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Indian Boyhood
by Charles EastmanCharles Eastman, or Hakadah, as his Sioux relatives and fellow tribesmen knew him, as a full-blooded Indian boy learned the reticent manners and stoical ways of patience and bravery expected of every young warrior in the 1870's and 1880's. The hunts, games, and ceremonies of his native tribe were all he knew of life until his father, who had spent time with the white man, came to find him. Indian Boyhood is Eastman's first-hand reminiscence of the life he led until he was fifteen with the nomadic Sioux. Left motherless at birth, he tells how his grandmother saved him from relatives who offered to care for him "until he died." It was that grandmother who sang him the traditional Indian lullabies which are meant to cultivate bravery in all male babies, who taught him not to cry at night (for fear of revealing the whereabouts of the Sioux camp to hostile tribes), and who first explained to him some of the skills he would need to survive as an adult in the wilds. Eastman remembers the uncle who taught him the skills of the hunt and the war-path, and how his day began at first light, when his uncle would startle him from sleep with a terrifying whoop, in response to which the young boy was expected to jump fully alert to his feet, and rush outside, bow in hand, returning the yell that had just awakened him. Yet all Indian life did not consist in training and discipline. In time of abundance and even in famine, Indian children had much time for sport and games of combat — races, lacrosse, and wrestling were all familiar to Eastman and his childhood friends. Here too are observations about Indian character, social custom, and morality. Eastman describes the traditional arrangements by which the tribe governed itself — its appointed police force, hunting and warrior scouts, and its tribal council, and how the tribe supported these officers with a kind of taxation. Eastman also includes family and tribal legends of adventure, bravery, and nature that he heard in the lodge of Smoky Day, the tribe historian. But Eastman's own memories of attacks by hostile tribes, flights from the white man's armies, and the dangers of the hunt rival the old legends in capturing a vision of life now long lost.
Sylvie and Bruno
by Lewis CarrollSylvia and Bruno, first published in 1889, forms the last novel Lewis Carroll published during his lifetime. The novel has two main plots; one set in the real world at the time the book was published (the Victorian era), the other in a fantasy world.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark TwainMark Twain's classic story of a young boy's life in a small town on the Mississippi River. [This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 6-8 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
The Old Peabody Pew
by Kate Douglas WigginThe Dorcas society of the little church has set its collective mind to the task of re-dressing the floors -- which means cleaning the pews, too -- and if they cannot have it done by Thanksgiving, why, then, let it be by Christmas. Nancy Wentworth, at thirty-five the most vivacious of them, with her youth undimmed by her work as teacher, throws herself into the work, even the dirty business of scrubbing. She begins to clean the Peabody Pew, which starts Mrs. Sargent into the subject of that worthless Peabody son, long missing. "I know there's a Peabody still alive and doing business in Detroit," Mrs. Burbank says then, "for I got his address a week ago, and I wrote asking if he would send a few dollars toward repairing the old church." Nancy turns her face to the wall and silently wipes at the paint of the wainscoting. The blood that has rushed into her cheeks at Mrs. Sargent's jeering reference to Justin Peabody still lingers there, for anyone at all to read.
Ankho Ki Chamak
by Arvind GuptaArvind Gupta, the author, is the winner of the National Award for Science Popularisation amongst children (1988) and the distinguished alumnus award from IIT Kanpur.(2000). Arvind has dedicated his life to teaching science to underprivileged children in rural ares by employing simple stories and toys. Here is one such treasure.
The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real)
by Margery Williams William NicholsonOriginally published in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit has delighted young readers for nearly a century. The story follows a young boy who’s given a stuffed rabbit as a Christmas gift. After the rabbit befriends other nursery toys, he comes to the realization that he wants to become a real rabbit. Eventually, the boy becomes ill and is relocated; his room is then disinfected and all the boy’s toys are thrown out, including the velveteen rabbit. The rabbit sheds a real tear causing a fairy to appear and turn him into a real rabbit. This edition includes full-color illustrations, with image descriptions,from the original illustrator, William Nicholson. Each image accompanies the text to enhance young readers’ experience and immerse them in this captivating story. Reprinted hundreds of times since its initial publication, The Velveteen Rabbit is a timeless children’s classic lets young readers experience the true magic of friendship, love, and being honest with oneself. In 2007, the book was named one of "Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children” by the National Education Association.
For the Win
by Cory DoctorowA provocative and exhilarating tale of teen rebellion against global corporations from the New York Times bestselling author of Little Brother, a a call to arms for a new generation. Not far in the future, in the twenty-first century, it's not just capital that's globalized: labour is too. Workers in special economic zones are trapped in lives of poverty with no trade unions to represent their rights. But a group of teenagers from across the world are set to fight this injustice using the most surprising of tools - their online video games. In Industrial South China Matthew and his friends labour day and night as gold-farmers, amassing virtual wealth that's sold on to rich Western players, while in the slums of Mumbai 'General Robotwallah Mala Marshalls and her team of online thugs on behalf of the local gang-boss, who in turn works for the game-owners. They're all being exploited, as their friend Wei-Dong, all the way over in LA, knows, but can do little about. Until they begin to realize that their similarities outweigh their differences, and agree to work together to claim their rights to fair working conditions. Under the noses of the ruling elites in China and the rest of Asia, they fight their bosses, the owners of the games and rich speculators, outsmarting them all with their unbeatable gaming skills. But soon the battle will spill over from the virtual world to the real one, leaving Mala, Matthew and even Wei-Dong fighting not just for their rights, but for their lives.
Maida's Little Shop
by Inez Haynes IrwinA motherless girl with very wealthy dad struggles to recover from surgery. Her depression finds relief as she makes new and unlikely friends and shares new adventures with them.
Book of Nonsense
by Edward LearThe owls, hen, larks, and their nests in his beard, are among the fey fauna and peculiar persons inhabiting the uniquely inspired nonsense rhymes and drawings of Lear (20th child of a London stockbroker), whose Book of Nonsense, first published in 1846, stands alone as the ultimate and most loved expression in English of freewheeling, benign, and unconstricted merriment.
Feeling Ready to Read - Snow White: Snow White's Keys (PDF)
by Adrian FarnsworthFeeling Ready to Read is an exciting pack of tactile graphic materials to develop pre-braille skills. It is based on the well-loved story of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" and has over 100 fun swell paper exercises to practice skills including accurate tracking of lines, tactile discrimination, two-handed coordination and developing a light finger touch - all vital pre-requisites for a future braille reader. Also included is a very simple version of the story with tactile illustrations for the children to "read" for themselves. Feeling Ready to Read is made up of 13 documents.