On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a Montgomery, Alabama city bus and refused to give up her seat to a white man, an act that ignited a movement that changed modern history. This powerful story is brought to life with stirring narration by author Nikki Giovanni, Bryan Collier's beautiful paintings, and music by Ernest V. Troost.
The story of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, James Madison and many others who traveled to the 1787 Summer Convention in Philidelphia to draft a plan that would unify their states while preserving their sovereignty.
Ever since Willie Bentley was a young boy, he was fascinated with snowflakes. He looked at them under a microscope and studied their icy crystals. He even drew pictures of them, finding no two snowflakes exactly alike. This is the story, told with grace and respect for the world's famous snowflake authority. Co-produced by Sarah Kerruish for Spellbound Productions and Weston Woods. Narrated by Sean Astin, with music by David J. Reading.
In the time-honored tradition of political commentary, author Judith St. George and Caldecott Medal winner/illustrator David Small celebrate the public and private lives of forty-two Presidents with humor and flair. Imparting much information and many laughs, this rip-roaring look at the men who have all wanted to be President deserves a place on every library and classroom shelf. Narrated with wit and wisdom by Stockard Channing, with music by Scotty Huff and Robert Reynolds. DVD version features chapter breaks, easy-to-use menu, optional English subtitles and on-screen Learning Guides.
Benny Kaminsky and Thunderbolt Dobney lead a rag-tag gang of neighborhood rowdies. Their territory is the New Cut on London's South Bank-a place bristling with swindlers, bookies, pickpockets, and the occasional policeman. And their aim is to solve crimes.
When counterfeit coins start showing up in their neighborhood, Thunderbolt fears his own father may be behind the crime. But his friends devise a way to trap the real culprit. Then the gang takes on the case of some stolen silver. They have just two clues-a blob of wax, and an unusually long match. But even this slippery thief is unmasked by the determined kids of the New Cut.
Filled with silly sleuthing, improbable disguises, crazy ruses, and merry mayhem, these stories are action-packed romps from one of the best storytellers ever-Philip Pullman.
A new idea always in his mind, Ben Franklin's joy of living, his humor and gentleness will capture children's attention and spark their interest in American history. Narrated by Jean Fritz.
Jean Fritz'a lively narration provides a colorful portrait of the man who staunchly led his men across the Ocean Sea to "learn the secrets of the world." And the best-kept secret in all the world turned out to be America!
The story of one of the most famous signers of the Declaration of Independence. Narrated by Jeff Brooks, with music by Ernest V. Troost. DVD includes an interview with the author Jean Fritz.
Two teenage sisters are in an automobile accident a few miles from the Civil War battlefield at Shiloh. Penny, the older sister, is killed outright, while Sandy ends up in a coma, seeing visions of oddly dressed people speaking a strange form of English, on their way to die in the great battle at Shiloh.
Frances Browne (1816-1879) was an Irish poet and novelist who is best remembered for her enchanting stories for children, published under the title of Granny's Wonderful Chair. The collection tells the story of Snowflower, a little girl left alone in the world with a magical chair belonging to her absent grandmother, which can take her wherever she wants to go and can tell her marvellous stories. She sets off and reaches the castle of a troubled king, where the nightly tales told by the magic chair serve to change both her fortune and those of all the court. Browne's superb tales rank her alongside the greatest fairy-tale writers of the age, such as Hans Christian Andersen and the Comtesse de Ségur. The stories are all the more remarkable for the fact that Frances Browne was blind from early childhood and her rich visual descriptions and vivid settings are all composed within her own mind's eye.
Dear old Raggedy Ann! The beloved rag doll who comes to life and along with the other toys in the nursery has a series of exciting adventures. Generations of children have listened round eyed and open mouthed as Raggedy Ann flies away on a kite, rescues the family dog from the pound, helps the hens hatch out chicks and lands up in the paint pot.
Johnny Gruelle (1880-1938) was an American artist, cartoonist and children's author. One day his daughter Marcella found a dusty, faceless rag doll in the attic. Gruelle drew a face on the doll and named her Raggedy Ann. Marcella played with the doll so much, Gruelle thought other children would like the doll too. He started a company making the Raggedy Ann dolls and wrote a series of popular books for children based on the adventures of Marcella and Raggedy Ann which became timeless classics for many generations.
"This is a gripping drama about a fascinating fragment of time in history - the expulsion of Indians from Uganda in 1972. Fifteen-year-old Sabine poignantly straddles two worlds - those of the landed Indian gentry and of the native Ugandans amid wrenching turmoil. Quietly and crisply written, all of Nanji's characters are beautifully realized, morally nuanced and compellingly crafted." --- Governor General's Literary Awards - Canada Council for the Arts. In August 1972, President Idi Amin declares that a message from God has come to him in a dream: all foreign Indians must be "weeded out" of Uganda in the next ninety days. Fifteen-year-old Sabine and her father, a successful businessman, are confident that their family will not be affected, since they are Ugandan citizens, but Sabine's fearful mother is certain that they will have to leave. As the ninety days tick by, the President's message - the "countdown monster," as Sabine calls it - is broadcast every day on the radio, and life becomes more difficult for her family and other Indians in Uganda. Sabine tries to hold on to her optimism, counting on her best friend, Zena, and her grandfather, Bapa, to keep her spirits up, but after her beloved uncle Zulfiqar disappears and Zena turns against her, Sabine begins to share her mother's fears. When a new law is declared on the radio - all Indians must leave - Sabine and her family have a hard decision to make. Should they stay and defend their rights, or should they go? And how will they begin a new life in a different land?
