Story Time with Avant-garde Books, LLC

Do you like to chew gum? Have you ever wondered how gum is made? Listen and learn.

Batter up for the first-ever children's book about Larry Doby, the first African-American player to hit a home run in the World Series.
The year is 1948, and Homer and his daddy are baseball crazy. Ever since last season, when their man Larry Doby followed Jackie Robinson across baseball’s color line and signed on with their team, the Cleveland Indians, it’s been like a dream come true. And today Larry Doby and the Indians are playing Game Four of the World Series against the Boston Braves! With a play-by-play narration capturing all the excitement of that particular game — and the special thrill of listening to it on the radio with family at home — Chris Crowe and Mike Benny craft a compelling tribute to an unsung legend. Kid-friendly and vividly illustrated, this long-overdue biography, featuring an extensive bibliography and historical note, illuminates the effect Larry Doby had on his fans as both a baseball hero and a champion for civil rights.

Help your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about Colin Powell, the first African American US secretary of state! Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for young readers—as well as fans of all ages!
This Little Golden Book about Colin Powell--the son of immigrants who became a four-star general and the United States' first Black secretary of state--is an inspiring read-aloud for young readers.

The true sweat-and-dirt tale of the feisty cowboy-child who became the most famous black rodeo performer who ever lived. Includes a note about the history of the black West and a bibliography.

Buildings, bridges, and books don't exist without the workers who are often invisible in the final product, as this joyous and profound picture book reveals from acclaimed author of The Christmas Boot Lisa Wheeler and New York Times bestselling illustrator of Love Loren Long
All across this great big world, jobs are getting doneby many hands in many lands. It takes much more than ONE.
Gorgeously written and illustrated, this is an eye-opening exploration of the many types of work that go into building our world--from the making of a bridge to a wind farm, an amusement park, and even the very picture book that you are reading. An architect may dream up the plans for a house, but someone has to actually work the saws and pound the nails. This book is a thank-you to the skilled women and men who work tirelessly to see our dreams brought to life.

This exquisite, deluxe edition contains the complete illustrated texts of both Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. In full-color and featuring a satin ribbon marker, it is the perfect gift and a cornerstone of every family's bookshelf.
Since 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends—Piglet, Owl, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, and the ever doleful Eeyore—have endured as the unforgettable creations of A. A. Milne, who wrote two books of Pooh’s adventures for his son, Christopher Robin, and Ernest H. Shepard, who lovingly gave them shape through his iconic and beautiful illustrations. 
These characters and their stories are timeless treasures of childhood that continue to speak to all of us with the kind of freshness and heart that distinguishes true storytelling.
This deluxe volume brings both Pooh stories—Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner—together in one beautiful, full-color edition. The texts are complete and unabridged, and all of the illustrations, each gloriously recolored, are included. Elegant yet simple, whimsical yet wise, this classic edition is a book to savor and treasure.
The perfect gift for holiday, to welcome a new baby, or for your favorite collector and book lover.

Alison always wanted to play the trumpet, but everyone is telling her to forget it. Should she try to become a great jazz trumpeter anyway?

In this touching book with a moral message, a child retells the story of her father's youth when an impromptu baseball game gets out of hand and some unthinking boys end up destroying an old man's garden.
Every year my father and I plant a garden. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, marigold, and zinnias grow in neat, straight rows...and every spring my father tells me about Mr. Bellavista and the summer my father was ten.
That was the summer a boy lost a baseball under a tomato plant in Mr. Bellavista's garden. And someone tossed a tomato back instead of the baseball. A lively battle took place, which seemed like great fun at the time, but in the end, Mr. Bellavista's garden was ruined.
In a touching story of one boy's efforts to make amends, we see the rebuilding of a garden and the forming of a relationship across generations. With luminous, beautifully detailed watercolors, this excellent book for the whole family shows how we can turn our mistakes into some of life's greatest moments.

A New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year

The classic Round Trip takes young readers on an imaginative, inventive journey, from the country to the city and back again. It’s not just the story of a round trip—it is a round trip! Read the story forward, then flip the book over to see something different on the way back. 

Kirkus called the black-and-white art, by best-selling picture-book creator Ann Jonas, “Show-stopping sleight of pen.” In a starred review, Booklist praised Round Trip as “An inventive book for young readers that will delight anyone whose imagination is intact.” 

