New Releases by Janice Levy

When Antonio sees the members of the Mariachi band play, he wants nothing more than a guitar of his own. But guitars cost money, explains his father, who hands Antonio a stick instead. Confused and upset, Antonio resentfully accepts his father’s gift. He heads off, unknowingly starting a chain of exchanges that may, miraculously, earn him what he wants most.

FlipFlop is hungry, but there is nothing in the pantry except flies. She decides to invite her friends to a party to bake a fly pie. When her friends are too lazy to help, FlipFlop makes the pie herself. She bakes the pie, puts on her party clothes and plays some music. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Will FlipFlop let her BFF''s join the party?

Flip-Flop challenges each of the bullies who do not want to let her cross the bridge.

It''s the Day of the Dead! It''s time to celebrate! In this bilingual book, a young girl is busy helping her family prepare to honor those who have died--especially her grandfather. She misses him very much and is excited for his spirit to visit that night. SPANISH DESCRIPTION Es el Día de los Muertos. ¡Es tiempo de celebrar! En este libro biligua una niña joven esta ocupada ayudando a su familia preparar en los que han muerto—especialmente su abuelo. Ella lo estraña mucho y está con mucho emoción que su espirito venga de visita está noche.

This story relates the painful and embarrassing aftermath of name-calling and bullying from the perspective of the bully. J. J. Jax has been tormenting an overweight boy named Patrick, calling him Pig-Pen and Porky, to the point that Patrick is now afraid to go to school. Learning of his son''s behavior, J. J.''s father lectures him to stop bullying Patrick. When that approach fails, Mr. Jax tries another tack and shares an experience he had as a youthful bully and the consequences he recently faced as a result of his actions. Touched by his father''s words, J.J. reaches out to Patrick in a school arm-wrestling contest and experiences the "alley oops" moment of empowerment and self-esteem that comes from doing the right thing. Snappy dialogue highlights the harmful, lasting effects of bullying and the importance of finding common ground toward conflict resolution. Believable contemporary illustrations bring the story to life with expressive body language.

What would you do if your dad found a new girlfriend--one who was completely, totally uncool? No one could be worse than Dad''s new girlfriend, whom he calls (ugh) "Sweet Potato." Totally Uncool is a clever and witty story with offbeat illustrations that bring to life the challenges of adjusting to a single parent''s new companion.

Cristina is uncomfortable around her Spanish-speaking grandfather until she spends the day with him and he helps her to begin to understand his culture and her family.

Nando wonders how he will recognize his namesake uncle as his family celebrates Mexico''s Day of the Dead.