New Releases by Susan Hughes

As a young child, Phymean Noun dreamed of learning to read and write. But growing up during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia in the 1970s made that dream impossible. Formal education was not only forbidden at that time but also could result in a death sentence. When the Khmer Rouge government was eventually overthrown, Phymean was finally able to go to school and fulfill the promise she made to herself as a young girl. Years later, when Phymean was working in Phnom Penh, she met several unhoused and hungry child laborers who were unable to get an education because they had to work to feed their families. Like Phymean, their greatest dream was to go to school. Phymean knew she had to help. She left a stable job and salary behind to start the People Improvement Organization (PIO) in 2002, an NGO that educated, fed and also housed children in need. Since its founding, PIO has helped 8,000 children accomplish their dream of receiving an education.

In Echoes of Hope, you will find a heartfelt exploration of what it means to overcome adversity and embrace personal, professional or academic growth. You''ll discover how setbacks-no matter how daunting-can become pivotal moments of growth and transformation. Drawing from compelling real-life inspiring stories, insightful reflections, and proven actionable strategies, this book offers a roadmap to navigate life''s difficulties to help you harness resilience, rebuild your confidence, and reignite your passion with courage and grace. Let Echoes of Hope guide you toward finding renewed inner strength, inspiration and hope when you need it most.

"An assortment of construction vehicles needs to be convinced to stop working so they can get cleaned up for a truck parade! But despite the narrator''s cajoling, the trucks just want to keep working. They don''t want to waste time taking a bath -- they want to be useful! They want to flatten soil, haul dirt, carry bricks, and lift beams! They want to DO! They want to WORK! But it turns out that there''s an exciting reason for the trucks to stop their work, take a bath, and get in line ... Get ready, get set for the TRUCK PARADE! Kids will have fun reading along to this playful, rhyming story with an extremely satisfying finish."--

A young boy finds a way to help his sister go to school. Victor and his twin sister, Linesi, are close. Only, now that they are eight years old, she is no longer able to go to school with him. Linesi, like the other older girls in their community, must walk to the river to get water five times a day to help their mother farm. But Victor is learning about equality in school. He’s beginning to realize how boys and girls are not treated equally. And that’s not fair to his sister. So Victor comes up with a plan to help. Can one boy make a difference in an unequal world? It turns out, he can!

Have you ever been on an adventure? Where did you go? What made it an adventure? Emma and Matt go biking in the mountains. Matt tells Emma that she is a worrywart. Have you ever heard this word before? What does it mean to you? Matt and Emma don''t plan to go on an adventure but their ride turns into one! Find out how.

What do people mean when they talk about the wilderness? Have you ever been in the wilderness? Where did you go? Did you enjoy it? Greg didn''t like wilderness school. He wanted to go home so one night he decided to run away.

Read about the epic struggles, the years of hard work and perseverance and the prejudice women faced fighting for the most important, basic, democratic right--to vote.

A spare and deeply-felt narrative about feeling like an outsider

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: Vibrant photographs and accessible text introduce young scientists to the concept of density. Readers are encouraged to explore what makes some objects float and others sink.

An adorable board book collection to enrich a toddler''s vocabulary.

Around the world, little ones are carried in many different ways: in slings, on shoulders, in backpacks, on hips, in baskets, and in loving arms. Up!depicts ten places around the world, from Afghanistan to northern Canada, Peru to West Africa. In each place, a mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or sibling lovingly carries a baby. With various family configurations and settings ranging from a busy outdoor market to a high-rise apartment kitchen, the book wholeheartedly celebrates diversity. Gorgeous cut-paper collage art adds warmth and brightness, and brings the lyrical text to life. Repetition of the phrase "Upsy-daisy" on each spread lends familiarity, and reminds readers that love for a little one is a universal feeling.

Unlike her neighbors, Maggie McGillicuddy has an eye for trouble. And she spots it — everywhere! Look, over there, a tiger lurking! And there, a snake slithering! (You don’t see them? Well, no imagination, I guess.) And it’s all good fun until her young neighbor Charlie comes face to face with some very real trouble, and Maggie must jump into action! Readers will have no trouble spotting the clever make-believe in this charmingly illustrated story about an unlikely friendship rooted in playful imagination.

