Books published by publisher Wheatmark

Join Pok'along and friends in this third book of the series as they face the evil Tarifess in an effort to protect and help their newfound friends: the Digadoos and Poto People. Pok'along, Ground Hog, Charlie, and Hoot are on their way home from the Land of Noso when they hear of an evil plot to destroy the Poto community, a small and defenseless people living at the south end of the forest. Together with the Digadoos, they prepare for war. But it isn't until they make friends with an unlikely ally that they discover the true secret of victory and the power of friendship. Pok'along in the War with Tarifess shows that by working together, dangers can be faced, problems solved, and friendships can grow to last a lifetime. All three books in the Pok'along and Friends series are ideal for reading to small children and carry a positive message of friendship. Books one and two of the series are Pok'along in the Valley of the Digadoos and Pok'along in the Land of Noso.

Raised by her widowed mother in a Tamil village in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, "Sandy," born Pooranam Elayathamby, grew up in poverty with her five sisters. Married at sixteen, she had three children before twenty and was widowed by age thirty. In the middle of a frightening twenty-year civil war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and left her family destitute, Sandy had no choice but to accept a housemaid job in the Middle East, working in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for nearly fifteen years, to send money home. She was one of the thousands of Sri Lankan women who risked being bullied, humiliated, and beaten by joining the workforce serving Middle Eastern households.Mumkin Bukra -- Arabic for "perhaps tomorrow" -- recounts Sandy's struggle to save her family, her home, and herself through several decades shaped by poverty, severe cultural adversities, and the horrors of a frightening civil war.In this candid true story that will leave readers astounded by the human will, Sandy recounts the events that defined and shaped her life as a worker with little rights abroad. Hers is a story of courage, personal risk, and an unwavering faith and belief in herself and in God's help for those who choose to endure. It is also the story of a mother who does anything she can to support her children and improve their lives.About the AuthorMumkin Bukra is Sandy's memoir as told to the author, Richard Anderson, her husband and someone who spent a decade living and in the Middle East. A professor of architecture and urban planning for over forty years, Anderson holds a bachelor's in architecture from Stanford, a master's of urban planning from the University of Washington, and a PhD in regional science from Michigan State University. He also spent several years as a practicing urban planner and architect in Europe and the Pacific Northwest.

Stunned by the death of his father, 11-year-old Billy Ray Reynolds enters a world without words. With help from his mother, grandmother, and grandfather-a retired and very famous baseball clown-he battles his way back to reality in the pleasant little town of Johnsonville. At 4-feet 8-inches and weighing in at eighty pounds soaking wet, Billy faces many obstacles during the summer of 1962. But his passion for baseball, coupled with a shocking heroic event at Willow Creek, empower him to break his silence and join the Little League team. The road to the District Finals is a rough one for Billy and his teammates-full of potholes and plenty of surprises along the way. So, find a seat in the bleachers, open the book, and turn the pages.let's play ball!

Eleven-year-old Tibby Brawlien has had a crazy summer. With the help of Elock, a strange-looking creature Tibby saw in his dreams, he and his new friend Fogel Jarker rescued a brother, his sister, and their parents from cave people. Tibby -- with Elock's help -- made Fogel, who was the meanest bully in school, Tibby's friend.But was Elock actually a dream?Another adventure begins when Tibby decides that Elock exists in the real world. To find him, he and his friends must enter a dangerous cave, contend with the cave people who live there, and get out before a nearby volcano erupts. Tibby believes they can deal with any challenges that come their way -- but what will happen when they finally meet Elock face-to-face?

Five-year-old Thomas has a lot to complain about. Not only has his father left him in charge of a house full of girls while fighting the war in Iraq, but Thomas also has growing pains in his legs that awaken him in the middle of the night. Then he has an added fear when he overhears his mother talking about moving far away from their grandparents' Texas ranch to live in a city called El Paso. How can they leave the ranch they love to be around city kids who don't know anything about country things? How can he leave his grandparents who need his help? And, how will his sisters Leah, Abby, and Mia, react when they find out they must move into a neighborhood on an Army base?

Six-year-old Mia misses her daddy who is serving in the military and deployed to Africa. While at Camp Gecko at her grandparents' ranch in central Texas, she learns about Africa and imagines waving to her daddy as she rides around in the safari's Ranger. The best part about Camp Gecko is the new friends she makes -- children from a family of missionaries to Africa! She learns of the hardships of missionary life while they inform people about God. Thankful the seven campers are only pretending to be in Africa, they go bowling, act in funny skits, make animal-shaped cookies, catch frogs, and go on treasure hunts. Also while at camp, Mia beats everyone in shooting wild game and helps discover an escaped lion hiding in the barn. While she is having so much fun at Camp Gecko, what does Mia forget about? How does her brother, Thomas, help her understand that everything will be okay?

Jamil McGhee's first published work, Zaniness at the Zoo, is a result of his fond childhood memories during his visits to the zoo, and his fascination with the different personalities the animals displayed.It is his hope and desire that this book will provide children of all ages an opportunity to enjoy and envision, as he has, what it would be like to see and experience such Zaniness at the Zoo.A portion of the proceeds will be donated in support of animal conservation. You can see more animal zaniness at www.zaninessatthezoo.com.

Sixth grader Tara O'Hara is determined to find the treasure of the Taramara Indian tribe. It is hidden in the legendary Lost Cave somewhere in the Arizona desert. With the help of her enchanted medallion, Tara enters a magic land, pulling along her wisecracking younger brother, Patrick, his dog, Brutus, and her reluctant friends, Paige and Eric. There they meet Ruben, a walking, talking, nine-armed saguaro cactus, Billy Joe, a gambling, charming, gold-toothed coyote, and Pépe, a Mexican gecko who cooks the best enchiladas in all of Arizona down in his underground cantina. The children tease and bicker but keep their sense of humor while traveling across the fairyland desert into the perilous cave. They fight off an army of wolf spiders, escape from a tunnel of death, slide into a subterranean lake, and trade insults with smelly javelina pigs until at last they find the treasure and bring it back safely. Treasure of the Lost Cave was written for nine- to twelve-year-old readers. This well-written manuscript contains fifteen page-turning chapters. Author Shelly Varney-Bock weaves a magical adventure story around four children on a quest to find lost Indian treasure in the Arizona desert. The camaraderie and humor between the children is depicted in an amusing and entertaining way. The desert becomes more enchanting when portrayed as a whimsical fairyland full of danger and intrigue.

Allison is not your typical third grader. She is so full of curiosity and wonder she often finds herself in a bit of a calamity. Allison has the urge to continue her curiosities one more time even after being told to stop. But be assured, as she turns her adventures into mishaps, children of all ages will find themselves wanting to read about them One More Time.