Each button on Laura’s memory string represents a piece of her family history. The buttons Laura cherishes the most belonged to her mother—a button from her prom dress, a white one off her wedding dress, and a single small button from the nightgown she was wearing on the day she died. When the string breaks, Laura’s new stepmother, Jane, is there to comfort Laura and search for a missing button, just as Laura’s mother would have done. But it’s not the same—Jane isn’t Mom. In Eve Bunting’s moving story, beautifully illustrated by Ted Rand, Laura discovers that a memory string is not just for remembering the past: it’s also for recording new memories.

"Engages students in inquiry that leads to the discovery and understanding of a general principle they can apply to their own independent reading" --

From fairy tales to five-paragraph essays, Kumon Writing Workbooks offer a complete program to improve the development and organization of ideas and expand vocabulary. Our fun and innovative exercises inspire creativity and the desire to write.

Can a ninja-fied Little Red Riding Hood end with everyone happy? Find out in this fractured fairy tale that's sure to be a storytime hit. Illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat. Wolf just can’t catch a break! Ever since the three little pigs started teaching everyone Ninja skills, huffing and puffing just hasn’t been enough to scare up a good meal. His craving for meat sends Wolf to classes at the dojo, and soon he’s ready to try out his new moves. A little girl and her tiny granny should be easy targets—right? Not if Little Red has anything to say about it! Kiya! Kids will be sure to fight over this companion to the hits The Three Ninja Pigs and Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks!

Disregarding the false notion that writing instruction in the primary grades needs to be mostly teacher directed, Jennifer Jacobson shows teachers how to develop a primary writer' s workshop that helps nurture independent, engaged writers. No More I' m Done! demonstrates how to create a more productive, engaging, and rewarding writer' s workshop. Jennifer guides teachers from creating a supportive classroom environment through establishing effective routines; shows teachers how to set up a writer' s workshop; and provides an entire year of developmentally appropriate mini-lessons that build confidence and, ultimately, independence.