Wrtitten by Newbery Medalist Katherine Paterson with painting by Caldecott winning illustrators Leo and Diane Dillon
A beautiful mandarin duck is captured and caged by a greedy lord who wants to show off the bird's magnificent plumage. But the wild creature pines for his mate. When Yasuko, the kitchen maid, releases the bird against her lord's command, she and the one-eyed servant, Shozo, are sentenced to death. The grateful bird intends to return their kindness, but can he outsmart the cruel lord?

Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Illustration, and a New...

This Newbery Honor Book tells the story of "a boy and his hundred-year-old great-great-aunt in . . . a quietly intense story, illustrated with sepia pictures that make dramatic use of chiaroscuro" ("The Horn Book"). Two-color illustrations.

In the tradition of Hamilton's The People Could Fly and In the Beginning, a dramatic new collection of 25 compelling tales from the female African American storytelling tradition. Each story focuses on the role of women--both real and fantastic--and their particular strengths, joys and sorrows. Full-color illustrations.

"There once was a man who danced in the street / He brought pleasure and joy to the people he'd greet / He didn't just dance, he made art with his feet / Rap a tap tap--think of that "
This simple book for young children has the added bonus of describing the life of a ground-breaking African-American tap dancer. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1920s-30s. People said he "talked with his feet," and in the Dillons' graceful paintings of old New York, he dances from page to page to the tune of a toe-tapping rhyme. Rap a tap tap--think of that

"The well-known author retells 24 black American folk tales in sure storytelling voice: animal tales, supernatural tales, fanciful and cautionary tales, and slave tales of freedom. All are beautifully readable. With the added attraction of 40 wonderfully expressive paintings by the Dillons, this collection should be snapped up."--(starred) School Library Journal.

This book has been selected as a Common Core State Standards text Exemplar (Grade 6-8, Stories) in Appendix B.

An American Library Association Notable Book and his first book for children, Erik Christian Haugaard's Hakon of Rogen's Saga is a remarkable novel that perfectly catches the mood of a harsh but heroic people. Set at the end of the Viking period, it tells of a young boy, Hakon, from the island of Rogen who, after his chieftain father is murdered, undertakes to reclaim his birthright from his treacherous uncle. The illustrations by renowned artists Leo and Diane Dillon make this captivating story come alive.

A Slave's Tale, the sequel to Hakon of Rogen's Saga, is told from the point of view of a slave girl, Helga, who stows away on the longship when Hakon, the young Viking chieftain, sets sail for France on a voyage to return Rark, a freed slave, to his homeland. The voyagers' journey is perilous--they narrowly escape capture by an invading fleet, and their ship is severely damaged by a storm. Upon reaching France--where the Vikings are now hated, not feared--only tragedy ensues.

About?The?Bank?Street Ready-To-Read Series

More than seventy years of educational research and innovative teaching have given the Bank Street College of Education the reputation as America s most trusted name in early childhood education.

Because no two children are exactly alike in their development, we have designed the Bank Street Ready-to-Read series in three levels to accommodate the individual stages of reading readiness of children ages four through eight.

Level 1: Getting Ready To Read (Pre-K to Grade 1) Books are perfect for reading aloud with...