Colorful Illustrations support decodable text, guiding beginning readers to identify, recognize, and use the /ch/ sound. Featuring high-frequency words, this authentic fictional narrative also gives emerging readers the opportunity to read with purpose and for meaning while reinforcing basic phonemic sounds. Readers follow a relatable character named Chad as he cares for his pet chickens. This fiction phonics title is paired with the nonfiction phonics title Let's Do Chores: Practicing the CH Sound. The instructional guide on the inside front and back covers provides: * Word List with carefully selected grade-appropriate words featuring the /ch/ sound found in the text * Teacher Talk that assists instructors in introducing the /ch/ sound * Group Activity that guides students to identify the /ch/ sound, decode the words that contain it, and use the words * Extended Activity that provides students with additional opportunities to think about, list, and use words containing the /ch/ sound * Writing Activity that guides students to write the letters that make the /ch/ sound

Sonya raises her three chickens from the time they are tiny chicks. She feeds them, shelters them and loves them. Everywhere Sonya goes, her chicks are peeping at her heels. Under her care, the chicks grow into hens and even give Sonya a wonderful gift: an egg! One night, Sonya hears noises coming from the chicken coop and discovers that one of her hens has disappeared. Where did the hen go? What happened to her? When Sonya discovers the answers, she learns some important truths about the interconnectedness of nature and the true joys and sorrows of caring for another creature.

Running from his frustrating life, Chad loses his way on Christmas Eve and soon stumbles on the remote town of Piney Meadows. Before long, he falls in love with the people of the Old Order Mennonite community, accepts a job, and settles into the area. He is touched by the good people and their strong faith, even though he still has a lingering dispute with God. Most of all, he is fond of Anna. The more he gets to know her, the more he falls in love with her. But Anna is not happy in Piney Meadows. The Mennonite community is changing, but it's not changing fast enough for her. She longs to move to Minneapolis to get a job, make her way in the world, and find herself. Chad doesn't want her to go, but Anna can only see the freedom she imagines she will get in the big city. When she's ready to leave he contemplates leaving with her, but a personal crisis shakes Chad to his core. Feeling let down by everyone—including God—Chad wonders if Anna will now desert him too.

Each day, Bob Sheasley leaves Lilyfield Farm and heads into the city. And each day, he brings along a basket of eggs for his coworkers at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Depending on the breed of hen, these eggs may be white, green, rose, blue, or as brown as chocolate. And they are all deliciously fresh, a taste of the rural way of life that people have enjoyed for millennia, one in which chickens have played a supporting role for nearly as long. In Home to Roost, Sheasley tells of the intertwined relationship between humans and chickens. He delves into where chickens came from, what their DNA tells us about our kinship, how we’ve treated our feathered fellow travelers, and the roads we’re crossing together. This is a story of agriculture and human migration, of folk medicine and technology, of how we dreamed of the good life, threw it away, and want it back. Modern farming has changed the lives of both bird and man over the past century. But backyard farmers like Sheasley offer hope for a return to the pleasures of locally grown food, as diverse as the chickens he’s raised on Lilyfield Farm. With wit and personal insight, Home to Roost examines of how our lives can be changed for the better, with something as simple as a backyard coop.

A chicken hawk tries to improve his image by various methods but finds that presenting himself as he really is works best.

"Cyber-bullying can be worse than being picked on in school. Like when a girl tries real hard to make me feel bad about myself. Doesn't she know how much that hurts?" —Tanya, 13 "I don't know any girls that don't hurt other girls in some ways. Why? Because life is tough for girls." —Angela, 14 "Some girls try to intimidate and threaten you on Facebook. It's their way to get attention. I just don't want to play their game." —Jennifer, 15 Cliques. Snobs. Facebook stalkers. Twitter twits. Gossip. MySpace brats. Name-calling and showing off. Let's face it—the girl world is tough! Mean Chicks, Cliques, and Dirty Tricks, 2nd Edition is your ultimate survival guide to backstabbers and bullies both in school and online. Girl guru Dr. Erika talked to more than 1,000 teen girls just like you to help you understand what makes mean chicks tick. She features smart strategies and powerful tools, such as: FYI: The real lowdown on the different types of mean chick behavior—what causes it and what you can do Awesome quizzes: Designed to help you figure out where you stand with the mean chicks and how you can make real changes Fab fixes: Hey, even a cool chick like you can feel down every now and then—these are quick pick-me-ups for any bad day Cool quotes: Wit and wisdom from women who fought their battles years ago—and came out on top Real Answers: Restore kindness and courtesy at your school and online Loaded with helpful advice and true stories from girls who fought back against teasing and cyberbulling, Mean Chicks is the only book you need to feel strong, confident, and triumphant.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just for Teenagers supports and inspires teenagers as they grow up, reminding them they are not alone, as they read stories from teens just like themselves about the problems and issues they face every day. Teenage years are tough, but this book will help teens as they journey through the ups and downs of adolescence. The stories in this book serve as a guide on topics from the daily pressures of life and school to love, friendships, parents, and much more. This collection will encourage, inspire, and amuse teens, showing that, as tough as things can get, they are not alone!