Best Selling Books by Janice Shefelman

A summer of drought and epidemic illness in 1847 forces Mina, Papa, and his new wife, Lisette, to move on from Fredericksburg, Texas, to a larger land grant deep in Comanche territory. This is the sequel to Janice Jordan Shefelman''s "A Paradise Called Texas," and the second book in her popular early Texas trilogy. Illustrated by Tom, Karl & Dan Shefelman.

Reissued with a fresh look and added content, the Stepping Stones History series is kid-friendly and Common Core ready! When Anna Maria’s father dies, she moves to an orphanage in Venice. Though she misses her father, she knows he will always be with her, as long as she has his beautiful violin. Luckily, the orphanage is also a renowned music school, with a teacher who is none other than composer Antonio Vivaldi. But when her violin is stolen, Anna Maria must search Venice’s bridges, streets, and canals. Will she ever find it—and can she ever be happy in Venice without it? This lyrical historical-fiction story captures Venice, the joy of music, and how kindness can make a scary new place feel like home. History Stepping Stones now feature updated content that emphasizes Common Core and today’s renewed interest in nonfiction. Perfect for home, school, and library bookshelves!

A picture book biography, told as if by Vivaldi himself, shows the famous musician''s energetic personality and steadfast dedication to music.

Dear Reader, what is to become of us - of me, Sophie? Thus begins Sophie''s second journal, written two years later. She is now fifteen years old, and the Civil War is three years old. Her first journal, Sophie''s War, tells how she and her family live in constant danger as Unionists in the hill country of Texas, a state that has left the Union and joined the Confederacy. Now, as the war goes on, all the able men in Comfort have been forced to leave and fight on one side or the other, including Sophie''s papa and her true love, Eduard. Sophie and other women must protect themselves from vigilantes and hostile Indians. Can Sophie and her family survive? Will the war ever end? Will Papa and Eduard return?

When Tom asked Janice to marry him, she smiled and said, "Yes, if I don''t have to cook or have children." She is still lukewarm about cooking but says, "Bringing up our boys was one of the greatest joys of my life." The story begins with the couple''s return from a journey around the world, as told in Honeymoon Hobos. Tom took up his architecture career in Austin, later teaching in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas. Janice resumed her teaching career at St. Andrew''s Episcopal School until the couple decided to raise a family. Bringing up boys can be scary at times, but Tom taught them how to wrestle a bully to the ground and, by example, how to treat a woman. Janice says, "I loved being queen of the household." Tom and Janice created a home that "shelters daydreaming" to quote from The Poetics of Space. There, Tom taught the boys to draw and make things with their hands. Janice opened up the world to them by reading books aloud and planning family trips, including a climb to the summit of Mt. Rainier. Together they strove to encourage creativity, an adventurous spirit, knowledge of our cultural heritage, and empathy for other cultures.

Dear Reader, I am afraid for us. So begins Sophie''s journal on Christmas Eve, 1861. An no wonder. She lives in Comfort, Texas, during the Civil War, and her father makes no secret of being a Unionist in a state that has left the Union. Terrible things are happening to German Texans like Sophie''s family because they are on the wrong side. Since her father refuses to be silent, Sophie must find a way to save her family.

Young Wolf wants to win the horse race at the tribal fair. So does Little Big Mouth. And that is how the trouble starts. Can Young Wolf''s colt, Snow Wind, run as fast as his father, the legendary wild white stallion? Young Wolf thinks so. But Little Big Mouth knows a secret about Snow Wind that could keep him from winning the race. Neither boy can imagine what he will win or lose. For slightly older readers, Son of Spirit Horse is a continuation of the Step into Reading series about Young Wolf. The story of Young Wolf concludes with a historical novel, "Comanche Song," published by Eakin Press and chosen by the New York Public Library as a "Best Book for the Teen Age." Young Wolf''s name becomes Tsena, the Comanche word for wolf.