Books published by publisher WordSong

Birds offer endless fascination for those of us patient or lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Fortunately, award-winning writer Jane Yolen and photographer Jason Stemple once again give readers the chance to closely observe a brand-new flock of these creatures in expertly rendered poetry and photographs. Each poem and picture combination beautifully and thoughtfully captures both bird and a moment of time. Brief facts about each bird, reviewed by an ornithologist, are included.

Fourteen poems compiled by award-winning poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins introduce readers to the various construction people who collaborate to create a high-rise hotel building, from architect to crane operator to glaziers and more.How does an empty lot transform into a new hotel? This anthology begins with a busy construction site, and an architect's (and her daughter's) dreams drawn on blueprint paper. Next, workers with huge machines--backhoes, dump trucks, cement mixers, etc.--roll in. Poems full of noise and action describe every step of the construction process. From welders and carpenters building the skeleton of the building to plumbers and electricians making its insides work, this book celebrates people and equipment working together to build something magnificent.

Enter the Scarum Fair ... if you dare! Take a ride on the Scary-Go-Round and Teacup Terror, or enter the Coffin Race. Meet The Head, The Hand, and Madame Ratowski, the palm reader who likes to be paid in swiss cheese. Visit the chiropractic tent of Dr. Crunch, who'll "pulverize your sternum, and disconnect your knee, then move your metatarsals where your tailbone used to be." And unusual food awaits: sample some cat-hair stew, I-scream, and a type-A blood-red punch. Cap off the entertainment with a special event: Count Dracula's wedding. Jessica Swaims's deliciously creepy, funny poems are brought to life by Carol Ashley's gorgeous, ghoulish illustrations in this CRA Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Silver Honor Book.

Farmer's famous dog is back! In his first adventure (in the popular Farmer's Garden), the ever-curious dog interviews everything from worms to carrots to cats. Now he's off to the forest to meet new friends and ask more questions: Woodpecker, Woodpecker what do you see? Squirrel, Squirrel, what's the matter? Brook, Brook, where do you flow?David L. Harrison's charming rhymes for two voices, with gentle illustrations by Arden Johnson-Petrov, provide young readers with plenty of lighthearted fun while they participate in Dog's newest adventure.

The darkness--and the goodness--in the lives of the young men of Gary, the armpit-city of Chicago, cries out in this poetry. The Chocolate City. Hell. The Land of Robbing Hoods. Gary, Indiana, has a number of names. It stands as a mother guarding her roach-like inhabitants, their crime, their greed. Has God left this town? Has He left the crumbling church where parishioners pocket donations for hamburgers and candy? Or does He turn the other cheek to pious morality, happy instead to see laughing and card playing and love from His flock on Saturday night? The solitary voice of the city's young men pose these questions in this bittersweet, poetic collection. Both angry poverty and innocent childhood are explored in this YALSA/ALA Best Book for Young Adults by Curtis Crisler with unclothed sincerity.

A masterful collection by the author of Fly With Poetry and Sea Stars. Why are butterflies so universally loved? Is it the dazzling colors in exquisite winged art? Is it our reaction to amazing feats of flight? Is it the miracle of change that fascinates us—that wonderful metamorphosis from tiny egg to brilliant insect? Avis Harley explores these questions and the many others that have captivated humans throughout history. Eighteen structured poems—haikus, tanka, sonnets, villanelles, and other forms—examine how monarch butterflies taste with their feet, migrate 2500 miles every year, and cover entire forest groves when they rest. A Small Matters section at the back explains the fact and science in the poems refer.