Publishers Weekly said, “A visual stunner . . . sure to delight and fascinate.” Parents who loved this book as children will want to share it with their own little ones today.

Charnaie Gordon, the creator of Here Wee Read, and Roda Ahmed, the New York Times bestselling publisher and author of Mae Among the Stars, debut their first-ever collaboration with the extraordinary adventures of the one and only Etta Extraordinaire!

Meet Etta!

Etta was born to be a shining star. When Etta discovers her school is hosting a talent show, she wants to share her many talents with the world. Even though she has never performed onstage before, all Etta needs to do is make a plan. (Etta always has a plan!)

And in 1, 2, 3, 4 steps, she’s ready for her big performance on the big stage in front of a BIG audience.

Or is she?

Find out how Etta beats her worries, with the help of her loving family, in this joyful story created by celebrated writers Roda Ahmed and Charnaie Gordon and illustrator Chloe Burgett.

Farah feels alone, even when surrounded by her classmates. She listens and nods but doesn’t speak. It’s hard being the new kid in school, especially when you’re from another country and don’t know the language. Then, on a field trip to an apple orchard, Farah discovers there are lots of things that sound the same as they did at home, from dogs crunching their food to the ripple of friendly laughter. As she helps the class make apple cider, Farah connects with the other students and begins to feel that she belongs.
Ted Lewin’s gorgeous sun-drenched paintings and Eve Bunting’s sensitive text immediately put the reader into another child’s shoes in this timely story of a young Muslim immigrant.

The story, set in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true, follows Asha—an optimist with a sharp wit who cares endlessly about her community. In a moment of desperation, Asha makes an impassioned plea to the stars, which is answered by a cosmic force, a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, they face the most formidable of foes to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. This Little Golden Book retelling of the animated feature film is perfect for children ages 2 to 5, as well as Disney Little Golden Book collectors of all ages!

Susan Kuklin, who wrote the award-winning Dance with Bill T. Jones, here teams up with the WNBA's recently named MVP, Sheryl Swoopes, in Hoops with Swoopes. Kuklin's soaring photographs of Swoopes and bright, bold typography vibrate on a vast expanse of white space, as the Houston Comet jumps (she extends horizontally across a spread) and looks suitably poker-faced while pulling off a fake. Along with basketball basics, Kuklin and Swoopes deliver a potent message about female strength and self-esteem.

When a bullfrog hops out of the classroom window, Ms. Frizzle and her students take a wild ride from a frog's-eye-view to learn about animal habitats in a book that complements the new PBS animated series. Original. TV tie-in.

This empowering educational video focuses on the sounds of the French alphabet. It includes vibrant, large pictures and big letters. It is interactive and learners are encouraged to say the words with the instructor. The lesson is scaffolded so that children can read 27 French words. #educational #educationalvideo #preschoollearning #reading #literacy #frenchalphabet #French #Frenchalphabetsounds #frenchforbeginners #Frenchforchildren #frenchlanguage #frenchlanguagelearner #Frenchlanguagestudent #literacydevelopment #consonantsounds #consonants #alphabet #alphabetsound #educationalvideoforkids #phonics #consonantsounds #consonantsounds #educationalvideoforchildren #preschoollearning #readinglesson #educationalvideofortoddlers #educationalvideoforpreschoolers

Photos by Brian Skerry

Can you imagine what it would be like to swim with a whale? Gliding beneath the blue ocean waves. Bobbing gently as a huge, graceful animal pulls you along. It would be truly magical to explore the sea this way! For such a thing to happen, a whale would have to want to be with you. But whales are wild animals. They rarely come face to face with humans. Once in a while, however, the lives of humans and wild animals come together in an unpredictable way. And, when they do, it seems almost like a dream. These treasured moments may seem unreal, but they show us that maybe all animals -- including whales -- can dream, too.

This is the true story of an orphaned beluga whale who decided to make her home in a secluded Nova Scotia bay. While she lived there, she made close contact with the town's people, leaving them with stories and memories they will never forget. A Whale on Her Own is the tale of a wonderful and fascinating animal who is sure to capture the hearts of children and adults alike.

From a highly acclaimed author and bestselling artist comes a resounding, reverent tribute to Harriet Tubman, the woman who earned the name Moses for her heroic role in the Underground Railroad.
 
