Books published by publisher Playsmith

Bradley Chalkers, a fifth grader at the Red Hill School, has trouble getting along with his classmates until he meets Carla, a new school counselor. She not only listens to his wacky stories, but encourages him to use his powerful imagination. But just when Bradley's social world begins to broaden, the school board decides to let Carla go. What will happen to Bradley now? This heartwarming story of a young boy's search for friendship and acceptance is one of Sachar's most popular novels, and readers will identify with Bradley's troubles and eventual transformation when he finds a friend in Carla.

Gary W. Boone knows he was born to be a stand-up comedian. It’s the rest of the kids in his class who think he’s just a goon. Then the Floyd Hicks Junior High School Talent Show is announced, and he starts practicing his routine nonstop to get it just right. Gary’s sure this will be his big break—he’ll make everyone laugh and win the $100 prize. But when an outrageous surprise threatens to turn his debut into a disaster, it looks as if the biggest joke of all may be on Gary himself.

Cobb employs a conversational and engaging voice in these texts, and this, coupled with colorful photographs on every page, will stimulate readers. Included are experiments to do under adult supervision. From pictures of different types of display formations to those of chemicals being loaded into mortar tubes, readers will find interesting illustrations that support the text in Fireworks. They will learn about the science of pyrotechnics and be exposed to words like chemical reaction, combustion, and lift charges. Sections offer a historical overview of the evolution of the study of fire, the mechanics of building fireworks (including how to add different colors), how explosions are timed, and how pyrotechnicians avoid nasty surprises. ~Reed Business Information

In this book, Vicki Cobb takes young readers on an adventurous exploration of the living conditions in Arizona's Sonora Desert. Readers will be fascinated by the people and unusual animals that make their homes in this desert. Also describes the fantastic engineering accomplishment of the Hoover Dam. The descriptions and illustrations will captivate even the most reluctant of readers.

Franklin & Eleanor presents two stories side by side. It begins with the Roosevelt cousins' privileged childhoods, then turns to their political lives during Franklin's presidency--his establishment of the New Deal and strong leadership in wartime; her lifelong support of civil rights. Eleanor's rejection by her mother is a classic Cinderella story, and Franklin's adult struggle with polio is presented with compelling drama. Otherwise, the view is idyllic; there's not a hint of tension or inner conflict. Harness' realistic, detailed line-and-watercolor scenes will attract children to the history and politics, and her powerful portraits, quiet and intense in soft shades of blue, show the Roosevelts as they age.

The narrative opens in the spring of 1775, as eight-year-old Johnny helps with the chores in his family's Massachusetts farmhouse while his father attends the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The author chronicles the boy's home life, alluding to the historical events leading up to the outbreak of the American Revolution. The highlights of the war are then accessibly recapped with the help of paintings and illustrated maps embellished with painstakingly lettered notations about key incidents and individuals. Completing the volume, a brief account of Adams's adult years mentions his tour as a diplomat, his single term as the sixth president and his service in the House of Representatives until his death in 1848. ~Publishers Weekly

There are 6,200 known invasive species in the United States, and scientists are scrambling to stop their unique paths of destruction, which can take a huge toll on regional economies and ecosystems. To effectively combat an invader, scientists must know the organism inside and out: What does it eat? How does it reproduce? What was its environment like in its native home? There are many questions, but just one right answer might yield a weakness in the enemy. In this entry in the Scientists in the Field series, Sneed B. Collard III introduces readers to some of the most brilliant minds, and promising advances, in the war against invasive species.

In this delightful book, readers will be taken on an adventure to a ranch in the American West. The text and illustrations, both by Roxie Munro, are engaging and informative. Children are taken on a tour through ranches of the 1800s and ranches of today. They can compare and contrast between the two time periods and see what has stayed the same and what has changed. Children will learn and have fun at the same time!

Cobb's cleverly conceived new series, Where's the Science Here?, focuses on food chemistry, not nutrition, in examinations of six seductive snack foods (popcorn, corn chips, chocolate, candy, potato chips, and soda). Well-digested explanations and low-tech projects reinforce Cobb's reputation for snappy hands-on science writing for children, who will eagerly toss a diet soda into a tub with a regular one to confirm that the diet variety always floats higher, or snip a hole in a new bag of potato chips to see how the nitrogen inside, used to keep the chips fresh, can snuff out a candle. Gold's photos stand well above those in most nonfiction science series and directly support Cobb's intentions in a way that generic stock images can't match. A concluding analysis of nutrition labels emphasizes the negatives aspects of things fatty, salty, and sugary.