Books published by publisher Fireside Publications

EPIC's 2017 Young Reader winner. When Rhea goes with her mother to the animal shelter, they return home with a dragon! Rhea and her family find out what Wondry Dragon eats, where she sleeps, and what she needs when going out on a walk. Almost everyone in the neighborhood is friendly to Wondry, except the neighborhood bully, Johnny. However, Rhea and Wondry have a surprise for him!A children’s chapter book story for ages 6-8 (grades 1-3).From the Midwest Book Review:Do you like dragons? Follow the adventures of Wondry Dragon as she finds a new home with her new human friend, Rhea, in Joan Marie Verba's delightful story, "Wondry Dragon Finds a Home." Rhea and her mom and dad have never had a dragon in the house before, and they all learn what Wondry can and cannot do. Rhea and Wondry play together, help out their neighbors—and try to stay out of trouble. Rhea can never tell what Wondry will do next because Wondry is always surprising her with what dragons can do. Wondry will surprise young readers ages 6 to 8 as well! A children's chapter book story suitable for students in grades 1-3, "Wondry Dragon Finds a Home" is very highly recommended for both community and elementary school libraries.

In 1977, NASA launched the space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to explore Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. This book tells of what was known about those planets and their moons before the Voyager missions, as well as what Voyager discovered about those planets and their moons. This book is written for the middle-grade reader, and can be enjoyed by readers age 12 and up. NASA launched Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977. These flights of exploration greatly expanded our knowledge of the outer planets of the solar system. Verba gives a concise but fairly thorough description of the Voyager project from conception through the completion of the probes’ photographic mission. Voyager begins with a brief discussion of the exploration of the solar system prior to the project. . . . Each of the chapters on the outer planets begins by describing what was known before Voyager, followed by what new things we learned as a result of Voyager. . . . The material is appropriate for interested 5th and 6th graders, but the vocabulary level is more at the 7th- and 8th-grade level ... this is a good account of the flights of Voyager 1 and 2 and what we learned from them. –Science Books and Films Verba’s account is crammed with information about the moons, rings, atmospheres, temperatures, and orbits of these planets . . . the large quantity of information makes this a worthwhile resource. . . . –Booklist Joan Marie Verba has written a wonderful tale of the craft that have gone where no one has gone before. . . . Geared toward the intermediate student, the books is well written . . . and brimful of information. –Science Press

Darcy Daisy is upset and confused after hearing rumors about Ms. Zinnia, a community member who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She shares her concerns with her mother, who helps Darcy get answers to her questions about the illness. This book is intended to help children understand what bipolar disorder is, the importance of community acceptance, the need to alleviate fear by collecting good information and the harm that can result from rumors and gossip. With whimsical illustrations by Kimberly Shaw-Peterson.