NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
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Tow on the Go
*** Coming December, 2023 ***
Made By Hand
Meet the Tinkerers
Four fast friends who use their STEM skills to engineer clever solutions to a variety of problems they encounter in and around their junkyard home. This series is fact and fun-filled.
“Kids who love cars as characters should be happy to take this for a spin.”
- Kirkus Reviews
Dad and Me in the Morning is now in paperback!
BIOGRAPHIES
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Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book-
-Starred
NON-FICTION
FUN AND FICTION
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MORE INFO ABOUT MY BOOKS AND SERIES
TOW ON THE GO
The Mambo Rescue!
Mo the lovable tow truck likes to mambo while he works. When ten cars get stuck in a snowstorm, Mo has to mambo faster than ever before to get them out!
The Splash-Splash Puddle Dance
Mo the lovable tow truck always mambos while he works, but to rescue a sports car from a squelchy mud puddle, Mo’s solo routine may have to become a duet!
MADE BY HAND SERIES
This graphic-rich STEM series takes readers behind the scenes to see how each object is lovingly made by hand! Readers will enter the workshop of each artisan to view photos of their step-by-step process. Their mini biography chronicles their often-circuitous path to becoming extraordinary makers.
Each book has engaging text, colorful illustrations, and a detailed timeline providing an easy-to-understand history of how each object came to be.
“ …VERDICT A must-have for school and public libraries in need of materials to support STEM curricula and maker spaces.”
Made by Hand: Guitars named a Bank Street Children’s Book Committee Best Book.
SECRETS OF AMERICAN HISTORY SERIES
The Founding Fathers Were Spies!
Before he was the President of the United States, George Washington was a spy! It’s true…and he wasn’t the only one! During the American Revolution, founding fathers like Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin sent secret messages rolled up in quill pens, used invisible ink, and wrote in secret codes to keep important information from getting into British hands. In George Washington’s top-secret spy ring, a woman named Anna Strong sent secret messages to other spies by hanging laundry on a clothesline!
Heroes Who Risked Everything for Freedom
Did you know that Harriet Tubman was a spy for Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War? Or that Robert Smalls used secret hand signals to escape slavery on a Confederate ship? Mary Touvestre risked everything to bring plans for the first ironclad warship to the Union. Find out about heroes who spied, fought, and sailed to freedom in this book of amazing true stories!
This series includes a special extend-the-learning section with intriguing activities.
Helen Keller and the Big Storm
"...Lakin reveals many facts about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. Helen is caught in a tree during a storm and is rescued by her teacher. It is then that the child learned of 'the power of Nature' and 'the power of friendship' "--School Library Journal
Albert Einstein Genius of the Twentieth Century
"It's hard to believe that a life and work as complicated as Einstein's could be distilled to a Ready-to-Read chapter book, but Lakin does a fine job...with equal focus on Einstein's early life and later successes. His three major discoveries--photons, e=mc2 and the general theory of relativity--are each given a crisp, one-page treatment that will work well for the target age group as well as older readers."---Booklist
Abigail Adams First Lady of the American Revolution
Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book
ALA's Amanda Bloomer Project Selection
"When Abigail Adams was born, women were expected to be just wives and mothers. But Abigail turned out to be so much more."
Amelia Earhart More Than A Flier
"Simple sentences...and colorful illustrations...make the story of this intriguing woman easy to read. The text is filled with many of Earhart's many exciting adventures, from a near collision between her snow sled and a horse-drawn cart when she was young to a stormy ride as an adult across the Atlantic in an ill-equipped airplane."--School Library Journal
Clara Barton Spirit of the American Red Cross
Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book
"Clara Barton was very shy and sensitive, and not always sure of herself. But her fighting spirit and desire to help others drove her to become one of the world's most famous humanitarians. Learn all about the life of the woman who formed the American Red Cross."
Harry Houdini Escape Artist
"This easy-reader gives an overview of the life of Erich Weiss, known to the world as Harry Houdini. The early years of poverty, his hard work to help support his family, and his interest in magic at a young age are simply presented."--School Library Journal
Dad and Me in the Morning
"...the young boy's deafness is unobtrusively woven into this story about a father and child sharing a moment in time...this warm story can be considered for all picture book collections."--Booklist
Hurricane!
Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book
"...This realistic story is enhanced with finely drawn illustrations of the landscape and people involved before, during and after the storm."--School Library Journal
Steve Jobs Thinking Differently
Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book--Starred
"Even reluctant middle-grade readers will devour Patricia Lakin's...biography of Steve Jobs—a fascinating portrait of a kid who breaks nearly every rule and yet rises to astronomical heights."--Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness
Muddy, Mud, Bud
Muddy Mud Bud loves to be muddy. It makes him look and feel so good! But when he thinks a car wash will help him get muddier, he's in for a big surprise.
Park Here
Carl the car loves to race and run at the park with his friends. But when he follows the sign that says Park Here, it brings him to the wrong place! Can Carl and his friends figure out what went wrong and find their way to the real park?
The Stellar Story of Space Travel
Blast off into a galaxy full of fun with this fact-tastic nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a series about the history of fun stuff!
Did you know that ancient people all over the world looked at the stars and saw constellations? Or that a science fiction author named Jules Verne predicted the first moon landing? Or that astronauts from different countries take turns living on board the International Space Station? Houston, you’re cleared for takeoff and ready to become a History of Fun Stuff Expert on space travel!
The Colorful Story of Comics
Do you know how comics, graphic novels, and manga came to be? Or that they have their roots in cave drawings? Did you know that Benjamin Franklin is credited as having the first cartoon in an American newspaper? Ever wonder who put the fun in the Funny Pages? Become a History of Fun Stuff Expert on the funny history of comic strips, graphic novels, manga, and more, and amaze your friends with all you’ve learned in this fun, fact-filled Level 3 Ready-to-Read!
Subway Sonata
Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book
"...During their Monday-morning commute, a writer, a composer, a choreographer, and a painter all converge in a crowded subway car and are inspired by the sights and sounds that fill it. The different works of art that result reflect unique interpretations of the same scene...The book's message--that inspiration is everywhere--is a good one." --School Library Journal
MAX & MOE SERIES
Max and Mo are as clever as ever in each of these six books! For the two newest Max and Mo book, see how, once again, they cleverly exit their cage and either perform a science experiment or celebrate the 100th Day of School.
In all six Max and Mo books, there is an engaging simple step-by-step activity at the end. Each activity needs only a few objects readily found in the home.
All books in this series were named a Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book.
Gone, but not forgotten—your local library may have these books
Don't Forget
CBC Outstanding Social Studies Trade Book
"The story is upbeat, even sentimental...This could be a starting point for introducing the Holocaust to young children...What is compelling is the sense of secrets, both joyful and appalling."---Booklist
Clarence the Copy Cat
Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book--Starred
Nebraska's Golden Sower Honor Book
"Clarence is supposed to help catch mice in the deli in which he lives with his parents. However since he can't 'bear to harm another living creature,' he is banished...He finally curls up by the door of the local library...Children will laugh out loud as they follow his adventures."--School Library Journal
"A well-plotted, action packed, comically illustrated story."—Booklist
"Librarians take note: Young customers—those in branches with or without mice—will find much to smile about here."—Kirkus Review
