New Releases by Nancy Smiler Levinson

Papa will not allow Clara to learn to read—he says "Farm people like us do not have time to read." But when the traveling bookwagon, with persuasive Miss Mary at the reins, arrives at their farm, Papa realizes he must change his mind. Based on the true story of America’s first ‘bookmobile.’ "The free library in a nearby Maryland village is off-limits to the curious child, but Clara's chance encounter with librarian Mary Titcomb and the first horse-drawn 'moving library' changes her father's response. A glimpse of childhood without schools, libraries, literacy and books is presented in easy-to-read historical fiction." (Cooperative Children's Book Center) Clara and the Bookwagon is a Level Three I Can Read book. Level 3 includes many fun subjects kids love to read about on their own. Themes include friendship, adventure, historical fiction, and science. Level 3 books are written for early independent readers. They include some challenging words and more complex themes and stories.

Gorillas, parrots, hissing cockroaches, and iguanas make their homes in rain forests, as do thousands of other kinds of animals, birds, insects, and reptiles. There are also many trees and plants in each of the two types of rain forests (tropical and temperate). Filled with important facts, this book also uses beautiful, labeled illustrations to show life in rain forests from all over the world, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, and the Pacific Northwest of North America.Rain forests are a hot topic in the news, as the debate over global warming receives more and more coverage. The illustrations are abundant and informative, showing over 100 different life forms in rain forests, from the draco lizard to the round-eared bat to the cocoa tree.

Betsy loves the prairie, but it is a lonely place. When a family moves nearby, Betsy can't wait to make friends with the new girl, Emmeline. But Emmeline misses the city. Can Betsy help her learn to love her new home? Ages 2 – 4

Today cars fill our streets and highways. But how did they get there? It took years of trial and error before people created the first motocar. Some early cars looked like giant kettles - others looked like giant tricycles. Some engines were steam; some were electric! How did the internal combustion engine become the engine of choice?Learn how cars changed the lives of people everywhere. Time line included.

A monkey keeps trying to take a photograph of a giraffe couple, but the other animals insist on pushing their way into the picture.

An introduction to the geography, climate, and inhabitants of the polar regions at the top and the bottom of the earth where the North Pole and the South Pole are located.

A biography of the Portuguese sea captain who set sail from Spain in 1519 and successfully sailed around the world to prove that the world is not only round but circumnavigable.

Describes the desert habitat of Death Valley and the plants and animals that live there.

Looks at the culture, customs, and daily life of Alaskan natives before Alaska became a state in 1959.

Relates the story of women who have worked on the railroad in ever-increasing numbers and expanding range of jobs from the mid-1800s to the present.

Traces the life and contributions of the American genius who changed the world forever through his inventions including the electric lightbulb and the phonograph.

Danny wishes his dad would come home from Nevada for Christmas and writes him a letter to tell him so. When snow cuts off the mail until spring, only postman John Thompson can get through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to deliver his letter. "Based on a true story, this is lively historical fiction with a nice sense of character and adventure, [and] the illustrations are packed with feeling and action." —BL. Notable 1992 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

Describes what the United States was like one hundred years ago, focusing on the railroad, technology, business, labor, immigration, city life, the lives of Blacks, the family, the West, and world politics.

David, a struggling young musician, learns that perseverance is the only way to succeed in learning to play the violin.

In the summer of 1946 Natalie looks forward to going to camp for the first time and being together with her friend Corinne but things do not turn out as she anticipates.

A biography of the fifteenth-century Italian seaman and navigator who unknowingly discovered a new continent while looking for a western route to India.

Annie, who has been nearly deaf since she was seven, must leave her school and be mainstreamed into a public high school, an adjustment which she finds difficult but ultimately not impossible to handle.

A biography of the Air Force test pilot who in 1947 was the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Clara's dream of enriching her rough life on the family farm is fulfilled when a horse-drawn book wagon visits with the country's first traveling library.

A biography of the American poet, activist for humane causes, and friend to immigrants, who authored the noble words now inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.

Fifteen-year-old Ruthie, feeling her intelligence and creativity are underrated by family and teachers, acquires a sympathetic television producer as a mentor and helps on a TV production.

Presents the lives and achievements of six women--Sarah and Angelina Grimké, Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucy Stone--whose activities to earn rights for women took great courage as they faced ridicule and scorn.

Jana's old beau invites another girl to the May dance. Then Jana lands a part-time department store job and finds a new interest, Ross.

Although the social worker assures her that this foster home is the best she could find, Sara concludes that things could be much better.