Groundwood Books

No one knows maps like Nikki — but can she get her family to Grandma's house in time?

Nikki’s family is preparing for a long road trip from Toronto to the Bronx to attend Uncle Travis's wedding. They pack their suitcases, boxes of Jamaican black cake, and most importantly to Nikki, the big map book!

Nikki loves geography and enjoys tracing the routes to all the places her relatives live — her Grandpa in Florida, her cousins in Atlanta, DC, and Boston. She daydreams of England, where other family lives, and Jamaica and Africa, where her roots run deep.

Her attention comes back to the road trip when it’s clear that Daddy’s taken a wrong turn. “I can help!” says Nikki, who proves to be an excellent navigator. She guides them back to the Bronx Expressway, under the elevated subway tracks, onto a street of brown row houses and safely to Grandma’s.

Inspired by the childhoods of author Nadia L. Hohn and illustrator TeMika Grooms, Getting Us to Grandma’s is full of fun historic details — a world before Google Maps! — and authentic cultural moments shared by diasporic families, whose stories can be traced across continents. A fantastic representation of Black girls in STEM.

Key Text Features

Illustrations

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6

With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3

Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7

Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

A USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor Book and a nominee for the 2012 Silver Birch Express Award in the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading Program and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award

In these three imaginative stories, Jan Andrews introduces us to Quebec's traditional folktale hero, Ti-Jean. He's an endearing character who is both wise and foolish, and though he does find himself in hard situations (often of his own making), in the end, he somehow manages to do what needs to be done.

In "Ti-Jean and the Princess of Tomboso" he outwits a greedy princess; in "Ti-Jean the Marble Player" he gets the best of a pint-sized scoundrel; and in "How Ti-Jean Became a Fiddler" he turns the tables on a too-clever-for-her-own-good seigneur's daughter, and finds true love in the process.

Parvana tiene 11 años y vive en Afganistán bajo el mandato de los talibanes. Cuando detienen a su padre buscará una solución desesperada: convertirse en un chico.

Parvana es una chica de once años que vive en Kabul, Afganistán, durante el gobierno de los talibanes a finales de la década de 1990. Cuando su padre es detenido, su familia –sin recursos para poder vivir-, buscará una solución desesperada: Parvana, que por ser mujer tiene prohibido ganar dinero, deberá transformarse en un chico.

El pan de la guerra es un libro duro y realista que habla, con humanidad y fuerza, de la supervivencia, la familia, la amistad, la intolerancia y la guerra.

"I'll help you get dressed," said Stella.

"No," said Sam. "I can do it by myself."

But Sam takes a roundabout route to getting dressed and, as usual, his big sister Stella is there to help … but this time Sam has the last laugh. Vibrant and humorous, Marie-Louise Gay's stories and pictures explore the endearing, intimate scenes of young childhood.

A story about the heart-opening effect that taking care of a wounded creature has on a wounded boy, from acclaimed picture-book creators Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng.

Adrián is always in trouble, at school and at home, while Santiago gets along quite well. But they are friends. When Adrián finds a wounded bird in an abandoned lot in the midst of the city, things begin to change. Taking care of the bird, learning all about it, discovering that it is a falcon, loving it — and accepting what this love means — gives Adrián a chance to show others a glimpse of who he truly is. Santiago has always known that Adrián has a big heart, and his steadfast friendship is also the reason Adrián has a chance to heal.

Key Text Features

illustrations

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

"I'll help you get dressed," said Stella.

"No," said Sam. "I can do it by myself."

But Sam takes a roundabout route to getting dressed and, as usual, his big sister Stella is there to help … but this time Sam has the last laugh. Vibrant and humorous, Marie-Louise Gay's stories and pictures explore the endearing, intimate scenes of young childhood.

The third book in the internationally bestselling series that includes The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey and My Name Is Parvana.

Parvana’s best friend, Shauzia, has escaped the misery of her life in Kabul, only to end up in a refugee camp in Pakistan. But she still dreams of seeing the ocean and eventually making a new life in France.This is the dream that has sustained her through the terrible years in Kabul. It is the dream for which she has forsaken family and friends.

But it is hard to imagine herself in a field of purple lavender when she is living in the Widows’ Compound of a muddy, crowded refugee camp outside Peshawar. Even worse, the compound is run by Mrs. Weera, Shauzia’s bossy phys ed teacher from Kabul, who insists that Shauzia be useful and make the best of a dismal situation.

Shauzia finally decides to leave the camp and try her luck on the streets. She is determined to earn money to buy her passage out of the country. Peshawar is dangerous and full of desperately poor and wandering children like herself, but she has Jasper, the dog who followed her down from a shepherds’ camp in the mountains. And she knows how to masquerade as a boy and comb the streets for jobs. She figures she knows how to survive.

But life as a street kid is dangerous and terrifying, and even with the advantages of a strong will, brave spirit and good luck, Shauzia soon discovers that the old choices are not so easy any more. This is a powerful and very human story of a feisty, driven girl who tries to take control of her own life.

