Simone Biles has been called the greatest gymnast of all time, winning five Olympic and 25 World Champion medals by age 22. Before she wowed the world with her incredible gymnastics skills, Simone was an energetic young girl who dreamed of becoming a top gymnast. She trained for hours every day and made many sacrifices to pursue her goals. Explore how Simone Biles went from being a kid growing up in Texas to an Olympic athlete who has won more gymnastics medals than anyone in history.
The Story of Simone Biles
Teen sports reporter Susan Carol is competing as a swimmer at her first-ever Olympic games. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and her best friend Stevie is both amazed and envious. Usually they cover sporting events together, now he’s covering her. But Stevie can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right. Everyone wants a piece of Susan Carol’s success — agents, sponsors, the media. Just how far will they go to ensure that America’s newest Olympic darling wins gold?
Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics
The annual Fun Run is coming up at Brookside Elementary! The students will all run laps around the carpool lane, and Miles Lewis wants to be one of the top five runners. Even though he zooms through sprints, he runs out of gas for long distance, so he creates a nutrition and exercise regimen to boost his endurance. But on the big day, he witnesses one kid struggling to keep going. Should Miles keep pressing for his personal best, or should he lend support to help a friend? In the end, Miles must decide what winning really means to him.
Miles Lewis: Track Star
Brian was a normal, shy kid until he discovered a bump on his head which grows into a horn: a unicorn horn. When Brian’s best friend Avery is sucked up in an evil vortex, Brian must summon the courage to save him! Though fantastic, themes of friendship, bravery and self-confidence emerge in what is likely the first book in a new series about Unicorn Boy.
Unicorn Boy
Join this “mysterious FACTopia tour…” to encounter top secrets, unsolved mysteries, dark caves, deep ocean dwellers, hidden history, and more. Lots more! Photographs and comical illustrations combine for an intriguing, fact-based jaunt through time and places.
Secret FACTopia! Follow the Trail of 400 Hidden Facts
Aaliyah’s dad takes her on a trip to the Bronx where she discovers the roots of rap and many foundational artists. An interview with the cofounder of the Hip-Hop Education Center and hip-hop timeline are included. As in other books in the History Comics series, this title combines information and imagination for an engaging look at the topic.
Hip-Hop: The Beat of America
Travel across the U.S. and meet some kids where they live. This carefully crafted and well-researched introduction introduces individuals who live in different places but share a great deal in common. A companion volume to the author’s This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World (opens in a new window).
All About U.S.: A Look at the Lives of 50 Real Kids from Across the United States
Henry decides to share his love of dancing at the school talent show. A sweet, easier-to-read book just right for newly independent readers. Also available in Spanish: Las muestra de talentos (opens in a new window). Look for other titles in the Confetti Kids series.
The Talent Show
Lola and her mother visit Zora, a beekeeper, where Lola learns about bees and the work of a beekeeper. Lola then decides to plant seeds at home to help bees, in this informative addition to the series.
Lola Meets the Bees
Lift the sturdy flap to answer the question posed in the title. Bright illustrations and straightforward language create a fine book for sharing. Canine aficionados may appreciate What Is Puppy Going to Do? (opens in a new window). Each animal is presented in a recognizable situation.
What Is Chick Going to Do?
With Spring comes “new life and new beginnings … Nature is hard at work …” Children and their adults can celebrate the season with a wide range of easy-to-follow activities from pressing flowers to finding edible flowers, from growing strawberries to making strawberry fruit leathers. (Part of the Little Homesteader series)
A Spring Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom
What do you see while taking a walk on a sunny spring day? Join Maisy as she and her friends closely observe what is all around from the smallest ant to larger animals in the park. Cousins’ signature child-like illustrations are colorful and appealing.
Maisy Goes on a Nature Walk
The golden puppy joins his girl while she works in the community garden. The young dog winds up being a helpful companion to others also working there in this short, easy to read addition to the series.
Biscuit and Friends Visit the Community Garden
Discover what bedtime looks like for the snowplows, dump trucks, giant cranes, and more that dot the pages of this irresistible construction story. Just like you and me, the vehicles in this story get tuckered out after a long day of hard work and need to quiet down and settle in for sweet dreams. Young readers will surely identify as these trucks ask for one more story while their parents sing them a goodnight song and send them off to bed.
Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?
Introduce your little ones to the colorful ways we see love around us in both English and Spanish! Amor de colores will introduce your little ones to all the colorful ways we see love in the world around us, through the colors of the rainbow and more.
Amor de Colores
Middle school is just around the corner for Ryan Hart, which means it’s time to start thinking about the future — and not just how to prank her brother, Ray! During Black History Month, Ryan learns more about her ancestors and local Black pioneers, and their hopes for the future, for her generation. She wonders who she wants to be and what kind of person her family hopes she becomes. Drawing on the ambitions of those who came before her and her own goals, Ryan is determined to turn her dreams into reality.
Ways to Build Dreams
It’s the night before Lunar New Year, and a little girl is excited for all of the celebrations to come. She’s prepared dumplings with her mom, bought a new dress in Chinatown, and even helped scare mythical beast Nian away with her cousins and brother. There’s only one problem: she’s a bit nervous about all of the loud noises at the upcoming Lunar New Year Parade. Will she overcome her fears? Written in the style of The Night Before Christmas.
The Night Before Lunar New Year
Henry likes Classroom Ten. He likes how it is always the same. But this week, Henry’s class will have a parade, and a parade means having Share Time on the wrong day. A parade means playing instruments that are too loud. A parade means this week is not like always. Join Henry as he navigates the ups and downs of marker missiles, stomach volcanoes, and days that feel a little too orange. From the creators of the Schneider Family Honor-winning picture book A Friend for Henry, this warmly funny book starring a child on the autism spectrum is a reassuring read for school-bound kids of all stripes.
Henry, Like Always
Are the creatures in this lighthearted look at dangerous animals out to get humans or are they just doing what they need to survive and thrive? Common names as well as Latin names are presented alongside a humorous illustration and an invented name for the critter’s survival mechanism.
The World’s Most Atrocious Animals
Bear and Moose, two dogs who don’t look like their names, are adopted from a shelter by a woman named Cathy. The dogs soon find a lost and lonely kitten named Tiger. This sweetly told and gently illustrated story with a very happy ending is the beginning of a new series just right for young animal lovers.
The Rescues Finding Home
The squirrels Norma, and Belly are back and are just as hungry, tenacious, and funny as they were in the other books about them (which started with Donut Feed the Squirrels (opens in a new window)). They try to invade a fortune cookie factory, all dressed as ninjas. A simple comic format and limited text combine to make this a hit with beginning readers.
One Smart Cookie
It takes a good teacher to really see an insecure child. Ms. Kern sees Lila Greer so well that Lila grows into the amazing teacher of kids like Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and Sophia Valdez. Like other books in the series, is fun to read aloud and is illustrated in Roberts’ characteristically detailed (and fashion-conscious) style.
Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
In their seventh adventure, the detective team is informed by the Coast Gourd that a captain was found but without his ship. Will the InvestiGators be able to solve their latest mystery on the high sea or will they will be all tied up (or is it tide up …)? Read in order or as a standalone, this silly, pun-filled installment is sure to delight.
InvestiGators: All Tide Up
Physics can be fun, and just as important, its principles are seen in everyday activities. Straightforward language complemented by basic illustrations present information and encourage experimentation.