Books published by publisher Trafford

“How Katie Got a Voice (and a cool new nickname)” is a story of challenge, triumph, and acceptance. The students and teachers of Cherry Street School all have nicknames that celebrate their differences. But the new girl, Katie, is really different. She can’t walk. She can’t talk. It seems like she can’t do anything! So how can the other students involve her in their activities? And how can they give her a nickname?

Service dogs are the hands, legs, eyes, or ears of a person with disabilities. Labrador retrievers and German shepherds are well suited for the work of a service dog. They have a love of people and great energy. They are strong, calm, and patient. They do not chase other dogs, birds, squirrels, or cats. They excel at all kinds of jobs when properly trained.

This book has offered me an opportunity to put a few basic principles of life into simpler terms so that the very young can understand them. It has also given me the chance to use my imagination just a bit to add a little color to the circle of life. From an early age, I was a thinker. I would spend many hours twisting and turning things in my mind. My third grade teacher would sometimes read my stories in class and that was my favorite time in school. I never stopped writing and I realize that many of the new places that I visit are only in my mind, fueled by imagination and understanding the meaning of what if.

Never set a Pond on Fire is a collection of four short stories. These stories are gleaned from the authors days growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River and an oral tradition of story telling in his family. All are full of adventure. Each story has a different theme. They range from a whimsical story of a high school senior prank gone terribly wrong to a night of shear terror being cornered by a murderer. From being lost deep in the bowels of Mark Twain Cave to an eyrie tale of an apparition.

Architecture comes in many shapes and sizes. The Aspiring Architect is an activity book that allows students to investigate architectural history, design, games, and geography. Design your own floor plan. Learn about Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Locate amazing buildings building around the world. The Aspiring Architect is a fun way to explore the World of Architecture.

A Message from the Author Back in 1965, when I was teaching reading to first-graders, I began writing books to help them become independent readers. These books used only a few words to tell enjoyable little stories. They gave the children practice in figuring out words on their own. I didn't realize that they would also become classics, beloved by children who cherished them, carried them around constantly, hugged them in bed, and re-read them until their families could recite them by heart and the books themselves collapsed in tatters. These children have grown up and want to share their favorite little storybooks with their own children. The first to be republished was Ann Likes Red, brought out by Purple House Press in the Fall of 2001. Now the others are being reprinted, starting with Ballerina Bess, a simple story written with only 25 words and beloved by many little girls who learned to read with it. I hope you will like it, too. The other titles in the series, to be reprinted later, are The Tent, The Rabbit, Big Beds and Little Beds, The Pond, Stop Pretending, Bill and the Fish, Brad and Neil, and my personal favorite, The Sandwich.

African Empires presents a comprehensive and in depth analysis of the major empires of the African continent over thousands of years. This book penetrates into the various kingdoms and and rich cultures of Africa including East Africa, West Africa, North Africa, South Africa and Central Africa. African Empires brings to life a colorful cast of historical characters including African kings, queens, scholars, religious leaders, artists, warriors and merchants which helped to shape the direction of these great African civilizations. The epic landmark events of Africa are captured and explained in detail to provide a full understanding of this dynamic continent and it's contribution to world history.

Benny the Penny and the Big Secret is a story within a story. It was Lillie's birthday, but instead of being happy, she was miserable. Her uncle Chris knew it, and he knew what to do. Christopher took Lillie to his coin room and showed her his most prized possession: a tarnished old penny he named Benny. Then Lillie's uncle showed her the story he wrote about Benny and what it means to be special-The Big Secret. Lillie read it, and it was exactly what she needed. You can read Uncle Chris's story too. It's right here in this book.

After being diagnosed with plagiocephaly, Miller began wearing a cranial remolding orthosis (baby helmet) for treatment. My Little Blue Helmet is based on the true story of Miller's journey. In this story, Miller asks his mother many questions that a typical child might ask about wearing a helmet. His mother recaps the journey from the day he was diagnosed until the day he graduated from the helmet. This book was written to encourage other families who have children undergoing treatment for plagiocephaly.

We Shall Not Be Moved narrates the story of the Kent State student-led May 4th Coalition and its efforts to maintain untouched the site of the Ohio National Guard’s shooting of thirteen Kent State students.The story is told in a local context of the group’s development and motivations during a long-term conflict between the group, its supporters, the university administration. The story is also told in a much larger context of national polarization over the meaning of the Vietnam War and the peace movement and the preferred historical narrative about the Vietnam era. The book concludes that the May 4th Coalition lost its struggle to save the May 4th site because Americans determining the Vietnam narrative did not believe the protest of 1970 should be honored with saved land.