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The Cayuga Island Kids Series

$35.00$50.00

The Cayuga Island Kids series features a diverse group of big-hearted friends who work together to solve mysteries, have adventures, and organize community projects. They are fact detectives who think, brainstorm, research, and collaborate to uncover answers and puzzle out solutions. Above all, they are kind, helpful, smart, and resourceful kids who have lots of fun together.

 

These chapter books are perfect for 7- to 10-year-olds in 1st through 4th grade.

 

“Any book that begins with a map of an island is my kind of story. Enliven that setting with a diverse group of characters who are consistently kind—and bursting with curiosity—and you’ve got all the elements of a series that is alive with adventure, friendship, and mystery.”
~ James Preller, author of the Jigsaw Jones mystery series

 

Book 1: The Mystery of the Barking Branches and the Sunken Ship

This entertaining mystery-history adventure is based on real events surrounding one of the biggest puzzles of the Great Lakes! The Cayuga Island Kids set off on a hunt for a certain kind of tree and instead unearth a cannonball thought to be from a treasure ship built right on their island that sank in 1679 and was never recovered. As they hunt for clues and follow leads, they discover that the island they live on is home to a whole lot of history. And, it turns out, a whole lot of mystery, too. We all have history in our own backyards, just waiting to be discovered by inquisitive, adventurous, and fun-loving fact detectives!

 

Book 2: The Adventure of the Big Fish By the Small Creek     

Moving from knowing something has to be done to getting it done takes determination, teamwork, and sometimes, looking in a new direction. In this award-winning second book in the series, the Cayuga Island Kids rescue a mallard caught in the plastic rings from six-pack of cans. Moments later, a girl on a bike carelessly tosses a plastic bottle in the creek. That’s when they decide it’s time for action. How the Cayuga Island Kids go from fishing a plastic bottle out of the creek to bringing the community together to build a recycling bin big enough to hold plenty of plastic makes for a lively adventure. Young readers will be entertained as they come to realize the importance of brainstorming ideas, teamwork, the value of community effort, recycling, and the promise of new friendships. Best of all, readers will cheer on the Cayuga Island Kids as they come to realize that, although we are each just one person, together we can make a BIG difference.

 

Book 3: The Case of the Messy Message and the Missing Facts

It’s fall as Book 3 of the Cayuga Island Kids chapter book series opens. Julian explores food science as he experiments with recipes for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Being a cookie sampler takes Mac’s mind off his troubles with fractions. Yoko practices for the school play tryouts, and Maya helps Ms. Choi with the Make-and-Take-Club. Lacey, of course, is searching for the next mystery to solve. And then two of Ms. Choi’s glitter pens go missing. The clues and evidence point to a suspect, but are the Cayuga Island Kids jumping to conclusions? When a classmate jumps to conclusions and shares false information about Julian’s cookies, the kids join forces to set the facts straight. And while researching explorers for a school project, the kids uncover misinformation that blurs the truth, and makes the reasons for being a fact detective crystal clear. Sorting through clues and evidence—just like research—means making sure you have all the facts, and not just a fraction of the truth. Young readers will cheer for the Cayuga Island Kids as they embark on this adventure involving misinformation, faulty assumptions, flour bugs, glitter pens, and chocolate chip cookies.

 

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

Olmsted’s Elmwood: The Rise, Decline and Renewal of Buffalo’s Parkway Neighborhood, A Model for America’s Cities

$39.95$49.95

The fascinating story of the historic Elmwood District is told for the first time, from the arrival on the Niagara Frontier of Joseph Ellicott, through the role played by Frederick Law Olmsted’s parks and parkways, and into the decline and renewal during the modern era. This lushly illustrated book educates and enlightens, telling the stories of the people who gave Elmwood its enduring character, transforming it from dense forest into one of America’s top ten neighborhoods.

Discarded Ancestors

$24.95$34.95

Treasure lives amidst the rubble of lost neighborhoods. Mixed-media artist Elizabeth Leader found a discarded family album and transformed it into collages that capture the rise and fall of the Rust Belt, honoring the immigrants and refugees who built America. Discarded Ancestors is a unique and beautiful coffee table book that poignantly illustrates a vibrant era in the nation’s industrial past couched within its decline.

