Fiction

When a charming grasshopper embarks on a journey, he observes different characters and discovers some very peculiar modes of behavior.

In book one, Billie tries to act brave and agrees to watch a scary movie with her friend Rebecca. She ends up having quite a fright night! In the second one, Billie wants a pet, but her parents say no to all the animals she mentions. Will she ever...

Uncle Manuel cannot attend Edu's party, but he sends his dragons as a surprise. What kind of trouble could that cause?

In the first story, Jack helps Billie with her chores, thinking that with the money she will earn, she would buy something they both want. When she finally has enough, she wants to get something just for herself. Will she change her mind? In the...

Crock runs away from his village because he is tired of being laughed at by the older boys. He decides to go hunting to prove he is as good as they are, but nothing could prepare him for what falls into his trap!

In Maurice Sendak's debut as a writer, a little boy named Kenny has a dream one night in which a four-footed rooster asks him seven questions. Readers young and old will be swept up in his quest to answer them all in a story that masterfully blends...

Ixchel wants to learn how to weave the colorful fabrics that Mayan women have been creating for generations, but her mother is always too busy making things to sell at the market to teach her. Undeterred, she not only finds a way to learn on her own,...

The little boy in this story imitates the behavior he sees around him and does not understand why he always gets in trouble for it. When he sees that adults get in trouble, too, for things like saying bad words or speeding, he feels a lot better.

In book one, Billie B. is asked to show Mika, the new student from Japan, around. When Mika begins to copy everything Billie does, she gets really annoyed. In the second story, Billie B. must learn to overcome her fear of swimming. Help comes in a way...

In this installment, Billie B. loses her first tooth and has a run-in with the school bully.

Clementina the turtle wants to see the world, but her macho mate Arturo never takes her ambitions seriously. Overburdened with the gifts and house wares that Arturo has given her, Clementina ventures out of her shell to begin a new life on her own.

Tia Isa wants to buy a car, but she does not have enough money saved up. Her young niece takes on a number of odd jobs and surprises her aunt with the balance she needs.

When Mia's grandmother moves in with them, she speaks very little English and Mia's Spanish is not very good. To make matters worse, the grandmother misses her homeland. The two end up teaching each other their languages with the help of a parrot named...

Billie B. learns to be quite creative and adaptable in the two beginning chapter books contained in this volume. In story one, her baby brother destroys her school project, but she comes up with an idea the morning it is due. In the second story,...

In this installment of the popular series, Billie B. becomes a big sister and learns the importance of telling the truth.

Uncle Manuel leaves his dragon Ziggy with Eduardo while he goes to a retreat. Eduardo discovers that Ziggy is actually a girl dragon when she lays an egg in the linen closet and, days later, out hatches a baby dragon. In this hilarious book, told...

A little boy complains to his uncle in a series of emails about how hard it is to pet sit his dragon. Readers will love seeing the hilarious havoc the dragon causes.

In book three, Billie learns she should not play with scissors and cut her own hair and decides that finding a secret message in a bottle is a great way to make friends at the beach.

A Spanish boy befriends a girl named Saida who emigrates from Morocco. He helps her learn Spanish and she teaches him Arabic. Readers get a chance to learn Arabic as well.

In the first of the two beginning chapter books in this beginning reader, Billie B. takes a class trip to the zoo and becomes the teacher's extra-special helper. In the second one, it's Christmas and both Billie and her friend Jack want new bicycles.

A one-eyed dog rescues a magpie with a burnt wing, and the two become fast friends. But the deep, caring bond between Dog and Magpie is threatened when Fox, jealous of their friendship, conceives a plan to separate them forever.

This book offers an ingenious way to teach children about division. It can also be used for units or farming, friendship, and character education as Monkey and Bear plant seeds and share their bounty among themselves and their friends.

In the first of the two chapter books in this volume, Billie B. makes a second-best friend. In the second one, she has a backyard camp out with her best friend Jack.

Join Billie and Jack as they attempt ballet and show everyone that girls can play soccer just as good as boys can.

Estela is thrilled when the instructor asks her to participate in the salsa exercise class at the community center. When she returns to dance another day, she is told no children could participate. She takes a lesson from her social studies class and...

A young boy named Carlitos shares the joys (and sometimes the aggravations) of life with his older special needs brother Enrique. The book carries a wonder message about acceptance and anti-bullying.

Ana and her family move to the United States from Mexico when she is 8. Ana picks up English quickly, but her mother struggles. Her mother enrolls in night classes and learns how to defend herself in her new language.

Based on the author's own family story, this bilingual book describes the ingenuity one little Mexican American girl uses to create a room of her own from what was once a storage closet.

Who's written the letter that Dad finds on his desk? Juliet, no less! She's one of the family cats that has decided to communicate with her owner. But how did she learn to write? And, more importantly, what does her letter say?

This delightful story about unrequited love offers an original theory into the origin of sweet and sour Chinese cuisine. It also shows the power of friendship, music, and perseverance.

Mama Alma explains the importance of remembering people who have passed away to her granddaughter Bella and tells her what she should do to celebrate her life after she has died. Pat Mora uses this story to imagine how the Day of the Dead traditions...

Every Sunday, like clockwork, this young girl receives a phone call from her father, which she's grown to look forward to. He lives far away -- on the other side of the ocean -- and they haven't seen each other in over a year. On this particular day,...

Young René is from El Salvador, and he doesn't understand why his name has to be different in the United States. When he writes Colato, he sees his paternal grandparents, René and Amelia. When he writes Laínez, he sees his maternal grandparents, Angela...

Amada Irma Pérez tells of her family's journey from México to the U.S. On the journey and upon arrival, she takes solace in her journal which reminds her that she is the same person no matter where she lives. A portrait of family togetherness and...

Don Pingüino wakes up one morning determined to do something about the air pollution. He travels to the Pampas where, along with the other animals, determines the cause and takes action.

Álvaro is friendly and talkative. He also has two cowlicks in his hair, and one arm that's a bit shorter than the other. But he is happy because he does well with his good hand, and the other one doesn't hurt or anything. Will Álvaro manage to overcome...

Award-winning poet Juan Felipe Herrera has written a lyrical account of the year his migrant family settled down so that he could go to school. Vividly illustrated, the story adeptly conveys the emotions of a boy who feels out of place upon entering a...

The three perceptive stories in this volume prove that we are all afraid of something. Whether it's an otherwise brave mother with an irrational fear of lizards, a bunch of children who conjure up monsters in the night, or a boy and a wolf cub who are...

Doña Flor is a giant woman who lives in a small town with families and animals she loves. When a puma begins to terrify the village, she decides to do something about it. She learns along the way that things are not always what they appear to be. ...

In this autobiographical picture book, a little boy named René moves to the United States from El Salvador. He is embarrassed to learn that in English his name is a girl's name, even though it is spelled differently. His classmates laugh at him until...