New Releases by Anne Rockwell

Beloved author Anne Rockwell celebrates nature and the outdoors with a gorgeous new picture book about a child’s first mountain hike! A young girl and her family go hiking up a nearby mountain for the very first time. As they climb up and up the path, they see everything from a friendly toad to a prickly porcupine, tall leafy trees to tiny red berries. Anne Rockwell and her daughter, artist Lizzy Rockwell, celebrate a day the little girl will never forget, especially when she reaches the mountain’s summit. With simple, lyrical text and bright illustrations that jump off the page, Hiking Day brings the joys of spending an afternoon outdoors to life.

"A young boy visits the library for the very first time. While he's there he listens to stories, reads books and magazines, and learns that there are also movies, crafts, chess, and puppet shows and something for everyone"--Provided by publisher.

"Told for the first time in picture book form is the true story of James Lafayette, a slave who spied for George Washington's army during the American Revolution. But while America celebrated its newfound freedom, James returned to slavery. His service hadn't qualified him for the release he'd been hoping for. For James the fight wasn't over; he'd already helped his country gain its freedom, now it was time to win his own."--Amazon.

What makes an insect an insect? What makes a bug a bug? Read and find out! With intricate and vividly colored collages from Caldecott Medal winner Steve Jenkins and engaging text from Anne Rockwell, Bugs Are Insects introduces the youngest readers to the fascinating world of the creepy crawly. Now rebranded with a new cover look, this NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book includes activities such as conducting an insect survey, drawing a picture of your favorite insects, and planting a butterfly garden. Both text and artwork were vetted for accuracy by Dr. Ed Spevak, Curator of Invertebrates and Director of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Native Pollinator Conservation. This is a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

A fascinating and accurate look at different kinds of trucks and what they do, Anne Rockwell's simplified text and detailed illustrations will captivate readers as her cast of cats move, tow, and carry different items throughout the city. Truck lovers will be delighted to recognize and identify the familiar vehicles they see in their own neighborhoods every day.

What happened when a former slave took beat-up old instruments and gave them to a bunch of orphans? Thousands of futures got a little brighter and a great American art form was born. In 1891, Reverend Daniel Joseph Jenkins opened his orphanage in Charleston, South Carolina. He soon had hundreds of children and needed a way to support them. Jenkins asked townspeople to donate old band instruments?some of which had last played in the hands of Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. He found teachers to show the kids how to play. Soon the orphanage had a band. And what a band it was. The Jenkins Orphanage Band caused a sensation on the streets of Charleston. People called the band's style of music "rag"?a rhythm inspired by the African-American people who lived on the South Carolina and Georgia coast. The children performed as far away as Paris and London, and they earned enough money to support the orphanage that still exists today. They also helped launch the music we now know as jazz. Hey, Charleston! is the story of the kind man who gave America "some rag" and so much more.

On St. Parick's Day, come dance a jig with the students in the classroom ALA Booklist calls "a lively place." Today in Mrs. Madoff's class we all wore something green to school. Kate played the fiddle and we danced to Irish music. Then we learned about St. Patrick and many Irish tales and traditions. Now we know why there are no snakes in Ireland. Not every-one in school is all Irish like me, but we all can celebrate St. Patrick's Day together!

Allan, who loves trains and learns all that he can about them, has a wonderful time when he finally takes his first train ride.

When Digger, a backhoe construction machine, is dropped off in a vacant lot, a little boy could not be more excited. He watches as Digger and the construction workers work hard and slowly transform the empty lot into a wonderful new community centre. Now the boy and his friends can make music, dance, and plant flowers. And what better way to thank Digger than by painting a picture of him on the wall of the new community centre!

Taught survival skills by his mother, a bear cub grows up in the forest with everything he needs to live, but when the people tear down the trees and force him to search garbage cans for food, the bear wonders how long it will be before he finds himself in trouble by the people who live nearby.