B is For Buffalo: An Aerial Alphabet

$19.95$29.95

Buffalo, New York is known for its remarkable architecture. Masterpieces by world-renowned architects dot the city. From the ground, these structures are impressive. From the sky, they are breathtaking. Soar high over the Queen City via beautiful drone photography and see the city like you’ve never seen it before. From the sweeping grandeur of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to the immense scalloped walls of Temple Beth Zion, discover Buffalo from A to Z.

Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award, Silver in the Gift Book Category

Elinormal Saga

$24.95

Eleven-year-old Elinor Malcolm just wants to be normal. Lonely, she goes in search of her best self and a best friend.

In Elinormal, her bossy mom threatens to sue if Elinor is not granted a spot in a prestigious ballet academy. The problem is, Elinor has no interest in ballet. While sitting out the first class in an area park she meets Indira who helps her realize that she is a capable and kind individual. Elinor opens up and makes a friend at school who enjoys all the same things she does. The people in her life finally converge—secret identities are revealed, and Elinor has an epiphany about the nature of relationships and the power of love.

In the sequel, New Girl: The Further Adventures of Elinormal, Elinor is ready for the first day of seventh grade when a last-minute phone call turns her world upside down. She misses the first week of school and when she gets back she’s called “the new girl” even though she’s not. Elinor quickly learns that people are complicated and relationships take work. Lots of work. As she discovers who she is, who she wants to be, and what she wants most in life, she struggles to balance friendships, both old and new, while also unraveling her mother’s mysterious past.

Both of these delightful books explore the complexity of friendships, the reality of disappointments, and the trouble with secrets.

 

Check out the Elinormal book trailer!

 

Meet the Author

 

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

 

FOR READERS Ages 9-12 | Grades 4 – 8

FORMAT  SOFTCOVER | 5″ x 8″

ISBNs 978-1-952536-22-9 | 978-1-952536-34-2

Five Hungry Mice

$16.95$24.95

Five hungry mice set their sights on a box full of rice, but danger lurks in the night. Follow the adventures of these five clever mice as they zig and they zag, as they criss and they cross, in pursuit of the prize in this delightful retelling of a classic 19th century tale.

Written by Mrs. Frances A.B. Dunning in the mid-1800s, and retold and beautifully illustrated for contemporary children by Heather Lynn Harris, it is hoped that Five Hungry Mice, retold and brought to life with vivid illustrations, will revive a lost gem to the delight of children everywhere. This book is a classic that will be treasured by even the youngest of readers.

Winner of the 2018 Moonbeam Award, Silver in the Preschool Category 

Welcome Refugees Book Donation Campaign

$14.95$19.95

Add copies of this important book to your cart. Donate them directly to your local schools, OR tell us what schools you would like us to donate them to on your behalf in the “Notes” section of your order. Include your name if you wish to be credited as the donor inside the book. Schools need this book but it will take too long for them to order copies. You can help!

A portion of the proceeds of your purchases will benefit the UN Refugee Agency’s Ukraine Emergency Fund (UNHCR).

Free Speech and Why You Should Give a Damn

$19.95

Written by Jonathan Zimmerman, with cartoons by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson.

Across the political spectrum, Americans have demanded the suppression of ideas and images that allegedly threaten our nation. But the biggest danger to America comes not from speech but from censorship, which prevents us from freely governing ourselves.

In this brief but bracing book, historian Jonathan Zimmerman and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson tell the story of free speech in America: who established it, who has denounced it, and who has risen to its defense.

 

120 pages

5” x 7”

Hardcover

ISBN: 978-1-952536-10-6

Hello! A Welcoming Story

$14.95$19.95

Meet Habiba, Aleksander, Malee, Elisa, and Dinesh. They have left everything they have ever known and arrived in a classroom in a new country. Meet Grace, Jaylyn, Cameron, Miguel, and Yu. They have never lived anywhere else. Hello! is the journey through the challenges that young refugees must navigate to find a sense of belonging in a new place. Flip it over and this two-books-in one also tells this story through the eyes of the students who receive them in the classroom. In this Welcoming Story, all discover the power of embracing differences. Young refugees have traversed the world, escaped violence, and yet still struggle with the sense of identity forged in the way they dress and the foods they eat. The youngsters in this book encourage each other to be their unique and authentic selves. It is powerful for children to imagine themselves on both sides of this shared experience. It will elicit complex and important conversations with students of any age. Share this diverse book with your children and grandchildren, with your students and their teachers, and with your new neighbors. Experience the joy of feeling accepted and remember the power of Hello!