I set the North Star in the heavens and I mean for you to be free...
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman hears these words from God one summer night and decides to leave her husband and family behind and escape. Taking with her only her faith, she must creep through woods with hounds at her feet, sleep for days in a potato hole, and trust people who could have easily turned her in. But she was never alone.
In lyrical text, Carole Boston Weatherford describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back south, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one. Courageous, compassionate, and deeply religious, Harriet Tubman, with her bravery and relentless pursuit of freedom, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

B is for Baby. B is for Brother. B is for going to see Baba!
One morning after breakfast, Baby’s big brother is getting ready to take the basket of bananas all the way to Baba’s bungalow in the next village. He’ll have to go along the bumpy road, past the baobab trees, birds, and butterflies, and all the way over the bridge. But what he doesn’t realize is that his very cute, very curious baby sibling has stowed away on his bicycle. Little ones learning about language will love sounding out the words in this playful, vibrantly illustrated story set in West Africa.

This empowering educational video focuses on the "Ww" sound in the English language. It includes vibrant, large pictures and big letters. It is interactive and learners are encouraged to say the words with the instructor. The lesson is scaffolded so that children can read at least 40 words with the "Ww" by the end of the video. #educational #educationalvideo #preschoollearning #reading #literacy #literacydevelopment #alphabetsounds #alphabetsound #educationalvideoforkids #phonics #consonantsounds #consonantsounds #educationalvideoforchildren #preschoollearning #readinglesson #educationalvideofortoddlers #educationalvideoforpreschoolers

In the latest Lola Reads book, Lola welcomes a special visitor—her grandmother Nana-Bibi!
Lola's grandmother is coming to visit, and Lola can't wait for all the family fun. Nana-Bibi will stay in Lola's room, so Lola gets to sleep on a special blow-up bed. The family spends the week doing different activities, like shopping for presents for family back in Tanzania, having dance parties, and making special mandazi doughnuts. Nana-Bibi and Lola share a special time as Nana-Bibi remembers all the things she used to do with her nana.
This multigenerational celebration of grandmas, moms, and grandaughters will reassure all children preparing for a visit from a faraway relative.

Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa’s Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community.
News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future.

Pete the Cat and his family are ready explore all the many wonderful American landmarks on their fun family road trip! They visit many famous sights, including Niagara Falls, New Orleans, Savannah, and more.

Of course, no true road trip is complete without a flat tire! But the Cat family isn't going to let a small setback get in the way of fun...

Pete the Cat's Family Road Trip is a Level I Can Read book, complete with original illustrations from the creators of Pete the Cat, Kimberly and James Dean, and is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.

Before Garrett Morgan became a successful inventor and saved countless lives with his creations, he was a little boy with a head full of ideas on how to make life better for everyone.

At a tumultuous time filled with racism and discrimination, Garrett became a prominent business man and skilled inventor who produced the traffic signal, a gas mask, and others objects still used today.

This second book from the award-winning children's film series founded by Karyn Parsons, Sweet Blackberry, comes a little-known story about a man whose talent would be a gift to the world.

Pictured: Health and vegan enthusiast, author, and Emmy-winner, Tabitha Brown This educational video was inspired by Tabitha Brown. It includes large and beautiful images with the names of 80 vegetables, fruits, and legumes. #educationalvideo #educational #educationalvideoforchildren #healthyfoods #health #healthy #vegan #vegetables #fruit #fruits #fruitsnameinenglish #vegetablesnameinenglish #vegetablenames #vegetablenamesforchildren ##preschoollearning #reading #literacy #literacydevelopment #educationalvideoforkids #educationalvideoforchildren #preschoollearning #readinglesson #educationalvideofortoddlers #educationalvideoforpreschoolers

This empowering educational video focuses on the "Tt" sound in the English language. It includes vibrant, large pictures and big letters. It is interactive and learners are encouraged to say the words with the instructor. The lesson is scaffolded so that children can read at least 40 words with the "Tt" by the end of the video. #educational #educationalvideo #preschoollearning #reading #literacy #literacydevelopment #consonantsounds #consonants #alphabet #alphabetsound #educationalvideoforkids #phonics #consonantsounds #consonantsounds #educationalvideoforchildren #preschoollearning #readinglesson #educationalvideofortoddlers #educationalvideoforpreschoolers