There''s a whole world of incredible and unusual schools out there! From schools in caves or on boats to mobile schools and even schools than ''un-school'', this book celebrates the people and places that work to ensure that even children living in the most challenging or unusual of circumstances can get an education. Their stories will make you think about school and the world in a whole new way.

Can Kat, Maya and Grace cheer up a sad, lonely pup? Kat, Maya, and Grace are thrilled to be helping Aunt Jenn care for another puppy boarder at Tails Up. This time it is a 3-month-old cavalier King Charles spaniel named Nutmeg. The girls show up on several afternoons to play with the puppy, but she seems so sad most of the time. When Nutmeg stops eating altogether, the girls become quite worried. Aunt Jenn tries to call Nutmeg''s owner but she is out of town and can''t be reached. Eventually, the girls realize that the puppy only seems to perk up when she sees Marmalade, the elderly cat who belongs to Tony, the receptionist at Tails Up. They begin to suspect that Nutmeg has a cat pal back home whom she is missing. But what to do with the lonely pup who won''t eat? Can crotchety Marmalade be persuaded to be a stand-in for Nutmeg''s cat buddy? Or is there another solution?

It''s a new school year and things haven''t been great for Kat. She''s being teased, and her best friend, Maya, is in a different class. But things start to look up when her Aunt Jenn opens a kennel and dog-grooming salon, and the girls are allowed to h

Can Kat, Maya and Grace keep Houdini out of trouble? When Aunt Jenn asks Kat, Maya and Grace to help her care for a little mischievous beagle pup named Houdini, the girls don''t know the trouble they''re in for. True to his name, Houdini somehow manages to escape from his kennel the very first time they come to play with him! Houdini proves to be a master escape artist, and though the girls foil a couple of his attempts to get away, it''s not long before he manages to sneak away from under their noses. Will the girls be able to find the missing puppy?

Meet all kinds of puppies in this sweet illustrated series perfect for newly independent readers! Kat and her friends are eager to help when Aunt Jenn asks them to train a special puppy, 4-month-old Bernese mountain dog Piper, for her first puppy show. They only need to work on a few simple commands, but the girls soon find out that training a puppy is not as easy as it seems . . . Can Kat, Maya, and Grace get Piper ready for her first puppy show in time?

Meet all kinds of puppies in this sweet illustrated series, perfect for newly independent readers! Kat, Maya, and Grace are looking after Cricket, a Yorkshire terrier puppy, when a chocolate bar disappears from Maya''s backpack. Kat knows chocolate is poisonous to dogs, and the girls are worried that Cricket may have eaten the chocolate bar. But they are also afraid to tell Aunt Jenn in case they get in trouble! Can Kat, Maya, and Grace save Cricket in time?

Meet all kinds of puppies in this sweet illustrated series perfect for newly independent readers! When someone leaves a box of three Bichon Frise puppies outside Tails Up, Aunt Jenn asks Kat, Maya, and Grace to look after them and find them new homes. Best of all, they get to choose names for the pups! They pick three French names: Aimée, Chantal, and Bijou. Calls begin to come in from people interested in adopting Bichon Frise puppies, and the girls meet some of the prospective owners after school. Aimée and Chantal are soon placed in loving homes. But what about shy little Bijou? Will they be able to find a home for him?

"Série de romans de lecture facile donnant à suivre Catou, Maya et Béatrice, trois amies qui vont à la même école et partagent le même amour des chiens. Grâce au salon de toilettage de la tante de Catou, les filles peuvent maintenant côtoyer leur animal préféré. Sous ce titre, les trois fillettes doivent s''occuper de Fripon, un énergique et malicieux yorkshire-terrier de trois mois."--SDM.

