It is December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt leads a nation in crisis. He must make a speech to a joint session of Congress that will build support for America’s entry to World War II, but to do that he needs an armored vehicle in which to make the short trip from the White House to the Capitol Building. According to legend, the car Roosevelt rode in that day, borrowed from the FBI’s impound lot, was an armored Cadillac V-8 built for gangster Al Capone in the late 1920s to shield himself from enemies. Is the legend true, or is it an American tall tale in the tradition of Paul Bunyan or John Henry? Either way, it’s an ideal vehicle to compare and contrast the lives of two American men who grew up within miles of one another: one a great president, the other an infamous villain. F&P Level Y

Michael Garland (Daddy Played the Blues) displays his impressive illustration range with the stylized, country-quilt, digital collage illustrations of A Season of Flowers. Snowdrops and crocuses yield to tulips and hyacinths, then dogwood blossoms, iris, lupine, daisies, morning glories, daylilies, geraniums, peonies, sunflowers, roses, and chrysanthemums as spring passes to summer, then autumn. At last the garden slumbers into winter under a blanket of snow, preparing next year’s procession of blooms. Like actors crossing a stage, flowers narrate the passing seasons in the first person, each one briefly proclaiming its unique and vital role in the natural world. Backmatter descriptions complete this child’s introduction to a garden year, in which the passage of time is vividly realized. Fountas & Pinnell Level L

Get to know all about the best and brightest—and smelliest!—birds in Leslie Bulion's award-winning collection of avian science poetry. You won't even need binoculars! Ever wonder which bird has the loudest voice? Which one builds the biggest nest or has the most feathers? Get to know all about the best and brightest―and smelliest!―denizens of the bird world with this collection of nonfiction science verses. Award-winning science poetry author Leslie Bulion dedicates a variety of verse to these impressive birds and includes a science glossary, notes on poetic forms, and resources for more information in the back of the book. Witty drawings by Robert Meganck add another layer of fun to this humorous and informative gallery of the world's most accomplished birds. Ideal for cross-curricular learning, including units on animals, birds, nature, and poetry.

Includes a tenth anniversary issue, dated Nov. 1945.

Tells the story of the infamous “Goat Gland Doctor”—controversial medical charlatan, groundbreaking radio impresario, and prescient political campaigner—and recounts his amazing rags to riches to rags career. A popular joke of the 1920s posed the question, “What’s the fastest thing on four legs?” The punch line? “A goat passing Dr. Brinkley’s hospital!” It seems that John R. Brinkley’s virility rejuvenation cure—transplanting goat gonads into aging men—had taken the nation by storm. Never mind that “Doc” Brinkley’s medical credentials were shaky at best and that he prescribed medication over the airwaves via his high-power radio stations. The man built an empire. The Kansas Medical Board combined with the Federal Radio Commission to revoke Brinkley’s medical and radio licenses, which various courts upheld. Not to be stopped, Brinkley started a write-in campaign for Governor. He received more votes than any other candidate but lost due to invalidated and “misplaced” ballots. Brinkley’s tactics, particularly the use of his radio station and personal airplane, changed political campaigning forever. Brinkley then moved his radio medical practice to Del Rio, Texas, and began operating a “border blaster” on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande. His rogue stations, XER and its successor XERA, eventually broadcast at an antenna-shattering 1,000,000 watts and were not only a haven for Brinkley’s lucrative quackery, but also hosted an unprecedented number of then-unknown country musicians and other guests.

In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.

Reilly of the White House, first published in 1947, is Michael Reilly’s fascinating account of his tenure as head of the White House Secret Service detail for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The book details his security and protection measures for the President, the close-calls from those attempting to harm FDR, and his worldwide travels, including meetings of Roosevelt with Churchill, Stalin, and other world leaders. From the dust jacket: Mike Reilly guarded, for four years, the number one Nazi target: FDR. This is the story of that stewardship, which ranged from buying White House groceries to standing behind a curtain with his gun trained on the middle button of a diplomat’s uniform. Reilly never left the President’s side. His protection methods had to be fast and frequently unorthodox. His behind-the-scenes story—of those methods, of the hair-trigger emergencies, of the world-famous people he met; above all, of FDR—is even faster and even more unorthodox. It was on December 7th, 1941, that Mike Reilly took over the top Secret Service spot of guarding the President. From that day on it was his business to protect the President from assassination which might come via guns, daggers, bombs, poison, fire, or the well-known blunt instrument. In order to get an armored car, for example—which the Constitution does not provide for—Mike had to borrow one from the Treasury Department. It was Al Capone’s originally and it served until one of the big automobile companies made one specially and leased it to the President for one dollar a year.