Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. Native families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship...

"One morning, a seed suddenly and unexpectedly appears in the garden that Jack and his friends call home. The seed starts to grow, sprouting a stem, leaves, and roots... Yvonne the mole, Colette the ant and the Field Mice family are all convinced that the seed spells disaster. As its roots continue to spread, ceilings crack and paths become unwalkable. The inhabitants of the garden make a bold decision: they are going to cut the plant down! Thankfully,...

"When a new family moves in, the whole neighborhood comes together to celebrate what makes their community diverse and special"--

We celebrate cops, firefighters, and soldiers, and rightly so. But let’s also celebrate teachers, bus drivers, grocery clerks, mail carriers, and the other folks who keep the world spinning around every day. And let’s give a nod to kids, too—kids who are kind and brave and help each other. They’re heroes too.

"When a beloved tree gets sick, the human and animal communities work together to give it a new life."--

"It's a normal day in your normal town. You are all alone when you spot a dragon overhead. You know you can't defeat it by yourself, so you call for help. Your friends, family and neighbors all band together. Some do the firefighting, some try to reason with the dragon and some are fierce and fearless. Just when it seems the beast has won, more people arrive and rally against it. Finally, the dragon flees! And now, if it ever comes back, you'll be...

"A shipwrecked elephant makes his tiny island a home for the many friends who come to the rescue, in the new picture book from New York Times Illustrated Book Award winning author. Caught in a storm, Arnold the elephant washes up on a tiny island. Along comes Mouse in a little dingy and Arnold steps aboard ...uh-oh! They use the wreckage to make the island bigger. And here's Dog--can this boat take Arnold's weight? Uh-oh! None of the animals can save...

Walking his dog at dusk, one boy catches glimpses of the lives around him in this lovely ode to autumn evenings, exploring your neighborhood, and coming home.

A young boy passes a painting of a hand on a wall in his neighborhood and watches others placing their own hands against it. The act means something different for each of them: Ms. Iris tells him it is a link to her home country; for Devin, it connects him to his older sister, who just left for college; for Savannah, it reminds her of her grandmother who passed away. The boy thinks of those who are on the other side of the mural, of loved ones lost...

Celebrates a community coming together through their love of double Dutch.