Christie Matheson

While ten-year-old Maya attends an elite private school on scholarship her classmates are unaware that she and her family are living in a homeless shelter, but on one poignant day Maya discovers having a house is not the only way to have a home.

Invites the reader to tap, rub, touch, and wiggle illustrations to make an apple tree bloom, produce fruit, and lose its leaves.

"Plant a seed to watch it grow. Press on the cloud to make it rain. Jiggle the book to scatter the seeds. Interactive text teaches very young children how flowers sprout and mature. Contains watercolor depictions of a flower in various stages of growth"--

Illustrations and simple, rhyming text invite the reader to uncover the rainbow of colors hidden in a garden, which helps flowers bloom and bees find food. Includes facts about bees and their importance.

"Twelve-year-old Alex loves playing soccer, and she's good at it, too. Very good. When her skills land her a free ride to play for Select, an elite soccer club, it feels like a huge opportunity. Joining Select could be the key to a college scholarship and a bright future--one that Alex's family can't promise her. But as the team gets better and better, her new coach pushes the players harder and harder, until soccer starts to feel more like punishment...

Every weekend is worth celebrating when you can relax over a good brunch.

For six administrations, Clarke designed the flowers and decorations for state dinners, planned the floral arrangements for the first family's private living quarters and weddings. She describes the inside story of her remarkable life at the White House, working with each first lady to help her find her own personal style for state dinners and holiday festivities.

My First Ladies reveals little stories and details of what it's like to be behind the scenes at the White House during six different presidential administrations.