Pat Zietlow Miller

On her very first day of school, Sophie is reluctant to make friends with the other children, preferring to play with two squash she grew in her garden--but when a particularly persistent boy named Steven gives her a packet of seeds as an apology for accidentally ripping her picture, she realizes that it just takes time to grow a friend.

When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind, and how each act, big or small, can make a difference or at least help a friend.

"Relates how to find your courage and use it when life seems frightening or you start something new." --

Growing up in the segregated town of Clarksville, Tennessee, in the 1960s, Alta's family cannot afford to buy her new sneakers--but she still plans to attend the parade celebrating her hero Wilma Rudolph's three Olympic gold medals.

"Celebrating all the different ways girls can make things, this brilliant, inclusive ode to self-expression and girl power will inspire readers to jump up and start to build--because they can do anything!"--

Con sus relucientes gafas de sol, su lonchera clásica y sus lápices tamborileros, Lupe Lopez llega el primer día a kínder lista para el rock. "¡Soy famosa!" anuncia Lupe mientras tamborilea sobre cualquier cosa--pupitres, sillas y mesas--, mientras más ruidoso, mejor. En la escuela hay muchas reglas, pero las estrellas de rock no obedecen las reglas, así que Lupe tampoco. Antes de que acabe el día, la maestra le ha quitado todas sus preciadas...

When Lupe Lopez struts through the doors of Hector P. Garcia Elementary in sunglasses with two taped-up Number 2 pencils--drumsticks, of course--poking from her pocket, her confidence is off the charts. All day, Lupe drums on desks, tables, and chairs while Ms. Quintanilla reminds her of school rules. Lupe has her own rules: 1. Don't listen to anyone; 2. Make lots of noise. ¡Rataplán!; 3. Have fans, not friends. But with her new teacher less than...

With all the endless, creative fun a child can have with a rock, the best thing one can do with one is to share it with a friend. Includes facts about rocks and rock collecting.

When Lupe Lopez struts through the doors of Hector P. Garcia Elementary in sunglasses with two taped-up Number 2 pencils--drumsticks, of course--poking from her pocket, her confidence is off the charts. All day, Lupe drums on desks, tables, and chairs while Ms. Quintanilla reminds her of school rules. Lupe has her own rules: 1) Don't listen to anyone. 2) Make lots of noise. Rataplan! 3) Have fans, not friends. But with her new teacher less than starstruck,...