Books in Anne Schwartz Books series

Nancy knows that she and her pen pal, Ally, are going to be as close as sisters. And from the moment Ally steps off the plane to visit, the two girls are inseparable. With Ally's endless energy and Nancy's boundless joy, even everyday activities like dancing become a celebration of friendship.This irresistibly funny, heartwarming story -- which features an unlikely duo -- proves what all best pals know to be true: Friends are the family you shoose.

Little David Earl always knows what day of the week it is. He can tell by the clean, snappy-fresh apron Ma Dear is wearing -- a different color for every day. Monday means washing, with Ma Dear scrubbing at her tub in a blue apron. Tuesday is ironing, in a sunshine yellow apron that brightens Ma's spirits. And so it goes until Sunday, when Ma Dear doesn't have to wear an apron and they can set aside some special no-work time, just for themselves.In their first collaboration, Newbery Honor author Patricia McKissack and award-winninng illustrator Floyd Cooper lovingly recreate a slice of turn-of-the-century Southern life as it was for a single African-American mother and her son.