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Books published by publisher WordSong

  • Words with Wings

    Nikki Grimes

    eBook (Wordsong, Sept. 1, 2013)
    Gabby's world is filled with daydreams. However, what began as an escape from her parents' arguments has now taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer, and words that carried her away might allow her to soar. Written in vivid, accessible poems, this remarkable verse novel is a celebration of imagination, of friendship, of one girl's indomitable spirit, and of a teacher's ability to reach out and change a life.Nikki Grimes has been awarded a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award. Words with Wings has been named a 2014 ALSC Notable Children's Book in the middle readers category.
  • Come to the Fairies' Ball

    Jane Yolen, Gary Lippincott

    Hardcover (WordSong, Oct. 1, 2009)
    A whimsical rhyming tale set in a fairy world. The king has set forth an invitation to the fairies: come to the ball! And everyone is in a delightful tizzy, searching for their top hats, their boots, and their crowns—and where-oh-where are those spider-web gowns? The fairies finally arrive, towed by swans, rowed by fish. One group of five got there fast on a wish. But one fairy is left behind, her only dress in tatters. What should she do? The resident ants offer her some wise words. In this rhyming picture book, with a slight nod to the tale of Cinderella, celebrated author Jane Yolen and award-winning illustrator Gary Lippincott create a magical fairy kingdom that will charm all who enter.
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  • My Name Is Jorge: On Both Sides of the River

    Jane Medina, Fabricio Vanden Broeck

    Paperback (WordSong, Oct. 1, 1999)
    Jorge is trying to learn the ways of his new country. He wants to fit in at school, but he doesn't want to forget his homeland, Mexico. His family is still doing things like they're in the old country, but Jorge wants to find out everything he can about his new country--on the other side of the river. Learning a new language, getting a library card, taking tests, and making friends are challenges for Jorge. Just when Jorge has found a friend in Tim, his life changes once again. Told from the point of view of Jorge, Jane Medina's moving poems vividly depict one boy's struggle to make a new life in a new country.
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  • Fly with Poetry: An ABC of Poetry

    Avis Harley

    Paperback (Wordsong, Feb. 1, 2000)
    Poetry has been and always will be part of us. Events in everyday life have been recited, chanted, and sung since the beginnings of language. In ballad or rap, sonnet or blues, poetry is the imaginative expression that illuminates something within us. But many children, and adults, shy away from poetry, thinking it's too complicated, remote, obscure--the baffling cousin to prose. Fly with Poetry, a witty, insightful collection of original poems, introduces a rich variety of poetic forms and techniques--some handed down through the centuries, others comparatively new--and all presented in a clear, reader-friendly format. Through poetry with its myriad of forms there is no limit to the imagination. This fresh collection will inspire beginning poets of all ages to explore and discover the delight and excitement of words and language structure, and perhaps even create new forms of their own.
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  • Jumping Off Library Shelves

    Lee Bennett Hopkins, Jane Manning

    Hardcover (WordSong, Sept. 8, 2015)
    Here is the library! Fifteen poems celebrate the thrill of getting your first library card, the excitement of story hour, the fun of using the computer, the pride of reading to the dog, and the joy of discovering that the librarian understands you and knows exactly which books you'll love.The poems, compiled by noted poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins, pay homage to the marvels of books and reading. Accompanied by Jane Manning's colorful, imaginative illustrations, this collection celebrates the magic of libraries and is a must for every school and public library.
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  • Garvey's Choice

    Nikki Grimes

    eBook (Wordsong, Nov. 4, 2016)
    This emotionally resonant novel in verse by award-winning author Nikki Grimes celebrates choosing to be true to yourself.Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading—anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father—by speaking the language of music instead of the language of sports. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
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  • If You Were a Chocolate Mustache

    J. Patrick Lewis, Matthew Cordell

    Paperback (Wordsong, April 21, 2020)
    Now in paperback, a collection of original, wickedly funny poems from Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis accompanied by illustrations by Caldecott Medal-winner Matthew Cordell.In this tasty collection, J. Patrick Lewis stirs humor into an astonishing array of subjects--from animals to school to dragons to food. And he delivers them in a remarkable variety of forms, including riddles, limericks, nonsense rhymes, parodies, anagrams, story poems, haiku, and more. Baked in Lewis's brilliant imagination and sprinkled with Matthew Cordell's warm, witty drawings, the result is a book that will delight any young reader!
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  • Catching a Storyfish

    Janice N. Harrington

    Hardcover (Wordsong, Sept. 20, 2016)
    A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year This lyrical middle-grade novel-in-verse celebrates the power of story and of finding one’s individual voice. Keet knows the only good thing about moving away from her Alabama home is that she'll live near her beloved grandfather. When Keet starts school, it's even worse than she expected, as the kids tease her about her southern accent. Now Keet, who can "talk the whiskers off a catfish," doesn't want to open her mouth. Slowly, though, while fishing with her grandfather, she learns the art of listening. Gradually, she makes her first new friend. But just as she's beginning to settle in, her grandfather has a stroke, and even though he's still nearby, he suddenly feels ever-so-far-away. Keet is determined to reel him back to her by telling him stories; in the process she finds her voice and her grandfather again. This lyrical and deeply emotional novel-in-verse celebrates the power of story and of finding one's individual voice.
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  • Ordinary Hazards

    Nikki Grimes

    eBook (Wordsong, May 19, 2020)
    A Michael L. Printz Honor BookA Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor BookArnold Adoff Poetry Award for TeensSix Starred Reviews -- ★Booklist ★BCCB ★The Horn Book ★Publishers Weekly ★School Library Connection ★Shelf AwarenessA Booklist Best Book for Youth * A BCCB Blue Ribbon * A Horn Book Fanfare Book * A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book * Recommended on NPR's "Morning Edition" by Kwame Alexander"This powerful story, told with the music of poetry and the blade of truth, will help your heart grow."--Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Shout"[A] testimony and a triumph."--Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way DownIn her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.
  • Keep a Pocket in Your Poem: Classic Poems and Playful Parodies

    J. Patrick Lewis, Johanna Wright

    Hardcover (Wordsong, March 28, 2017)
    Thirteen classic poems by poets such as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and David McCord are paired with parodies written by J. Patrick Lewis that honor and play off of the original poems in a range of ways. For example, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is paired with "Stopping by Fridge on a Hungry Evening" to hilarious effect, whereas the combination of Emily Dickinson's "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" with Lewis's "'Grief' is the thing with tissues" is profound, and both David McCord's "This Is My Rock" and Lewis's "This Is My Tree" hum with a sense of wonder. This playful introduction to classics will inspire imagination and wonder even as it tickles funny bones.
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  • Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky

    Georgia Heard, Jennifer Dewey

    Paperback (WordSong, Jan. 1, 1997)
    Creatures of land, water, and sky are featured here in short poems for early readers. Noted poet and educator Georgia Heard writes about baboons and bears, eagles and bats, dragonflies and frogs. Naturalist and illustrator Jennifer Dewey captures each animal in dramatic detail. The book is written and illustrated with a reverence for the natural world and for wildlife and will find an audience not only in children but in nature-lovers of all ages.
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  • Walrus and the Carpenter, The

    Lewis Carroll

    Paperback (Wordsong, Aug. 1, 1998)
    Boyds Mills Press publishes a wide range of high-quality fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, novels, and nonfiction
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