A collection of twenty-three essays that discuss the people and horses that have contributed to the magic of the Kentucky Derby from the years 1875 to 1996.

A highly illustrated middle-grade series that celebrates new friendships, first crushes, and getting out of your comfort zone—now in paperback Ever since they can remember, fifth graders Kenzie (aka Kenzilla) and Shelly (aka Bomb Shell) have dreamed of becoming roller derby superstars. When Austin’s city league introduces a brand-new junior league, the dynamic duo celebrates! But they’ll need to try out as a five-person team. Kenzie and Shelly have just one week to convince three other girls that roller derby is the coolest thing on wheels. But Kenzie starts to have second thoughts when Shelly starts acting like everyone’s best friend . . . Isn’t she supposed to be Kenzie’s best friend? And things get really awkward when Shelly recruits Kenzie’s neighbor (and secret crush!) for the team. With lots of humor and an authentic middle-grade voice, book one of this illustrated series follows Kenzie, Shelly, and the rest of the Derby Daredevils as they learn how to fall—and get back up again.

Filled with heart, humor, and relevance, this side-splitting picture book, Two Many Birds, by author/illustrator Cindy Derby, opens minds and entertains all at once. As birds line up to perch on a tree, a monitor shouts rules at them: No fluffin' feathers! No pooping on the ground! No nudity! Eventually, the tree fills to capactiy (100 birds), but what happens when two more are accidentally born among the branches?

Roller derby first appeared in Chicago during the Depression. With the advent of television, this dynamic, sometimes violent sport became a national favorite. In Roller Derby to RollerJam, Keith Coppage takes a fond look at the origins, history, and players of the game who made it successful, from promoters to superstars.

A splendidly illustrated collection of poems inspired by young children that address common themes such as having a hard day at school, feeling shy or being a newcomer. The poems in Climbing Shadows were inspired by a class of kindergarten children whom poet and playwright Shannon Bramer came to know over the course of a school year. She set out to write a poem for each child, sharing her love of poetry with them, and made an anthology of the poems for Valentine’s Day. This original collection reflects the children’s joys and sorrows, worries and fears, moods and sense of humor. Some poems address common themes such as having a hard day at school, feeling shy or being a newcomer, while others explore subjects of fascination — bats, spiders, skeletons, octopuses, polka dots, racing cars and birthday parties. Evident throughout the book is a love of words and language and the idea that there are all kinds of poems and that they are for everyone — to read or write. Cindy Derby’s dreamy watercolor illustrations gently complement each poem. Beautiful, thoughtful, sensitive and funny, this is an exceptional collection. Key Text Features illustrations table of contents author’s note Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

On May 4, 1968, Dancer's Image crossed the finish line at Churchill Downs to win the 94th Kentucky Derby. Yet the jubilation ended three days later for the owner, the jockey and the trainers who propelled the celebrated thoroughbred to victory. Amid a firestorm of controversy, Dancer's Image was disqualified after blood tests revealed the presence of a widely used anti-inflammatory drug with a dubious legal status. Over forty years later, questions still linger over the origins of the substance and the turmoil it created. Veteran turfwriter and noted equine law expert Milt Toby gives the first in-depth look at the only disqualification in Derby history and how the Run for the Roses was changed forever.

"Followers of the Sport of Kings will find the book irresistible." -Publishers Weekly Jim Bolus's Kentucky Derby Stories was called "a Derby delight," "entertaining," and "a winner" by publications like Daily Racing Form, Lexington Herald-Leader, and the Detroit News. Now, Bolus, sportswriter and Derby historian, is back with another field of stories from the most-esteemed horse race in North America-Remembering the Derby. Included in this volume of his Derby moments are stories of trainers, runners, writers, winners, and losers. Bolus features chapters on his favorite race writers, Mike Barry and Joe Hirsch, who influenced his own craft and his love of the sport; and Bolus spends a few pages noting some of the best writers whose handicapping has paid off for many of their readers. This volume's cast of horses includes unforgettable legends like Northern Dancer and some less-memorable runners like Silky Sullivan, who deserves a second bow. Relying on his reportorial background, Bolus investigates the Derby with some enlightening offerings from the past. From the 1924 Derby, he recalls a controversial four-horse finish and how the true second-place finisher will never be known. Also in the list of stories is a compilation of tales from the saddle in which jockeys misgauged the distance to the finish-decisions that cost some the race and handed victory over to others. ABOUT THE AUTHOR The late Jim Bolus, who attended his thirty-seventh Kentucky Derby in 1996, hadn't missed the race in more than twenty years. Dubbed a Doctor of Derbyology by one newspaper reporter, Bolus also wrote Derby Dreams, Derby Fever, Kentucky Derby Stories, and Derby Magic, all published by Pelican.