Illinois Authors

Charlesbridge October 8, 2019

A cautionary tale using words made up of only the five letters in the title (B, E, W, A, and R). Can a bear and a bee become friends?

Abe and Bree aren't supposed to get along. When they meet, they panic. Abe swats! Bree stings! Now they're both hurt. Together they figure out how to find friendship despite differences and preconceived notions. This rare-bear, wee-bee tale helps to create a web of understanding with unique language and a clever structure.

Walker & Co., New York : 2009.

Felix does not like his new baby sister and thinks his parents should take her back, until a trip to the zoo makes him realize that she might not be as bad as he thought.

G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York : ©2012.

When the Confederate Army calls, Johnny puts aside playing games with his sisters and leaves his plantation home to serve as a drummer boy.

Dutton Children's Books, New York : ©2008.

Kay Winters' poems in the voices of different colonists, enhanced by historical notes, provide a glimpse into life in colonial times and the dramatic events of a famous rebellion.

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers November 20, 2018

Jenn's beloved dog was lost sometime ago. Long enough that she has given up the search. But she still misses her friend. One day she finds a lost dog. She takes him in and despite a rocky start, she grows to love him. Until she spots his picture on a missing poster. His name is Roscoe, and he's someone else's best friend. Jenn knows she should return Roscoe, but she really doesn't want to. Will Jenn do the right thing? Or will she keep this new dog she's grown to love so much?

Dutton Children's Books, New York : ©2006.

George Washington could always be counted on, but there was one job he was not interested in and he tried to avoid it.

A young boy encounters a lion while trying to find his pet cat--meeting a number of other animals along the way.

Harper, New York : ©2009.

Parka-clad friends Nanook and Pryce and their dog Yukon encounter many different types of ocean life and adventure on an unexpected voyage.

The story of a president who overcame both his personal challenges and the ones facing the nation.

Walker & Co. : New York : 2006.

Young Daniel must confront his fear of dogs when his mom dog sits his aunt's pet.

"Bringing a dramatic moment of World War II to vivid life, author Stephen Krensky answers questions about the historic importance of the military action at Pearl Harbor. Written in simple yet clear language, the book teaches readers about the political scene before and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in December 1941, and how this event shaped our country's place in the world."

Raisin enjoys being the littlest cow in the herd, but everything changes when her baby brother arrives.

Children's Press, New York : ©2012.

Presents reading activities that focus on vocabulary, counting, and sound awareness, in a text that includes a story about the activities that go on around Rosa as she reads her book.

Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2000.

Describes how the Wright Brothers came to build and fly the first powered aircraft.

In curiously parallel lives, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were both orphaned at an early age. Both were brilliant students who attended college-- one at Princeton, the other at Columbia-- and studied law. Both were young staff officers under General George Washington, and both became war heroes. Politics beckoned them, and each served in the newly formed government of the fledgling nation. Why, then, did these two face each other at dawn in a duel that ended with death for one and opprobrium for the other?

Grosset & Dunlap, New York : 2003.

Discusses the Monitor and the Virginia, ironclad warships that confronted each other at the Civil War battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia, detailing what became of the ships after the battle and how the sunken Monitor was later investigated by scientists.

An account of several families and individuals making the long and often dangerous trek across the United States from Missouri to the West Coast in the 1800s--

From the creators of Voices from the Oregon Trail and Colonial Voices, an unflinching story of two young runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad, told in their voices and those who helped and hindered them It's the 1850s and enslaved siblings Jeb and Mattie are about the make a break for freedom. The pair travel north from Maryland to New Bedford, Massachusetts along the Underground Railroad. Each spread tells about a step of their journey through a poem in the first person perspective. The main and repeating voices are Jeb and Mattie, but we also hear from the station masters and conductors, those who offer them haven, as well as those who want to capture them. Like its predecessors in the Voices series, this richly researched and beautifully illustrated picture book brings a difficult chapter of American history to life for young readers--

An account of the life and exploits of the sharpshooting entertainer.

Millbrook Press, Brookfield, CT : 2001.

Arriving in New England in 1637, William is determined to recreate his home in England but realizes that the climate requires modifications to it.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were good friends with very different personalities. But their differing views on how to run the newly created United States turned them into the worst of friends. They each became leaders of opposing political parties, and their rivalry followed them to the White House. This is the story of two of America's most well-known presidents and how they learned to put their political differences aside for the sake of friendship.