New Releases by Jerdine Nolen

From the author of Eliza’s Freedom Road and Calico Girl (a Kirkus Best Book of the Year) comes a dramatic historical middle grade novel that is “a unique lens through which to examine the 1849 Gold Rush” (School Library Journal) following an enslaved girl taking the chance to find freedom on the Overland Trail to California. In Alexandria, Virginia, in the mid-19th century, a slave-owning family is facing financial trouble. The eldest son, Jason, thinks going to California to mine for gold might be the best way to protect his father’s legacy. He’ll need a cook, a laundress, and a hostler for the journey, and one of them is twelve-year-old Clementine, whose mother calls her Hope. From Independence, Missouri—the “Gateway to the West”—she and the others join a wagon train on the Emigrant Overland Trail. But what Jason didn’t consider is taking the three enslaved people west will give them an opportunity to free themselves—manifesting their destiny.

Discover the early life and legacy of groundbreaking American writer Toni Morrison in this beautifully illustrated and “awe-inspiring” (School Library Journal, starred review) nonfiction picture book biography. Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Ohio, Toni Morrison grew up listening to her family tell myths, legends, and stories from the Bible. She loved hearing the music and power of the words. Toni also heard new stories from the students from other countries who went to her school. After an early childhood of soaking up tales from those around her, it was no surprise Toni grew into a voracious reader. She worked at her town library as a teenager and was an editor for a New York publisher as an adult. When it came time for her to write her own stories, she knew she wanted to write about her people—Black people. Early in the morning and late at night after her children were asleep, Toni began work on what would become an acclaimed and trailblazing body of work. This luminous picture book has back matter with further reading on Toni Morrison’s life and work.

From beloved comedian, actress, and New York Times bestselling author Tiffany Haddish comes Layla, the Last Black Unicorn, a hilarious, original picture book tale about a lovable but awkward unicorn who learns why her uniqueness is her biggest strength. It’s not easy to fit in when you stand out. When Layla arrives for her first day of school at Unicornia, the school for unicorns, she realizes that she’s not like the other kids there. They’re all pastel colors and know the rules to Horn Ball and none of them come from the Woods like Layla does. Try as she might to make friends, Layla’s just . . . different. But when her class gets lost during a field trip to the Fiddle Dee Deep Forest, it’s up to Layla to step up and save the day. Layla, the Last Black Unicorn is a hilariously heartwarming picture book about self-acceptance, self-esteem, and standing up for standing out by New York Times bestselling author, Grammy Award-winning comedian, and actress Tiffany Haddish and Jerdine Nolen, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Thunder Rose.

“Powerful storytelling and immersive art.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Vibrant writing and magical realism lift this story to one of triumph.” —Publishers Weekly In this inspiring story in the tradition of American black folktales, an enslaved brother and sister are inspired by a majestic and mysterious bird to escape to freedom in this dramatic and unforgettable picture book. There was nothing civil about that war. They should have called it what it was: a big, bad war. Brother and sister Millicent and John are slaves on Simon Plenty’s plantation and have suffered one hurt and heartbreak after another. Their parents had told them old tales of how their ancestors had flown away to freedom just as free and easy as a bird. Millicent and John hold these stories in their hearts long after their parents are gone. “Maybe such a time will come for you,” their parents said. Then one day a mysterious bird appears in their lives. The bird transforms them and gives them the courage to set their plan into motion and escape to freedom.

CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! It’s springtime on Bradford Street. Jada and Jamal are searching for signs of spring. So are their best friends, Carlita Garcia and Josh Cornell. But the most surprising sign of spring awaits them at school the next day . . . a surprise that blossoms into a colorful plan to beautify the schoolyard just in time for Earth Day. Get set to dig in and join the neighborhood fun with the Bradford Street Buddies!

Callie struggles to understand slavery when her stepbrother is sold away at the start of the Civil War, but is determined her whole family will be free one day. Includes historical notes.

The backyard campout is tonight. Jada and Jamal Perkins have never slept in a tent before. Neither have their best friends, Carlita Garcia and Josh Cornell. Camping is going to be so much fun. Or is it? It''s really dark in the backyard. And what''s that noise? It''s coming from the bushes. Crunch Crunch Crunch Scrunch Scrunch Scrunch Will an unexpected visitor ruin the Bradford Street Buddies campout under the stars? Grab a flashlight and find out in this neighborhood adventure.

Mr. Perkins has a big surprise for the annual block party, but when the truck carrying it there breaks down, twins Jada and Jamal and their best friends, Josh and Carlita, propose a different form of transportation.

"From award-winning author Jerdine Nolen comes a tale of a little girl who wishes for her father to be home more, but she never expects her wish to come true the way it does."--Publisher information.

Young Hewitt Anderson is sweet, smart, polite—and very, very small. This warmly humorous tale with audio is “proof that, when it comes to heart, physical size isn’t the whole story” (Kirkus Reviews). Young Hewitt Anderson is his parents'' pride and joy, and they love him so. Hewitt is sweet, smart, polite -- everything a boy could be -- except Hewitt is small...very small...teeny-weeny, in fact. Descended from a long line of giants, the J. Carver Worthington Andersons take their height very seriously indeed. You see, without exception all of the many J. Carver Worthington Andersons have been giants until now. And poor Hewitt -- hidden in the floorboards, trapped in the flour vat, lost in the bedsheets -- has his struggles being tiny. Oh, his parents worry: How will their son manage to live in a world of big things? Leave it to Hewitt to prove the power of being small. Inspired by the tale of "Jack and the Beanstalk," the inimitable Jerdine Nolen tells an original story of bravery and the power of the individual. Kadir Nelson''s imaginative and loving illustrations create a world where smallness rules -- a world that children will want to return to again and again.

