New Releases by Dee Romito

In a world that is both full of wonder and sometimes-scary, Theo learns that the things we can most count on in life are often invisible. At his mother''s prompting, Theo goes on a search for all the invisibles he can find: Wind! Music! Warmth! Until he can''t find another one anywhere. But as Mom tucks him in with snuggles and kisses, he identifies a couple more--including the most important invisible of all. A comforting, tender tale that shows young readers that the love of family is something to count on.

This stunning picture book looks into the life of Georgia Gilmore, a hidden figure of history who played a critical role in the civil rights movement and used her passion for baking to help the Montgomery Bus Boycott achieve its goal. Georgia decided to help the best way she knew how. She worked together with a group of women and together they purchased the supplies they needed-bread, lettuce, and chickens. And off they went to cook. The women brought food to the mass meetings that followed at the church. They sold sandwiches. They sold dinners in their neighborhoods. As the boycotters walked and walked, Georgia cooked and cooked. Georgia Gilmore was a cook at the National Lunch Company in Montgomery, Alabama. When the bus boycotts broke out in Montgomery after Rosa Parks was arrested, Georgia knew just what to do. She organized a group of women who cooked and baked to fund-raise for gas and cars to help sustain the boycott. Called the Club from Nowhere, Georgia was the only person who knew who baked and bought the food, and she said the money came from "nowhere" to anyone who asked. When Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for his role in the boycott, Georgia testified on his behalf, and her home became a meeting place for civil rights leaders. This picture book highlights a hidden figure of the civil rights movement who fueled the bus boycotts and demonstrated that one person can make a real change in her community and beyond. It also includes one of her delicious recipes for kids to try with the help of their parents!

What goes up there ends up here! That''s because air travels around the earth and carries lots of stuff in it! Air carries mostly good stuff like seeds, scents, and sounds. And it carries bad stuff like ash, dust and smog. Read about . . . the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa that sent ash into the air and around the earth, The Black Sunday Dust Storm that traveled from Oklahoma to the East Coast, and The Great Smog of London that killed thousands of people. Then learn about what people can do to protect the air we share. You will also like The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It by Dee Romito and illustrated by Ziyue Chen. The Books for a Better Earth™ collection is designed to inspire young people to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on. Focusing on solutions to climate change challenges and human environmental impacts, the collection looks at how scientists, activists, and young leaders are working to safeguard Earth''s future.

Take off with Nancy Harkness Love, first female pilot to serve in the Army Air Forces and founder of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) during World War II, in this picture book biography perfect for readers of Fly, Girl, Fly! or Fearless Flyer. In 1930, when Nancy Harkness was sixteen years old, she took a ride in a biplane and fell in love with flight. But at that time, women weren’t encouraged to pursue careers in aviation. Despite the barriers, Nancy took to the air and earned her pilot’s license. She continued to fly in college, becoming known as “The Flying Freshman.” After traveling to Boston for a job, she met her future husband and fellow pilot, Bob Love, and began her official career in aviation, eventually becoming director of the WAFS during World War II. By pursuing her dreams, Nancy paved the way for other female pilots to soar.

Learn how and why a useful, 5000-year-old invention has become a threat to our planet--and what you can do about it--in this history of the simple straw. From reeds used by ancient Sumerians to bendy straws in World War II hospitals, people have changed the straw to fit their needs for 5000 years. Today however, this useful tool is contributing to the plastic problem polluting our oceans. Once again, the simple straw needs a reinvention. With bright illustrations and well-researched text, children can read about the inventors behind the straw’s technological advancements, including primary sources like patents, as well as how disposable plastic harms the environment. See the newest solutions, from plastic straw alternatives to activism by real kids like Milo Cress who started the Be Straw Free campaign when he was 11 years old. Learn about what kids can do to reduce plastic waste. The backmatter includes more information on the movement to stop plastic waste, action items kids can do, a bibliography, and additional resources on plastic pollution. Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on. A Horn Book Fanfare Book A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! A Green Earth Book Award Recommended Title

Includes discussion questions and STEM activity.

