Books in Books for Young Learners series

The moving story of a young girl's struggle to face her mother's death."She traveled to our small white house near the Iowa border on a buckboard, her green bag caked with the dusty road . . . I knew that she was called "the Shrouding Woman" because I'd heard Papa use those words to describe her. I didn't know what it meant but I knew it had something to do with death."It was once common practice for small towns to have a shrouding woman to help put their dead to rest. Still, when eleven-year-old Evie's Aunt Flo-herself a shrouding woman-comes to town, Evie knows little of a shrouding woman's ways and wants nothing to do with this aunt of hers, especially after her own mother's recent death. But as this mysterious woman slowly makes her way into Evie's life, her strong and sensitive presence brings far more than signs of death to a grieving girl's home.Set in the mid-1800s, this beautifully written story, centered on the little-known practice of shrouding, touches on death and healing with sensitivity and quiet dignity.

A hilarious Irish folktale with a terrific female heroine."Long ago, there lived a giant called Cuhullin. My, but he was big and fierce and strong.And what made him so strong?He had a magic finger. And believe it or not,all his strength was in that little finger.Now Cuhullin had fought all the other giants,and squashed them flat. Well, all but one, and that was Finn McCool."But Finn doesn't want to fight. Finn is SCARED.When he sucks his magic thumb, Finn can see Cuhullin coming to get him. So he runs straight home to his wife, Oona.Oona isn't scared, not one bit. She just laughs . . . Will Cuhullin find Finn McCool and SQUASH HIM FLAT?Or will Oona save the day?

Miss Irma Birmbaum, the toughest teacher in town, is back for another mysterious adventure.It's almost summer vacation and most teachers are throwing parties for their students. But not Miss Irma Birmbaum. She's the toughest teacher in town. Who else would give homework for the last day of school?The assignment is to be prepared for a surprise. Miss Birmbaum is secretly planning a party, but she has a cooking accident as she's making the treats and suddenly begins to shrink. With lots of help from the students Miss Birmbaum finally returns to her usual size, and they all have the best end-of-school party ever.

A favorite childhood song brought to life by one of America's favorite illustrators, now in a sturdy board-book edition."If you go down in the woods todayYou're sure of a big surprise.If you go down in the woods todayYou'd better go in disguise;For ev'ry Bear that ever there wasWill gather there for certain, becauseToday's the day the Teddy BearsHave their picnic.""The Teddy Bears' Picnic" has been sung and loved by English-speaking children throughout the world ever since it was written. The intrigue conjured up by the teddy bears picnicking independently of their owners continues to capture the imaginations of children everywhere.Michael Hague's illustrations are simultaneously panoramic and detailed. Against the backdrop of country landscapes, lovable teddies of all shapes and descriptions picnic and play.

Meet Little Raccoon."Little Raccoon was little, but he was brave."Little Raccoon is a precocious and curious young creature. Whether facing down the scary thing in the pool, exploring the world beyond his familiar woods with a pair of young skunks, or baby-sitting two pesky chipmunks, Little Raccoon manages to find himself in all sorts of predicaments. But Little Raccoon is also brave, and his bravery-not to mention his irrepressible happy spirit-saves the day every time.These three adventures of Little Raccoon, originally published as three separate books, are gathered in one collection and reillustrated in lively and humorous black-and-white drawings.

Did The Sun Shine Before You Were Born? is written mainly for children aged 3 to 7. Although primarily intended to be read aloud by a parent, it has also been written and designed for use with the beginning reader in mind.The book focuses on the family and how it grows, because young children are intensely curious about their relationship to it. The illustrations show a wide variety of family situations to stimulate a child's awareness and acceptance of differences in lifestyles and cultures. This sharing of values and ideas will help parent and child communicate better with each other.Did The Sun Shine Before You Were Born? does not try to give all the answers about sex and the family to every child, nor does it presume to make choices or determine attitudes for parent and child. It is intended to be an open, comfortable book that provides a simple framework of important information without prejudicing individual growth.

Celebrate the beauty and wonder of summer by the bay."It is almost summer. The bay is calm, just brushed in the middle by an offshore wind. A family of swans glides by. Seagulls squawk and circle above the water-all but one gray."During one idyllic summer at the beach, two children befriend an injured seagull and name him "Grayboy." The children's days are filled with swimming, shell collecting, and observing all the local wildlife-guided by the rhythms of the bay. They find crabs for Grayboy, build sand castles for him to perch on, and moats for him to wade in. But the bay's rhythms are not always gentle, and a summer storm proves too strong for an injured bird like Grayboy to survive. Although the children lose a friend, they are glad he was part of a summer they will always remember.

Badger discovers there's no place like home.Badger loves his cozy little cottage. The door sticks and the shutters bang, but Badger doesn't mind-until a huge storm makes a mess of his house. He doesn't think he can fix the damage, so he sells the cottage to Grandmother Mouse and moves to a lovely mansion. But Badger feels lost and lonely in his huge new house, so he's happy when Grandmother Mouse invites him to tea. He doesn't even mind fixing the sticking door. Each time Badger visits he fixes something else, and soon the little cottage is as good as new. The only problem is that it's too small for Grandmother Mouse's family to visit. But Badger can fix that, too!

If you gotta be a dog, be a bitch."My tail was going bananas as I rounded the corner and headed into Platt Fields park. The pavement was alive; my nose was an eye that sees into the past. I speeded up. Oh, I was in love with Terry, but to run and sniff and feel my ears catching sounds out of the air! But what do you know? Only a dog could understand what I mean."Sandra Francy is seventeen and having way too much fun. Everyone wants to stop her but the problem is, she likes it. When she accidentally gets turned into a dog she's horrified at first, but soon she starts to wonder if being human is worth the effort. Her attempts to hang on to her humanity are bizarre and often hilarious-but her life as a dog leads her to pleasures she hardly knew existed.Award-winning author Melvin Burgess brilliantly captures the realities of teenage life and hormone imbalance.

The heartwarming story of a brave little pig who becomes a hero.Little Flower is a very smart pig. She has learned lots of tricks, but one of them is really special: she can play dead! Miss Pearl is proud of her pet's talents. The neighbors like the trick too, so Little Flower gets lots of practice. Then one day Miss Pearl falls and hurts herself. Nobody hears her calls for help, and Little Flower is worried. What can one small pig do? Suddenly she has an idea. Little Flower uses her trick to get help for Miss Pearl and becomes a hero. This heartwarming story is based on a true tale of a brave little pig.

A witty set of comparisons that places ancient dinosaurs side by side with modern-day objects.Dinosaurs were gigantic beasts that walked on Earth long before humans appeared. Everybody knows the dinosaurs were BIG, but how big is BIG? As big as a fire engine? As small as a chicken? Patrick O'Brien's marvelous illustrations place dinosaurs side by side with modern-day animals, vehicles, and people so that children can easily grasp how the dinosaurs would stack up if they were around today.