Spotlight: The Sea Saw By Tom Percival

A beautiful, emotionally satisfying look at how nothing is ever truly lost if you keep it in your heart...

When Sofia loses her beloved teddy after a day at the beach, she is heartbroken. But the sea saw it all, and maybe, just maybe, it can bring Sofia and her teddy back together. However long it may take...

Exquisite collage artwork is paired with an assured, moving text in this very special picture book.

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About the Author

It could be said that Tom Percival had an unconventional childhood in a remote and beautiful part of South Shropshire. But you can just as easily rephrase that by saying that he grew up in a ramshackle and freezing-cold caravan with no electricity or heating. Whichever way you look at it, these formative years are almost certainly what first got him interested in writing and drawing. After trying a few cities on for size, he decided that deep down he had always been a country boy and now he lives on the edge of Rodborough common in Gloucestershire with his girlfriend and their two young sons

Spotlight: The Untold History of the United States, Volume 2: Young Readers Edition, 1945-1962 by Oliver Stone, Peter Kuznick, Eric Singer (Adapted by)

Rediscover pivotal moments in America’s past in this second volume of the young reader’s edition of The Untold History of the United States, from Academy Award–winning director Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick.

There is history as we know it. And there is history we should have known.

Complete with poignant photos and little-known but vitally important stories, this second of four volumes traces how people around the world responded to the United States’s rise as a superpower from the end of World War II through an increasingly tense Cold War and, eventually, to the brink of nuclear annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

This is not the kind of history taught in schools or normally presented on television or in popular movies. This riveting young readers volume challenges prevailing orthodoxies to reveal uncomfortable realities about the US role in heightening Cold War tensions. It also humanizes the experiences of diverse people, at home and abroad, who yearned for a more just, equal, and compassionate world. This volume will come as a breath of fresh air for students, teachers, and budding young historians hungry for different perspectives—which makes it a crucial counterpoint to today’s history textbooks.

Adapted by high school and university educator Eric S. Singer from the bestselling book and companion to the documentary The Untold History of the United States by Academy Award–winning director Oliver Stone and renowned historian Peter Kuznick, this volume gives young readers a powerful and provocative look at the US role in the Cold War. It also provides a blueprint for those concerned with shaping a better and more equitable future for people across the world.

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About the Authors

Oliver Stone made such iconic films as Platoon, Wall Street, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, Salvador, and W.

Peter Kuznick is professor of history and director of the award-winning Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and is currently serving his fourth term as distinguished lecturer with the Organization of American Historians. He has written extensively about science and politics, nuclear history, and Cold War culture.

Eric S. Singer is a high school and university educator. He holds an MEd in curriculum and instruction and a PhD in United States history, and served as the principal researcher for The Untold History of the United States documentary series and companion book. He lives near Washington, DC, with his wife and daughter.

Spotlight: You Are My Happy by Hoda Kotb and illustrated by Suzie Mason

From Hoda Kotb, the Today show co-anchor and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I’ve Loved You Since Forever,comes a book about gratitude for the things in life—both big and small—that bring us happiness.

As mama bear and her cub cuddle together before closing their eyes for a good night’s sleep, they reflect on the everyday wonders of life that make them happy.

Inspired by her own nighttime routine with her daughter, Haley Joy, Kotb creates another beautiful treasure for parents and children to enjoy together. With charming and lush illustrations from bestselling artist Suzie Mason, this soothing yet playful lullaby explores the simple joy of taking a moment to be grateful.

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About the Author and Illustrator

Hoda Kotb is the Daytime Emmy Award, Edward R. Murrow Award, and duPont-Columbia Award-winning Today show co-anchor and Dateline NBCcorrespondent. Hoda is the author of two adult New York Times bestselling books, including Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee. Of all her accomplishments, her proudest moment is the adoption of a baby girl, Haley Joy, in February 2017. She lives in New York City with her boyfriend, Joel Schiffman.

Suzie Mason is a freelance illustrator who draws lovely things—from animals to fairies to multicolored pumpkins—and adores using bright colors to create happy artwork. She is the illustrator of Elephants, written by Rebecca Heller and published in the UK. Suzie works in her little house in beautiful Bournville, England, where she lives with her husband and ball-of-fuzz kitty.

Spotlight: What About Harry? by Derek Anderson

From New York Times bestselling illustrator Derek Anderson comes the story of Sam and Harry, two pals whose friendship is tested when Henry fails as Sam excels.

Harry and Sam are best friends who do everything together. Like build castles. Jump into ponds. And swing on swings.

But when Harry realizes that Sam can build bigger, jump higher, and swing better than he can, he decides he’d be happier without Sam. All by himself, Harry can be the greatest! All by himself, Harry is…

Well, Harry is…

Alone. Is being the best at everything worth it if you don’t have a friend to share the fun with?

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About the Author

Derek Anderson is the creator behind many award-winning books for children. Derek illustrated the New York Times bestselling Little Quack series by Lauren Thompson, Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord, and Waking Dragons by Jane Yolen. Derek has written a number of books as well, including What About Harry? and Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure. He and his wife Cheryl live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit him at www.derekanderson.net.

Spotlight: The Cars and Trucks Book by Todd Parr

From bestselling and beloved author Todd Parr, a new book about all of the different ways that cars and trucks help people and have fun.

Some trucks help on the farm.

Some trucks help in the city.

Some cars like to drive in the snow.

And some cars like to drive to the beach.

All cars and trucks LOVE to be on the ROAD!

Todd Parr brings his trademark bright colors and bold lines to his new book about cars, trucks, and the occasional bus. In a fun collection of silly images, Todd explores all of the ways vehicles have an impact on our daily lives, while weaving in messages about positivity, the environment, and safety. Readers will laugh along with the whole four-wheeled gang!

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About the Author

I spent my childhood in a small town in Wyoming. It was a great place to grow up, but I knew the world was out there waiting for me. I first got into children’s publishing in 1998. I was able to take the messages that are part of my art and make them into a satisfying reading experience about acceptance, differences and empowerment for kids to feel better about themselves in a simple, fun way. But I didn’t always have a signature style, and I wasn’t always considered a go-to-voice on emotional wisdom for kids, or addressing relationships that kids want to celebrate or issues that young people have questions about.

Spotlight: How High the Moon by Karyn Parsons

To Kill a Mockingbird meets One Crazy Summer in this powerful, bittersweet debut about one girl’s journey to reconnect with her mother and learn the truth about her father in the tumultuous times of the Jim Crow South.

In the small town of Alcolu, South Carolina, in 1944, 12-year-old Ella spends her days fishing and running around with her best friend Henry and cousin Myrna. But life is not always so sunny for Ella, who gets bullied for her light skin tone, and whose mother is away pursuing a jazz singer dream in Boston. 

So Ella is ecstatic when her mother invites her to visit for Christmas. Little does she expect the truths she will discover about her mother, the father she never knew and her family’s most unlikely history. 

And after a life-changing month, she returns South and is shocked by the news that her schoolmate George has been arrested for the murder of two local white girls. 

Bittersweet and eye-opening, How High the Moon is a timeless novel about a girl finding herself in a world all but determined to hold her down.

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About the Author

Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith’s ditsy cousin Hilary Banks on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn has gone on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children’s...