ELA

When I was ten, one summer night,
The baby stars that leapt
Among the trees like dimes of light,
I cupped, and capped, and kept.

It takes only a few words, if they're the right words, to create a strong image. Whether listened to in the comfort of a cozy lap or read independently, the thirty-six very short poems in this collection show readers young and old that a few perfect words and pictures can make the world glow.

Sophie gets mad, climbs a tree to calm down, and is soon ready to come home to her loving family. "The text is...brief, for it is Bang's double-page illustrations, vibrating with saturated colors, that reveal the drama of the child's emotions." - School Library Journal, starred review. "Bang's strong, nonproscriptive acknowledgment of a feeling most children will recognize will be welcomed." - Booklist, starred review
Caldecott Honor Book 2000

Parvana felt the shadow before she saw it, as the man moved between her and the sun. Turning her head, she saw the dark turban that was the uniform of the Taliban. A rifle was slung across his chest as casually as her father's shoulder bag had been slung across hers...

The Talib kept looking down at her. Then he put his hand inside his vest. Keeping his eyes on Parvana, he drew something out of his vest pocket.

Parvana was about to squish her eyes shut and wait to be shot when she saw that the Talib had taken out a letter.

He sat down beside her on the blanket.

Armed with a one-way ticket to New York City, small-town theater geek Nate is off to start rehearsals for E.T.: The Musical. It's everything he ever practiced his autograph for! But as thrilling as Broadway is, rehearsals—full of intimidating child stars, cutthroat understudies, and a director who can't even remember Nate's name—are nothing like Nate expects.