Nonfiction

Stella Writes Series - Jan Wagstaff

Stella: Poet Extraordinaire
Stella and her teacher, Ms. Merkley, take readers on a journey through the process of writing poetry, from finding inspiration by taking a poetry walk to a final Poetry Jam where all the young poets share their work.

Stella and Class: Information Experts
Do you know what it's like to be inquisitive? To have your mind racing with questions? Stella does! When Stella's class gets curious about chameleons, their teacher, Ms. Merkley, is happy to oblige. Join Stella and her friends as they become chameleon experts, and experts in informative writing. Sharing what you learn; that's what informative writing is all about.

Stella Tells Her Story
She has a story to tell. (Ms. Merkley says everyone does.) Today, Ms. Merkley announced, is the perfect day to start writing narratives. Max has the story about his puppy, and Tineka is ready to retell her catfish adventure. But what topic will Stella choose? The time she got cupcake batter in her hair? Her trip to the amusement park? And how will she write it? What happened first, next, last . . . ? Stella loves to write. Go with her on a writing journey as she relives and retells a heartwarming story.

Stella Writes an Opinion
Meet Stella. She has lots of opinions. Like, the best food is ice cream and kids should be allowed to bring toys to school and Ms. Merkley is the nicest teacher in the whole world. So, when Ms. M. tells the class they get to write an opinion, Stella gets excited. But how will she choose what to write about? Go with Stella on her writing journey and see how one kid's opinion can change a school. What could be more fun than to write what you think about an important topic. Now that's power!

Picture Books for Math

The Greedy Triangle - Marilyn Burns
Dissatisfied with its shape, a triangle keeps asking the local shapeshifter to add more lines and angles until it doesn't know which side is up.

It's Probably Penny - Loreen Leedy
After learning about probability at school, Lisa has to complete an assignment and find things that fit into the categories of will, might,  and cannot happen.

Biographies

The William Hoy Story - Nancy Churnin
All William Ellsworth Hoy wanted to do was play baseball. After losing out on a spot on the local deaf team, William practiced even harder--eventually earning a position on a professional team. But his struggle was far from over. In addition to the prejudice Hoy faced, he could not hear the umpires' calls. One day he asked the umpire to use hand signals: strike, ball, out. That day he not only got on base but also changed the way the game was played forever. William "Dummy" Hoy became one of the greatest and most beloved players of his time!

How Kate Warne Saved President Lincoln - Elizabeth Van Steenwyk
Relates the events of an important early case for American female detective Kate Warne, describing how she went undercover as a society lady on a mission to thwart an assassination plot against the sixteenth president.