Illinois Authors

Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI : ©2008.

Following the alphabet from A to Z, amazing and memorable sports moments are introduced with two-tier writing--poems and detailed side-bar text. Topics include Jackie Robinson's courage; Gertrude Ederle swimming the English Channel; Bob Beamon's long jump; and Jesse Owens 'Medal of Freedom--Provided by publisher.

Extreme sports and its many and varied activities are introduced from A to Z using poetry, prose, and illustration in this children's picture book. Topics include adventure racing, bungee jumping, freestyle skiing, the Iditarod, and kiteboarding--Provided by publisher.

Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI : ©2007.

"Extreme sports and its many and varied activities are introduced from A to Z using poetry, prose, and illustration in this children's picture book. Topics include adventure racing, bungee jumping, freestyle skiing, the Iditarod, and kiteboarding"--Provided by publisher.

The letters of the alphabet introduce facts about the Olympic movement and Olympic sports.

AV2 by Weigl, New York, N.Y. : 2016.

Examines the history and lore of America's favorite pastime in alphabet format.

Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI : 2011.

Examines the history and lore of America's favorite pastime in alphabet format.

Examines the history and lore of soccer from A for a game played all over the world to Z for Zinedine Zidane, a French star named the world's best.

Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI : c2003.

Examines the history and lore of soccer from A for a game played "all over the world" to Z for "Zinedine Zidane," a French star named the world's best.

Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI : ©2011.

Rhyming riddles accompanied by colorful artwork help introduce the game of baseball to young readers.

Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI : ©2011.

Introduces the game's simplest, most basic elements with riddles and artwork.

Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI : ©2011.

Rhyming riddles accompanied by colorful artwork help introduce the game of football to young readers.

Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI : ©2011.

Introduces the game's simplest, most basic elements with riddles and artwork.

For 108 years, fans of Chicago Cubs baseball suffered every playofff season, with mishap after mishap each being traced back to 1945 when a friendly goat was kicked out of a World Series game. But the 2016 season felt different. Would this finally be the year that the Billy Goat Curse was reversed? Author Brad Herzog tells the story of the curse's origin and follows the Cubs right through that fateful November night in 2016 when the Cubbies could finally fly the W.

For 108 years, fans of Chicago Cubs baseball suffered every playofff season, with mishap after mishap each being traced back to 1945 when a friendly goat was kicked out of a World Series game. But the 2016 season felt different. Would this finally be the year that the Billy Goat Curse was reversed? Author Brad Herzog tells the story of the curse's origin and follows the Cubs right through that fateful November night in 2016 when the Cubbies could finally fly the "W."

Carolyn Goodmans life was punctuated by tragedy, including a brothers premature death, childhood molestation, a fathers suicide, and a sons infamous murder. But hers is foremost a tale of survival, of turning personal anguish into social conscience. When her twenty-year-old son, Andy, was one of three civil rights volunteers to disappear in Mississippi in the summer of 1964, the story galvanized the nation. A half century after the Mississippi murders, this is the first time that a victims family member has expounded about the experience and the myriad emotions--from guilt to resolve--that it spawned. More than simply a memoir, My Mantelpiece is the story of a centurys seminal progressive movements seen through the lens of a remarkable womans singular journey. **Along with a foreword by National Book Award-winner Maya Angelou, MY MANTELPIECE includes back-cover testimonials from Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congressman John Lewis, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and performer-activist Harry Belafonte.

An A-Z pictorial for children including golf terms, rules, famous people, and courses introduced with poems accompanied by expository text to provide detailed information--Provided by publisher.

Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI : ©2005.

"An A-Z pictorial for children including golf terms, rules, famous people, and courses introduced with poems accompanied by expository text to provide detailed information"--Provided by publisher.

Engines hum and hearts pound as cars hurtle around the track at 200 miles per hour. In R is for Race: A Stock Car Alphabet, readers will experience the track's sights and sounds as they learn the ins and outs of stock car racing, from its humble beginnings in 1895 to the fastest growing sport in America. Whether interested in the guys in the garage or the Daytona International Speedway, fans young and old will speed from A to Z as they are introduced to the people, places and memorable moments in stock car racing.As a freelance magazine writer, author Brad Herzog has earned three gold medals from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. He has also written several sports titles for Sleeping Bear Press, including H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet. Brad lives with his family on California's Monterey Peninsula. Illustrator Jane Gilltrap Bready's motorsports paintings have been displayed in museums worldwide. She came by her love of cars naturally, as she was born into a family with racing ties. She and her family live in New Hampshire.

Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, Mich. : ©2006.

"This book provides readers with details on the famous drivers, history, and statistics from the sport of stock car racing. From A to Z topics such as Bill France, Daytona, helmets, pit stops, and more are explained and illustrated for readers of all ages"--Provided by publisher.

