fantasy/adventure/romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you love animals, adventure, or romance, you'll love Lacey's story. From the fast paced action on the race track where triumph and tragedy are just hundredths of a second apart, to the couch where she spends her happy days snuggling with her owners, Lacey lives a full life. When you have to earn your supper by being fast and tough however, being the smallest dog at the track is no joke. Lacey must rely on her own wits and strength as well as the lessons she learned from Mama. When her racing career ends, she finds that life is no easier and a whole new set of challenges and obstacles must be met. No matter what life throws at her, Lacey remembers Mama's words, "Always do your best..." Set in the American Southwest, this story of love and adventure demonstrates why dogs are considered man's best friend. Some of Lacey's friends are her couch mates, Ranger and Smokey, two retired racers. Some of her human friends are Ryan, the young trainer, Dr. Maria, Lacey's vet, and Ali her sister. Ryan and Ali make a perfect couple, but fate seems to keep them apart, despite the best efforts of Dr. Maria, Ranger, and Smokey. While time is running out for Ryan and Ali, Lacey finds, whether she is on the track or off it, there is always a race to run as she tries to find her forever home. During her adventures, Lacey and her four-legged friends face the same dangers and experiences that dogs face in real life including, greyhound racing, dog fighting, and hunting. Through it all the intricate relationships between Lacey and her humans reveals how well dogs understand us and how little we really know about them.

A classroom favorite!An inspiring story of intergenerational friendship, activism, and how our actions can drastically impact our environment. “Harley’s appealing story shows readers that adults and children can connect in meaningful friendships, and reminds them that conservation can begin in their own backyards.” ―Kirkus ReviewsWhen his father takes a new job in Massachusetts, Ben Moroney must leave behind his best friend Tony, a western banded gecko named Lenny, and worst of all, the Arizona desert home he has loved and explored.Ben’s adjustment to his new environment is not going well until he unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in his eccentric fifth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Tibbets. She introduces him to the rare and elusive Eastern spadefoot toads that make their home on her rural property. When Ben discovers that Mrs. Tibbets’s land may be sold to developers, he knows he has to do something. As Ben’s obsession with saving the spadefoot toads’ habitat grows, his schoolwork and his relationships with his family and new friends suffer. But just when it seems things can’t get any worse, Ben finds a way to meet his responsibilities to the people around him and demonstrates the importance of even the smallest efforts to save the earth’s rapidly disappearing habitats.A beloved exploration of important environmental themes, this appealing middle grade novel comes from renowned storyteller and two-time Grammy Award winner Bill Harley.Green Earth Book Award (Children’s Fiction) – Newton Marasco FoundationTeacher’s Guide available!

Meg is a troubled girl who has been shuffled from foster home to foster home. She calls herself a reject. It makes her tough and smart, but also hardens her heart and she begins running away no matter where they place her. Granny Greer's shelter is her last chance before going to lock up. Her court ordered community service assignment is to help to care for the animals. That's where she meets other rejects, the animals that no one wants. Using her unusual gift, the ability to communicate with the animals, she learns a terrible secret. When evil men find out that she is on to them, she must run for her life. With the help of Lacey Blue, a retired greyhound, Dusty, a retired race horse, a crazy cat who thinks he's a pirate, and his longsuffering sister, she hides in the desert trying to find her way back and planning a way to find a forever home for all the rejects. Though she already knows too much for her own good, she just needs to find one more key piece of evidence, but time is running out and the men who want to silence the rejects are closing in. Many animals will die if she fails to stop them. One young teenaged girl and her lovable animals are battling the odds with only her own determination, courage, and kind heart to guide her. Lacey Blue and the Rejects is a supernatural adventure about love and the true meaning of home that explores the limits of human kindness and cruelty with many twists and turns.

A young boy’s hopes and an unusual bicycle bring about magical results.Life is an adventure for ten-year-old Darius Frobisher. His eccentric father Rudy sells insurance four days a week. The other three days he goes on exotic journeys. But when his father flies off in a hot air balloon and doesn’t come back, Darius’s happy, carefree life suddenly comes to an end. He is sent to live with his notoriously nasty Aunt Ida, where he has to sleep alone in a cold, damp basement and dodge the horrible teenage boy next door.Darius sees a ray of hope when he finds a rusty old bicycle in the basement and begins to repair it in secret. Then one day he is startled to see an old man with long flowing hair riding a bicycle across the sky! That gives Darius a strange and wonderful idea. Now he knows what he has to do to get away from his miserable life.Grammy-winning storyteller Bill Harley tells an offbeat, broadly drawn story, featuring a cast of curious and unconventional characters that will easily capture the attention―and imagination―of young readers.

A young boy’s hopes and an unusual bicycle bring about magical results.Life is an adventure for ten-year-old Darius Frobisher. His eccentric father Rudy sells insurance four days a week. The other three days he goes on exotic journeys. But when his father flies off in a hot air balloon and doesn’t come back, Darius’s happy, carefree life suddenly comes to an end. He is sent to live with his notoriously nasty Aunt Ida, where he has to sleep alone in a cold, damp basement and dodge the horrible teenage boy next door.Darius sees a ray of hope when he finds a rusty old bicycle in the basement and begins to repair it in secret. Then one day he is startled to see an old man with long flowing hair riding a bicycle across the sky! That gives Darius a strange and wonderful idea. Now he knows what he has to do to get away from his miserable life.Grammy-winning storyteller Bill Harley tells an offbeat, broadly drawn story, featuring a cast of curious and unconventional characters that will easily capture the attention—and imagination—of young readers.

Gabriel the Canada goose has a big dream. When he grows up, he wants to lead his flock’s yearly migration, just like his dad does. There’s only one problem: he has no sense of direction. He couldn’t find his own way south, let alone lead a flock! This fable follows Gabriel as he leaves home for the first time and makes his way through danger and failure. He enrolls in navigation school but barely makes it there alive! A flock of ducks must first nurse him back to health. As he recovers, he finds himself making an unusual friend with a very different way of flying. He doesn’t know it, but this accident later becomes the key to his success. After all, there’s no rainbow without rain. After thirty-one years in ministry, Bill Harrell wrote this fable with his grandchildren in mind. Your children will soon learn that God can use anything—even life’s challenges—for your good when you pursue the dreams he has put in your heart.