 

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

 

Check out the Hello! A Welcoming Story book trailer!

Try flipping the pages…

Exploring Science and Art

$19.95

Exploring Science and Art: Discovering Connections between the nature of Science and the Science of Art is a venture of discovery. Author and retired science educator, Mary Kirsch Boehm, guides readers through an examination of science with an artistic eye, introducing an integrated and often overlooked view of the two disciplines.

 

FORMAT SOFTCOVER

ISBN 978-1-942483-89-2

 

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

The Monster in My Basement

$14.95$19.95
There’s a monster in Dave’s basement! His name is Howard and he’s very hungry. Howard invites Dave to dinner. But will Dave eat dinner or BE dinner? The thought makes Dave shake a little bit, shake a little bit, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. Has Dave made a big mistake?

The Monster in My Basement began as a song called Howard the Monster. (The author is a children’s musician too!). Visit Howard the Monster here and read along with the music and lyrics printed in the back of the book!

Enjoy The Monster in My Basement book trailer!

The Monster in My Basement Book Trailer from Heather harris on Vimeo.

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

Supernatural Shakespeare: Magic and Ritual in Merry Old England

$19.95

Immerse yourself in Shakespeare’s magical world, filled with supernatural encounters with faeries, ghosts and witches. Frolic with royalty, wander through forests, and experience love layered with enchantment. The Bard’s use of these fantastical phenomena has had a tremendous and enduring influence on authors and audiences for more than four centuries. But what are their origins? Explore the folk beliefs and literary sources that influenced Shakespeare and discover how he assembled his own masterful portraits of these phenomena, giving his plays vibrant life and his characters unforgettable personalities.

Softcover only.

Willy and Lilly’s Adventures with Weather

$14.95$19.95

The four seasons bring all sorts of weather, and Willy and Lilly adventure through it together! Learning the science of the seasons, the pair plays outdoors. From thunderstorms to fog, they check the forecast before they explore. Come on a tour of the seasons with Willy and Lilly as your guides. You’ll learn about the weather—and find out when it’s best to stay inside!

 

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

The Adventure of the Big Fish by the Small Creek, Book Two of the Cayuga Island Kids series

$12.95$17.95

It all begins one mid-summer day. First, the Cayuga Island Kids rescue a mallard caught in the plastic rings from six-pack of cans. Litter. Moments later, a girl on a bike carelessly tosses a plastic bottle in the creek. The Cayuga Island Kids successfully retrieve it, but then they notice all the litter in the park. That’s when they decide it’s time for action. But moving from knowing something has to be done to getting it done takes determination, teamwork, and sometimes, looking in a new direction. How the Cayuga Island Kids go from fishing a plastic bottle out of the creek to bringing the community together to build a recycling bin big enough to hold plenty of plastic makes for a lively adventure. Best of all, readers will cheer on the Cayuga Island Kids as they come to realize that although we are each just one person, together we can make a BIG difference.

 

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

The Mystery of the Barking Branches and the Sunken Ship, Book One of the Cayuga Island Kids series

$12.95$17.95

What happens when a group of friends sets off on a hunt for a certain kind of tree and uncover a buried cannonball instead? Who knew that the island they live on is also home to a whole lot of history? And, it turns out, a whole lot of mystery, too…

Meet the Cayuga Island Kids! It’s summer vacation, and that means there’s plenty of time for a hunt, a mystery, and an exciting adventure. Are you ready? Open the book and join the fun. Find out what the Cayuga Island Kids are up to in this mystery story based on historical events on Cayuga Island near Niagara Falls!

Check out The Mystery of the Barking Branches and the Sunken Ship book trailer!

 

Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!

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