Ellen Rooney

It's never too late to learn.

Every morning, a young girl walks her grandmother to the Aajibaichi Shala, the school that was built for the grandmothers in her village to have a place to learn to read and write. The narrator beams with pride as she drops her grandmother off with the other aajis to practice the alphabet and learn simple arithmetic. A moving story about family, women and the power of education—when Aaji learns to spell her name you’ll want to dance along with her.

Women in countless countries continue to endure the limitations of illiteracy. Unjust laws have suppressed the rights of girls and women and kept many from getting an education and equal standing in society. Based on a true story from the village of Phangane, India, this brilliantly illustrated book tells the story of the grandmothers who got to go to school for the first time in their lives.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6-8.

Based on a true story from Phangane village in India's Maharashtra state where grandmothers attend the Aajibaichi Shala (school for grandmothers). For many of them, this has been their first time in a classroom.

Explores how important education is, especially for girls and women who have historically been left behind.

Subjects / Themes / Keywords: India, village, female literacy, intergenerational, power of education, multigenerational, family

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.75" x 10.75"

A comprehensive exploration of sound for young children that's friendly, fun and easy to digest.

From a cat's purr to a thunderstorm's clap, from a friend's voice to a school bell's clang, sounds can lull us, entice us or call us to action. But how does sound happen? How do we hear it? What makes some sounds loud and some soft? Some high pitched and some low pitched? How do humans and animals use sound to communicate? Which sounds happen naturally, and which are created for a specific purpose? This charming picture book explores all of these questions in child-friendly language, offering readers a gentle introduction to how sound works that will encourage them to stop and listen.

In this highly original book, Susan Hughes uses appealing and inviting text that speaks directly to young children to explain the physics of sound. From describing how sounds are made by the vibrations of air, to identifying and considering the different sources of sound and its properties (pitch, tone, volume), this book is an excellent curriculum-based tool for physical science that strongly supports the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for kindergarten and first grade. Ellen Rooney's sweet, playful illustrations colorfully illuminate the concepts, incorporating the same character and his dog on every spread. Easy-to-understand decibel and hertz charts are included. There is also a fun activity and a glossary.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.55" x 10.45"