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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.

Allentown: A Photographic Journey in the Heart of Buffalo, NY

$29.95$49.95

A photographic journey through Beautiful black & white photographs by Bill Faught capture the essence of Allentown, a neighborhood at the heart of Buffalo, New York. Evocative narrative by illustrious neighbors helps illustrate the sense of community that honors the past while embracing the future and communicates the funky bohemian spirit that pervades these historic streets.

Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award, Gold in the Gift Book category

Albright: The Life and Times of John J. Albright

$35.95$45.95

The fascinating story of the elusive man who brought steel to Buffalo, harnessed the power of Niagara Falls, and gave Buffalo its most treasured gift: the Albright Art Gallery. To tell this compelling tale required a long and circuitous journey, from small town archives to big city libraries, tracking down Albright descendents in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts to sift through the many layers of mystery which have for so long shrouded this enigmatic man. The result is a beautiful, illustrated biography of industrialist and philanthropist John J. Albright, one which reveals the remarkable story of a man and the turn-of-the-century city in which he lived. Exquisite photographs by Susan Fuller Albright bring to life this extraordinary man and his family.

Winner of the 2019 IPPY Award, Silver in Biography

Twelve Days Of Giftmas – Buffalo Special

$40.00

On this eleventh day of Giftmas we offer both of our alphabet books:

B is for Buffalo: An Aerial Alphabet, with drone photography by the talented Christopher Hyzy that provides a magnificent overview of Buffalo’s architectural grandeur, from the Albright-Knox to Temple Beth Zion,

Buffalo From A to Z, Come Take a Tour with Me, led by the inimitable Bob Uffalo and featuring more than 60 iconic places to go and things to do, especially for kiddos (although we’ve found plenty of adults consulting this beautifully illustrated book).

Comes with a buffalo ornament.

FREE Calendar if you buy two sets of the bundle.

FREE SHIPPING & DELIVERY BY CHRISTMAS IF ORDERED IN ERIE COUNTY

Twelve Days Of Giftmas – Around The World For Christmas

$40.00

Holiday travel plans cancelled? Wander the world from the comfort of home! Or give the world to the person who means the world to you! Nearly 1,000 exquisite photographs in more than 200 full color pages of The Photographing Tourist: A Storyteller’s Guide to Travel and Photography takes readers to Kenya, China, Nepal, India, Tibet, Venice, Greenland, the Galápagos, and beyond! It is no wonder that this extraordinary book has won more than a dozen awards. Even better, every purchase benefits the Innocent Eyes project founded by the late David Noyes, photographer and journalist, to support educational opportunities for children in the developing world.

And then travel back in time, more than 250 years! That was when the great Carl Linnaeus sent his young protégé Pehr Kalm to the New World to search for new species. The Finn became the first scientist to ever see and document Niagara Falls! Benjamin Franklin published his findings bringing worldwide attention to this natural wonder. From Finland to Niagara Falls: Explorer Pehr Kalm in North America 1748-1751 was written in Finnish; City of Light had it translated into English. The original illustrations by Riikka Jäntti are simply delightful. This unique book (with species names in Latin and excerpts from Kalm’s journals and newspapers of the day) is for the young and the curious of all ages.

FREE SHIPPING

Twelve Days Of Giftmas – The Wonders Of Nature

$40.00

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life,—no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair.” At First Light presents this beauty and majesty that only nature can bring. Nature is made by all sorts of plants and animals so this bundle includes a loganberry ornament.

 

FORMAT HARDCOVER

ISBN 978-1-942483-42-7

FREE, SAME DAY SHIPPING

Twelve Days Of Giftmas – Where We Come From

$40.00

Perfect for that special person in your life who has spent the lockdown going through old photos and tracing the family tree back into the 1800s, especially if any Polish or Eastern European roots turned up. If they have an appreciation for fine art, even better. Elizabeth Leaders poignant mixed media collages showcasing discarded family photos will delight for years to come in this lush, vibrant hardcover art book. Place it on a coffee table and family stories are sure to abound. And the clever blown glass pierogi ornament also honors our working class immigrant forebears who built this nation—and contributed some delicious additions to our culinary traditions.

 

The Rainbow City: Celebrating Light, Color, and Architecture at the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo 1901

$24.95$39.95

A beautiful celebration of the light, color and architec¬ture of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. This oversized, coffee table book features two surprise pullout pages, one with a lovely watercolor rendition of the PanAm grounds, and the other a delightful night skyline of the PanAm that illustrates why Buffalo came to be known as the City of Light.

At First Light

$29.95$39.95

At First Light is a celebration of the natural world, one morning at a time. Put on the coffee, cozy up in your favorite chair and soak in the beauty of a new day. Breathe deeply and turn the pages slowly through the seasons. Listen to the sound of skis glide over fresh snow. Keep a keen eye out for deer prints as you pass through the tall tree shadows of sunrise.

This exquisite book reminds us that each day is a new gift to cherish and explore.
Just as the late winter sun eases up the river ice, the pages of At First Light will clear your spirit and start your day with a warm glow for many seasons to come.

You will never really finish reading At First Light.

Winner of the 2019 Benjamin Franklin Award, Silver in the Gift Book category

A Final River to Cross: The Underground Railroad at Youngstown, NY

$39.95

This local and regional study fills the gap in documenting Youngstown’s role in the Underground Railroad in New York State. It also offers further proof of the existence of, support for, and operation of the Underground Railroad in Western New York. It is a comprehensive and extensive book meant for both the general reader and scholars. The authors have uncovered a rich treasure of information in newly discovered primary source materials. Discover the compelling stories of the citizens of Youngstown who formed an intricate Underground Railroad network.

 

Buffalo Heritage Press

487 pages (7.5 x 9.25″) Indexed.

ISBN: 978-1-952536-01-4 (softcover)

Easter Basket Package

$35.00

Three beautiful children’s books with bunnies and birds and compelling stories promise to provide kids with a break from chocolate and jelly beans!

 

An endearing tale that captures the hearts of mothers and children of all ages. In The Chickadees and the Moon AboveMama Chickadee tells her chicks to look up at the moon and think of her; she’ll be looking at the same moon and thinking of them…Chickadee Tree will always be their home. It’s also a perfect gift for new mothers, empty nesters, and birdies who are leaving the nest.

 

Fluff, Puff and Stuff reveal their favorite hiding places. In this charming rhyming book, young readers enter the world of dust bunnies—which happens to be right beneath their their own bed! The Dust Bunnies is perfect for Easter baskets, spring cleaning season, and for any chore-resistant child.

 

And when the brief brilliance of a shooting star touches Clover the bunny’s heart, he is sad because he thinks it will be forgotten. Wise old Owl shows him how shooting stars, like those we love, are remembered forever. Clover and the Shooting Star is a story of wonder and hope housed in a sturdy board book format that is perfect for even the very youngest little bunnies.

 

Save by purchasing the Easter Basket Package!

 

FREE STANDARD SHIPPING to U.S. addresses

Twelve Days Of Giftmas – So Much To Choose From

$35.00

A whole library for your favorite youngster, or match each book with a different kid on your list. All three are spectacular, just released in June 2020, and already winning awards! Willy & Lilly by TV meteorologist Jen Stanonis just won a Moonbeam award, The Alekizou is in the running for a Geisel award, and A Kindness Remembered has been submitted for a Benjamin Franklin award!

THREE SIGNED BOOKS

FREE SHIPPING

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