Books published by publisher First Avenue Editions

Young children usually think of their home as the structure in which they live. In Our Big Home, the author and illustrator present a much larger vision of home as the planet Earth. Linda Glaser's beautiful poem is a wonderful way to gently lead children toward the all-important understanding of caring for our environment. In her lyrical, child-oriented style, she presents the idea that our big home is shared not only with all people but with all plants and animals as well. She shows that we share the air, the water, the soil, and other elements that affect and sustain all of us who live on Earth. Elisa Kleven's vibrant art enhances the concept as she takes young readers to an African plain, a Caribbean island, a South American mountain, and around the world to see people and animals reveling in the beauty and abundance of our shared home.

The identity of Mother Goose may remain a mystery, but the timeless appeal of the fairy tales and nursery rhymes associated with this cherished imaginary author has lasted for generations of young readers. This collection includes more than three hundred of Mother Goose's best-known and best-loved nursery rhymes for children. Here, Humpty Dumpty has a great fall, Jack and Jill go up the hill, and the dish runs away with the spoon. Peter Piper picks a peck of pickled peppers, little Miss Muffet sits on a tuffet, and Mother Goose herself rides through the air on a very fine gander. Also included are favorites such as "Three Blind Mice," "Little Bo-Peep," "Hot Cross-Buns," and "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary." This collection, taken from the 1916 copyright edition, features charming full-color illustrations by Blanche Fisher Wright.

Bronco Charlie longs for a life of adventure. By the time he turned eleven, he’d been a sailor, a cowboy, and could tame wild bucking broncos. But Charlie was always itching for new challenges, and when a Pony Express horse shows up riderless, Charlie gets his big chance. The next station is fifty miles away, and Charlie will have to ride through rocky mountains in the blinding rain to safely deliver the mail. With the threat of hostile Indians, wild animals, and the dangers of riding at night, will Charlie find the courage to face his fears and prove that you’re never too young to be brave?

Ten-year-old Orry Jenkins is sick and tired of the dust. The year is 1935 and Kansas hasn’t gotten enough rain in years. Instead of rainstorms, they get dust storms. One day, Orry and his little stepsister go outside to play. They’re far from home when a huge dust storm comes up. Stranded alone on the plains, the children must find a way to survive the terrible black blizzard.

When nine-year-old Sarah and her little sister, Annie, set out on their way to school on January 12, 1888, they have no idea what their day will hold. The weather’s so warm they go outside to play. Suddenly, the wind turns cold and begins to roar―it’s a blizzard! The wind is so strong it rips the school’s roof off. What will they do? The freezing snow is already up to their knees and without a roof they’ll freeze. Their teacher, Miss Freeman, ties them all together with a long rope and they head out into the blinding storm. Will they make it to safety in time?

On December 21, 1848, Ellen Craft and her husband, William, slipped out into the cold, dark night and took their first steps towards freedom. They were runaway slaves. Posing as a white man traveling with a slave, Ellen courageously boarded a train bound for Philadelphia. Could they actually make it a thousand miles without being discovered? As each tension-filled day passed and freedom got closer, Ellen and William risked everything - even death - to be free.

One morning in March 1888, twelve-year-old Milton Daub awoke to find the world buried in snow. The blizzard was like nothing Milton and his neighbors in the Bronx had ever seen. No one dared go out into the storm. No one, that is, except Milton. He and his father made a pair of snowshoes from barrel hoops and old roller skates. Then Milton stepped bravely into the storm to buy milk for his family. Soon he was buying supplies for everyone in the area. His neighbors declared him a hero. The Blizzard of 1888 set records in the Northeast that are still unbroken. It forced whole cities to shut down for days. But Milton didn't let the snow stop him from helping neighbors in need. His true story is both an exciting adventure and a heartwarming glimpse of old New York.

It’s the summer of 1900, and 10-year-old Robert Pettibone is bored. His parents have sent him to stay with his Aunt Maudie in Galveston, Texas. She doesn’t let him do anything by himself. When a storm comes up, he rushes to the beach to take a closer look. But this is no ordinary storm―it’s an enormous hurricane headed straight for Galveston. Raging winds and rising floodwaters threaten to destroy the entire town. Can Robert and his aunt survive the worst natural disaster in U.S. history?