Showing results by narrator "Maria Pendolino" in All Categories

When Ashley Shew became a self-described "hard-of-hearing chemobrained amputee with Crohn's disease and tinnitus," there was no returning to "normal." Suddenly well-meaning people called her an "inspiration" while grocery shopping or viewed her as a needy recipient of technological wizardry. Most disabled people don't want what the abled assume they want—nor are they generally asked. In vibrant prose, Shew shows how we can create better narratives and more accessible futures by drawing from the insights of the cross-disability community.

Have you ever seen a fractal? You probably have, and just didn’t know it! These repeating shapes can happen anywhere, whether in nature or in math—it’s easy to make one out of a series of lines and triangles! Follow along and make a fractal of your own in a fun craft.

Samantha Smith hopes to shed her troubled past and reinvent herself as a freshman at San Diego University. When she crosses paths with a handsome tattoo-clad bad boy, her life is turned upside down, and Samantha finds herself with more adventure than she ever dreamed possible.

What comes to mind with you think of fungi? Is it mushrooms, or perhaps mildew? Mold and yeast are fungi, too! Learn all about how fungi reproduce with spores, and how their bodies are made up of mycelium!

Animals move in all sorts of fun ways! Can you crouch like a bullfrog or arch your back like a cat? Learn new ways to move your body and mimic your favorite animals!

A brave young girl named Irene talks about a disease she has—type 1 diabetes—and how she and her dad work together to keep her healthy. Irene and her father teach all of her friends about her disease and how it can affect someone's body. She teaches them about blood sugar tests, insulin, and why and how people have diabetes. By teaching all of her friends about diabetes, she is able to teach everyone at the park that while she might have a disease, it does not mean she is not a normal little girl.

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.

How did some birds come to have brightly colored feathers to match the flowers and fruits of the tropical forest, but others stayed in muted colors? According to this Arawak folktale, they got their colors from a snake! What happens when there aren’t enough colors to go around?

In urban areas, bicycle riding is often favored over driving cars. More and more large cities are introducing bicycle lanes to encourage this healthy and eco-friendly mode of transport. Some countries in Europe like Denmark and the Netherlands helped start the biking sensation. Some cities even allow people to even rent a bike for a small fee. Explore your city by riding on a bike with a friend!

Do you love cats? Do you ever wish you could talk to them? You may be surprised to learn that your pet cat talks to you all the time! This book will teach you what your cat’s body language is saying to you, whether kitty is twitching her tail, showing her belly, or even just blinking at you. Meow!

Ava seems to stand out at the Halloween party, especially because her witch costume includes a mop instead of a broom.

Wedding Planning for the Busy Feminist is filled with practical, funny advice from real brides, grooms, and vendors about how to plan your dream wedding on a budget. It's also an empowering survival guide that examines how modern women feel conflicted about outdated traditions and expensive social media fantasies but kinda want the perfect wedding anyway.

Making friends and fitting in don't always go together, especially in middle school. Enjoy this collection of stories about friendship. In "They Made Me Do It and...I'm Sorry", listen to story about how someone gets the silent treatment at CiCi's school every few weeks. But when everyone starts to ignore her friend Eric, what will she do?

Enjoy this collection of origin folktales, also known as pourquoi stories, that explain why things are the way they are. In "Why Alligator Hates Dog", everyone respects M'su Cocodrie, the king of the swamp, except the dogs, who taunt him and make lots of noise.

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".