The barn is old. The boards are beaten. A hundred years of wind and rain have taken their toll. When you step inside, you can smell the hay and horses. It's a beautiful place, this barn, in its rugged way. But now it's time for the barn to come down. Fortunately, the barn will not be crushed by the blade of a bulldozer. It will be dismantled slowly, piece by piece, by the barn savers. The barn savers, a father and son, take care to save everything--the joists, the rafters, the flooring, the roofing. In this way, the barn will never be gone. Somewhere parts of it may live for another hundred years. This is the hope of the barn savers. Linda Oatman High's story quietly celebrates something beautiful and something old, as a father and son bring down a barn with hard work and respect. Ted Lewin's dramatic illustrations pay homage to the old barn in all its gray and weathered glory.

A young boy helps his father recycle a 19th century barn.

Here, at last, is the inspiration -- and the help -- you need to turn those left-over fabric scraps you've accumulated into useful household items and beautiful gifts for all occasions.

In their first edition of Mentor Texts, authors Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli helped teachers across the country make the most of high-quality children's literature in their writing instruction. Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6, 2nd Edition the authors continue to show teachers how to help students become confident, accomplished writers by using literature as their foundation. The second edition includes brand-new Your Turn Lessons, built around the gradual release of responsibility model, offering suggestions for demonstrations and shared or guided writing. Reflection is emphasized as a necessary component to understanding why mentor authors chose certain strategies, literary devices, sentence structures, and words. Dorfman and Cappelli offer new children's book titles in each chapter and in a carefully curated and annotated Treasure Chest. At the end of each chapter a Think About It'sTalk About It'sWrite About It section invites reflection and conversation with colleagues.The book is organized around the characteristics of good writing'sfocus, content, organization, style, and conventions. The authors write in a friendly and conversational style, employing numerous anecdotes to help teachers visualize the process, and offer strategies that can be immediately implemented in the classroom. This practical resource demonstrates the power of learning to read like writers.