Beginner Chapter

What do you call a man who takes other people's things? ROB! See if your name makes the list of nuttiest name jokes.

Let's play a game of hide-and-seek. I'll hide first, and don't you peek!

Born in 1800, William Holmes McGuffey had a remarkable ability to memorize, and could commit to mind entire books of the Bible. After becoming a teacher at the age of 14, classroom size was just one of several challenges faced by McGuffey. In many one-teacher schools, students - ages varied from six to twenty-one, and few textbooks existed. In 1835, a publishing firm asked McGuffey to create a series of graded Readers for primary level students. The series consisted of stories, poems, essays and speeches and it is estimated that at least 120 million copies of McGuffey's Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960.

A conversation-changing look at the social, familial, neurological, and psychological benefits of reading aloud, especially for parents and children. A miraculous alchemy occurs when one person reads to another, transforming the simple stuff of a book, a voice, and a bit of time into complex and powerful fuel for the heart, brain, and imagination. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and behavioural research, and drawing widely from literature, The Enchanted Hour explains the dazzling cognitive and social-emotional benefits that await children who are read to.

An ancient and deeply revered practice, Buddhism is even more popular now than it has been in decades. The secret behind its steady rise is due in part to the plethora of benefits Buddhism reaps upon those who practice it and apply its teachings to their lives. Through mindfulness and meditation, Buddhism injects peace and clarity into the minds and lives of those who dedicate themselves to it. Those wonderful benefits can be a part of your life as well through the careful study of its various tenets.

Birds chirp. A dog barks. Thunder claps. We hear sounds all around us. But how? Sound waves travel through the air, but we don't see them. Listeners will learn about sound waves and how we use them every day.

No matter their size, all communities need rules to keep their members safe, healthy, and happy. A question-answer format show how both written rules (e.g., traffic laws) and unwritten rules (e.g., character values such as honesty) help communities grow and thrive.

All communities need leaders of some kind to help steer and shape them. Through their elected positions, jobs, or volunteer work, leaders are vital to a strong community.

Secure your child’s bright future by giving them the priceless gift of courage and confidence, and watch them take to the skies! Your darling child has their own fair share of struggles and worries. And oh, how you wish you could shield them from it all. But let’s face it, you can’t and won’t always be there. However, you can give them a gift of resilience, of an unshakeable belief in themselves, and of courage to rise above the challenges life throws at them. And this storybook will help you do just that.

When Katie's aunt Patty is elected mayor, Katie thinks her aunt will be able to make fabulous new rules, like free ice cream on Sundays! After Aunt Patty explains how the office works, Katie wants to share her ideas with the city council. How can Katie and her friends make the neighborhood better for kids like them?

Joey is nervous about his first day of school, but by the second day he is just excited.

Jamal, who will be in the fifth grade, and his little sister Anisa, who is going into first grade, go shopping for school supplies.

Amy and Brad's parents go to the movies, leaving them with a babysitter who knows just what to do to make them happy.

Max, who loves to read, discovers all the services available to him during a visit to the library.

Emma convinces Izzie to join a soccer team, but Izzie doesn’t like it, and wants to quit. Emma is determined to show Izzie just how fun soccer can be, especially if you are playing with your best friend!

Katie’s class is learning about houses, and her classmate Peter’s father, Mr. Patel, invites the class to see a new house he is building. The students learn the steps to building a house, and best of all, discover who the new homeowner is.

Katie and her friend Haley are bragging about being good bakers. Their moms don't quite agree. Haley's uncle owns the Happy Cakes bakery and is willing to teach the girls what it takes to be a great baker. Will Katie and Haley become the best bakers and impress their moms?

Red, green, purple, and yellow! Colors make our world so vibrant! Bring color words to young learners, and watch their vocabularies grow!

Deep in the mountains of North Carolina, there once lived a young boy with such a poor memory that he sometimes forgot his own name. Now, Plug Honeycut's mother loved him. So she was the only one who had enough faith in her son to send him on an errand. Leaving their hilltop cabin, he started toward the distant country store to buy some soap. As Plug trudges along the path, over the hills and streams, he also follows the erratic trail of his elusive memory.

Tuan Ngo is just a small boy when he and his father leave their home in the middle of the night. Bent over like cranes, they run into the woods to meet others in a circle of trees. Everyone is wearing black so they will not be seen by the Viet Cong soldiers. Tuan Ngo’s uncle leads the group to where a boat is waiting to carry them away from Vietnam.