Best Selling Books by Mary Murphy

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee’s beloved classic To Kill a Mockingbird, filmmaker Mary Murphy has interviewed prominent figures—including Oprah, Anna Quindlen, and Tom Brokaw—on how the book has impacted their lives. These interviews are compiled in Scout, Atticus, and Boo, the perfect companion to one of the most important American books of the 20th Century. Scout, Atticus, and Boo will also feature a foreword from acclaimed writer Wally Lamb.

The riveting true account of the 2001 murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, starring Robert Blake—the Hollywood icon accused of killing his wife in cold blood In May 2001 Bonny Lee Bakley was shot to death in a car parked on a dark Hollywood side street. Eleven months later Robert Blake—her husband, the father of her child, and the star of the classic film In Cold Blood and the popular 1970s TV detective series Baretta—was arrested for murder, conspiracy, and solicitation. Did Blake kill his wife? Did he hire someone to do the job for him? Award-winning journalist Dennis McDougal and entertainment-media expert Mary Murphy recount a real-life crime story more shocking and bizarre than any movie, chronicling the parallel worlds of Blake and Bakley, from their troubled youths to their sham of a marriage. By the late 1990s Blake was coasting on his past success. Bakley was a con artist who concocted online sex scams and victimized unsuspecting men, netting big money and dangerous enemies. In true noir style, McDougal and Murphy lay bare the stories of two violent people whose lives collided in a tragic tangle of abuse, betrayal, and love gone horribly wrong.

Butte, Montana, long deserved its reputation as a wide-open town. Mining Cultures shows how the fabled Montana city evolved from a male-dominated mining enclave to a community in which men and women participated on a more equal basis as leisure patterns changed and consumer culture grew. Mary Murphy looks at how women worked and spent their leisure time in a city dominated by the quintessential example of "men''s work": mining. Bringing Butte to life, she adds in-depth research on church weeklies, high school yearbooks, holiday rituals, movie plots, and news of local fashion to archival material and interviews. A richly illustrated jaunt through western history, Mining Cultures is the never-told chronicle of how women transformed the richest hill on earth.

All living creatures have a special place in the world in this extraordinary exploration of the concept of self for very young readers. Only I know how to be me. Only you know how to be you. Trees have leaves that turn sunshine into food. Amazing! Birds build nests, sing songs, hatch eggs, and fly. Dogs are our friends and can move their ears to tell us how they feel, while fish live in water, flashing like jewels. As for people, every person on Earth is different, each with their own thoughts and feelings. With a simple narrative and joyful, welcoming illustrations celebrating a world full of remarkable creatures, Mary Murphy reminds little ones that we are all unique, and that we are the only ones who know how to be us.

In a lyrical story by Mary Murphy, gorgeously illustrated by award-winning artist Zhu Cheng-Liang, a child offers an ode to her favorite things — and people. What I like most in the world is my window. This morning, through my window, I see the postman at the red gate. . . . A little girl observes, one by one, things that give her pleasure — the apricot jam on her toast, the light-up shoes that make her feet bounce, the sparkling river, the pencil whose color comes out like a ribbon. But even after the jar becomes empty, and the shoes grow too small, and the pencil is all used up, one thing will never change. In a tenderly imagined story, Mary Murphy celebrates the intimacy of the bond between mother and child, while Zhu Cheng-Liang’s wonderfully inviting artwork brings the day-to-day details to life.

Nibble nibble nibble. Delicious carrot! Did someone say ... carrot? Here - you can have one. Really? Thank you, thank you, Thanks, thanks, thanks! You''re welcome, You''re welcome, You''re very, very welcome! Two adorable bunnies laugh, play and share joy with each other in this sweet and uplifting picture book. With eye-catching, bright artwork, adorable characters and simple, bouncy text, Oh, Thank You! is suffused with Mary Murphy''s trademark playful humour and heart.

Bring love and joy to your child’s bedtime by reading them this enchanting picture book about a big and little panda expressing how much they love each other. Take a moment to sit down and read with your little one as this cute pair of pandas compare their love to all the things they see. Dandelion clocks, tabby kittens, and building bricks are just some of the fun items in the rhyming couplets that cascade through this beautiful read. This fun and bouncy text will keep your child engaged as they grow from baby to toddler. With a vivid yellow color scheme, this sweet book is a visual as well as an emotional joy. The contrasting yellow and black help with eyesight development in babies, and children will love spotting the fun little details as they get older. A cute and colorful way to show your child the deep affection between parent and child, grandparent and child, and more, and a new take on the phrase ‘I love you to the moon and back’. A story which pulls on the heartstrings, and a touching read to share with little ones this Valentine''s Day.

