New Releases by Gwenyth Swain

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and text highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! 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.

Voices for Freedom contains three stories focusing on the Underground Railroad and the 1963 Freedom March on Washington. Stories are Friend on Freedom River, Riding to Washington, and The Listeners.In Friend on Freedom River, written by Gloria Whelan, runaway slaves ask Louis to ferry them across the Detroit River to freedom in Canada. He’s not sure what to do. If they are caught, it means prison for Louis. Written by Gwenyth Swain, Riding to Washington tells of one girl’s journey to attend the 1963 “Great March on Washington.” Janie and her father ride a bus to Washington, D.C. to hear a man named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. During the trip, Janie sees firsthand the injustices that many others endure. In The Listeners, another offering from Gloria Whelan, each night Ella May and her friends secretly listen outside the windows of their master’s house. They listen to learn their fates and those of the other slaves.

Experience World War II as you never have before! YOU CHOOSE the path you will take. You decide the battles you will fight. Follow the path of soldiers on land, sea, and air in these thrilling nonfiction adventures.

An original collection of voices, filled with hope and tears, chronicles the history of Ellis Island and the people it served. Indians, settlers, immigrants, inspectors, doctors, nurses, cooks, and social workers all played a big part in that history. Author Gwenyth Swain reimagines the lives of those who landed, lived, and worked on the island through fictional letters, monologues, dialogues, and e-mails, basing them on historical documentation and real-life people. In doing so, she creates a moving picture of their struggles and triumphs. Illustrated with poignant and affecting photographs, this is a unique exploration of Ellis Island's history. Includes further resources, bibliography, and source notes.

Describes World War I, using the reader's choices to reveal historical details from the perspectives of a Belgian resistance fighter, a British soldier, and an American Field Service volunteer.

Jump into a life from long ago! YOU CHOOSE who to be, where to go, and what to do. Will you succeed? Will you fail? Will you even survive? It's up to you!

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.

Mary Church Terrell grew up after the Civil War with many opportunities. Although she received an excellent education and had a distinguished teaching career, Mary grew up African American in a segregated country. There were opportunities she did not have. Always determined, she joined the fight for equal rights. By lecturing, picketing, and writing she made her voice be heard and helped to end segregation.

When Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a little girl in the early 1800s, she realized that most people seemed to think that boys were better than girls. As Stanton grew up, she saw that women had fewer opportunities than men. With this in mind, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her longtime friend Lucretia Mott organized the nation's first women's rights convention, which took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848.

Growing up in a Quaker family in the South in 1830, Levi Coffin did not support slavery, but he was exposed to its atrocities. Convinced that every person deserved to be free, Levi began helping slaves escape to the North along the Underground Railroad, and during the following 40 years he was able to help over 3,000 people find freedom.

Relates the story of the slaves whose eleven-year legal battle to assert their right to be free resulted in the Supreme Court decision that brought the northern and southern states one step closer to war.

Being small is a big concern for Chig Kalpin. Like the insects that catch folks unawares with their bites on a summer evening, Chig is small enough and silent enough that she’s near about invisible. But she has a heartfelt desire to become a big person, both in stature and in spirit, and soon her adventures culminate with the Great Niplak Train Disaster, where she helps the folks in the hills and hollers of southern Indiana make it through the Great Depression with a little more to spread between the covers of their sandwiches. Haven’t heard of it? Well, as Chig might say, “Set a spell and turn the page.”

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

Isabella changed her name to Sojourner Truth because she “was to travel up an’ down this land...to declare truth to the people.” Her strong voice and faith forced people to listen to her, in spite of her being a woman and a former slave. She traveled thousands of miles and spoke out for God, against slavery and for women’s rights. Her moving speeches inspired hope and change in many that heard her.

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.

"I wonder as I wander, out under the sky. . ." Annie Morgan wonders about a lot of things. She wonders why her mother had to die. She wonders how she and her wandering preacher father will pay for gas and food when they're just as poor as everybody else. Finally she finds a way to express all her wonderings in a haunting song sung to a small crowd on the courthouse steps. This charming story, beautifully illustrated by Ronald Himler, tells how the beloved Appalachian Christmas carol "I Wonder As I Wander" may have come to be written.

All over the world children wash up. This looks at how they learn to take care of themselves. Using photographs and text, it aims to give readers and pre-school children a glimpse of ways people's lives are the same and different the world over.

Traces the life of Theodore Roosevelt, discussing the childhood, family life, political career, and contributions of the twenty-sixth president of the United States.

Looks at the life of the Dakota Indian chief, describing his childhood, his travels from the Mdewakanton, and his role in the Dakota War of 1862.

Explores the origin, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

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.

Photographs and a brief text portray children from around the world getting dressed.

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

Discusses how people all around the world help keep things clean and tidy.

An introduction to the land, history, people, economy, and environment of Indiana.

Six new titles in this exiting series, each presenting an insight into the life of a particular, bird animal or fish. Stunning full colour photography together with an easy to read text make these books ideal for use with 7 - 10 year olds. Each title contains; Where the animal lives, what it eats, when it sleeps, how it raises its young & much more. Sidebar fun facts an index and a list of Internet sites. Ideal for school libraries & children's areas in public libraries

Introduces the history, geography, people, industries, and environmental issues of Pennsylvania.

John Chapman loved all forms of nature, and he worked throughout his lifetime to improve it by planting apple trees. Known as the folk hero Johnny Appleseed, John helped to build America--not with a hammer and nails, but with a bag of seeds and a handful of dirt.

In photographs and rhyming text, describes the foods and eating customs of people around the world.