Books published by publisher Archway, 1978.

"Save the Manatee Club is honored to be featured in Dream It, Believe It, Manatee Patty. This endearing tale of Manatee Patty, a young lady improving the lives of manatees and other wildlife, is not just a story but an inspiration to take positive action. To echo what our chairman, Jimmy Buffet, has said, We've accomplished a lot, but there's still so much more to be done." - Patrick Rose, CPM Aquatic Biologist and Executive Director Save the Manatee Club save the manatee.org Eight-year-old Manatee Patty is fascinated with marine life, especially manatees, Florida's sea cows. Her dream is to live in a world where everyone takes responsibility to protect wildlife and conserve our beautiful planet. On Manatee Patty's birthday, her next-door neighbor gives her a dreamcatcher with magical powers. Each time she holds her dreamcatcher and closes her eyes, beautiful photographs of manatees and other species from throughout the world are magically revealed. Now she must wait to see if her gift will breathe life into her dream of protecting her planet and all its creatures. Manatee Patty's life changes suddenly when she is told that her father's new job will include an unexpected move from tropical Florida to Wyoming in the dead of winter. Will this upcoming move be helpful or a setback in following her dreams? Will her friends in Florida stay in touch after she moves? Will her dream of becoming a biologist like her dad or an assistant to her aunt, an international photojournalist, be realized? In this delightful children's book, a little girl on a determined journey discovers the first step to make her dreams come true is to believe.

Nilly is an insect baby, known as a nymph. She is tiny without much color. A storm transports Nilly through the air and drops her in a small creek away from her family. She lives beneath the water, feels like an ugly ducking, and has the appetite of a hungry caterpillar. She eats, hides, eats some more, watches, and wishes. In the water, she realizes there are no other creatures like her. Everything is moving and changing, but Nilly seems to stay the same. She wants to be graceful like the snakes, colorful like the frogs, and have gills and teeth that work like the fish. She is amazed, too, at the birds and how they rise from the water and fly. Nilly wonders what she will be when she grows up, and hopes the growing up happens soon. For Nilly, a time of great change is coming. She will learn that all things happen for a reason ... and at exactly the right time.

Taylor Swine is a little pig with a big dream.She wants to be a politician. Even though all the other animals make fun of her, Taylor Swine is determined to make her dream come true-even if it means running away from home. One day after she decides to escape, she wiggles under a fence and heads down a country road toward a promising future where she hopes to help people. When her journey becomes more difficult than she imagined, she is rescued by a loving family who eventually teaches her that there are many ways to help elect good people to public office. In this beautifully illustrated pig-tale, Taylor Swine discovers the importance of family while learning how to take an active role in the political process.

Book one of The Adventures of Tommy the Texan and Captain Billy narrated the story of how Billy's relationship began with his friend in flight, Tommy the Texan. Their adventures brought them from their meeting in a barn in Arizona to Tommy's new home in a hangar at a small airport in Danbury, Connecticut. Billy and his crew restored Tommy and prepped him to return to the air. Book two of the Tommy the Texan series, The Adventures of Tommy the Texan and Captain Billy: A Return to Blue Skies, shares how the bond between Tommy, a T-6 Texan airplane, and Captain Billy keeps growing as he and his crew prepare for Tommy's first test flight and a return to blue skies. Lois and Tracie, two of Billy's pilot friends, become new members of the team. The story follows the team as they get Tommy ready for his test flight and face a challenge that could be a big problem. The crew flies down to Florida to attend a flying formation clinic where Billy hopes to get certified so their adventures can continue.

In What If ...?, author Mario J. Radford tells an uplifting story of the life journey parents often make with their children as families navigate the trials of childhood and adolescence together. Through illustrations and rhyming words, this picture book for children touches on everything from getting out of bed in the morning to participating in sports and music. What If ...? celebrates family and the unique relationship between a father and his children. It's filled with gentle advice about how to handle a range of life decisions as one dad encourages his kids to think big and be all they can be.

It is 1957 and Margie Viccareeza is entering the fifth grade at Mohawk Elementary School in Park Forest, Illinois. After enduring a difficult fourth-grade year, Margie is determined to talk less in class, be a better listener, and stand up for herself. She wants fifth grade to be her best year ever. Armed with a new attitude, Margie enters school on her first day only to discover that Lisa Bisby, the skinniest and meanest girl in the entire fifth grade is in her class again. Suddenly she finds herself standing at a fork on a road of good and bad decisions. With help from a compassionate teacher and lessons learned from both positive and negative experiences, Margie soon unveils the true meaning of friendship and the rewards of making thoughtful choices. The Fork in My Fifth-Grade Road shares the tale of a young girl's journey to realizing that she is responsible for the choices she makes in life.

Alex the monkey has only one arm. Rebecca the rabbit has floppy ears that don't stand up straight. Zoe the zebra has green and black stripes. These are just some of the animals who are members of the Weird Animal Club. They're all just a little different from the others, but they've become best friends. They play together and have lots of fun with their human friend, Cate, a girl who walks on her toes. When they are old enough to attend school, the animals are all a little afraid of what might happen. They decide they will stick together and support each other. They meet Kelly the kangaroo. Her pouch didn't grow, so she looks different than the other kangaroos. But the members of the Weird Animal Club warmly welcome her into their group. A picture book for children, The Weird Animal Club Goes to School shares a story of acceptance, tolerance, empathy, and loving kindness.

Nancy is a beautiful dragonfly. In fact, her friends say that she is the most beautiful dragonfly ever! Her friends are Freddy Tree Frog and Little Blue Baron. Together, they are best friends, and they always have fun. Nancy thought her life would be perfect forever, until one day ... While diving to catch a mosquito, Nancy doesn't notice Blackie the Widow Spider's web. Her wing gets caught, and in a panic, Nancy pulls herself loose. A piece of her beautiful wing is left behind, so she flies away and hides. She doesn't think her friends will like her, so she remains hidden. She expects her friends to laugh, but her best friends make her realize something important. They don't love Nancy because she's beautiful on the outside but because of a different reason altogether!

Although handicapped, young Mikey is optimistic and never sees his condition as an obstacle in life. He always looks on the bright side and is always curious, so when he starts learning about global warming in school, he's fascinated. He had no idea the environment was so fragile, so he decides to use his smarts and his imagination to find a way to help. Mikey and his friends investigate real science, beginning with the atmosphere, and soon learn how humans can negatively impact the Earth. Instead of harming Earth, Mikey thinks we should live in harmony by being mindful of the choices we make and living symbiotically with the environment while brainstorming new ways of thinking about conservation. The intention of Adventures of the Runaway Wheelchair is to spread scientific awareness in an entertaining way. For many young students, learning science is tedious and boring. Using a mix of whimsy, comedy, and fantasy adds an entertaining balance between fact and fiction. We all must learn the importance of our world and that it could be in grave danger unless we change present behaviors to alter the future.

In the rhyming picture book Zack had our Back(ages 3-8), a young girl encounters one of the city's homeless veterans whose appearance unsettles her. She learns an important lesson about judgement, however, when the encounter takes an unexpected turn. The verse is accompanied by colorful illustrations to accommodate young attention spans while revealing the veteran's service to country, the reason behind his life on the streets,and a surprise about his character. This delightful story occupies an unusual niche in children's literature for its delicate handling of difficult subject matter and its resonance with both young and old. Zack had our Back is a tool for parents and teachers interested in preventing the toxicity of misperception before it can shape the soul, the mind, and conscience of young children in their care.