Becca Stadtlander

Emma Bland Smith

Mr. Mccloskey's Marvelous Mallards

"Story written with permission of the California Academy of Sciences."

The True Story of a White Alligator

Claude

How Science Saved the Eiffel Tower

The city of Paris wanted to tear down the Eiffel Tower! Gustave Eiffel, an engineer and amateur scientist, had built the incredible structure for the 1889 World's Fair. Created using cutting-edge technology, it stood taller than any other building in the world! More than a million delighted people flocked to visit it during the fair. But the officials wondered, beyond being a spectacle, what is it good for? It must come down! But Eiffel loved his tower. He crafted a clever plan to make the tower too useful to tear down by turning it into a laboratory such as science has never had at its disposal. As the date for the tower's demolition approached, Eiffel raced to prove its worth. Could science save the Eiffel Tower?

Here is a true story of how the great nations of America and England almost went to war in 1859 over a pig--but learned to share instead. In 1859, the British and Americans coexist on the small island of San Juan, located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. They are on fairly good terms--until one fateful morning when an innocent hog owned by a British man has the misfortune to eat some potatoes on an American farmer's land. In a moment of rash anger, Lyman Cutlar shoots Charles Griffin's pig, inadvertently almost bringing the two nations to war. Tensions flare, armies gather, cannons are rolled out . . . all because of a pig! Emma Bland Smith's humorous text and Alison Jay's folksy illustrations combine in this whimsical nonfiction picture book that models the principles of peaceful conflict resolution.

How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share

The Pig War

"A fictionalized account about a real wolf with the scientific name OR7 (the 7th radio-collared wolf in Oregon) that traveled from eastern Oregon to northern California--the first known wolf in the Golden State in 90 years"--

Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West

Journey

The McNallys are visiting the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on the border of Georgia and Florida. On a swamp tour, Gavin captures two people capturing baby alligators on video. He and his father set off in kayaks to investigate. Can they notify officials about the poachers and save the alligators? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Spellbound is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Saving the Alligators

Book 3

A prisoner gardens his way to freedom in this inspiring picture-book biography. When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. He found new interests and skills--and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him. Told with empathy and a storyteller's flair, Elliott's story is funny, touching, and unexpectedly relevant. Back matter about the history of Alcatraz and the US prison system today invites meaningful discussion.

A True Story

The Gardener of Alcatraz

It's the last week of summer vacation. Gavin McNally's parents announce the family is taking the following year off to travel the country in an RV! One night in a California campground, Gavin sees a red glow in the distance. Fire! The McNallys must make quick decisions to get to safety. Just as they think they're in the clear, they find an abandoned dog. Do they have time to rescue her and still escape the fire? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Spellbound is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Escaping the Fire

Book 1

When you live on an island, things are different. Sometimes harder. Sometimes sweeter. Sometimes quieter. Experience a day in the life of a child growing up on a Pacific Northwest island in this beautifully written and illustrated picture book. Off the coast of Washington State rise hundreds of small islands. Some are lush and green. Others are rugged and rocky. And each has its own personality. Many islands are home mostly to deer, but quite a few have farms and fields, schools and stores, and people. What is it like to live on an island? Award-winning author Emma Bland Smith explores what it's like to grow up on an island in the Pacific Northwest from the perspective of a young boy, who wakes up to the sound of a ferry horn, hikes through the woods to get to his bus stop, drops crab pots for dinner, and falls asleep counting orcas instead of sheep. This book celebrates what's special about island culture and includes a brief nonfiction element on each spread that relates to the narrative.

To Live on an Island

The McNallys run into an early snowstorm in Colorado. They stop at a lodge for the night and by morning, they are snowed in! While looking for a place to study Gavin and his sister, Chloe, accidentally go through a door into a dark hallway. And the door locks behind them! It's getting colder by the second. Will Gavin and Chloe have to weather the blizzard in the dark, frozen passage? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Spellbound is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Weathering the Blizzard

Book 2

The incredible true story of one dog’s heroic feats during the 2017 Tubbs Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. One October night in 2017, when wildfire raged in Sonoma and Napa counties, the Hendel family was suddenly evacuated from their homes and farms to escape to safety and forced to leave behind their Pyrenees dog, Odin. Odin refused to leave his nightly post of guarding the family’s eight young goats, despite the family’s desperate attempts to lead him away. Brokenhearted, the Hendels were sure they would never see their dog again. But when the fire calmed and the family returned home, to their shock they found Odin singed yet safe, along with all the goats and several orphaned deer the dog had protected as well. Odin, Dog Hero of the Fires is a touching and inspirational true tale that honors the bravery and strength of Odin as well as commemorates the stories of those affected by the Tubbs Fire.

Emma Bland Smith

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