Pat Zietlow Miller

A young girl befriends a squash.

On her very first day of school, Sophie is reluctant to make friends with the other children, preferring to play with two squash she grew in her garden--but when a particularly persistent boy named Steven gives her a packet of seeds as an apology for accidentally ripping her picture, she realizes that it just takes time to grow a friend.

Rhyming text encourages young readers to discover what they are good at and use it to make a difference in big ways or in small ones.

Not strong enough to ascend the climbing wall at school, a discouraged child returns home and learns that there are other ways to be strong, from not giving up when working for a good cause or learning a new skill to making sure that no one sits alone in the lunchroom.

Relates how to find your courage and use it when life seems frightening or you start something new.

"Celebrates the many ways people can join together to become something bigger--an unstoppable force. Each and every one of us can use our voices to make a difference"--

With all the endless, creative fun a child can have with a rock, the best thing one can do with one is to share it with a friend. Includes facts about rocks and rock collecting.

A child imagines ways to connect with their grandmother who lives far way.

When Lupe Lopez struts through the doors of Hector P. Garcia Elementary in sunglasses with two taped-up Number 2 pencils--drumsticks, of course--poking from her pocket, her confidence is off the charts. All day, Lupe drums on desks, tables, and chairs while Ms. Quintanilla reminds her of school rules. Lupe has her own rules: 1) Don't listen to anyone. 2) Make lots of noise. Rataplan! 3) Have fans, not friends. But with her new teacher less than starstruck,...

"Celebrating all the different ways girls can make things, this brilliant, inclusive ode to self-expression and girl power will inspire readers to jump up and start to build--because they can do anything!"--