After losing her mother, shy Natumi is rescued by a team from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an orphanage for baby elephants. At the shelter, Natumi hides behind keepers' legs to watch the other elephants at the shelter. But soon, she meets several other orphans, and the eight of them play together in the surrounding bush. As the babies become closer and more like a real family, they need a leader, someone they can trust. Can Natumi grow into this role? Join the herd to find out what happens when they travel back into the wild. This sweet story, with its heartwarming photographs, explores the challenges and joys of family, love, and growing up, and is a perfect bedtime tale.

Whether used for thematic story times, program and curriculum planning, readers' advisory, or collection development, this updated edition of the well-known companion makes finding the right picture books for your library a breeze. Generations of savvy librarians and educators have relied on this detailed subject guide to children's picture books for all aspects of children's services, and this new edition does not disappoint. Covering more than 18,000 books published through 2017, it empowers users to identify current and classic titles on topics ranging from apples to zebras. Organized simply, with a subject guide that categorizes subjects by theme and topic and subject headings arranged alphabetically, this reference applies more than 1,200 intuitive (as opposed to formal catalog) subject terms to children's picture books, making it both a comprehensive and user-friendly resource that is accessible to parents and teachers as well as librarians. It can be used to identify titles to fill in gaps in library collections, to find books on particular topics for young readers, to help teachers locate titles to support lessons, or to design thematic programs and story times. Title and illustrator indexes, in addition to a bibliographic guide arranged alphabetically by author name, further extend access to titles.

Explore the Costa Rican rainforest with Destiny, a rescued orphan baby sloth who must learn to return to the wild, in this heartwarming true story from Newbery Honor winner Margarita Engle. Destiny must learn to be strong and confident after she loses the use of one of her eyes. Without her mother to protect her or teach her, Destiny is found and taken to a rescue center in Costa Rica. The little sloth soon befriends other orphaned sloths. Her poor eyesight, however, makes it hard for her to keep her balance. Eventually Destiny begins to use all of her senses to explore the world around her. But can she learn to climb? Can she master the other skills she needs to survive on her own? And will Destiny be brave enough to return to her wild, forest home? Join award-winning author Margarita Engle and photographer Sam Trull as they introduce you to the world of sloths in this inspiring story about overcoming obstacles and believing in yourself. For more true animal stories of rescue, friendship, and facing challenges, check out these National Geographic Kids picture books: Little Larry Goes to School A Leap for Legadema Natumi Takes the Lead A Friend for Lakota Jimmy the Joey

Everybody needs a role model! Discover true stories of superstars, war heroes, world leaders, gusty gals, and everyday women who changed the world. From Sacagawea to Mother Teresa, Annie Oakley to Malala Yousafzai, these famous women hiked up their pants and petticoats and charged full-speed ahead to prove girls are just as tough as boys...maybe even tougher. Complete with amazing images and a fun design, this is the book that every kid with a goal, hope, or dream will want to own.

Books Come Alive: Reading Aloud and Reading Along with Young Children is about using read alouds to promote empathy and the ability to think deeply in response to literature. Grounded in research and theory, the book explores how to ensure that read alouds have maximum instructional value to promote literacy and spark children’s lifelong love of literature. This book offers teachers information about book selection, how to plan for and conduct read alouds, and extend children’s experiences. The book also includes a vetted and extensive compendium of high-quality books for read alouds, accompanied by a framework for teaching with those books.

The special bond between a mother leopard and her cub is illuminated in this heartwarming coming-of-age story set in Botswana's lush Okavango Delta. Stunning photographs from a legendary duo of National Geographic explorers are sure to captivate young readers and raise awareness about this amazing species and the threats leopards face. The little leopard Legadema has to learn to find her place in a big, big world. When the cub was born during a fantastic African storm, the sky cracked and brightened with lightning, and Legadema, which means "light from the sky," was named. She soon learns from her mother that the path to adulthood isn't always easy. She also has to learn from experience, like when she encounters a hungry pride of lions! Luckily for Legadema, her mom is one fierce protector. Amidst the vibrant, chirping grasslands, bristling with danger and predators, will little Legadema learn to hunt, hide, and thrive as she strikes out on her own? This sweet story, with its breathtaking photographs, explores the challenges and joys of family, love, and growing up, and is a perfect bedtime read-aloud tale.

James R. Hannibal presents a thrilling adventure through history, complete with mysteries, secret items, codes, and a touch of magic in this stunning middle grade debut. Thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles is great at finding things. Not just a missing glove or the other sock, but things normal people have long given up on ever seeing again. If only he could find his father, who has disappeared in London without a trace. But Jack’s father was not who he claimed to be. It turns out that he was a member of a secret society of detectives that has served the crown for centuries—and membership into the Lost Property Office is Jack’s inheritance. Now the only way Jack will ever see his father again is if he finds what the nefarious Clockmaker is after: the Ember, which holds a secret that has been kept since the Great Fire of London. Will Jack be able to find the Ember and save his father, or will his talent for finding things fall short?