Meet all kinds of puppies in this sweet illustrated series, perfect for newly independent readers! Maya, Kat, and her new friend Grace are all set to help Aunt Jenn with a new puppy. Murphy is a shy little sheltie pup with lots of energy, so the girls agree to walk him and help him get used to being around people. While on their walk in the park, the girls find an older cocker spaniel named Tawny that seems to be lost. They manage to reunite Tawny with her owner, but when they later find Tawny wandering the streets once more, the girls wonder if her owner deserves the responsibility of caring for the lovely little dog. Maya, Kat, and Grace can''t agree on what''s best for Tawny. Can Murphy help them sort it all out?

"Série de romans de lecture facile donnant à suivre Catou, Maya et Béatrice, trois amies qui vont à la même école et partagent le même amour des chiens. Grâce au salon de toilettage de la tante de Catou, les filles peuvent maintenant côtoyer leur animal préféré. Sous ce titre, les trois fillettes doivent s''occuper de Cajou, un bouvier bernois femelle de quatre mois. Elles devront lui faire pratiquer les ordres de base afin de la préparer à sa première exposition canine. Contrairement à ses deux amies, Catou peine à se faire obéir de la jeune bête."--SDM.

Samedi matin, tante Janine annonce à Katou qu''une boîte contenant trois petits bichons frisés a ete deposee a la porte de la pension Au p''tit bonheur canin. Tres occupee, tante Janine demande a Catou et a ses amies de prendre soin de Bijou et d''aider? lui trouver une nouvelle maison.

Meet all kinds of puppies in this sweet new series, perfect for newly independent readers! The new girl in Kat''s class doesn''t seem very nice. She''s not very friendly, and seems upset and angry all the time. But the arrival of a cute new puppy named Riley makes Kat realize that it''s hard being the new kid, and Emma might just need a friend. Lively illustrations, relatable storylines, and puppies galore make this series perfect for newly independent readers.

Egypt''s first female pharaoh disappears around 1457 BCE --- was she murdered? Find out how DNA closes the case. The ancient Arabian Peninsula city of Ubar vanishes, seemingly without trace. Find out how old maps and modern space shuttles help solve the mystery. Sir John Franklin''s 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage is never heard from again. Find out how spectroscopy points to some probable explanations. Case Closed? examines these and six other mysteries from ancient and modern times. Accompanied by photos, maps, diagrams and illustrations, this book reveals how modern science sheds new light on people, vessels and entire civilizations throughout history that simply vanished. In some cases, the mystery has been solved. In other cases, readers can examine the latest evidence and decide for themselves.

This is a fictional story about two cousins who have different approaches to life. Emma is careful and cautious but she doesn''t judge her cousin; Matt sometimes lets his impatience rule him, and he accuses Emma of being overly cautious. As you read, think about how the cousins'' differences play an important role in the outcome of this story.

Discover some uniquely Canadian celebrations! It''s clear that Canada has a lot to celebrate. From First Nations powwows and potlatches, through the traditional festivities of the early settlers, up to the way we now mark birthdays and public holidays, Canadian Celebrations will explore the many ways we celebrate. Five brightly illustrated chapters cover National Aboriginal Day, Thanksgiving, Celebrate Canada (including Canada Day, Saint Jean-Baptiste Day, and Canadian Muticulturalism Day), the Calgary Stampede, and the Quebec Carnival. A wonderful introduction to uniquely Canadian celebrations for young readers, in this fine addition to the Canada Close Up non-fiction series.

A widow at 42, Abby Wells has poured her heart into the restoration of The Roses Inn, a historic Niagara-on-the Lake establishment reputedly haunted by a 19th-century ghost. In walks Jason Brinleigh, a gorgeous winery owner nine years Abby''s junior, intent on buying the place from her. The transaction falls by the wayside as Abby and Jason fall for each other. But the scars left by past loves run deep, challenging them both to surrender their hearts. When unexpected events threaten to tear them apart, will it take a little intervention from the spirit world to set things right?

Describes some of the different and unusual school settings around the world, from an environmentally sustainable school in India to schools within caves in China and schools for the nomadic tribes of Siberia.