The rousing true tale of an American Revolution heroine. When her husband joined General Washington’s army, Molly Hays went with him. All through the winter at Valley Forge, Molly watched and listened. Then in July, in the battle at Monmouth, she would show how much she had learned. Molly could tell the day would be a scorcher, so she decided to bring water from a nearby spring to the fighting men. More than 50 British soldiers would die of heatstroke that day, but the American soldiers need only cry, “Molly–pitcher!” On one trip through the fighting field, she saw her husband get shot. She satisfied herself that he wouldn’t die from his wound, then took over his job–firing off the cannon! Molly epitomized the feisty, self-reliant spirit of the colonists who would soon win their battle for independence–and her story has rightly become a beloved legend of American history.

While tucking a child into bed, a parent explains the colors and sounds that night brings.

Buzzing from flower to flower, honeybees are busy gathering nectar and pollen. The nectar will be made into honey, and the pollen will feed their queen bee and her offspring back in the hive. Like people, bees form societies with leaders -- the queen -- and workers, and like people, their survival depends on every bee doing its part. Read and find out about bees, honey, and life in the hive.

Through Little Shark's story, young readers will discover all sorts of fascinating shark facts, including how they eat, how they swim, what their skeletons are like, and more.

Mrs. Madoff's class is counting pennies -- one for every day of school. When they get to 10 pennies, they know they've been going to school for 10 days. What will happen when they get to 100? How will they celebrate Day 100, and what will they do with their 100 pennies?

The students in Mrs. Madoff's class share how they will celebrate Mother's Day with their families.

A boy visits the classroom where he will attend kindergarten the following fall and finds out what is in store for him.

Each season brings new surprises and discoveries. In the spring, leaves sprout, showers come, and it's time for planting. Bees buzz and roses bloom as summer arrives. The fall turns pumpkins orange and leaves red and gold, and the wind grows cold. In wintertime, snow twirls down, and the flames in the fireplace leap and glow. Next year, it will all happen again, but it will be a little different, too. Everything is always growing and changing on a farm. Beloved author Anne Rockwell takes young readers through the year. Megan Halsey's charming collage illustrations are the perfect complement to this delightful introduction to the wonders of the seasons.

Introduces a number of big-wheeled trucks, such as bulldozers, power shovels, and dump trucks, and explains what they do.

Describes what pet hamsters are like, what they eat, and how they act, and explains the difference between wild and domestic animals.

Thanksgiving is almost Here! It's time for Mrs. Madoff's class to put on the Thanksgiving play. Charlie is the ship called the Mayflower, Sarah is a Pilgrim, and Eveline is Chief Massasoit. Everyone has a role to play and a reason to be thankful for the special things that made the first feast possible. The story of the first Thanksgiving is one we'll never forget -- especially when we have friends and family to celebrate it with year after year.

Michiko's mother writes books. Jessica's mother is a veterinarian. Pablo's father is a construction worker. What kinds of work do people you know do? On Career Day the children in Mrs. Madoff's class take turns introducing special visitors. Every visitor has something interesting to share, and together the class learns all about the different work people do. In the fourth Mrs. Madoff book, Anne and Lizzy Rockwell revisit Mrs. Madoff's class as they help young readers explore the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

A simple introduction to geography which explains such things as how the earth was shaped, how islands are born from volcanoes, and how gushing springs affect rivers.

A collection of short stories featuring a little boy and a little girl as alternating main characters.

Describes what happens to a bean as it is soaked, planted, watered, repotted, and eventually produces pods with more beans inside.

This collection of fourteen essays presents a unique comparative analysis of agrarian change in the main rice-growing regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Its central theme is the interplay between agrarian relations and wider political-economic systems. By drawing on historical materials as well as intensive field research, the contributors show how local-level mechanisms of labor control and accumulation both reflect and alter larger political and economic forces. The key to understanding these connections lies in the structure and exercise of power at different levels of society. The approach developed in this volume grows out of a set of detailed local-level studies in regions that have experienced rapid technological change and commercialization. This comparative focus calls into question widely held views of technology and the growth of markets as the chief sources of agrarian change. By relating local-level processes to variations in the structure of state power, the history of agrarian resistance, and the particular forms of capitalist development, the authors suggest an alternative approach to the analysis of agrarian change.

An easy-to-read description of the basic tools found in a toolbox.

Briefly describes simple machines, machine parts, and the powers that move them.