Books published by publisher Gunga Peas Books

The first day of school is frightening for anyone, but when a child is afraid to go to the bathroom accidents can happen. Jamal tries to be brave but sometimes it's hard to be a big boy when you think everyone is looking at you. This read-aloud book can help little ones facing a scary school experience. At the end of the story there are questions to share with your child.

Inga the Viking Girl is a chapter book written for early readers. It includes two stories about Inga Svensdotter; an eleven-year-old Viking girl who lives with her family in Einersfjord, Greenland. The first story is called Inga Goes A-Viking and it begins with the community at Einersfjord facing a huge problem. They have no food or supplies to repair their homes! The merchant ships that used to visit each year bringing important goods for trade, have stopped coming. The men of the settlement must take drastic action so they resort to the ancient Viking way of getting the goods they need to live⎯going A-Viking or going on a raid. For Inga this is her big chance to get away from her mother's attempts to make her into a lady and escape with the men for an adventure. No more sewing or learning how to cook! Even when her father tells her she cannot go, Inga is not defeated. She knows there must be a way for her to go A-Viking too. In the second story called Inga Plans a Wedding, Inga tries to help her sister, Anna, who is being forced to marry the worst boy in Einersfjord. Unlike Inga, Anna is the perfect Viking girl. She is good at cooking and her embroidery work is the envy of all the girls in the fjord. Inga, on the other hand, wishes she were a boy. She spends her days wrestling with the boys, practicing her hunting skills, and trying to avoid her mother who is determined to make a lady out of her. Even though they are so different, Inga and her sister are best friends so when the girls find out that their father has made plans for Anna to marry Gorvid, Inga decides she must help her sister. Now Inga needs a plan to stop the wedding before it is too late. But everything she tries fails. Will Gorvid really marry Anna and become Inga’s brother-in-law?

It is July 1st, 1863 and Abigail is grumbling as she leaves her home in quiet little Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It is her thirteenth birthday and still Mother is making her do chores. Honestly, fetching eggs on her birthday! She wishes she could be spending the day with her best friend Jessica and giggling about all the boys they like. But when Abigail steps onto the Chambersburg Pike road she realizes this will be a day like no other. First she notices the soldier. Then she almost drops her basket when she hears gun shots ring out. Over the next three days, Abigail's life will change forever. This book has a "Thinking About the Story" section for teachers and student who want to learn more about the Battle of Gettysburg.

When the British attacked the island of Jamaica in 1655, the Spanish plantation owners turned their weapons over to their enslaved workers and fled the island. The slaves also ran from the plantations and the brutality they had endured and headed for freedom in Jamaica’s mountains. These bands of men, women, and children were called Maroons. For years one legendary woman known as Nanny led the Maroons in their fight against the British soldiers. Nanny and the Boiling Pot is one of many fantastic tales that tell of Nanny’s amazing feats.

This nonfiction, middle grade level children's book is the second book in the Caribbean History series published by Gunga Peas Books. From the very beginning the history of Caribbean sugar and the history of Caribbean slavery were linked. This title tells the story of how the sugar cane industry developed during the colonial period. In this 3,000-word book students will learn how the industry developed, the Atlantic slave system, and the way sugar was made during colonial times. There is a list of New Words, as well as suggestions for further reading for teachers and home schooling parents.

This is a collection of three short stories about grandparents for early readers (6-8 year olds). In the first story called Grandma Joyce, It's Me! Jasmine is visiting her Jamaican grandmother. They love to play dress up and garden and feed the ducks. But one day Grandma Joyce plays the forgetting game and Jasmine is frightened. When Mama explains that Grandma is not playing a game, Jasmine realizes she can help Grandma not feel frightened too.In Grapes with Gramps, Nica and Jonathan have been waiting forever to meet their Jamaican grandfather. But when they finally meet him they are terrified. Gramps has a big booming laugh and he is so tall they think he might be a giant. Will they ever get used to Gramps?In Papa's Bees Michael Ann is a little nervous about her first trip to Granny and Papa’s house by herself. Granny does her best to help Michael Ann feel comfortable by keeping her busy with the chores, but Michael Ann just wants to see what Papa is up to.

In Prince Gerald's Very Big Responsibilities, Prince Gerald is being groomed to become the ruler of the Realm of Long Pond. Each day he meets with his tutors and accompanies his father as he conducts his royal duties. But the Prince has a secret; he doesn't want to be the ruler of the Realm of Long Pond. How can he follow his dream when he has such very big responsibilities?Brother Solomon is a monk. He is a very big monk, and he spends his days chopping wood and doing most of the heavy work around the monastery. But when the Father Abbot announces that he needs to find some new scribes to do the work of copying out manuscripts by hand, Brother Solomon is both excited and sad. He is excited because he has always wanted to be a scribe, but he is sad because no one would think of having a big huge monk work on the delicate manuscripts. In Big Brother Solomon: A Scribe and a Half, Brother Solomon dares to follow his dream.It is the first day of formation training for seven-year-olds and the two sisters, Una and Petulia do not want to be late. But when Petulia shows up wearing a shiny pink outfit Una is a aghast because Dragons Don't Wear Pink.In Dr. Del and Nurse Buttercup Dr. Del has a problem. Nurse Buttercup is Dr. Del’s most trusted assistant. Not only does she help him take care of his patients, she also makes sure his office runs smoothly. But Nurse Buttercup is very grumpy – not such a good thing for a doctor who works with little children every day.Most of Petal’s friends believed The Dreamtoucher’s Tale was just a silly fairytale – a story that fairy mothers told their children to help them create their dreams. “The Dreamtoucher knows,” they said. “She knows if you are being good children and creating good dreams. Dreams your families can be proud of.” But today Petal really needs to believe in the Dreamtoucher because without her Petal will not be able to dream her dreams into the world like all good fairies should.

My Name is Noel is a middle-grade chapter book set in Miami, Florida. The main character is a 12-year-old Haitian boy named Noel. Noel and his grandfather have recently braved the ocean, in a small boat, to leave French-speaking Haiti and join his parents in Miami. He soon learns it is not popular to be Haitian in Miami and he thinks it is because of his French background and his dark skin. He cannot change his skin, but he can change his French name in the hope that his classmates will accept him. Instead of being called Noel, he asks to be called Neal. When Noel joins his new school’s soccer team and uses the soccer skills he learned from his father in Haiti to help the team win an important game, his schoolmates begin to accept him. My Name is Noel is written from Noel’s point of view and describes an immigrant boy’s struggle to fit in. The problems he faces trying to get used to a new country are compounded by his poverty and a general unfriendliness towards Haitians in Miami. Young people reading this story will see how overcoming their own prejudices can lead to real friendships.

Kiesha doesn't understand what is happening to her family. Papa hides behind the newspaper at dinner time. Her big brother Derrick is always grumpy and is getting into trouble all the time. And Mama seems unhappy. If not for her precious library books, Kiesha would be unhappy all the time too. When she discovers a family celebration called Kwanzaa, Kiesha thinks she has found a way to help her family. She works hard to create a special family Kwanzaa, but is it too late? In this middle grade fiction story readers will learn about how some families celebrate Kwanzaa, but this story is really about family and togetherness and the power of love. At the end of each chapter I have provided questions to help you think a bit more about what happened .

In the early 1400s the Duke, Jean de Berry commissioned a book. At this time books were written out by hand and lavishly illustrated by highly accomplished artists. The Duke's book is a most valuable example of the art of the illuminated manuscript that was perfected during the Middle Ages. This nonfiction book is written for the middle grade (8-12 year old) reader. It covers the art of making illuminated manuscripts in a lively and engaging way.