New Releases by Gwenyth Swain

What are the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the U.S. Constitution? They're important documents that helped to shape our country. But what's the story behind how these documents were created? And what exactly do they say? Read this book to find out.

Provides information about the immigration station in New York harbor, along with fictionalized accounts of the people who came through or worked there.

Janie is not exactly sure why her daddy is riding a bus from Indianapolis to Washington, D.C. She knows why she has to go-to stay out of her mother's way, especially with the twins now teething. But Daddy wants to hear a man named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak and, to keep out of trouble, Janie is sent along. Riding the bus with them is a mishmash of people, black and white, young and old. They seem very different from Janie. As the bus travels across cities and farm fields to its historic destination, Janie sees firsthand the injustices that many others are made to endure. She begins to realize that she's not so different from the other riders and that, as young as she is, her actions can affect change.Though fiction, Riding to Washington is a very personal story for Gwenyth Swain as both her father and grandfather rode to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 1963 civil rights march on the nation's capital. Ms. Swain's other books include Chig and the Second Spread and I Wonder As I Wander. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Artist David Geister has entertained audiences for years with his costumed portrayals of historic characters from the nineteenth century, and his artwork reflects his interest in history and dramatic storytelling. Riding to Washington is his third title with Sleeping Bear Press. David lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

What do you put on when you get dressed? A school uniform? A funny hat? Get Dressed takes you around the world to find out what people wear. All over the world, In every tradition and culture, children tidy up, wash, get dressed, go to bed etc. Small World looks at how children learn how to take care of themselves. Using bright colour photographs and short texts this series gives beginning readers and pre-school children a glimpse of children around the world doing everyday things and provides them with a sense of the ways in which people's lives are the same and different the world over.

Through colour photographs, the 'Small World' series illustrates how people are the same and how people differ around the world. With simple rhyming text, the series focuses on the everyday lives and activities of children.

Presents the life and accomplishments of the African American leader and educator who rose from slavery and founded the Tuskegee Institute.

Despite her small stature, eight-year-old Chig makes large contributions to her southern Indiana community during the Great Depression.

New in larger format, pictures of children doing everyday things in places from Manchester to Maputo. 4 yrs+

Famous for her elegantly written and whimsically illustrated children's books Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, Snippy and Snappy, and Tales from Grimm, Wanda Gag (1893-1946) lived a life not unlike that of the characters in the German fairy tales that her grandparents told her as a girl. In a new biography for young readers, award-winning author Gwenyth Swain brings the visionary and eccentric artist to life. Swain takes readers into Wanda's girlhood in rural Minnesota, where, from an early age, her artistic talents flourished. Yet Wanda, the eldest of seven siblings, was pushed abruptly into adulthood when her father's untimely death left her in charge of the household. After years of struggle, Wanda Gag was finally able to go to New York to pursue her passion. Her art was eventually featured at top galleries and her books, influenced by her love of nature and animals, became wildly popular among children and critics across the United States. Complemented by Wanda's illustrations, letters, and diary entries, Wanda Gag: Storybook Artist illuminates for young readers the amazing life of a charismatic artist who triumphed over adversity to realize her dreams.

Describes the life of Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist who was herself a former slave.

The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Dred Scott v. Sandford, in which the slave Dred Scott was denied freedom for himself and his family, raised the ire of abolitionists and set the scene for the impending conflict between the northern and southern states. While most people have heard of the Dred Scott Decision, few know anything about the case's namesake. In this meticulously researched and carefully crafted biography of Dred Scott, his wife, Harriet, and their daughters, Eliza and Lizzie, award-winning children's book author Gwenyth Swain brings to life a family's struggle to become free. Beginning with Dred's childhood on a Virginia plantation and later travel with his masters to Alabama, Missouri, Illinois, and the territory that would become Minnesota, this "family biography" vividly depicts slave life in the early and mid-nineteenth century. At Fort Snelling, near St. Paul, Dred met and married Harriet, and together they traveled with their master to Florida and then Missouri, finally settling in St. Louis, where the Scotts were hired out for wages. There they began marshalling evidence to be used in their freedom suit, first submitted in 1846. Their case moved through local and state courts, finally reaching the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857. But the Court's decision did not grant them the freedom they craved. Instead, it brought northern and southern states one step closer to the Civil War. How did one family's dream of freedom become a cause of the Civil War? And how did that family finally leave behind the bonds of slavery? In Dred and Harriet Scott: A Family's Struggle for Freedom, Swain looks at the Dred Scott Decision in a new and remarkably personal way. By following the story of the Scotts and their children, Swain crafts a unique biography of the people behind the famous court case. In the process, she makes the family's journey through the court system and the ultimate decision of the Supreme Court understandable for readers of all ages. She also explores the power of family ties and the challenges Dred and Harriet faced as they sought to see their children live free.

Chronicles the life of William Penn who, after being jailed in England for openly practicing the Quaker religion, was granted the colony of Pennsylvania by the king, where he was able to create a new government based on his ideals.

Photographs and a brief text portray children from around the world getting ready for bed.

Discusses how children all over the world wash and keep themselves clean.

Covers the life and the legend of frontiersman Johnny Appleseed.

A biography of a Quaker man from North Carolina whose fearless work on the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio helped thousands of men and women escape the cruelty of slavery.

Explores the importance of celebrating to people all over the world.

A biography of a determined woman, who was born in Tennessee, educated in Ohio, and lived in Washington, D.C., where she worked to gain equal rights for herself and other African Americans.

Explores the importance of carrying things as well as babies and of lending a helping hand by sharing a load.

Explores the importance of smiling to people all over the world.