Heidi bravely enters her school’s talent show, but finds she is in need of some enchanted assistance! It’s time for the Brewster Elementary Talent Show, but Heidi Heckelbeck doesn’t want to perform because she thinks she has no talent. Then Heidi finds a special pair of shoes in the attic and decides she will do a dance—but she may need a little help from her Book of Spells! With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Heidi Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Heidi Heckelbeck is just like any other eight-year old girl, except for one thing: She's a witch in disguise! Join Heidi and her friends as they experience new glasses, secret admirers, talent show mishaps, campfire stories, and more in this magical four-book collection.

Heidi Heckelbeck is just like any other eight-year old girl, except for one thing: She's a witch in disguise! Join Heidi and her friends as they experience new glasses, secret admirers, talent show mishaps, and more in this magical three-book collection.

This is the first volume to consider the popular literary category of Early Readers – books written and designed for children who are just beginning to read independently. It argues that Early Readers deserve more scholarly attention and careful thought because they are, for many younger readers, their first opportunity to engage with a work of literature on their own, to feel a sense of mastery over a text, and to experience pleasure from the act of reading independently. Using interdisciplinary approaches that draw upon and synthesize research being done in education, child psychology, sociology, cultural studies, and children’s literature, the volume visits Early Readers from a variety of angles: as teaching tools; as cultural artifacts that shape cultural and individual subjectivity; as mass produced products sold to a niche market of parents, educators, and young children; and as aesthetic objects, works of literature and art with specific conventions. Examining the reasons such books are so popular with young readers, as well as the reasons that some adults challenge and censor them, the volume considers the ways Early Readers contribute to the construction of younger children as readers, thinkers, consumers, and as gendered, raced, classed subjects. It also addresses children’s texts that have been translated and sold around the globe, examining them as part of an increasingly transnational children’s media culture that may add to or supplant regional, ethnic, and national children’s literatures and cultures. While this collection focuses mostly on books written in English and often aimed at children living in the US, it is important to acknowledge that these Early Readers are a major US cultural export, influencing the reading habits and development of children across the globe.

When Heidi has trouble making friends at camp, she discovers that courage can be even more powerful than magic! Heidi can’t wait to go to camp with her friend Lucy, but when they get there, Lucy’s camp friends from last year make Heidi feel unwelcome. At first Heidi uses her Book of Spells to help her win their friendship, but in the end she decides to be brave and ask the girls why they don’t like her. Heidi is surprised by their answer…and by the time camp ends she has made two new friends! With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Heidi Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Heidi’s magical secret may be out of the bag in this thirty-sixth Heidi Heckelbeck adventure! Is the town of Brewster ready to learn the truth about Heidi Heckelbeck? Or would Heidi be better off if her magic disappeared forever? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Heidi Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

In the twenty-first book of the Critter Club series, Amy discovers she has a real knack for training puppies. But when she takes on too many puppy clients, things get out of hand—or paw! When Amy meets the owner of a brand-new puppy at her mom’s vet clinic, she agrees to help the woman train her new pet. Amy does such a great job, she starts getting calls from more puppy owners! Things go great for a while, but soon, Amy is in way over her head. She can’t say no to a puppy in need and has taken on way too many clients! Amy barely has time for school or her friends in between all the puppies. Can she dig herself out of this hole before she goes barking mad? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Critter Club chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.