Diego the Smelly Dog is a story about an accidental friendship of a little girl named Ava and a smelly dog named Diego. Although Ava wanted to keep Diego, her gramps explained that there are so many things to consider such as additional costs that they cannot afford because Ava’s mom is trying to save money. They then decided to bring Diego to the shelter. Despite this and many other problems, Ava still wanted to bring Diego home. Would the Ava and Diego ever be reunited again? Read on to find out!
Calling the Moon tells the stories of young people from different cultures of the world about the experience of their first menstrual cycle. This is a book which many young and older women can relate to. We can see different views of different cultures about how they view womanhood. It also promotes sex education as so many young people can be informed about how their cycle can come at different ages and with different symptoms, etc.
Sam and Lily have a typical sibling relationship; Lily (the younger sister) annoys Sam, and Sam always gets blamed for anything Lily does wrong. The girls are spending the summer with their grandparents, and Sam is not excited to spend the whole summer hanging out with Lily. So when she meets their neighbor, a boy named Marcus, she's excited to have someone her own age to hang out with, especially when she discovers that he also loves to read. The three of them are hanging out when Lily runs off into the woods behind the house. Scared that she will get lost, Marcus and Sam run after her.
Twelve-year-old Barana lives in the village of Pataya in Honduras. She loves to spend her time drawing, writing poems, and most importantly, working to protect the leatherback turtles who lay their eggs on the beach in her village. Unfortunately, her family doesn't understand her passion, and wants her to focus more on helping around the house than running off to the beach.
The Flower Girl by Nicole Patrice Thomas is a story about obedience. A little girl named Grace was faced with trouble when she did not follow the rules her mom gave her. As she tried to resolve her problems on her own, she got into even deeper trouble. With the help of kind animals she meets in the forest, Grace’s obedience was once again tested. Will she be able to get out of trouble? Follow the story of Grace in The Flower Girl.
Heidi the Turtle is on her way to the Sumatran Games, and along the way, she meets Jose the Elephant. They build a good friendship during the games, and Jose being the good friend he is, helps lift Heidi’s spirits each time she begins to feel inferior because of what she sees the other animals do when they compete in the games. But when Heidi sees Jose feeling sad, she turns the tables around and creates the wildest and funnest game that Jose and all the other animals will never forget.
Summertime & The Livin’ is Easy is a short story based on the daily summertime life of a 10-year-old girl named Jasmine and her family. Jasmine and her family live a tough life as they suffer from poverty and the loss of her father, In the summer, Jasmine works with her mother to clean the home of a wealthy family, while her stepdaddy and older brother work to clean windows. Jasmine’s stepfather is unhappy with life and takes out his frustration on his stepchildren through physical abuse.
Turtles of the Midnight Moon by Maria Jose Fitzgerald features the story of Barana and Abby, two friends united by their unadulterated love and admiration for nature.
Katy Cat has always dreamed of singing on Broadway, but all the other animals on Skillet Street don't believe in her. They tell her that as a cat she should be chasing birds, not practicing singing! Even her owner Lilian tells her that the outside world, especially the big city where Broadway is, is dangerous and that Katy should stay inside. One day, Katy is practicing her songs sitting on the tree in her front yard when she falls off onto the street! Scared that she will get run over, Katy keeps running until she reaches the city and runs into another cat.