From Booklist: This alphabet title aims to raise awareness of diverse environmental issues and offer conservation tips. Each letter's topic is introduced in two rhyming stanzas (B is for bright idea - a bulb that lasts much longer), while sidebars of small, dense text, geared toward older readers, detail-related information (an overview of compact fluorescent and incandescent lights, for example) and provide context for each issue's importance. Included throughout are suggestions and practical steps that kids and adults can take to help make a difference. The colorful, realistic illustrations depict children in everyday settings engaged in green activities, such as clearing litter. The rhymes occasionally feel forced, and an index to help guide readers to specific information would have been welcome. Nonetheless, from A (Appreciation for our planet) to Z (zero carbon footprint), each letter introduces concepts that will inspire thought and action, beyond the familiar Rs of reusing, reducing, and recycling. Web resources are appended.

Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI : ©2009.

Suggestions, information, and poems about environmental issues, one for each letter of the alphabet.

"Every town tells a tale -- even the tiniest dots on the map. In 'SMALL WORLD', those dots constitute a trip around the world in 50 days. Bestselling author Brad Herzog travels from Paris (Kentucky) and Prague (Nebraska) to Cairo (Illinois) and Calcutta (West Virginia) in an attempt to find truth amid America's patchwork quilt of stereotypes and rumors. He marvels at a castle in Versailles, imbibes at a London pub, discovers a descendant of King David in Jerusalem and makes a pilgrimage to Mecca -- all without leaving the U.S. Along the way, Herzog encounters a cast of characters as varied as the landscape -- devout ranchers and devoted nudists, miners and migrants, artists and activists, hillbillies, hippies, hermits and Hare Krishnas. More than just a romp through small towns with grandiose names, 'SMALL WORLD' is post-9/11 exploration of people struggling to survive in the nation's nooks and crannies. "We understand our world by expanding our reach," writes Herzog, "and it begins with the small world close to home." --Page [4] of cover.

Can you find love in Love, Virginia? Is there inspiration in Inspiration, Arizona? Wisdom in Wisdom, Montana? It is 1995, and young author Brad Herzog wonders if the cynicism of his generation reflects America or merely misjudges it. So he and his wife empty their bank accounts, pack everything into a Winnebago and set a course for the fine print of the atlas. The road takes them to Triumph, Louisiana, where they find a community twice destroyed by hurricanes and twice rebuilt. In Justice, West Virginia, half the population descends from the Hatfields and McCoys. Faith, South Dakota is a hailstorm, a grasshopper plague and a religious debate. Harmony, California is up for sale.What began as a literal search for the small places on the map becomes a figurative examination of virtues lost amid disillusionment. Equal parts whimsy and wonder, [this book] eloquently reminds us that large insight is the amalgam of small discoveries. --Page [4] of cover.

Sports writer Brad Herzog's easy-to-read aloud rhymes engage even the youngest of readers while hardcore fans can devour the detailed expository that covers the sport of the pigskin, from A-Z and end zone to end zone. Plays and players are just a few of the topics covered. Becoming an armchair quarterback has never been easier!

Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI : ©2004.

The sounds of the autumn include the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot and the thump of the kick off starting the first home football game. Sleeping Bear Press is proud to continue our best-selling sports series with "T is for Touchdown: A Football Alphabet." Sports writer Brad Herzog's easy-to-read aloud rhymes engage even the youngest of readers while hardcore fans can devour the detailed expository that covers the sport of the pigskin, from A-Z and end zone to end zone. Plays and players are just a few of the topics covered. Becoming an armchair quarterback has never been easier!

Macmillan USA, New York, NY : ©1995.

It all began with an invitation to a college reunion, leading Brad Herzog to take stock: How has he measured up to his youthful aspirations? What constitutes a heroic life? So this modern-day Odysseus in Kerouac clothing embarks on a cross-country quest for insight. But instead of a voyage home to Ithaka following the Trojan War, this would-be hero is making his way toward his alma mater in Ithaca, New York. Starting with a view of Washington's Mount Olympus, Herzog makes his way eastward, delving into his own psyche and the lives of everyday heroes along the way. He meets a teacher in a rural one-room schoolhouse in Troy (Oregon), a lifelong hobo in Iliad (Montana), a bomb-diffusing soldier from Sparta (Wisconsin) and an 87-year-old paragon of reliability in Pandora (Ohio). [This] is a philosophical, historical and conversational trek across America and through the universal truths embedded in ancient myths. However, in the end it is simply the story of one man trying to find his way. --Page [4] of cover.

Following the alphabet this book uses poetry and expository text to celebrate America's diverse population and showcase the remarkable achievements and contributions that have come from the many people who have chosen to make our country their home. Topics include well-known landmarks and famous citizens--Provided by the publisher.

Historic and nostalgic Wrigley Field is introduced from A to Z with rhyming poems and informational text.