front cover of Edward Lear's Nonsense Birds
Edward Lear's Nonsense Birds
Edward Lear
Bodleian Library Publishing, 2013
The Stripy Bird. The Scroobius Bird. The Obsequious Ornamental Ostrich who wore boots to keep his feet quite dry. Of all the animals that sprang from the idiosyncratic imagination of Edward Lear, few feature as frequently as birds, which appear throughout his work, from the flamboyant flock in the Nonsense Alphabet to the quirky avian characters of his limericks, stories, and songs. Lear drew himself as a bird on numerous occasions. In a popular self-portrait—later reproduced on a postage stamp—Lear even represented himself as a portly, bespectacled bird.

Edward Lear’s Nonsense Birds collects more than sixty of Lear’s bird illustrations from across his entire body of work. Often, the birds have hilariously human characteristics. There is, for instance, a Good-Natured Grey Gull, a Hasty Hen, and a Querulous Quail. The Judicious Jay is chiefly concerned with good grooming. The Vicious Vulture, meanwhile, turns out to be a wordsmith whose verses on vellum celebrate veal. Each bird is endowed with a unique personality, while collectively they form a wonderfully amusing flock. Also included are a series of twenty-four hand-colored illustrations.

Bright and beautifully illustrated, this book will make a perfect gift for children of all ages and will also be welcomed by all who love Lear’s work or are interested in learning more about his fascination with birds.
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front cover of Eight Plays for Children
Eight Plays for Children
The New Generation Play Project
Edited by Coleman A. Jennings
University of Texas Press, 1999

The New Generation Play Project was a daring experiment in American children's theatre. Begun in 1989 by a consortium that included the Seattle Children's Theatre, The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, Stage One: The Louisville Children's Theatre, and the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, the NGPP raised half a million dollars to commission major American dramatists to create new works for young people and to produce these plays over a several-year period.

This book provides the full text of the plays produced through the NGPP:

  • Constance Congdon, Beauty and the Beast
  • Velina Hasu Houston, Hula Heart
  • Tina Howe, East of the Sun and West of the Moon
  • Len Jenkin, The Invisible Man
  • Mark Medoff, Kringle's Window
  • Eric Overmyer, Duke Kahanamoku vs. The Surfnappers
  • Michael Weller, Dogbrain
  • Y York, The Witch of Blackbird Pond

In his introduction, Coleman Jennings describes the work of the NGPP, some of the controversies surrounding its selection of playwrights who do not ordinarily write for young audiences, as well as the playwrights' reactions to the project, and the critical reception of the plays. Suzan Zeder, one of the nation's leading playwrights for family audiences, supplies the foreword.

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Electa Quinney
Stockbridge Teacher
Karyn Saemann
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2014

Electa Quinney loved to learn. Growing up in the early 1800s in New York, she went to some of the best boarding schools. There she learned how to read, write, and solve tough math problems—she even learned how to do needlework. Electa decided early on that she wanted to become a teacher so she could pass her knowledge on to others.

But life wasn’t simple. Electa was a Stockbridge Indian, and her tribe was being pressured by the government and white settlers to move out of the state. So in 1828, Electa and others in her tribe moved to Wisconsin. Almost as soon as she arrived, Electa got to work again, teaching in a log building that also served as the local church. In that small school in the woods, Electa became Wisconsin’s very first public school teacher, educating the children of Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Indians as well as the sons and daughters of nearby white settlers and missionaries.

Electa’s life provides a detailed window onto pioneer Wisconsin and discusses the challenges and issues faced by American Indians in the nineteenth century. Through it all, Electa’s love of learning stands out, and her legacy as Wisconsin’s first public school teacher makes her an inspiration to students of today.

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Ellie's Log
Exploring the Forest Where the Great Tree Fell
Judith L. Li
Oregon State University Press, 2013
Winner of 2013 John Burroughs Association Riverby Award Honorable Mention

After a huge tree crashes to the ground during a winter storm, ten-year-old Ellie and her new friend, Ricky, explore the forest where Ellie lives. Together, they learn how trees provide habitat for plants and animals high in the forest canopy, down among mossy old logs, and deep in the pools of a stream. The plants, insects, birds, and mammals they discover come to life in colored pen-and-ink drawings.

An engaging blend of science and storytelling, Ellie’s Log also features:

• Pages from Ellie’s own field notebook, which provide a model for recording observations in nature

• Ellie’s advice to readers for keeping a field notebook

• Ellie’s book recommendations Online resources for readers and teachers—including a Teacher’s Guide—are available at ellieslog.org.
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front cover of Explorers and Settlers of Spanish Texas
Explorers and Settlers of Spanish Texas
By Donald E. Chipman and Harriett Denise Joseph
University of Texas Press, 2001

In Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas, Donald Chipman and Harriett Joseph combined dramatic, real-life incidents, biographical sketches, and historical background to reveal the real human beings behind the legendary figures who discovered, explored, and settled Spanish Texas from 1528 to 1821. Drawing from their earlier book and adapting the language and subject matter to the reading level and interests of middle and high school students, the authors here present the men and women of Spanish Texas for young adult readers and their teachers.

These biographies demonstrate how much we have in common with our early forebears. Profiled in this book are:

  • Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: Ragged Castaway
  • Francisco Vázquez de Coronado: Golden Conquistador
  • María de Agreda: Lady in Blue
  • Alonso de León: Texas Pathfinder
  • Domingo Terán de los Ríos / Francisco Hidalgo: Angry Governor and Man with a Mission
  • Louis St. Denis / Manuela Sánchez: Cavalier and His Bride
  • Antonio Margil de Jesús: God's Donkey
  • Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo: Chicken War Redeemer
  • Felipe de Rábago y Terán: Sinful Captain
  • José de Escandón y Elguera: Father of South Texas
  • Athanase de Mézières: Troubled Indian Agent
  • Domingo Cabello: Comanche Peacemaker
  • Marqués de Rubí / Antonio Gil Ibarvo: Harsh Inspector and Father of East Texas
  • Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara / Joaquín de Arredondo: Rebel Captain and Vengeful Royalist
  • Women in Colonial Texas: Pioneer Settlers
  • Women and the Law: Rights and Responsibilities
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front cover of Eye to Eye
Eye to Eye
Sports Journalist Christine Brennan
Julie K. Rubini
Ohio University Press, 2019

Christine Brennan, the USA Today sports columnist, author, and commentator, uses her voice to advocate for diversity and equality in the world of sports, and her wisdom to encourage future journalists. Her passion for sports was sparked by her dad, who encouraged her to participate in athletics and, as he said, “smell the game”—go watch baseball and football games together.

As a child, Christine wrote daily entries in her diary and listened to play-by-play coverage on her radio. She pursued this love of words through journalism school and applied her passion for sports by reporting on them for various newspapers. Since then, she has portrayed the setbacks and triumphs of athletes, all the while fighting her own battles for success—and respect—as a female journalist.

From knocking down barriers in NFL locker rooms to covering every Olympics since 1984 to being the go-to commentator whenever scandal occurs in the sports world, Christine Brennan has done it all. Eye to Eye invites young readers to learn more about this remarkable journalist and perhaps to nurture their own dreams of investigating and telling important stories.

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