For all teachers: It's your life told here, dear teacher, with all its glories, warts, joys, and heartaches. The poems of Brod Bagert, America's performance poet, chronicle the frustrations of the profession, as well as their transformation into the unexpected victories that make it all worthwhile. The cast of characters includes the second grade from hell, that hopeless, control-freak-of-a-colleague, the faculty restroom, the custodian, Rambo teacher, and even the cafeteria food. Brod speaks in the voice of the classroom teacher, and the voice rings true. Here's a perfect gift - for yourself or for a teacher you love. Illustrated by illustrator/author Kim Doner. Winner of the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Illustrated Book.

Holly Bea's beloved bullmastiff, Buddy, is having a bad day. Left alone to guard the house, he is taunted by the neighborhood cats, who know that he can't touch them. Buddy is worried—will Holly be back soon, or is she gone for the day, or even forever? Much to Buddy's relief, Holly returns. They go to the park, but Buddy's fun is cut short by a pack of hostile squirrels and a team of Dalmatian firedogs who challenge his self-esteem. Will this day ever end? Buddy's day is a metaphor for the doubts and anxieties children face, and a soothing reminder that God will always be there for them.

Fatherhood Is Not for Sissies joins humorous photographs with quotes about the trials, tribulations, and joys of fatherhood. It reminds us that despite the delights of leaky diapers and sleepless nights, there is no job quite as important and as satisfying as being a father. 72-page hardcover; 6-1/4 square.

Simple text and photographs explore the different things people do in their jobs, including making things, growing things, and helping, as well as the one thing they all have in common.

A soldier's daughter asks why he has to go away for duty. He gives her a caterpillar and instructs her to watch it for the answer. Hope Weaver's illustrates the caring nature of those who serve.

Get ready…Blast off! Children will get lost in the universe with this wonderful Alphabet book. From Astronaut to Zenith, and everything in between, there is so much that kids will learn. With fun rhymes, interesting facts and great illustrations, this Alphabet book is sure to keep your child interested from A to Z. Reviewed by experts at the Smithsonian Institution for accuracy, Alphabet of Space includes a sing-along audiobook CD and a tear-out poster featuring every space term covered in the book.

Book Features:
- Fun rhymes and detailed illustrations of every space term
- sing-along audiobook CD tucked inside of the cover
- Poster-
- 40 pages
- Appropriate for ages 3-7
- Dimensions: 10 x 10 inches

A small creature offers his big voice for aspiring authors everywhere

Every child can be a writer—and Library Mouse shows them how!

Beloved children’s books author and illustrator Daniel Kirk wonderfully brings to life the story of Sam, a library mouse. Sam’s home was in a little hole in the wall in the children’s reference books section, and he thought that life was very good indeed. For Sam loved to read. He read picture books and chapter books, biographies and poetry, and ghost stories and mysteries. Sam read so much that finally one day he decided to write books himself!

Sam shared his books with other library visitors by placing them on a bookshelf at night. Until there came the time that people wanted to meet this talented author. Whatever was Sam to do?

The joy of reading, writing, and sharing is brought to life in this warmhearted tale.

By popular demand, the International Reading Association presents a special hardcover edition of Life's Literacy Lessons: Poems for Teachers. The special edition of this bestseller still contains the 40 poems teachers have come to love, but also includes two new poems - ''Comma Man'' and ''Teachers.''

''This collection of poems was written to honor literacy educators for all that they do.'' So writes teacher and poet Steven L. Layne, who for years has delighted audiences by performing his poems at conferences and publishing them in The Reading Teacher. Layne has gathered 40 of his favorite poems about literacy and teaching into this unique collection that will touch the heart of anyone who has ever been a classroom teacher.

The poems in Life's Literacy Lessons range from serious to hilarious as Layne takes poetic license with the stuff of teachers' daily lives: beginning readers; grammar, spelling, handwriting, and composition instruction; adolescent literacy issues; reading aloud; and standards and teachers. A ''story behind the poem'' accompanies each piece, so that readers can understand the poem's inspiration.

As Layne states in the book's preface, ''Discovering the truth of personal experience inside a simple poem engenders a wonderful bond of community.'' The honesty and wit in this collection will undoubtedly strengthen the bond of community among teachers of all grade levels.

The International Reading Association is the world's premier organization of literacy professionals. Our titles promote reading by providing professional development to continuously advance the quality of literacy instruction and research.

Research-based, classroom-tested, and peer-reviewed, IRA titles are among the highest quality tools that help literacy professionals do their jobs better.

Some of the many areas we publish in include:

-Comprehension
-Response To Intervention/Struggling Readers
-Early Literacy
-Adolescent Literacy
-Assessment
-Literacy Coaching
-Research And Policy

One item out of a 6-booklet set