Showing results by narrator "Maria Pendolino" in All Categories

You'll love this collection of stories featuring quirky, yet lovable family members. In "Translating Aunt Edna", three boys decide to play a trick on their aunt, who insists on teaching them new vocabulary words. The English language can be complicated - there are so many words that describe the same thing! You’ll discover many of them in this silly story about a group of siblings who decide they are sick of learning new words!

Enjoy this collection of funny animal stories. In "Small Mouse, Big Trouble", a trickster mouse causes trouble for a young girl. Can she outsmart the mouse, or will he have her room all to himself? When it seems like the mouse might just get his way, the clever girl uses a game that her father taught her to outwit the mouse. You’ll also find four other stories featuring some entertaining animals: "The Conduit Mouse", "Eudora Entwhistle and the Geese of Macadoodle-by-the-Sea", "The Pirates and the Peacock", and "Dragon Treat".

Beginning readers will love this collection of stories about kids discovering who they are. In "Someday", Ada dreams of becoming an inventor when she grows up. As she soon discovers, she is already looking for solutions to everyday problems. Also included are eight other stories of self-discovery: "Tall Enough", "Kojo's Shadow", "Sing Softer, Maggie", "If Henry Could Dance", "Wullus", "Shelby the Shy", Not Now, Natalie", and "Paint the Morning".

Enjoy this collection of stories about middle-school children performing. In "World Music", Niccolo’s parents are professional musicians who play with a symphony orchestra. They want Niccolo to spend the summer playing violin with the youth symphony orchestra. Niccolo enjoys classical music and playing his violin, but after meeting his new neighbors, Jeremy and Melly, he wants to try something different.

Seth has a new stepfather, a new stepsister, and a new home. Adjusting to so many changes at once is difficult. He's happy for his mother, but he misses spending time alone with her. When a new neighbor moves in, Seth becomes fascinated by her African grey parrot.

Tamitha meets the most interesting people! Enjoy this trilogy of humorous fantasy stories, which follow Tamitha's adventures: "Tamitha and the Troll Witch", "Tamitha and the Dragon", and "Tamitha and the Vampire".

In "Miami by Fujian", Mariel is a young girl who is struggling with her identity. As a Chinese-American being raised by her adoptive Latino family in Miami, she doesn't understand who she really is. Mariel feels connected to her Latino culture, but all of the other kids make fun of her. After a trip to China, where she was born, Mariel learns about her Chinese heritage. Seeing the orphanage and all the children who are still up for adoption allow Mariel to be happy with her life. Also included are two other stories of heritage and diversity: "Amy's Metaphor" and "From Scratch".

Enjoy this collection of stories about children exploring the world around them. The collection begins with "Nature's Treasures", a poem featuring a young girl who learns about the wonders of the natural world. After this poem, enjoy eight short stories of children looking closer at nature: "Hidden Wonders", "The Building Season", "Weeds and Worms and Things that Squirm"," "A Pond for Maddie", "Flowers that Fly", "The Wasp's Picnic", "Firefly Tag", and "While Alena Was Sleeping".

Enjoy this collection of outdoor adventure stories. In "Emerging from Darkness", listen to a thrilling story of siblings Michelle and William, who go out on a caving adventure. What happens when they end up losing their way? Also included are two other stories of families surviving the great outdoors: "Natural Instincts" and "Cottonmouths and Pigs".

Enjoy this collection of stories for children about life on the farm. In "Hector Helps Out", Calliope the hen enlists the help of Hector the rooster in an effort to retain her egg. They work to pull a fast one on Farmer Bean. Also included are nine other stories about animals and living on the farm: "Hatch!", "Fresh from the Farm", "Grandpa Drives a Milk Truck", "Mem and Grandpa at the Farm Stand", "Diggory Dog", "Fleece Fiber, Yarn Sweater", "Harvest Time with Papa", "Herbert, Hurry Up", and "A Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy".

Enjoy this collection of magical short stories about dragons. In "When Dragon Shrank", hear an enchanting story of the friendship between Dragon and Red Squirrel, who swap sizes for a day. They experience one another's worlds and learn to appreciate themselves just the way they are. Also included are four other dragon stories: "Sir Thomas and the Dragon", "Too Many Dragons", "There Goes the Neighborhood", and "Mae and the Dragon."

School can be a tough place, filled with cliques and bullies. In this collection, discover how schoolkids learn to fit in - and discover who they are in the process. In "My Name's Not Chuck", Steve's classmates give him the nickname Chuck, but he doesn't like this at all. Find out how he can use his talking pet parrot to get them to stop calling him Chuck. Also included are six other stories about fitting in at school: "Ava the Big", "Blushing Blake", "The Tanner Mystery", "Super Tulip", "Hobby Friday", and "The Mystery of Sound."

You'll love this collection of folktales from China. In "The Magic Paintbrush", Liang is given a magical paintbrush that has the power to turn anything he paints into real life. Liang must be clever, using both his brain and painting power to escape the greedy emperor. Also included are five other Chinese folktales: "The Water Bucket", "Song Dingbo and the Hungry Ghost", "Money Problems", "The Terrible Kites of Len Yo", and "The Divine Tortoise."

Did you know that one of the first air-powered subway stations was invented by a man named Alfred Beach? It operated under the streets of New York City. As the population grew, so did the need for transportation services. The subway was developed when the mail tunnel was being created as well. Discover one of the long-lost gems that makes up a part of New York City's history!

Artist Mary Jackson describes the traditions of basket making using sweetgrass and other natural plants and explains the importance of this craft that has been handed down through generations in South Carolina. Mary's family has created hundreds of baskets in different shapes and sizes using a technique that originated in West Africa. Learn more about Mary's family legacy of beautiful art!

Many things look very different seen up close. To us, the sun is a giant ball of light in the sky, but to other solar systems, it might look like just another star! Those tiny lights you see in the night sky are what our sun might look like from another planet far out in space. The sun gives light and energy to our entire solar system, and is necessary for many other things. Can you name them all?

Everyone has a birthday! But do you know that birthdays are celebrated differently around the world? Explore the history of birthday traditions in countries such as the invention of the birthday cake in Greece, why noodles are eaten in China, and why in Russia they pull on an ear! It's a global celebration.

No matter where you are in the world, noodles are bound to be a worthy meal choice. But be sure to remember your table manners! In this funny story, Pasta Polly explains the polite way to eat noodle dishes in Japan, China, Thailand, Italy, and America.

A story about two moms and their two children, Edun and Will, going on a hiking and camping trip in the mountains. At first, grump Edun doesn't want to hike, but she comes to love the imagination and wonder of the outdoors. She discovers animal tracks, rocks, and trees, and then takes a drink of water from a glacier.

Lacey is excited to take on a such a large 4-H project: she decides to adopt a wild and unruly horse from the mountains of Wyoming. The wild mustang, whom she names Ranger, escapes his pen on his first day with Lacey and proves difficult to train.