Best Selling Books by Margaret McNamara

Real-life 7-year-old Sophia Spencer was bullied for loving bugs until hundreds of women scientists rallied around her. Now Sophie tells her inspiring story in this picture book that celebrates women in science, bugs of all kinds, and the importance of staying true to yourself. Makes a perfect gift for nature lovers on Earth Day and every day! Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder--and wouldn''t leave!--at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies... but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia''s mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response--letters, photos, and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs--and it worked! Sophia has since appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NPR, and she continues to share her love of bugs with others.

Fans of the musical Hamilton and their children won''t want to miss this stunning picture book biography about Eliza Hamilton, American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton''s extraordinary wife and an important figure in her own right. Includes an afterword from Phillipa Soo, the actress who originated the role of Eliza in Hamilton! We all know the story of scrappy Alexander Hamilton and his rise in American politics--but how much do we know about his workmate, inspiration, and stabilizing force, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton? Margaret McNamara employs the letter-writing style of the period to tell the story of Eliza Hamilton, who was born into a family of considerable wealth, power, and influence in Albany, New York, in 1757. Eliza was expected to marry into a similarly powerful family . . . until she met and fell in love with the charismatic Hamilton. She stood by him throughout his tumultuous life, and after his death, she single-handedly collected his papers and preserved them for historians and musical-theater writers of the future. Eliza outlived Hamilton by fifty years; during that time she founded the first orphanage in New York State, raised funds for the Washington Monument, and kept the flame of her husband''s memory and achievements alive. This is a beautiful and informative biography featuring extensive back matter--including information about America''s revolution, the historical relevance of letter writing, and a timeline--and exquisite, thoroughly researched art that mirrors paintings from 18th-century America. Every Hamilton lover will want to gift it to the young readers in their lives.

Introduce kids to the planets and solar system in this fractured fairy tale retelling of the classic The Three Little Pigs. Parents and children alike will adore this out-of-this-world story, which is set in outer space! GREEP BOINK MEEP! The three little aliens are happily settling into their new homes when the Big Bad Robot flies in to crack and smack and whack their houses down! A chase across the solar system follows in this humorous and visually stunning book from Margaret McNamara (How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?) and Mark Fearing (The Book that Eats People). The endpapers even include a labeled diagram of all the planets.

Usher in National Poetry Month with Mr. Tiffin and his students, stars of the hugely popular How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? and The Apple Orchard Riddle. Once again, Margaret McNamara sets her playful, child-friendly story in the classroom, and this time, poetry—from metaphors to acrostics to haiku—is the name of the game. The focus here is on Elinor, whose confidence falters as she tries to write something "perfect" for Poem in Your Pocket Day and impress a visiting poet. G. Brian Karas''s accessible, adorable illustrations add to the fun. Includes a list of Mr. Tiffin''s tips for celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day. "A nimble introduction to poetry as well as a sensitive look at the perils of perfectionism." —The New York Times "Pair this book with the works of Shel Silverstein, Paul B. Janeczko, Jack Prelutsky, Douglas Florian, or Robert Louis Stevenson." —School Library Journal, Starred

Mr. Tiffin and his students from the perenially popular How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? are back in this picture book about a school trip to an apple orchard! In this playful, humorous, and child-friendly classroom story, the students learn a lot about apples and apple orchards—including how apples are harvested, how cider is made, and what the different varieties of apples are—while trying to solve a riddle. The book also celebrates how some children learn differently than others. Margaret McNamara and illustrator G. Brian Karas bring us another fun and educational picture book.

Visit the state capitol with Mr. Tiffin and his students to learn all about how a bill is voted on and passed. This kid-friendly picture book from the perennially popular Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom series follows a group of students passionately engaged in learning how the US government works. Mr. Tiffin’s students are learning how a bill can become a law and are eagerly brainstorming ideas to make their state a better place. Mr. Tiffin announces that whoever has the best idea will have the opportunity to present their bill to Representative Noor during their class trip to the state capitol. Jeremy believes that they should name an official state cookie. At first it seems like a brilliant idea – until his classmates begin to argue over cookie flavors and pick sides! The only way to settle this debate is with a class vote. When the students visit the capitol the following week to present their bill, Jeremy realizes that even the best ideas require a bit of compromise and often yield surprising – and delicious! – results.

