Family Reader

First scientists thought it was for balance, but the tail helps the kangaroo to be able to move the fore and hind legs together. Trivia helps to inform and educate people. Experts say trivia aids to keep the mind sharp and engaged, a plus for all occupations and people from all walks of life that require no amount of energy. Knowing Obscure Facts Is Good for Our Mental Health.

Understanding Covid-19 with Your Family: Staying Home is Book 2 in the Understanding Covid-19 series. Book 2 focuses on introducing emotional factors and life tragedy to children with regards to the pandemic and losing family to sudden life events. Book 2 also focuses on family bonding and addressing the stresses of staying home with your family during the Covid-19 shutdown.

Newbery Medal winner Cynthia Rylant pens the enchanting tale of Whistler and Lila’s adventures during the low tide of the full moon. The mice children set off to meet new creatures before the tide comes back in and washes the creatures back to sea. Suddenly, a young octopus named Cleo startles the children, but the three soon become good friends. Yet as the tide comes back in, Lila discovers her feet are stuck in the mud. Will Cleo be able to help her in time and save the day?

Beloved award-winning children’s author Cynthia Rylant adds to the touching tale of the Lighthouse Family with The Turtle. Fog descends upon the lighthouse, and Seabold the dog uses the foghorn to warn oncoming ships. Then Seabold and the mouse children, Whistler and Lila, hear a cry for help! Can Pandora the cat figure out a way to save a stranded sea turtle from the cold northern waters?

When a baby beluga whale loses his mama and is heard crying out for her, Whistler and Lila are reminded of how lucky they are to have such a wonderful family in their lighthouse home. Their great adventures begin when they team up with a cranky old cormorant named Huck to bring the mother and child together again. Acclaimed author Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery Medal winner and has penned more than 60 heartwarming books for children. This sweet tale is filled with warm, caring characters.

When Frankie and his best friend, Drew, head back to the Middle Ages for one last trip with the Sonic Suitcase, they’re in for some strange surprises. What kind of knight rides a pig into battle? Who’s the mysterious stranger who turns up right when Frankie’s in serious trouble? And what could possibly make Drew want to stay in the Middle Ages forever?​ Only one thing is certain Frankie’s last time-travel adventure will be one to remember....

Brothers and sisters help each other make snacks or cross the street. Early readers can explore ways to care for a sibling in this easily accessible text.

Bobby is a green balloon and found it kind of cool when he visited a local farm with all the kids from school. He went with Spiny Norman. That's his little hedgehog mate who had never seen a farm before and simply could not wait. Who will drive the tractor back? Please enjoy.

There are zero reasons for Theo Ripley to look forward to his family vacation. Not only are he, sister Laura, and nature-obsessed Dad going to Big Bend, the least popular National Park, but once there, the family will be camping. And Theo is an indoor animal. It doesn’t help that this will be the first vacation they’re taking since Mom passed away. Then, Theo’s dad hits him with a whopper of a surprise: the whole trip is just a trick to introduce his secret new girlfriend.

Evvie Chambers is doing her best to skate through the last month of high school to graduation. The only thing standing in her way is a biology report on foxes—and her teacher, Mrs. Audrey Dearborn. The same Mrs. Dearborn who’s been a thorn in Evvie’s side for years, refusing to acknowledge or accommodate her neurodiversity. Evvie would much rather be doing her report on Aretha, the octopus she cares for when she volunteers at the Minnesota Zoo but deviating from the exact assignment isn’t allowed—and Mrs. Dearborn isn’t going to make following the rules easy.

Reese is a sixth-grader in rural North Carolina who adores drawing, basketball, his hardworking mom, and his charming, charismatic dad. But then one day, he comes home from school to his worst nightmare—his dad on the floor, lips turning blue, thanks to another opioid overdose. Reese calls 911 and gets his dad out of danger, and he expects to go on as before. But for his mom, this is the breaking point, and she declares that she and Reese are leaving until Reese’s dad gets real help with his addiction.

Winnie Nash never used to have so many secrets. But then she agreed to stay with her grandma for the summer so her mom can take care of her health during her latest pregnancy. Now Winnie plays card games with Grandma’s friends (boring), joins the senior citizen book club (fine, even if no one thinks she’ll read the books), and absolutely does not talk about her mom’s sad days (she never used to be so sad…).

It’s the longest day of the year, and eighteen-year-old Brandy Bailey has just received the worst news of her life: She’s been accepted to a top nursing school, making her mother overwhelmingly proud. The thing is, Brandy wants to be an artist. She knows all the risks of chasing her dream. She’s heard them from her mother over and over. On top of that, Brandy’s annoying classmate from high school, the startlingly handsome Ben Nolan, is catching his far-fetched dream of being an actor.

Life hasn't been great for Jeff Hicks. After years at his beloved St. Catherine's, he's forced to spend eighth grade in the public middle school, which he hates. He's no longer speaking to his former best friend, Tom Bender, because of "that burned girl" Jessica Feeney. But worst of all, his family is changing, and it's not for the better. When his mom comes home announcing that she's lost her job, Jeff begins to worry about things far beyond his years.

In the small town of Alcolu, South Carolina, in 1944, 12-year-old Ella spends her days fishing and running around with her best friend Henry and cousin Myrna. But life is not always so sunny for Ella, who gets bullied for her light skin tone, and whose mother is away pursuing a jazz singer dream in Boston. So Ella is ecstatic when her mother invites her to visit for Christmas. Little does she expect the truths she will discover about her mother, the father she never knew, and her family's most unlikely history.

In the tradition of Shel Silverstein, these poems bring a fresh new twist to the classic dilemmas of childhood as well as a perceptive eye to the foibles of modern family life. Full of clever wordplay - and toilet humor to spare - these 23 rhyming poems make for an ideal listening experience. Taking on the subjects of a bullying baseball coach and annoying little brothers with equally sly humor, renowned lyricist Rhett Miller's clever verses will have the whole family cackling.

Katie can’t wait for the holidays. There are so many things to look forward to! Her motorcycle-riding grandma is coming to visit, class 4A is having a Secret Santa grab bag, and it’s almost time for Cherrydale’s annual holiday lights display contest. But even the busy holiday season doesn’t stop the magic wind!

Welcome to the Rotten School, a new series set in a boarding school that's rotten to the core. The school motto is Growth, Learning, Pizza. Meet charming conniver Bernie Bridges, his arch-rival Sherman Oaks, housemother Mrs. Heinie, Coach Bunz, Headmaster I. Will Upchuck, and the rest of the students and faculty in two stories that prove that while good is good and bad is better, rotten is the best of all!

Growing up in a remote part of Alaska, Ivan and September Crane know that autumn is an unpredictable season - days of clear blue skies can give way to fierce, sudden storms in a blink. They know the trouble signs: changes in the wind, the temperature, or even the color of the dawn. But somehow, this time, left alone when their fisherman father is delayed at sea, even their keen sense of their surroundings and the lessons they've been taught fail them.

Arthur decides to make Mother and Father special Christmas cookies as a present. But when the cookies are finally finished, they are hard as rocks! Can Arthur think of a way to turn this disaster into the best Christmas present ever?