Moral Child

This story presents how three greedy crooks are able to confuse a priest and take away the goat from him that he had received as a reward for brilliantly performing a religious ceremony.

This interesting story from the Panchatantra will play a pivotal role in helping kids to understand the importance of wisdom over might - how the amazing wise rabbit saved the lives of his friends.

It's Grandma Beetle's birthday, and Señor Calavera (a skeleton from the Day of the Dead) doesn't know what to bring to her party. "Don't worry," says Zelmiro the Ghost. "You surely must know, the best present to give a friend is the thing she would love the most." So instead of choosing just one gift, Señor Calavera chooses: Un Acordeón: An accordion for her to dance to. Bigotes: A mustache because she had none. Cosquillas: Tickles to make her laugh. Un Chiflido: A whistle he trapped in a bag. And so on. . . .

Told with a combination of powerful, spare language and sumptuous and complex imagery that is typical of Yuyi Morales' work, this is the story of a fawn making her way through a border landscape teeming with flora and fauna native to the region. A gentle but empowering voice encourages her to face her fears when she comes across an obstacle in the form of an insurmountable barrier.

A retelling of an Aesop fable to guess the moral. "A woman and her husband lived at the top of Gooseberry Hill. (Have you ever tasted gooseberries?) They went to their goose pen and were greatly surprised! It was the surprise of all surprises, or was it? What do you think they saw?

Los Dientes de Iván Lastiman.

When Areli was just a baby, her mama and papa moved from Mexico to New York with her brother, Alex, to make a better life for the family - and when she was in kindergarten, they sent for her, too. Everything in New York was different. Gone were the Saturdays at Abuela's house, filled with cousins and sunshine. Instead, things were busy and fast and noisy. Areli's limited English came out wrong, and schoolmates accused her of being illegal. But with time, America became her home.

Beginning readers will love this collection of stories about kids discovering who they are. In "Someday", Ada dreams of becoming an inventor when she grows up. As she soon discovers, she is already looking for solutions to everyday problems. Also included are eight other stories of self-discovery: "Tall Enough", "Kojo's Shadow", "Sing Softer, Maggie", "If Henry Could Dance", "Wullus", "Shelby the Shy", Not Now, Natalie", and "Paint the Morning".

Fwap! Slish! Bloop! Krunch! He takes down his competition in a single move! No opponent is too big a challenge for the cunning skills of Nino - popsicle eater, toy lover, somersault expert, and world champion lucha libre competitor!