The book is a biography of Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first African American woman to become a doctor. Against great odds, she earned her medical degree in 1864 and began treating newly freed slaves in Richmond, Virginia. She later set up an office in Boston and wrote a book offering simply stated medical advice for women and children.
This reader explores life during the night and day in the Amazon rainforest. Students learn about the diverse animals and indigenous people that make the jungle their home.
Every day at school, April eats lunch and plays at recess with her two friends Rosa and Joy. April wants to include new girl Maria at lunch and recess. However, April doesn't include Maria because she doesn't think her friends Joy and Rosa want to.
David loves to skateboard and he can't understand why he and his friends are not allowed to skateboard on the steps of the library building. He is angry and frustrated, but then Grandpa Charlie--the mayor--explains that it is important to protect and care for historic buildings. Grandpa Charlie also spearheads an effort to build a skate park. The compromise makes everyone happy. David is grateful that he can skateboard, and he also gains a new interest in and respect for historic architecture.
Peggy has an African American mother and a Caucasian father. She feels different and questions which race she belongs to. Through a school assignment about family history, Peggy realizes that she is lucky to be biracial and finds that each of her friends and classmates has something unique about their family history, too.
Sadie and her family live in Montgomery, Alabama, in the 1950s. Every day they ride the bus, and oftentimes they have to give up their seats to white people. Then one day a woman named Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, and a bus boycott begins. After a year of walking, Sadie and her family help to change the unfair law.
There are many special helpers for people with disabilities. These special helpers include guide dogs, wheelchairs, walkers, video phones, prosthetic limbs, and more.
Julien and David are best friends who live next door to each other. When they go to dinner at each other's house, they notice many differences in their families and houses.
Mark is jealous when Colin, the new kid at school, gets all the attention. Mark starts spreading rumors about Colin.
Then when Colin turns the tables and says something unkind and untrue about Mark, Mark realizes he was wrong. He begins to understand how difficult it must be to come to a new school, and he tries to be friendlier and more welcoming.
