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.

After feeling ignored in his new town, a young toad tries to act like a bully but learns the value of being a good friend instead.

Diva Duck and her farm friends have returned from their world travels. But Diva isn''t as happy to be home as the rest of the animals. She is destined for greatness . . . and for Hollywood, even if it means going alone! She''ll just make new friends. Diva soon realizes that her new friends aren''t all they are quacked up to be. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Diva Duck does all of the duck stuff. But her feathers aren''t in it. Diva has dreams of life beyond the farm. The other animals think Diva''s dreams are a hoot. But after learning her true talent, Diva''s life changes. Soon, everyone wants a piece of the duck! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Diva Duck is destined for greatness, so why should she need school? After all, books are for schnooks and studying is boring, snoring. But when her fans find out she can''t write, read, or do math, the feathers hit the fan! That''s when she learns her lessons and discovers school rules! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Diva Duck''s new CD is a hit and she is off on a world tour. Nothing can stop her. She is one hot duck! Soon she''s so busy, she forgets the hood for good. But when a tornado destroys her home farm, she brings her friends from around the world to put things right again. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Diva Duck does all of the duck stuff. But her feathers aren''t in it. Diva has dreams of life beyond the farm. After learning her true talent, Diva''s life changes. She travels the world, lives in Hollywood, and masters balancing school with fame. A fun-filled series for readers of all ages. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

When FlipFlop tries to cross the bridge to join her friends, she runs into the Bully Frogs Gruff. Those bullies threaten to eat FlipFlop if she tries to cross! Even though those gruff, tough, and buff Bully Frogs scare FlipFlop, she''s determined to pass. Can she outwit them all and make some new friends?

It''s time for the class play! Mrs. Hopper, has given FlipFlop the role of Frog Number Three - a croaking part! But, FlipFlop has stage fright, and every rehearsal is a flop. FlipFlop draws exactly how she feels, including having Mrs. Hopper walk the plank and dressed as a witch. When she gets caught, FlipFlop and Mrs. Hopper put their heads together to find a new role for FlipFlop. Will FlipFlop''s true talents shine when it''s show time?

Flip-Flop''s friends do not want to help her make a fly pie, but they do want to help her eat it.

At first Flip-Flop thinks the new baby is weird, but after Mom says she is staying, Flip-Flop takes another look at her sister.

Flip-Flop is the girl from the pond next door! She is sweet and funny, and she has some great ideas... She also faces some of the same issues faced by children everywherea new sibling and stage fright, not to mention bullies! With a little imagination and a big personality, Flip-Flop grows up swimmingly. Young readers will relate to the situations she finds herself in, and librarians will discover fractured versions of cherished stories. A great series for your character education resources. And remember National Frog Month is in April!

When Gonzalo the rooster wins the lottery, he leaves his job at the farm in search of the good life.

More than 1.7 million students attend out-of-state colleges, and most are eligible to vote in either their home state or in their college state. Despite the potential impact of the "away" student vote on close elections, on-campus voter drives that promote absentee voting are rare. Here we report a detailed outcome study of an in-person campus voter drive conducted at Northwestern University in Fall 2008, in which students were offered a choice of college state (Illinois) or home state (absentee) registration and voting. Voting in swing states was actively encouraged for those who had that choice. Students from swing states selected absentee voting over Illinois voting by an 8:1 ratio. Students from other non-swing states showed a 2:1 ratio. Notably, both groups preferred absentee voting despite its greater complexity. We found that for students who successfully registered in Illinois, or who received an absentee ballot from another state, turnout was very high: over 80% of each group cast a ballot. Concerns about low absentee turnout due to the complexity of absentee voting were not justified. We report the rate of failures in absentee voting, and the causes of those failures. We also investigated whether any student abused the privilege of absentee voting by voting twice; we found than none had. (Contains 5 figures, 1 table and 32 footnotes.).

It''s the Night of the Radishes and Don Pedro wants to carve the best radish sculpture in town. But one radish won''t cooperate. It bounces away, looking for action! ?Places to go, people to see,? it shouts. ?Out of my way, you can''t carve me!? So begins a raucous romp as everyone in town gets involved in the chasing of the radish who is trying to escape being made into a sculpture. ?Stop, radish, stop!? everyone begs as the chase goes on.The radish''s antics include bumping into burros, tripping up the local mariachis and trampling tortillas. Busy cooks who are trying to get ready for the festival fall into their pots as the radish races by and the whole marketplace is turned upside down. Written in a style reminiscent to The Gingerbread Man, one antic builds on another until finally the rascally radish is subdued. Don Pedro takes first prize for the runaway radish that he finally carves into a queen with a crown and running shoes - and a very big mouth.Humorous sketches capture the excitement and keep the story straight as one chaotic episode after another takes place. Movement, color, and clever expressions fill the pages with wit and illumination.The Night of the Radishes is an annual festival held on the evening of December 23rd in Oaxaca, Mexico. A huge contest featuring figures sculpted from radishes is one of the highlights of this festival.

Es la Noche de los Rábanos y don Pedro quiere esculpir la mejor escultura de un rábano en toda la ciudad, pero un rábano se escapa, haciendo que el aspirante a escultor tenga que ir tras él por toda la ciudad.

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.

Finding the Right Spot is a story for all kids who can''t live with their parents, regardless of the circumstances. It''s a story about resilience and loyalty, hope and disappointment, love, sadness, and anger, too. It''s about whether life is fair, and wondering what will happen tomorrow, and talking about all of it. And finally, it''s about what makes the spot you''re in feel right. A ""Note to Caregivers"" by Jennifer Wilgocki, MS, and Marcia Kahn Wright, PhD, discusses the emotional experience of children who are in foster care, kinship care, or otherwise not living with their parents, and the vital support that the adults in their lives can offer.

"There once was a man, who lived in a hat." Not spacious, like a cowboy''s ten-gallon hat; not stylish, Like a fedora - just a rather dilapidated top hat, the kind not-so-talented magicians try to pull rabbits out of. "You call this a house?" complained the man. "I don''t think so." And to make things worse, he now has to share his modest living space with bugs! "Not so fast," said the ant as he reached of the bug spray. "Let''s do some business." The deal? Crumbs for a wish. "Hmm..." the man thought. "I deserve better than this." But the man in the hat is never satisfied. Will Ant Sadie continue to grant his wishes, each on more outrageous that the last? So whimsical and wonderful - you''ll almost forget there''s a lesson Bright, lively illustrations delight the eye and bring the characters charmingly to life Delivers a fun, fanciful lesson about the emptiness of greed A story parents will want to share with their children again and again

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.

As he prepares to celebrate the Day of the Dead, a young boy remembers all the things he liked about his favorite uncle.

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

Maria Teresa''s lonely grandfather returns to his nation Puerto Rico. When she and her mother visit, she finds him changed and happy.

As he prepares to celebrate the Day of the Dead, a young boy remembers all the things he liked about his favorite uncle.