Books in AWARDS: Texas Bluebonnet Master List 2008-2009 series

Case Callahan isn't a star swimmer like his sister, Quinn. He's not a champion horse trainer like his father, or a popular stage actor like his mother. Still, Case is determined to make his mark. But one effort after another – talent show, science fair, junior horse show – is a terrible failure. It isn't until Case comes upon a lost dog that he finds his path to success. The dog, whom Case names Noah, is certainly one of a kind – what other golden retriever can answer the telephone and put dishes in the dishwasher? Together Case and Noah seem destined to become a trophy-winning team. Noah, however, is so smart because he was trained to be a service dog, and when Case learns about his dog's past, he realizes there is more than one way to be a winner.With thoughtful black-and-white illustrations, this is the perfect story for any child who has struggled to discover his talents – and for any dog lover.

When Louisa May Alcott's Little Women was published in 1868 it was an instant success. Louisa drew on her experiences in writing the novel, but there's a lot more to her rags-to-riches story. Louisa came from a family that was poor but freethinking, and she started teaching when she was only seventeen years old. But writing was her passion. This informative biography captures the life of a compassionate woman who left an indelible mark on literature for all ages.

On summer nights Marisol helps out in Papi's music store. As customers come and go, they share memories of the Latin music and dance of their various homelands, expressed in a dazzling array of poetry. The diversity of Latin American music is brought to life in poems that swivel, sway, and sizzle with the rhythms of merengue, vallenatos, salsa, and samba.Back matter includes a map, author's note, and further information about the musical heritage of Latin America.

In this contemporary yet timeless collection, acclaimed anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins brings together sixteen selections that reveal through poetic word imagery the common universal emotions and feelings we all have, whether they be happy, excited, wishful, proud, sad, or lonely. The poems taken as a whole reflect the great variety of people in our society, bringing children of today into focus as they meet with childhood experiences and also interact with adults in their world. The moving and insightful verses--more than half of which were commissioned specifically for this collection--were created by many well-known writers, including Joseph Bruchac, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Nikki Grimes, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Carole Boston Weatherford, Jane Yolen, Pat Mora, and Janet S. Wong. Glowing illustrations by Chris Soentpiet infuse the poems with life, exquisite settings, and atmosphere. Readers of all ages will want to feast their eyes on these captivating poems and images again and again.

In this heart-stealing picture book, fine artist Robert Rahway Zakanitch gives us 16 masterful, soulful, impossibly expressive portraits of dogs, and Maya Gottfried wonderfully captures their voices and inner personalities in 16 enchanting poems. It’s a doggie delight! These dogs beg to be patted, tickled, scratched, and ruffled. Which one will be your best friend?

The childhood of Louis Armstrong was as fascinating as the great musician himself-and this chapter book biography tells it like never before. Play, Louis, Play! is written from the point of view of Louis' closest companion throughout his youth-his horn! In a jazz-inflected, exuberant voice, this unusual narrator tells it all, starting with the small New Orleans hock shop where little Louis bought his first trumpet for five hard-earned dollars.As Louis goes from a street quartet to the marching band of the Colored Waif 's Home to the big sounds of New Orleans jazz clubs, author Muriel Harris Weinstein creates a moving portrait of the jazz legend. Includes a detailed author's note, glossary of jazz terms, and bibliography.

A lyrical, strikingly illustrated story celebrates the unifying power of soccer.In a dusty township in South Africa, Ajani and his friends have earned a brand-new, federation-size soccer ball. They kick. They dribble. They run. They score. These clever boys are football champions! But when a crew of bullies tries to steal their ball, will Ajani and his friends be able to beat them at their own game?

Glamorous, swashbuckling, daring adventurers? Pirates have had good publicity for a long time. But they were really a bunch of misfits, thugs, and ne'er-do-wells who spent most of their time bored, waiting for a few moments of excitement and rich booty that could very well get them wounded or killed, or captured and executed. Still, a pirate's life was chosen by many, and this poetry collection describes the highs and lows and everything in between for those who swore the oath of the Brotherhood.