The reissue includes a new cover and map, and an updated author’s note and glossary to provide young readers with background and context. Royalties from the sale of this book will go to Street Kids International. 

Spend a rooster summer on the farm with these irresistible read-aloud poems.

For the brother and sister in this novel in verse, each day begins with a barnyard wakeup call. During a summer spent on their grandparents’ farm, they collect eggs from the chicken coop, put on shows for city folks in passing trains, fill in for the farm dog by barking the cows home and dance around the perfectly ripening watermelon growing in Grandma’s garden. All of these barnyard adventures happen in the company of Rexter the rooster, Seed-Sack the mule and Ginger-Tea the farm dog — animal friends that will steal readers’ hearts over the course of a carefree rooster summer.

Based on award-winning poet Robert Heidbreder’s childhood, these irresistible read-aloud poems show the tender relationship between children and their grandparents. Madeline Kloepper brings the cast of lovable human and animal characters to life with her vintage art style. This early novel in verse about the simple joys of childhood on a farm is nostalgic yet timeless.

Key Text Features
poems
illustrations
headings
table of contents

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

A boy ponders his place in the universe in this thoughtful story about the things that keep us up at night.

One night, a little boy goes to bed, but instead of sleeping, he starts thinking all kinds of thoughts. Dangerous thoughts. Admirable thoughts. Questionable thoughts. Beautiful thoughts … until a very serious thought occurs to him. If Earth is just a tiny marble floating in space, and he is but one child among many living on this marble, what does his existence matter in the grand scheme of things?

Deceptively simple black-and-white drawings poignantly illustrate the boy’s journey as he considers this serious thought. This thought-provoking story by Estonian artist Jonas Taul will resonate with anyone who has ever been kept awake at night by life’s big questions.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

In this powerful collection of short stories, children around the world turn eleven and take a step into their futures. Each one is changed in ways both big and small.

Annoyed at having to walk his sister’s dog on his birthday, Connor heads into an undeveloped subdivision, where he comes across chilling evidence of a stranger’s unhappiness. A girl sneaks away from her class camping trip to a local conservation area and experiences the terror and joy of fending for herself for the first time. Dom’s brother gives him a special crystal to boost his confidence, and the gift conjures up a child laborer from the impoverished area of Madagascar where the stones were mined. Mysterious voices at the local county fair prompt Aislynn to think twice after her older sister dumps her for her high-school buddies. While volunteering at his local soup kitchen, Len discovers that there are bigger shames than having the class bully seeing you in a hairnet. And on an historic bridge in Budapest, Lazlo’s dream of the perfect father-son birthday outing becomes a nightmare when his father introduces him to his Neo-Nazi friends.

A companion to the critically acclaimed Sit.

Key Text Features

short stories

table of contents

dialogue

A summer on an idyllic island surrounded by water and wildlife. What could possibly go wrong?

When eleven-year-old Becca returns to her grandmother’s rustic cottage for another summer, she finds herself seeing her beloved island in new ways. A hunting owl mistakes a bobbing ponytail for prey. A cozy sleepover on the beach takes on the tinges of a nightmare when a family of river otters shows up to claim their territory. An argument between a nestbound baby eaglet and its haranguing mother reaches operatic dimensions. Becca finds a dead bear on the beach and helps to give it a burial at sea.

Then there are dramas of the human variety. Aunt Meg is grieving over a miscarriage, and Aunt Clare’s medical work in Africa has brought on a sadness that even the love of family and the island’s beauty can’t cure. And there is the burning question of whether Aunt Fifi and the local plumber will ever become an item, and would that mean losing the only plumber on the island?

Meanwhile, cousin Alicia claims to be too old to participate in the kids’ summer project — a performance of The Tempest, a play that seems to find unsettling echoes in the natural surroundings Becca thought she knew so well.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

In this charming story that includes words in Inuktitut, a ringed seal returns to the Arctic with stories of discovery and friendship.

A ringed seal, known in Inuktitut as ᓇᑦᑎᖅ nattiq, has returned to his Arctic home after a long journey south. His friends — a polar bear, caribou, raven, walrus and narwhal — gather round to hear about his trip.

“What did you see beyond our land?” shouts the polar bear.

ᓇᑦᑎᖅ nattiq describes the amazing sights he has seen — from crystal clear waters full of giant icebergs to the tundra in full summertime bloom to strange, tall statues, far to the south. The statues swayed in the autumn breeze, howled when winter storms set in and opened their arms to nesting birds in the spring.

“They can never come and visit us,” ᓇᑦᑎᖅ nattiq explains to his friends, and so he plans to return south every year to tell them stories from the Arctic.

Inspired by her travels, Barbara Landry has written an imaginative story about discovery and friendship. Martha Kyak brings her familiarity with the North to the stunning illustrations. Includes a glossary of Inuktitut words.

Key Text Features
labels
glossary

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.