Showing results by narrator "Tyla Collier" in All Categories

In the late nineteenth century, white lawmakers in the United States created a set of policies, collectively called “Jim Crow,” that created segregated facilities, like schools and parks, for African Americans in the South. But Jim Crow–type policies didn’t just affect the South. These policies have had far-reaching effects across America, impacting where Black people live, how they’re treated by the criminal justice system, and how they’re portrayed in TV and film.

Auggie loves his job at the Fabled Stables, but he fears the day when it will come to an end. Fen keeps dropping hints that caretakers don’t stay forever, and it’s giving Auggie the grumps. Thankfully, there always seems to be a new stall to fill. This time, the stables set Auggie on a quest to rescue a beast called the Shibboleth - but, the portal leads Auggie and Fen to the lair of the evil Rooks!

MJ is more than ready for her first day of kindergarten! With her hair freshly braided and her mom's special tiara on her head, she knows she’s going to rock kindergarten. But the tiara isn’t just for show—it also reminds her of all the good things she brings to the classroom, stuff like her kindness, friendliness, and impressive soccer skills, too!

It’s always a good time when Nana comes for a visit! Nana doesn’t mind making a mess while building forts. Nana plays checkers to win. Nana encourages climbing high, savoring dessert, and playing hopscotch. In short, everything’s more fun with Nana and her spunky outlook on life! Nana the Great Comes to Visit celebrates the countless ways grownups help children learn to believe in themselves - and assures children that a grandparent’s love stays with them always.

Ms. Frogbottom’s class is on a field trip to Romania, where a visit to Dracula’s castle brings them face-to-fang with vampires, garlic, bats, and - yikes! - could it be the legendary count himself? Best-selling and beloved author Nancy Krulik ingeniously approaches geography in a new way as the kids learn about the places they visit while fighting, fleeing, or, in some cases, rescuing monsters.

Did you know that Muhammad Ali was so terrified of flying on planes that he would bring a parachute? Or that he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Bet you didn’t know that he had an official sweat-taster to determine how salty his sweat was after each match! Siblings Paige and Turner do - and they’ve collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about him, from his childhood and the spark of his boxing career through his time as heavyweight champion of the world.

Did you know that Albert Einstein was a high-school dropout and that he failed his physics class when he finally made it to college? Or that when he died, his brain and eyeballs were removed from his body? Have you ever wondered why his hair looked so wild? Siblings Paige and Turner have - and they’ve collected some of the kookiest and most unusual facts about him, from his childhood and school days through his time studying relativity and working on the atomic bomb.

Did you know that Amelia Earhart loved heights so much she built a roller coaster in her backyard? Or that she used to race worms with her sister? Bet you didn’t know that she took photographs of garbage cans to pay for flying lessons! Siblings Paige and Turner do - and they’ve collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about the legendary pilot, from her childhood in the rural Midwest and the spark of her passion for flying to her record-smashing flights and her infamous disappearance over the Pacific Ocean.

Before she was an international superstar and feminist icon, Beyoncé was a girl from Texas who loved to sing and dance. As a member of Destiny’s Child, she climbed the charts as part of one of the most famous girl groups in history. This launched her solo career, and since then, she’s become an unstoppable force in music and pop culture. Beyond music, she is a successful businesswoman and activist who helps bring issues of race and gender into the global conversation.

Nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks intended to go places and do things like anybody else. So, when she heard grown-ups talk about wiping out Birmingham’s segregation laws, she spoke up. As she listened to the preacher’s words, smooth as glass, she sat up tall. And when she heard the plan - picket those white stores! March to protest those unfair laws! Fill the jails! - she stepped right up and said, "I’ll do it!"

Mazie is ready to celebrate liberty. She is ready to celebrate freedom. She is ready to celebrate a great day in American history: the day her ancestors were no longer slaves. Mazie remembers the struggles and the triumph as she gets ready to celebrate Juneteenth.

Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she's Black and almost everyone she knows is White. Then her mom's grandmother - Imani's great-grandma Anna - passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It's Anna's diary from 1941, the year she was 12 and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone.

The Hayes family has made moonshine in Chattanooga since the days of Prohibition, and Hattie is happy to continue the tradition, serving up fun, fruity flavors in mason jars for locals and tourists alike. All signs indicate her new 'shine shop will be a smashing success. What's more, Mounted Police Officer Marlon Landers has taken a shine to Hattie. For the first time, the stars seemed to have aligned in both her work and romantic life. But when a body ends up on her store's doorstep alongside a broken jar of her Firefly Moonshine, it might be lights out for her fledgling business.

Curtis finds love in Iraq as he struggles to stay alive in a war he doesn't want to fight, and Letha discovers her own beauty in the love of her child. There is the "good daughter" who realizes that there's only one way to help her brother and her family. Other stories center on the daily drama of the Curl-E-Que beauty shop, or capture the slapstick side of passion.

Sixteen-year old Niarah Holloway’s only goal in life is to get through it unnoticed. That, and to spend her first summer in LA building a doomsday bunker in her backyard. Because if the past few years have taught Niarah anything, it’s that the ocean levels are rising, minimum wage is a scam, and the people who are supposed to protect you will hurt you. Now the only thing that helps Niarah stay afloat amidst the constant waves of anxiety and dread that threaten to drag her under is her new mantra: Be prepared.

Sparkle Moore is destined to be a star. Her mother is determined to turn her and her younger sister, Nova, into social media influencers and budding superstars. And after her dad has lost work as a sitcom actor, Sparkle wants to do whatever she can to help her family financially, too. But at the onset of middle school, Sparkle begins losing her hair—first her lashes, then her eyebrows, and then small circular bald spots appear in various sections on her head.

Lamb's family strives to better their lives in Jackson, Mississippi, in the late 1930s. Lamb’s mother is a hard-working, creative seamstress who cannot reveal she's a lesbian. Lamb’s brother has a brilliant mind and has even earned a college scholarship for a black college up north—if only he could curb his impulsiveness and rebellious nature.

When a little girl walks into her local barbershop, she knows she wants the flyest, freshest fade on the block! But there are so many beautiful hairstyles to choose from, and the clients and her mother suggest them all: parts, perms, frizzy fros, dye jobs, locs, and even cornrows! But this little girl stays true to herself and makes sure she leaves the shop feeling on top with the look she picks!

Second-grader Keena Ford loves writing in her journal. One day, Keena accidentally leaves her journal in the apartment of her mean classmate Tiffany Harris. The next day, Tiffany informs Keena that she's read the journal and is going to tell all of Keena's secrets! Well, unless Keena does everything Tiffany says, of course. With a little help from her brother, some classic fables, and a visiting author, Keena discovers what she must do to stand up to Tiffany and apologize to her friends.

Keena Ford is so excited to go on a field trip to the United States Capitol with her second-grade class! At school, she is running for a spot on the student council, and on the field trip she's going to meet a real live U.S. representative. The only trouble is, mean Tiffany Harris keeps teasing Keena and taking the best place in line. Keena doesn't mean to get into trouble, but trouble seems to find her anyway!