Christopher Award–winning author Jerdine Nolen imagines a young woman’s journey from slavery to freedom in this intimate and powerful novel that was named an ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee. It is 1854 in Alexandria, Virginia. Eliza’s mother has been sold away and Eliza is left as a slave on a Virginia farm. It is Abbey, the cook, who looks after Eliza, when she isn’t taking care of the Mistress. Eliza has only the quilt her mother left her and the stories her mother told to keep her mother’s memory close. When the Mistress’s health begins to fail and Eliza overhears the Master talk of the Slave sale auction and of Eliza being traded, she takes to the night. She follows the path and the words of the farmhand Old Joe: “Travel the night. Sleep the day…Go east. Keep your back to the setting of the sun. Come to the safe house with a candlelight in the window…That gal, Harriet, she’ll take you.” All the while, Eliza recites the stories her mother taught her as she travels along her freedom road from Mary’s Land to Pennsylvania to Freedom’s Gate in St. Catharines, Canada, where she finds not only her freedom but also more than she could have hoped for.

One holiday season Ellie makes three wishes: that her parents will see that her friend Billy Lee is not imaginary; that snow will fall on Septon''s Creek for the first time in fifty years; and that joy will return--especially to her parents, who always seem worried lately. Billy Lee always says, "There is magic in believing something good with all your heart." When Ellie begins to believe, all kinds of miracles occur, from broken tree lights twinkling again, to angel shapes appearing in snow, to the biggest one of all: a baby brother arriving soon. Designed for families to read together on Christmas Eve, this story captures all the wonder and mystery of the holiday.

Lily knows that nothing is more important than family. She''s so proud when her sister, Eubie, wins a college scholarship. And when her family pulls together to earn the rest of the money Eubie needs, Lily wants to help out too. But she''s too young to do most jobs. What can she do to pitch in for Eubie? Through her lyrical prose, Jerdine Nolen shares a heartfelt story about people working together to make dreams come true. And as Caldecott Honor artist E. B. Lewis reminds us in his luminous, tender paintings, nothing is more important than those family ties that bind us.

Thunder Rose vows to grow up to be more than just big and strong, thank you very kindly--and boy, does she ever But when a whirling storm on a riotous rampage threatens, has Rose finally met her match?

Through a series of letters a boy, his parents, and others discuss Camp Wannaleavee, the camp bully, and Plantzilla, who has been forbidden to come but misses his caretaker and arrives in time to become the camp hero.

In a series of letters a boy, his science teacher, and his parents discuss the progress of a very unusual, sometimes frightening, plant that becomes more human as the summer progresses.

When a young slave named Addy goes fishing one spring day, she doesn''t catch any fish. Instead, she finds a little boy in a basket floating in the river. Jabe is no ordinary boy: in a few short months, he grows to be a big, strong man with the strength of fifty. He can pick an entire field of cotton by himself in just one night and day. Why, he even has the power to turn a tired old workhorse into a young filly ready to race! When slaves begin to miraculously disappear from the Plenty Plantation, Addy knows in her heart that Jabe is the reason why.

Lauren''s love for pickles is what makes her special . . . so what happens when everyone else falls in love with them, too?

Sometimes, Justin Matthews wishes he could just disappear. Nothing has been going right for Justin. Then he gets his wish and he disappears. Unfortunately, his problems don''t.

When a dragon hatches on her pa''s farm, a young girl finds a best friend. At first Ma and Pa are wary of Hank, but it''s not long before they see him as their daughter does--and welcome the baby dragon into their family. As it turns out, Hank is not cut out for farm life, but still, he warms the hearts of those around him and leaves a legacy that no one will ever forget.

Max and Jax, the alligator twins, kick off the summer with a slumber party and a fishing trip. Illustrations.

Julia loves making lists.

A child describes the family events, like making apple butter and having relatives visit, that center around Momma''s kitchen.

Harvey Potter was a very strange fellow indeed. He was a farmer, but he didn''t farm like my daddy did. He farmed a genuine, U.S. Government Inspected Balloon Farm. So begins this enchanting original tall tale. Set in the rural south and populated with a truly unforgettable cast of characters--including, if you look very carefully, a rabbit, a Tyrannosaurus rex, a cat, a chicken, a cow, and a pig hidden in each remarkable illustration--this is a book that is filled with wonderful impossibilities and magical imagination. Told in the great tradition of summer nights and front porch yarns, Harvey Potter''s Balloon Farm will lift your spirit right off the ground, just as it does Harvey Potter. Harvey Potter was a very strange fellow indeed. He was a farmer but not like any farmer you''ve ever met. He didn''t grow corn, okra, or tomatoes. Harvey Potter grew balloons. No one knew exactly how he did it, but with the help of the light of a full moon, one friendly child catches a peek of just how Harvey Potter does it. And keeps some magic for herself. "This is the best sort of fantasy imaginative, inventive, and believable. Harvey Potter is a wonder he''s the owner of a genuine U.S. Government Inspected Balloon farm. And Nolen''s tale about this man, narrated by the African-American girl who learns balloon-farming magic from him, is equally wondrous.... This title should sail onto every library shelf. May Nolen grow a bumper crop of books." School Library Journal. "Downright glorious." Publishers Weekly(starred review).

A child ventures out in the middle of the night to see how Harvey Potter grows his wonderful balloons.