Life Skills For Kids

Kids can be brave, just like adults, especially as they embrace the plan God has for their lives. New York Times bestselling author Annie F. Downs presents honest wisdom and humor, giving kids the courage and confidence to deal with everything from community engagement and friendships to anxiety and difficult changes in life.

Home run slugger Sylvester Coddmyer the Third has an amazing secret. For three seasons, he's been coached by men who look exactly like baseball legends: Babe Ruth, Eddie Cicotte, and Mickey Mantle. Are these men just impersonating famous ballplayers, as his friend Duane insists? Or are they from the "beyond," as Snooky Malone believes?

Amelia Bedelia's friend Rose is having a slumber party. It's Amelia Bedelia's first sleepover, and she's confused. Isn't sleeping boring? Luckily, all the girls in Amelia Bedelia's class are there, and the party is the exact opposite of boring. There are pizzas to eat, games to play, and fingernail polish in all the colors of the rainbow to admire. And when it is time to go to sleep, well, something unexpected happens then, too.

Ghoulia lives in Crumbling Manor with her Auntie Departed and spends most of her time playing with Tragedy, her beloved albino greyhound. But things aren't as easy as they seem for this little zombie girl - all she wants is a real friend. She tries to venture past the manor's walls, but she can't hide her pale green skin or the deep purple circles under her eyes. The other children will be afraid of her, and no one will want to be her friend. But when Halloween rolls around, Ghoulia hatches a brilliant plan.

When 12-year-old Lara Finkel starts her very own detective agency, FIASCCO (Finkel Investigation Agency Solving Consequential Crimes Only), she does not want her sister, Caroline, involved. She and Caroline don't have to do everything together! But Caroline won't give up, and when she brings Lara the firm's first mystery, Lara relents, and the mysteries start piling up. But Lara and Caroline’s truce doesn’t last for long. Caroline normally uses her tablet to talk, but now she's busily texting a new friend.

The White Tiger Temple is under threat. To help the Shaolin monks, Sensei Ki-Yaga and the whole gang of samurai kids embark on a perilous journey across the Sea of Japan to China. But they soon discover that getting there is only half the battle. An enemy awaits them: a former student of Sensei’s named Qing-Shen, China’s Warrior, who is now the most skilled soldier in the Middle Kingdom and who holds a grudge against his onetime teacher.

When Kit’s family moves to Cozy Lane, she feels anxious. Exploring the neighborhood with her notebook where she writes everything down makes her feel a little better. But when her notebook goes missing, not even her new hamster friends can help her calm down. Then Mrs. G., the guinea pig next door, has an idea. They all make soup together, and as Kit breathes in the smell and breathes out to cool it, she finds herself feeling calmer. She even realizes her notebook isn’t as lost as she thought!

Mia likes many of the things other people like--going to the beach, the color blue, drawing. But she doesn't like when strangers stare at her because she looks different from them. Down syndrome allows Mia to see and understand the world in a way that may not make sense to others. She considers it her superpower--and instead of it making her strange, she considers herself a masterpiece. As we all are.

Kate’s life in Baton Rouge, full of friends and family, gymnastics and Girl Scouts, is just plain great. But then, at the age of twelve, she suddenly develops a mysterious shoulder pain that won’t go away . . . and that will change her life forever. It turns out that Kate has one of the rarest genetic disorders in the world, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. FOP causes bone to form in places in the body where it shouldn’t, and there’s no cure yet.

It's opening night of the school play and there are plenty of nerves to go around! There are lines to be memorized, costumes to sew, and sets to paint. It's a good thing Hattie Harmony is ready to help her friends soothe their worries with everything in her trusted tool belt. Will Hattie be able to settle the pre-show jitters before the curtain call?

When Frank and Sunny's humans bring home their niece (or "nibling" as they call her) for a visit, it is a far cry from what they expected! Nelly has strong ideas about how to play and what constitutes fun including a nauseating basket ride around the house and a mandatory play wedding — with costumes! — between Frank and Captain Keith, the parrot. How will the friends survive the terror of a little girl?

After being leader of “girls-who-never-fall-in-love” in Cross My Heart and Never Lie, Tuva’s best friend, Bao, faces a challenge unlike any she’s faced before: the PTA wants to raze down the students’ beloved forest, removing the space where Bao and other student have always played and integral to both Bao and other students’ lives and the environment they call home. When the adults are too apathetic, too cynical, or too preoccupied to see the importance of the forest, Bao and the others will have to stop playing nice and take matters into their own hands.

A puppy called the Littlest Coyote decides to go exploring one day. He makes new friends and spends the night alone out there. Does he make it home to his family? Listen and find out!

I have a unicorn for a pet. She’s my best friend. We do many cool things together - eating breakfast, racing across the meadow, then sliding down the rainbow, and a lot more.... But most importantly, my unicorn is very wise and smart and often sits with me for hours to talk about important things. Recently she taught me that I’m not only growing up with a bigger body, but I also need to grow my heart and soul.... She explained and encouraged me to develop a growth mindset, and how challenges makes me stronger.

Mary Fern's bedtime series of audiobooks have helped countless children to find restful, gentle sleep and provided frazzled parents with a much-needed break. Her new series is designed to help children stop sucking their thumbs. These bedtime stories are best listened to on Audible.

If you ask Delphinia Baker, she’d tell you she has all the family she needs. Sure, her mom passed away when she was young, her dad is often away on deployment, but even though Del has never had anyone she can call her people, she has always had her grandmother—and that’s enough. Besides, having no roots just makes it that much easier when you have to move again. All of that changes, though, when Gramma falls ill and Del is sent to stay with her great-grandmother. Del has never even heard of Nana Rose, and she has no interest in spending the summer on a hot island off the South Carolina coast.

From saving for a new bike to investing their allowance online, kids get the "cents" they need with this. Kids will also learn: How coins and bills are made. What money can buy - from school supplies to fun and games. How credit cards work. Ways to watch money grow - from savings to stocks. Cool financial technology. And more!

With Listen Like an Elephant, kids learn to slow down, listen to the world around them, and focus their minds - no matter how messy life becomes. Best of all, the exercise can be done anywhere: in the backseat of a car, at home, or even at their desk at school. Written by Kira Willey, winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Award, this series (also including Breathe Like a Bear and Bunny Breaths) is the first of its kind and is the perfect tool to help children and parents develop a fun and consistent mindfulness practice.

Kids can use these three mindfulness activities to manage their bodies, breath, and emotions. With Breathe Like a Bear, kids will learn to breathe deeply and soothe themselves slowly to sleep, just like a bear in hibernation. With Bunny Breaths, kids learn how to replenish their energy with quick, focused breaths - no matter how blah they feel. With Listen Like an Elephant, kids learn to slow down, listen to the world around them, and focus their minds - no matter how messy life becomes.

This guided mindfulness exercise featuring a sweet bear cub will help kids feel calm, wherever they are. Kids will learn to breathe deeply and soothe themselves slowly to sleep, just like a bear in hibernation!