Books with author Maria Nelson

Life can be disappointing. Broken dreams, hurtful experiences, and even our own failures can bring us to a place of plodding along, burdened under the weight of heartbreak or others’ expectations. Faced with such challenges, some of us work harder, hoping that things will eventually get better. Others become angry and bitter. Cinderella knew this all too well. Thrown into sudden personal loss and cruel demands, she tried her best to keep her spirits up and please her stepmother and stepsisters. Sadly, her efforts failed. Cinderella’s salvation, however, lay not in her own efforts but in someone else—someone who would accept her for who she was, rescue her from disillusionment, and take her to his home where they could live happily ever after. God never meant for us to live in discouragement. Using the story of Cinderella, Rescuing Cinderella shows us how Jesus, God’s Son, came to give us the happily ever after God has for each one of us. We can let our difficulties bring us down or make us bitter and cruel, or we can let God give us His life and renew in us hope and expectation. When we exchange our struggles for God’s abundant life, we will become the delightful, wonderful, captivating women we were meant to be.

George Washington Carver was born a slave in Missouri about 1864 and was raised by the childless white couple who had owned his mother. In 1877 he left home in search of an education, eventually earning a master's degree. In 1896, Booker T. Washington invited Carver to start the agricultural department at the all-black-staffed Tuskegee Institute, where he spent the rest of his life seeking solutions to the poverty among landless black farmers by developing new uses for soil-replenishing crops such as peanuts, cowpeas, and sweet potatoes. Carver's achievements as a botanist and inventor were balanced by his gifts as a painter, musician, and teacher. This Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book by Marilyn Nelson provides a compelling and revealing portrait of Carver's complex, richly interior, profoundly devout life.

No road in the United States is more iconic than Route 66. From a song named after the route to being a setting in famous books On the Road and The Grapes of Wrath, Route 66 has made an impression on American popular culture. Through this lens, readers are introduced to the almost 100-year old highway as well as the many fun road trip stops along its length. Fun fact boxes offer interesting historical context and destination suggestions as full-color photographs highlight this famous road. ?

The Stars and Stripes, with its iconic colors and patterns, has long been a symbol of freedom in the United States and all over the world. But the US flag were familiar with today has only been around since 1959. Before that, the flag took on many different arrangements. Readers will learn about the many versions of the US flag that came before our current version. Colorful, patriotic photographs aid readers in understanding the text, as do informative graphic organizers.

Monkeys and apes have a reputation for being funny animals. At zoos, the monkey house is one of the most popular places to visit because they do many things that seem awfully silly to people! Readers will enjoy having a whole bunch of jokes to tell about our primate friends. Cool facts and colorful photographs and illustrations engage readers as they navigate wordplay, puns, and fun. In this case, monkeying around is a good thing!

This riveting novel in verse, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Toni Morrison, explores American history and race through the eyes of a teenage boy embracing his newfound identity Connor’s grandmother leaves his dad a letter when she dies, and the letter’s confession shakes their tight-knit Italian-American family: The man who raised Dad is not his birth father. But the only clues to this birth father’s identity are a class ring and a pair of pilot’s wings. And so Connor takes it upon himself to investigate—a pursuit that becomes even more pressing when Dad is hospitalized after a stroke. What Connor discovers will lead him and his father to a new, richer understanding of race, identity, and each other.

Few workplaces are more extreme than the International Space Station. Just getting launched into space is a pretty extreme commute. Accessible text explains the fascinating, intense training that astronauts endure to prepare themselves for life in space. Also discussed is life at the station, including the foods they eat, the research they do, and how the team relaxes. Inspiring photographs help readers to understand more about life above Earth.

Poetry illustrated in the poet's own words - with brief prose descriptions of what she sees inside her work -- this exquisite collection takes readers back in time and deep into the mind's eye of Marilyn Nelson. A girl ponders being free-but-not-free. Orphaned brothers get gold fever. A conjurer sees past his time and into ours. The voices of a multi-ethnic, multi-racial 19th century Manhattan neighborhood are rising again One of America's most honored writers - a Newbery Honor medalist, Coretta Scott King Medalist and National Book Award nominee -draws upon history, and her astonishing imagination, to revive the long lost community of Seneca Village.

Good listening skills help make communicating with others a better experience. Being quiet when another person is talking allows them to pass on information more easily. It implies that the listener respects the speaker. Nodding and smiling when someone speaks can help them know they are being listened to, as well. Readers will learn about these skills and more while navigating relatable situations. Vivid photographs will enhance the different ways listening skills are important and how to use them. Through achievable content and everyday settings, readers will learn how to become better listeners.