Spotlight: Grandma's Promise By Susan Jones and Illustrated by Lee Holland

Nobody loves you like Grandma loves you!
 
Show little ones how much they are adored with this beautifully illustrated story celebrating the enduring wonder of a grandma’s love. From wisdom and guidance to strength and security, each page highlights one of the many ways in which grandmothers add to a child’s life. Some days Grandma is a protector guiding her grandchild to safety, other days she is a teacher giving her grandchild lessons on tradition and how to be the best they can be. With baby animals and colorful delights on every page, this rhyming tale is sure to be a bedtime favorite.

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About the Author

Susan Jones is a mother, wife, writer, and Sunday school teacher at her local church. She lives with her family and two dogs in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.

Spotlight: The Tortoise and the Scare by Carolyn Keene and Illustrated by Peter Francis

Help Nancy and her friends find a missing tortoise in the eleventh book in the interactive Nancy Drew Clue Book mystery series.

Nancy, Bess, and George have been looking forward to their school trip to the Wildlife Refuge for weeks. They’ve been studying all the different animals they’ll see there—pygmy hedgehogs, scarlet macaws, and ball pythons. Nancy is most excited to see the sixty-year-old tortoise—that hard-shelled creature is older than her dad. But when her class reaches the enclosure they find out the tortoise is on the loose!

Nancy and her friends are on the case. Can they save the day before the class trip is over? Or will this sneaky reptile outsmart them all?

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Spotlight: Tickly Spider By Margaret Wise Brown and Illustrated by Linda Bleck

Fun and playful story by Margaret Wise Brown, best-selling author of the children's classics Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny.

Follow the story of the little boy and the tickly spider as they learn how to share in this picture book written by the author of Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown.

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Spotlight: Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve

A National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction, Never Caught is the eye-opening narrative of Ona Judge, George and Martha Washington’s runaway slave, who risked everything for a better life—now available as a young reader’s edition!

In this incredible narrative, Erica Armstrong Dunbar reveals a fascinating and heartbreaking behind-the-scenes look at the Washingtons’ when they were the First Family—and an in-depth look at their slave, Ona Judge, who dared to escape from one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.

Born into a life of slavery, Ona Judge eventually grew up to be George and Martha Washington’s “favored” dower slave. When she was told that she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to flee to the north, where she would be a fugitive.

From her childhood, to her time with the Washingtons and living in the slave quarters, to her escape to New Hampshire, Erica Armstrong Dunbar (along with Kathleen Van Cleve), shares an intimate glimpse into the life of a little-known, but powerful figure in history, and her brave journey as she fled the most powerful couple in the country.

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About the Authors

Erica Armstrong Dunbar is the Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History at Rutgers University. She also serves as Director of the Program in African American History at the Library Company of Philadelphia. Her first book, A Fragile Freedom: African American Women and Emancipation in the Antebellum City was published by Yale University Press in 2008. She is also the author of Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge.

Kathleen Van Cleve teaches creative writing and film at the University of Pennsylvania. She has written three books, including the award-winning middle grade novel Drizzle and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and sons

Spotlight: Let's Go: Into Space By Timothy Knapman and Illustrated by Wesley Robins

Blast off on an outer space adventure with Ollie, Allie, and their dog Yowzer in this innovative board book for junior space explorers.

Get ready to blast off for an out-of-this-world adventure with Ollie, Allie, and their dog Yowzer! Each die-cut page in this innovative board book invites young space explorers on a mission to learn about Earth’s moon, our solar system, and beyond. Each turn of the fact-filled pages launches readers deeper into outer space on a colorful and fascinating tour of the stars.

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About the Author & Illustrator

Timothy Knapman studied history at Oxford. Since then he has spent his time writing plays, musicals, songs, operas, and children's books. His books include the best-selling Dinosaurs in the Supermarket, Eleanor’s Eyebrows, and Mungo and the Picture Book Pirates and its sequels. They have been translated into 15 languages and have been read on CBeebies Bedtime Stories. Tim has also written for CBeebies’ "Driver Dan’s Story Train."

Wesley Robins is a freelance illustrator and designer from London. He graduated from Kingston University, and his first graphic novel, Ascent, was published in 2011 by Jonathan Cape.

Spotlight: Superkitty By Hannah Whitty and Illustrated by Paula Bowles

Kitty is fed up of answering phones at the Sensational Superhero Agency and dreams of catching criminals with the superhero gang. But they ALWAYS leave her behind!

Then a call comes in about a stolen dinosaur bone . . . and Kitty takes matters into her own paws, following the superheroes in their pursuit of devious criminal Nefarious Norman!

Will she save the day and prove that small is MIGHTY?

Join Kitty and the gang in this energetic picture book about believing in your own abilities, not judging a book by its cover . . . and girl power!

Perfect for fans of Shifty McGifty and Ten Little Superheroes.

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About the Author & Illustrator

Hannah Whitty hails from the bohemian seaside city of Brighton and Hove. Surrounded by inspiring creatives growing up, she quickly discovered a passion for literature, particularly the world of children’s books. She has worked with a number of publishers as both author and illustrator, including Tiger Tales, Scholastic and Simon & Schuster .

Paula grew up in Hertfordshire with a house full of animals. She has always loved drawing, reading and playing in her imagination, so she studied illustration at Falmouth College of Arts and became an illustrator. She was featured in the Association of Illustrators' Images 30 annual, and the ‘New Voices’ exhibition at The Coningsby Gallery, London. She now lives in Bristol, where she has worked as an illustrator for over 10 years. With past clients including Bloomsbury, The National Trust and Child’s Play, she is now very excited to be working on books with Simon & Schuster and Nosy Crow.