Best Selling Books by Angela Shelf Medearis

Barry the bear and Bennie the bat come up with the perfect living arrangement.

The cat pulls the monkey''s tail. Why would the cat do such a thing? This is a story of how the monkey tries to get his tail back.

A centipede describes the many different sneakers he needs for his many feet.

Explores the dance traditions of African Americans, from their origins in the expressive dances that the slaves brought from Africa through the development of jazz and tap to modern dance and ballet.

Danny''s dad plays with his son and his friend.

In this Western folk song, an educated fellow mistaken for a greenhorn proves his cowboy ability by riding a wild horse. Includes a discussion of Afro-American and Hispanic cowboys in the nineteenth century.

In simple rhymes, describes how seeds turn into sunflowers.

Discusses the evolution of African-American music from its roots in the rhythms and instruments from Africa through the development of the blues, gospel, and soul to modern rock and rap.

Ransome''s paintings are glorious in this celebration of the market in the French Quarter of New Orleans at the turn of the century, and Medearis'' poetic rhyme captures the rhythm of the street cries and the ragtime beat of the marching band. A young girl is awakened by the shouts of the street vendors ("Nice little snap beans / pretty little corn"). She runs to the window, opens it wide. What she sees are "Creole women in red bandannas," shouting vendors with baskets on their heads, fruit sellers with juicy watermelons, shoppers searching for best buys. The beautifully composed, richly colored paintings are filled with light and movement, from market street scenes to close-ups of luscious vegetables. The child is part of it all, reaching for fruit, watching, listening, and then joining in, high-stepping, whirling, and twirling to the hot jazz notes of the marching band.

After some kitchen disasters, Angela Medearis went from a cooking novice to a culinary historian eager to share her knowledge with others. Becoming the sassy, boa-wearing Kitchen Diva helped make sharing her message fun and inspired her popular TV show of the same name. The Kitchen Diva Cooks! is a collection of recipes from her motivational show, which teaches viewers about the history of their favorite foods, how to prepare healthful meals, and how to make cooking enjoyable.

To win a $5000 reward, a chef named Dan agrees to stay in a haunted house overnight and when he meets a very hungry ghost, he gets more than he had expected.

A young girl looks around her room as she and her stuffed rabbit prepare to go to sleep.

Children pout when it begins to rain, but, soon, properly dressed, they enjoyplaying outdoors in the rain."

Provides recipes and suggestions for celebrations for African-American holidays and special occasions throughout the year.

This multi-cultural board book is vibrantly illustrated with lots of activities in which young children can participate.

After waiting anxiously for the arrival of snow, children enjoy it by making snow angels, throwing snowballs, and riding their sleds.

Treemonisha, the daughter of freed slaves in the post-Civil War South, gets an education and devotes herself to lifting her people out of poverty and ignorance.

Introduces the influence of African-based foods, cooking techniques, and traditions to American culinary history.

George is unhappy to receive a homemade muffler and itchy long underwear for Christmas, but they come in handy when he has an accident while ice skating.

Boldness and a gift for improvising verse enable eight-year-old African American Daisy Turner to triumph over an incident of discrimination in her nineteenth century rural Vermont school. Told in Daisy''s voice, the book''s themes of identity and self-affirmation offer a powerful lesson to today''s youngsters who face similar situations of prejudice and stereotyping in twenty-first century classrooms. Suggestions on the concluding page provide creative ways for young readers to develop their own storytelling style in verse. Ages 6-10

Every year, for seven days beginning December 26th, African-Americans celebrate their heritage during the Kwanzaa holiday. In this book, you can find out about that special time so you can celebrate the seven days of Kwanzaa, too. Learn about the seven candles representing the seven days of Kwanzaa. Follow the recipes for such dishes as Ashanti Peanut Soup and Sengalese Cookies to make a Kwanzaa feast. Use the instructions to make masks and African toe puppets and other wonderful ¿zawadi¿ -- special Kwanzaa gifts. Learn Swahili for ¿What news?¿ (¿Habari gani¿) and other Swahili words and phrases that are part of the holiday. Then join in the celebration! Illustrations. Compact format. Juvenile audiences.

Pouring rain doesn''t stop these frisky children who splash in puddles, float boats, and make mud pies.

A boy spends time with his grandmothers, one of whom visits from Ghana and tell him stories of when his Daddy was a boy.

Inspired by her older sister, who is writing about a treasure hunt, Marcy finds buried treasure in her back yard.

When Samuel plants a garden, what he thinks is a tough weed, turns out to be a potato plant.

Simple rhyming text and illustrations help children learn to count to 100 to celebrate this special day.

In 1965, third-grader Sheyann Webb and her friend Rachel West help change America by singing and marching for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Includes activity ideas for parents and children.

A boy wakes up, eats, washes, plays and goes to sleep, just like the birds outside his window.

Santiago Antonio Ramirez, also known as Junior, enjoys playing games, making cookies, and going to the movies with Sugar, the new girl next door.