Recommended English-language Books lists

A novice wood carver is momentarily defeated when people laugh at the result of a winter of work. Daniel is hurt when others laugh at his wood carving, until he learns that giving people pleasure takes a very special gift. "Good, warm feelings result from reading this gentle tale set in rural Tennessee during pioneer days"

Tired of caring for his new dog, a spoiled boy gives him to a young girl who discovers that the dog can sing.

A simple mystery, designed to hook beginning readers from the very first sentence. In The Case of the hungry stranger, Wizard and his three detective friends track down a blueberry pie thief; the gang makes a return appearance to hunt for Mildred the missing cat in The Case of the cat's meow. Big Max, the world's greatest (and smallest) detective, summons all of his sleuthing abilities in a search for the King of Pooka Pooka's prize elephant. And a younger brother turns the tables on his bossy older brother when he solves the mystery himself in Binky Brothers, detectives.

In 1849 the Davis family went to California in a covered wagon to search for gold. The journey is difficult, with rivers, mountains, and prairies to cross, and regular encounters with Indians. Once they reach California, they make friends and begin their search for gold. They learn that prospecting is hard work, and there is no guarantee of success. In the end, the Davis family does not strike it rich in a monetary sense, but they find they have what they truly want - a new home in a beautiful new land. -Contains songs of California-

Relates the history and describes the customs of this holiday from its beginning in Roman times to the present. Includes directions for making a paper valentine and sugar cookies...

A young African-American boy describes the wilderness adventures of his pioneering family in Kansas in the 1870s: shortly after the Civil War he and his black family travels to Kansas to take advantage of the free land offered through the Homestead Act.