When kids of Fort Builders, Inc., go to summer camp, a friendly blanket fort competition turns serious in the third story in the fun-to-read Aladdin QUIX chapter book series that’s perfect for emerging readers! Kiara is super excited to go to Camp Firefly for the summer and be with all her friends, including the rest of Fort Builders, Inc. And this year, she can’t wait to enter the camp-wide CREATE contest. One lucky team will win the prize of building something from scratch, using all the DIY skills they show in the competition. Kiara and her cabin decide compete by making the best blanket fort ever—but Caleb and his cabin decide to do the same thing! Can they learn to work together, or will this epic blanket fort battle turn into an all-out cabin war?

The enterprising kids of Fort Builders, Inc., are at it again. This time, the friends use their creativity and construction know-how to build a pet palace in the second story in the fun-to-read Aladdin QUIX chapter book series that’s perfect for emerging readers! Jax and his twin sisters are getting kittens! The new four-legged members of the family will be coming home any day. And Fort Builders, Inc., has a new project…pet forts! Together, they know they can come up with the purr-fect hangout for the tiny felines. But they hit a major snag in their testing phase. None of the forts they test out is quite right. Can the team manage to build the best pet palace imaginable in time for the kittens’ arrival?

A group of friends use teamwork, creativity, and construction know-how to start their own fort building company in the first story in a new, fun-to-read Aladdin QUIX chapter book series that’s perfect for emerging readers! Caleb could really use a bit more spending money—he needs to buy the next book in his favorite series so he can see what happens! But what can he do to raise funds once his allowance runs out? Caleb puts his head together with his best friend, Jax, and a couple other kids in their neighborhood, and come up with a brilliant idea. They’re going to start their own fort-building business! Good forts are always in demand, and who better to design and construct them than kids? But when Fort Builders, Inc., gets their first gig, the group has trouble agreeing on the right way to go about it. Can they learn to work together in time to build an incredible fort, or will their business be over before it even begins?

Twelve-year-old Skyler is in for a summer of adventure in Venice, Italy, as she pursues a dream opportunity in this hilarious MIX novel that’s a companion to The BFF Bucket List. Skyler is about to go on the biggest adventure of her life. Her mother has been relocated to Venice, Italy, and there is the possibility it could be a permanent move. While there, Skyler will be blogging and writing about the city as part of an informal internship that could lead to bigger things for her if all goes well. One of her fellow interns, Logan is cool, cute, and Australian. But the other intern, Zara, isn’t quite as nice, and seems determined to sabotage all of Skyler’s suggestions. And with a big assignment coming up, Skyler is stumped as to what to write about. Skyler wishes she has someone to talk to, but the first person who comes to mind isn’t even on the same continent: her BFF, Ella. Skyler knows that Ella would probably have to solution to a lot of her problems, especially the writer’s block, but they didn’t leave on the best of terms after a bucket list went a little awry. Thanks to technology, Skyler and Ella slowly begin to talk like old times. But when one of Skyler’s blog posts gets replaced with one she never intended anyone to see, she isn’t sure if she can ever belong anywhere. With the help of some Italian magic and her oldest friend, can Skyler learn to love her new city?

Kenzie Rhines doesn''t have a home she has too many. Her dad s job keeps them flying around the country, which means home is whatever fancy hotel they''re currently staying in and school takes place 30,000 feet in the air. And since it''s just the two of them, she has no choice but to be his travel partner. Kenzie loves the constant adventures, but she wouldn''t mind planting her feet in one place for longer than two seconds, having her own bed, and maybe even finding a best friend she can talk to.

On the night of a middle school dance, excitement yields to complications for seven students, some who perform with their rock band, some who attend, and some who have other obligations.

When best friends Skylar and Ella begin to drift apart, they try to fix their friendship by creating the ultimate BFF Summer Bucket List in this funny and heartfelt M!X novel. Ella and Skyler have been best friends since kindergarten—so close that people smoosh their names together like they’re the same person: EllaandSkyler. SkylerandElla. But Ella notices the little ways she and Skyler have been slowly drifting apart. And she''s determined to fix things with a fun project she''s sure will bring them closer together—The BFF Bucket List. Skyler is totally on board. The girls must complete each task on the list together: things like facing their fears, hosting a fancy dinner party, and the biggest of them all—speaking actual words to their respective crushes before the end of summer. But as new friends, epic opportunities, and super-cute boys enter the picture, the challenges on the list aren’t the only ones they face. And with each girl hiding a big secret that could threaten their entire friendship, will the list—and their BFF status—go bust?