I’m going out to play, Please, will you come too? Everything is better When I do it with you! Two adorable monkeys laugh, play, and look out for each other in this sweet and uplifting picture book. With eye-catching, bright artwork, adorable characters, and simple, bouncy text, Friends Forever is suffused with Mary Murphy’s trademark playful humor and heart.

Animals of various size reveal themselves one by one, but at the end it is revealed that even the biggest surprises can come in the smallest package.

Arthur Rothstein, Russell Lee, John Vachon, and Marion Post Wolcott became some of the United States'' best-known photographers through their pictures of Depression-era America. Their assignment, as one of their associates described it, was to have "a long look at the whole vast, complicated rural U.S. landscape with all that was built on it and all those who built and wrecked and worked in it and bore kids and dragged them up and played games and paraded and picnicked and suffered and died and were buried in it." In Montana the four photographers traveled to forty of the state''s fifty-six counties, creating a rich record of the many facets of the Depression and recovery: rural and urban, agricultural and industrial, work and play, hard times and the promise of a brighter future. The photographers captured the dignity of Montanans as they struggled to scratch out livings from dried-up fields, nurture families in the shadows of Butte head frames, and foster communities on the vast expanses of the northern plains. Hope in Hard Times, features over 140 Farm Security Administration photographs to illustrate the story of the Great Depression in Montana and the experiences of the photographers who documented it. Today these striking images, from cities like Butte to small towns like Terry, present an unforgettable portrait of a little-studied period in the history of Montana. Selected from the Farm Security Administration Collection at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the photographs in Hope in Hard Times offer viewers an unparalleled look at life in Montana in the years preceding the United States'' entry into World War II.

Stories of the lives and times of nine African-American children and adults whose contributions to Minnesota''s history span nearly two centuries, from the early 1800s to the present day.

Step into a very special world of tiny beings called fidders or minute minders, who work alongside humans to help them navigate life’s challenges! This charmingly llustrated magical fantasy book for kids ages 7-11 offers important social emotional learning tools and an easy transition to chapter books. Stevie and her dad are minute minders – tiny little beings who help humans and animals manage difficult situations. When someone is struggling with a decision, a minute minder helps them make the right choice. When a dog can’t stop barking, a minute minder gets involved to work out what is wrong. But Stevie and her dad are new to the job, and while Stevie is doing her best to learn the rules and regulations, her dad seems intent on taking too many chances. There are two human kids who need their help though: a little girl who is struggling at home and a boy that is dealing with unwanted attention from the classroom bully. Stevie and her dad will need to work together to mend bridges and bring friends back together again. A delightful fantasy adventure about the power of empathy, The Minute Minders highlights the importance of kindness and provides kids with valuable tools to find their way in life. Filled with lively illustrations throughout, this book is a perfect entry level read for 7-11 year olds.

I like it when you hold my hand. I like it when you let me help. I like it when you tickle me. I like it when you dance with me. Straightforward text and bold illustrations highlight the joys of a little penguin s day. This sturdy-page book celebrates a child s special relationships. While penguins may evoke an icy climate, the loving and playful relationship between this penguin parent and child makes for an exceptionally warm little book. -Publishers Weekly "

Lift the flap and join in the fun with the Penguin in this delightful little book

The New News offers an approachable, practical guide to the 21st-century newsroom, equipping journalists with the skills needed to work expertly, accurately, and efficiently across multiple media platforms. Emphasizing the importance of verification and authentication, the book shows how journalists adapt traditional practices of information-gathering, observation, interviewing, and newswriting for online publications. The text includes comprehensive coverage of key digital and multimedia competencies – capturing multimedia content, "doing" data journalism, mobile reporting, working in teams, participating with global audiences, and building a personal brand. Features developed exclusively for this book include innovative visuals showing the multimedia news structures and workflows used in modern newsrooms; interviews with prominent journalists about their experiences in contemporary journalism; a glossary of up-to-date terms relevant to online journalism; and practical exercises and activities for classroom use, as well as additional downloadable online instructor materials. The New News provides excellent resources to help journalism students and early-career professionals succeed in today’s digital networked news industry. The authors are donating all royalties to nonprofit LION''s programs to support local online news publications.

If you are concerned about the health of our planet then turn your attention to what lies under your feet. Working in the soil below are creatures that play a pivotal role in producing the food we eat and impacting the quality of our food crops. Earthworms were described by Darwin as the most important species on our planet and by Aristotle as ‘the intestines of the earth’. Beginner’s Guide to Earthworm Farming provides all the information you need on these remarkable creatures and how important they are to the functioning of life on Earth. The content includes how earthworms benefit the environment, your garden and the economy; the role earthworms play in reducing carbon emissions and removing heavy metals and toxins from our soil; how you can set up your own earthworm farm or compost heap; recyling, how waste negatively impacts water and the environment, how to effectively reduce kitchen waste; and much more.