Each kindness makes the world a little better

This unforgettable book is written and illustrated by the award-winning team that created The Other Side and the Caldecott Honor winner Coming On Home Soon. With its powerful anti-bullying message and striking art, it will resonate with readers long after they've put it down.

Chloe and her friends won't play with the new girl, Maya. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her friends, they reject her. Eventually Maya stops coming to school. When Chloe's teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the lost opportunity for friendship, and thinks about how much better it could have been if she'd shown a little kindness toward Maya.

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

An ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book

Winner of the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

As a child in the late 1800s, Horace Pippin loved to draw: He loved the feel of the charcoal as it slid across the floor. He loved looking at something in the room and making it come alive again in front of him. He drew pictures for his sisters, his classmates, his co-workers. Even during W.W.I, Horace filled his notebooks with drawings from the trenches . . . until he was shot. Upon his return home, Horace couldn't lift his right arm, and couldn't make any art. Slowly, with lots of practice, he regained use of his arm, until once again, he was able to paint--and paint, and paint Soon, people--including the famous painter N. C. Wyeth--started noticing Horace's art, and before long, his paintings were displayed in galleries and museums across the country.

Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet team up once again to share this inspiring story of a self-taught painter from humble beginnings who despite many obstacles, was ultimately able to do what he loved, and be recognized for who he was: an artist.

From New York Times bestselling author Toni Buzzeo and Caldecott Medal winning illustrator David Small, comes a cool tale about an unlikely friendship.

On a spontaneous visit to the aquarium, straight-laced and proper Elliot discovers his dream pet: a penguin. When he asks his father if he may have one (please and thank you), his father says yes. Elliot should have realized that Dad was probably thinking of a toy penguin, not a real one... Clever illustrations and a wild surprise ending make this sly, silly tale a kid-pleaser from start to finish.

This magnificent account (New York Times) of Helen Keller's life presents a moving portrait of one of the world's great luminaries.

When Helen was nineteen months old, an illness left her unable to see or speak. She struggled to make herself understood, and often lashed out when she couldn't. With the help of a teacher named Annie Sullivan, she learned to spell words with her fingers, opening her world immeasurably. She soon learned to write and to read Braille, and even to read lips by touch; with Annie by her side, she went to college, and wrote an autobiography that shared her story with the world. She was lauded as a genius and became an advocate for people with disabilities, workers' rights, women's rights, and racial justice.

With her signature style of accessible prose laced with stirring quotes, Doreen Rappaport brings to life Helen Keller's poignant narrative in this addition to the Big Words series of picture book biographies. Acclaimed illustrator Matt Tavares beautifully captures the dynamism and verve of Helen's life and legacy, making Helen's Big World an unforgettable portrait of a woman whose vision for innovation and progress changed America--and the world--forever.

★ Stirring and awe-inspiring. --The Horn Book
★ While there are many books available about Helen Keller for this age group, this title offers a unique and beautiful perspective on her life. --School Library Journal
No child could read this book without imagining herself, as Helen put it, 'in the still, dark world in which I lived.' But it makes Helen's path to self-expression all the more resonant and inspiring. --New York Times
A worthwhile addition to biography shelves. --Booklist

Don't miss these other titles in the Big Words series!
Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa
Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Wilma's Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller
Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Tuckers' farm is a peaceful place where everyone has a job and no one complains. That is, until a hapless peacock falls off the back of a passing truck and stirs things up. Soon, customers are flocking to the farm to see what all the fuss is about. But the hens don't like the newcomer getting attention while they do all the hard work. When a wise old hound sees the problem, he helps orchestrate a job swap.

What follows is the riotous tale of three hens who get in way over their feathered heads, and one very distressed peacock who just can't figure out how to lay an egg.

Lester L. Laminack has created a comical look at envy, finding your strength, and what happens when we underestimate the value of others' work. Henry Cole's delightful illustrations heighten the story's humor and will have readers of all ages laughing out loud.

Five tiny kittens cry for their mama, as smoke begins to fill the abandoned warehouse that has been their home. But Mother Cat has left her cozy heap of kittens to go in search of food.

Determined to save her babies, Mother Cat dashes into the burning building and follows the sounds of frightened mewing. In five daring acts, she saves each kitten--a true hero cat!

This story, accompanied by beautiful illustrations rendered in pastel, honors the tenth anniversary of the real story of a cat who rescued her kittens from a burning building in 1996.