Mr. Tiffin and his students explore skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment! This book makes a wonderful read-aloud companion to any math or science curriculum, and it''s a fun way to reinforce counting skills at home. "How many seeds are in a pumpkin?" Mr. Tiffin asks his class as they gather around the big, medium, and small pumpkins on his desk. Robert, the biggest kid, guesses that the largest one has a million seeds; Elinor, sounding like she knows what she''s talking about, guesses the medium one has 500 seeds; and Anna, who likes even numbers better than odd ones, guesses that the little one has 22. Charlie, the smallest boy in the class, doesn''t have a guess. Counting pumpkin seeds is messy business, but once the slimy job is done, to everyone''s surprise, the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds! As Charlie happily exclaims, "Small things have a lot going on inside of them." And don’t miss the newest addition to the Mr. Tiffin series, The Dinosaur Expert!

Eloise loves loves loves weddings--and now she gets to be in one!

Margaret McNamara tells the stories of Tinker Bell’s little sisters in her charming chapter-book series, the Fairy Bell Sisters. Readers of the Disney Fairies and Rainbow Fairies series will adore these magical fairy tales. In the second book in the series, Rosy and the Secret Friend, it’s summertime, and the island cottages are taken over by the Summer People. The fairies are supposed to stay in hiding, away from the big, scary humans. But one Summer Child, Louisa, is sick and lonely. Kindhearted Rosy knows just what to do to make her feel better. Soon Rosy and Louisa are secret friends! How can Rosy keep such a big secret from her very own sisters? Whimsical illustrations by Julia Denos make these books a magical read.

Aspiring young fairies who adore Rainbow Magic and Disney Fairies will delight in the fourth magical installment in Margaret McNamara''s Fairy Bell Sisters series, about Tinker Bell''s little sisters. All the fairies on Sheepskerry Island look up to Clara Bell. Clara can do anything, which is why the younger Bell sisters—Rosy, Goldie, Sylva, and Squeak—are so proud of her. But when Clara starts to grow into her magical powers, things get a little bumpy. At first it''s fun to practice her charms, especially since a colony of gnomes is visiting Sheepskerry Island for the Valentine''s Games . . . and one of them, Rowan, seems to like her—very much. But when Clara and Rowan are faced with very serious trouble, Clara tries to do magic that''s too hard for her—way too hard for her. Will she have to pay a terrible price? Julia Denos sprinkles her signature fairy dust on each and every page, bringing the illustrations of the Fairy Bell Sisters to life.

Read about the Lakota Indians who lived on the plains and hunted buffalo.

Readers of Disney Fairies, The Never Girls, and Rainbow Magic will absolutely love the fifth book in the Fairy Bell Sisters series by Margaret McNamara, a delightful chapter-book series about Tinker Bell''s little sisters for kids ages 6-10. Springtime means spring-cleaning for the fairies of Sheepskerry Island. It also means getting to search for treasure in the jumble pile—a giant collection of unwanted items outside Queen Mab''s palace. When Sylva Bell and her best friend, Poppy Flower, find Queen Mab''s old fairy dollhouse in the pile, they are overjoyed! But as the two friends play with it, they start to unlock its secrets and discover its special magic—a magic that has a history of putting friendships to the test.

With Sylva and the Fairy Ball, Margaret McNamara launches the Fairy Bell Sisters, an enchanting new chapter-book series. The books feature Tinker Bell’s little sisters and are a must-read for lovers of the Rainbow Fairies and Disney Fairies stories. Clara Bell, Golden Bell, Rosy Bell, Sylva Bell, and baby Squeak are fairy sisters who live on Sheepskerry Island. Usually Sylva and her sisters get along just fine—until the week of the Fairy Ball. Sylva has her heart set on going—she’ll get to wear magical diamond wings and walk on beautiful satin ribbons under the stars! But fairies must be at least eight years old to attend, and poor Sylva’s birthday is the day after the ball. But before the night is over, Sylva’s big sisters will need her to come to their rescue. Charming illustrations by Julia Denos bring the world of fairies to life.

Individual Big Book

Read about the Underground Railroad.

Read about the Lakota Indians who lived on the plains and hunted buffalo.

Who are some of America''s greatest inventors? What did they do? Learn about three inventors and how they changed the world. -- Publisher''s note.

Individual Big Book

Learn how to identify congruent polygons, similar polygons, and lines of symmetry in the community.